Video
Artist Statement/Concept
I always have to answer a question when I meet some one new. ‘ Where will you go in the future, China or Singapore?’
It is hard to answer. Where should I settle down?
I have studied in Singapore for several years, I usually I go back to my hometown in the holiday once a year. And when school starts I will go back to Singapore. It already become a circulation in my life, and it won’t be change in the next few years. That is why I want create a loop in this project.
In this semester, I take the Black and White Film Photograph. I think I fall in love with the film. It is unlike the digital photo that every photo composed by electronical indifferent pixels. Once you have take a photo, I will be able to capture that particular moment. It will prove the existence of that moment by that tiny film. That’s the reason I use a film frame as a container of my composition.
Since I came to Singapore, I never see snow again. I love snow. It is one thing I expect most in the winter. I chose a photogragh of the famous lake in my hometown where I have been to with my whole family before.
In order to have a obvious comparison to the winter, I decide to use a typical summer photo to represent Singapore. I think the beach with tropical plants will be the best choice.
The similarity of these composition is that both of them have boat.But the meanings are on the contrary. I intend to give the first composition a traditional Chinese water ink painting look. The style will always create a spiritual harmony . The black-awning boat is just floating on the lake. It represent the serenity and comfortable zone that I ‘m longing for from my hometown.
Compared to the first composition, the second one is more dynamic. The speedboat goes towards the the boundless sea which implies the ambition. This is a more competitive world.
Technical Decisions
Photoshop
Firstly, I need to edit my image in the Photoshop, to make the photos look like paintings.
The original photo is very greyish. So I created several adjustment layers to enhance the color. Furthermore, in order to add in some highlights color into to the photo, I selected the pillars of the pavilion by using color range and make them redder.
After adjusting the colors, I chose a Paint Daub effect in the filter gallery to change it to a painting. I also add a surface blur to it which helps to create a filmy mood.
For the black-awning boat, I did similar adjustment to it. And I applied drop shadow layer effect to it so that the boat will be more realistic in the whole composition.
In my second composition, I want the image to be presented in another painting style to differentiate with the first composition.
To make the color more vivid,I Created respective adjustment layer for sky, sea and beach.
The next step is to change the photo into painting. To achieve this I have to create three more layers to it which is Pencil line, brush, smart blur. The pencil line layer will outline the photo. The smart blur layer will soften the photo and reduce the sharpness. The most critical Layer is Brush layer, which completely turn the photo to a water-color painting. In the meantime, I also changed the blending mode for each layer accordingly.
After Effects
Composition DongHu
I used cc particle world to create snowing effects. In the effects panel I adjusted the various parameters to make the snow look realistic.
The camera movement in this composition is just a simple zoom in. But I want the zoom in only happen to the image instead of the whole composition. So I have to do the camera movement in the other composition which is composition ‘Donghu_hua’ in the above picture. Then I combine the composition ‘Donghu_hua’ , snowing and the film frame together in a new composition.
I also animated the black-awning boat showing it is floating on the lake.
Composition Siloso Beach
To create the hot tropical summer atmosphere, I add in a heat wave effect and flare effect in for this composition.
To animate the speed boat,I set two key frame to it to determine its start and end position. To make it look more realistic I add in a wave layer. I set the the speed boat as the parent of the wave so that the wave can follow the speedboat. I I have masked the wave so the wave is showing gradually.
My final step is to combine two compositions together. In order to prevent the uncontrollable camera movement, I decide to only change the camera once but create one more composition to loop the two composition.
Artist References
Makoto Shinkai 5 centimeter per second
I love 5 centimeter per second because of its style and story. It is quite special for me. The sakura falling and snowing scene have left a profound impression in my mind. When the snowing falling down, it is serene and gentle but it is also heartbroken.
Loving Vincent
loving Vincent is the world’s first fully painted feature film. The whole movie imitate Van Gogh’s oil painting style. In the animation even the landscape is not still. We can see the water and trees are shimmer and swirling. That is what I want my second composition looks like. Though the landscape of siloso beach is stilI, the sea and sky are fluid.
Triangle
I think more or less my idea of ‘looping’ is come from this movie. The film is about a women Jess who falls into a mysterious time loop. No matter how hard she has tried she can not escape from the loop.
