I’m quite please with my final video. I managed to get some interesting shots during the sunny days (yay for good weather!) and the quality turned out quite well.

Because of the slow and subtle nature of the video, as well as the historic time period of the poem, I originally envisioned the use of a more traditional serif typeface. However, when actually working with the video I found that traditional serifs were not as legible against the textured video. Instead, I chose a unique slab typeface called Museo Slab. This typeface has quite a bit of weight to it, helping it stand out against the noise of the image.

I did not want the type to simply be placed on top of the video, so I chose to integrate into the imagery through the use of masks, blurs, and different blending layers. This allowed the type to play a role in interpreting the words of the poem, rather than simply narrating it.

After getting some nice clips of the natural elements, I decided to try my hand at a time lapse, which I had never done before. I would have preferred to get the sunset fully to dark but I ran out of room on my memory card, and the coyotes were coming out.

I’m not kidding.

I experimented with editing the footage in terms of colour corrections and enhancements. I really like the direction it’s going on so far. The video I shot had enough contrast to implement the motion tracking quite nicely. I was also able to add a subtle effect so that the text appears with the foreground plants as the depth of field changes.

Looking at the few shots I managed to get, I realize I need many more to provide some variety. I’ve compiled a list of a few other possible locations that I should try and scope out. (hopefully the weather will cooperate for the rest of the week!!)

• Richmond Hill Centre / Langstaff GO Station (some nice shrubbery and open area facing the west)
• Park/Pond at Redstone Rd. & Shirley Dr.
• Bike Path at Weldrick Rd and Spadina Ave (faces east, might provide an interesting sun rise location)
• Farmland at Major Mackenzie Dr & Leslie Ave.

Please no more rain, hail, snow, or cold !!!

My cousins boyfriend was nice enough to lend me his D5000, which I am using with my 50mm lens. There’s no auto focus so I took some time to experiment and get the hang of manual focusing.

I went out to the David Dunlap Observatory, which is a beautiful place, to film. It was quite cloudy when on this day and I did not bring my tripod. I had anticipated simply scouting out the area for interesting compositions and objects. Little did I know the sun would come out beautifully. Moral of this story: always bring your tripod!!

Here’s one additional photo I took that evening:

This was Sunday, when I was finally able to get a hold of the D5000. The weather has been ridiculous since then: rain, snow, hail. Here’s hoping for some better weather so I can go back out and film with my tripod!!

Key features:

• Slow, subtle camera movements
• Subtly coloured filtering methods
• Playing with depth of field and aperture
• Change in lights

Robert Frost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay:

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

I was first introduced to this poem when I read The Outsiders in eighth grade. There are several interpretations to the poem, but two stand out the most. The poem seems to speak of a precious moment, referring to it as gold. However, as with all good things, our precious moments won’t last forever. Each day is different and we must learn to embrace the new moments while treasuring our precious memories.

The second interpretation is much less literal. It takes the “precious moment” as a reference to childhood and the innocence of youth. Every person is born into the world with a clean slate, innocent and pure. As each person lives and experiences the things around them, the innocence and naivety disappears.

I’d like to try and interpret this poem visually with footage of nature (dawn/ sunrise, dusk/sunset, leaves) while playing with the theme of life and death to interpret the passing of these precious moments / our innocence.

I very much like the colour scheme of the video below. I’m not very skilled when it comes to working with video footage so it will be a good challenge for me to try and figure out how to perfect lighting and colour. I also really like the slow, subtle movements, which will be an interesting contrast from my first project.

I’m really hoping the weather co-operates and the sun sticks around. I may need to buy a few fresh flowers to take with me on my shoot since spring flowers haven’t quite come into bloom yet.

• a video about things that make me happy
• toilet paper usage
• letters vs email
• urban sprawl, disappearance of farm land, and the things that have replaced them.
• glasses
• poetry, robert frost
• the current debate over the future of the David Dunlap Observatory grounds
• electronic waste
• organ donations
• student life: stress, schedules, recreation, social
• food of some sort
• diseases & viruses
• alcohol
• spring: life, growth

I love the use of organic typography in this video. Everything is static and yet the elements of dimension and time also come into play.

I’m very interested in the idea of doing an infographic animation of some sort. I really like the simplicity of this video, and yet the typography is effective in educating the viewers about the issue of food wastage.

I’m quite happy with the final render of my type narrative. It was quite a journey of exploration. I began by filming footage with a slight concept in mind. However, when I sat down to look through and edit the footage my concept changed several times. The resulting piece is a narrative about the phenomenon of déjà vu and the possible reasons for why it occurs. It was interesting to see how type could be used to change the meaning of seemingly random video footage.

Audio: September by Robot Science http://robotscience.bandcamp.com/

I originally intended to have the text be a part of the ice, and as such, there were no easy reference points of the AE motion tracking. As a result, I chose to do the motion tracking manually. Once I had finished, I decided it would look nicer to have the text follow the girl’s shadow instead.