Poster essay july 2017

July 12, 2017 / 1 comment

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Subjective Atlas

June 1, 2017 / 0 comments

As part of my research I developed a prototype of a subjective atlas. This atlas could be the starting point of a ‘world bible’ to develop the design of the world of “FIGHT” a science fiction film that is currently in development. Written and directed by Simon Pummell. Although the actual questions this atlas explores…

Subjective Atlas: preparation

May 17, 2017 / 0 comments

For the Subjective Atlas I want to combine multiple aspects of my research into one exercise: CONTEXT: For the science fiction film ‘Fight’ – loosely based on a short story William Gibson (of Neuromancer fame) I will be designing and creating the futuristic world in which a classic boxing narrative takes place. This film is…

London 2017

May 17, 2017 / 0 comments

In april 2017 I spent a couple of days in London on a short excursion. I am still processing my impressions and collecting my thoughts on the experience but I will try to briefly summarize the first results from the trip: INTERVIEWS WITH VFX PROFESSIONALS I conducted two interviews with visual effects artists that work…

Critical Reading 01

May 1, 2017 / 0 comments

Session summary When using a text as part of a research project it’s important to be able to judge the origins and context of the text. Especially now that texts are so easily published and spread, the quality of texts available is wildly variable. Who wrote this? And what makes him or her an authority…

Concept Art for Ghost in the Shell

April 5, 2017 / 0 comments

With the release of the live-action remake of Ghost In The Shell (after the original anime from 1995) the internet is ablaze with material and documentation. In the wake of the premiere a lot of contributors are now releasing work they have contributed to the film in one way or the other. I stumbled upon…

Source: “Swimming with Sharks”

April 5, 2017 / 0 comments

Trygve Allister Diesen is a Norwegian film director. Out of frustration with having his vision for his films compromized by (his words) ‘sharks’ he started a research project as a fellow of the Norwegian Film School. He has published a video essay in six parts documenting this process. Below I will summarize the episodes briefly…

Inspiration: “Spectacle, Speculation, Spam”

March 24, 2017 / 0 comments

I found this video essay a while ago. The content is relevant to my question in a couple of ways – but even more, I like the way it’s presented in the form of a video essay. I imagine a similar form might be really suitable for developing and shaping my research.

Source: “The Craftsman” – Richard Sennett

March 24, 2017 / 0 comments

My father was a carpenter and woodworker, as were both my grandfathers. I grew up in the wood workshop and have been tinkering my whole life. No wonder that I feel that thinking cannot be separated from making – and the dialogue between the hands and the brain is what shapes my work. Even though…

Context: the state of visual effects

March 24, 2017 / 0 comments

On february 24 2013 Life of Pi won four Oscar awards, out of 10 nominations. The award for ‘Best Visual Effects’ went to the team at Rhythm & Hues. But Rhythm & Hues filed for bankruptcy a month before. In recent years the biggest box-office successes can be categorized as ‘effects-heavy’ movies (www.boxofficemojo.com). Just in…

Conversation piece 0.1

March 10, 2017 / 0 comments

One of the archetypical artefacts of visual effects for cinema is the futuristic metropole. From ‘Metropolis’ (1927) to the remake of ‘Ghost in the shell’ (2017) filmmakers have been envisioning futuristic cities as backdrops for their stories. Recently I have been collecting stills of these envisioned cityscapes. So when invited to make a first conversation…

TRAIL_02: Artistic collaboration

February 14, 2017 / 1 comment

On the subject of artistic collaboration methods I found some books and articles that that may be interesting. But I think it may be more productive to talk to some experts on the subject before embarking on a paper journey. As it happens there are some people in my direct environment that may be able…

TRAIL_01: Individual craftsmanship and authorship

February 14, 2017 / 0 comments

One aspect of my ‘quest’ is what is the status of individual artistic practice, visual signature (in relation to craftmanship) in the context of creating visual effects for cinema? Below I will list my sources develop some more context. At the moment I’m reading a couple of books to lay some groundwork for further and…

Mapping v2

February 7, 2017 / 0 comments

This is a rough revision of my earlier mapping of research trails. It’s a work in progress (naturally), a tool to sharpen my thoughts. Currently the ‘craftsmanship / authorship’ trail has the clearest starting point in terms of obvious sources. I have some reading to do. I have this idea that cinema postproduction never really…

Digital Craft

February 2, 2017 / 0 comments

I’m not sure whether any of this will be really relevant to my research – but it’s part of the context. With the comodification of digital tools in the last decades, there is also a decline in respect for digital craft and crafstmen. There is a renewed interest in traditional craft and a fascination for…

The first research trails

January 26, 2017 / 0 comments

Based on the first mapping exercise I came up with a three different trails I would like to investigate further. Collaborative design methods What kind of methods have already been developed? And how do they deal with identity vs anonymity? A lot of participatory design advocates seem to be less interested in authorship and individual expression….

Mapping v1

January 25, 2017 / 0 comments

This is the result of the first mapping exercise – january 2017.

Baseline: where am I now?

January 25, 2017 / 0 comments

Where to start. Anywhere is useful I suppose. I have been working professionally in film, animation and visual effects since 1999. In the early years I was often initator of projects, but over time I have been working more with directors and artists to contribute to their projects. The scope and complexity of these projects…