Amanda Jenks - Guest Lecturer

A film producer
She started as a director before progressing to a TV series producer of documentaries
Then progressed into drama.

Films produced by Amanda are:
- Mysterious Creatures (2006)
- The Grey Man (2007)
- An Englishman in New York (2009)
   - received Best Feature at the Hamburg Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
   - received three BAFTA nominations
   - short-listed for a 2010 Rose d'Or for Best Single Film
- From The Ashes (2011)
- The Girl (2012)

Amanda produced the recent HBO biopic about Alfred Hitcock titled The Girl. This film starred big names such as Sienna Miller and Toby Jones.

Social Media: Individual Expression vs Mass Conformity

When it comes to thinking about social networks there is the masive debate about whether or not they are to provide a platform for individual expression or if their popularity is simply down to mass conformity.

Social Media can be viewed with a wide variety of interpretations and definitions dependind on it’s function. It is a medium for individual expression as well as a platform which is characterised by mass conformity. Both of these are inevitably linked to each other, in fact, nowadays, many people will join social networking sites in order to comply with the masses, as there is a constant fear of “missing out”. Every form of social media allows the individual to create their own user profile, which is arguably promoting individual expression.The profiles provide the ability to control the ways in which others see you by manipulating the material you post in order present yourself. It is evident to us that both individual expression and mass conformity come hand in hand as you cannot have one without the other. An example that can be compared this dilemma to is clothing; although we want to express our individuality we still conform to the latest fashions to a certain extent.

Emerging Ethical Issues of Life in Virtual Worlds

Emerging Ethical Issues of Life in Virtual Worlds
By Charles Wankel and Shaun Malleck

This book discusses the term "virtual reality", how we do not experience the real world or a fictional world it is a hybrid experience.This is important in relation to the issue of cyber bullying because of the need to address the experience of the individuals involved. Online communities are seen by many as something distant and unattached. The personal element of communication has been removed by technology, before it was the telephone then the mobile phone and then now social networking.'Interactions with virtual worlds are made possible by real devices and can produce secondary effects on the real user and the real world'. Social networks can be accessed through laptops, tablets and mobile phones now. There is no escaping technology in today's. It has helped us to progress as a race in many ways, making many parts of life easier, more convienent and therefore more enjoyable. However it has caused problems too such as 'cyber bullying is a method of bullying made possible because of technological advances' (Agatston, Kowalski and Limber, 2010:2).

Cyber bullying is an ethical issue that only arose due to the new digital age. The internet is a powerful tool but when used in the wrong way it can be vicious. Many things posted online are not just an issue for the present time as they can come back to haunt a person later on. This is another issue that should be stressed when discussing cyber bullying. The bully may not actually realise or understand the implications of the content they are posting online. How it can never properly be fully removed once it has been posted online as everything gets stored in archives.

Government Campaigns and Own Project Shift

Since I have decided that When the Virtual Becomes Real could be used as an educational piece to help stop cyber bullying I have now begun researching into the style and asethetics of government campaigns. Due to the lack of video content on cyebr bullying government campaigns I have decided to look at anti bullying ones as they are similar. 

After researching into government campaigns around bullying I would like to incorporate some of the styles used within these videos. I will include some facts and advice towards the end of my animation. This will help to emphasise the issue and the need for proper education  It should help the children understand that they are vulnerable to this issue.

The I Choose campaign which I found on YouTube has a different approach to the issue of bullying than mine. It displays children of different ages, gender and race talking to the camera about what bullying is and how it can be hurtful. They have also teamed this with text on the screen which helps to strengthen their points and gives the children something to read.

I however feel children are more likely to listen and learn if the information comes in a visual story, which is what When the Virtual Becomes Real is. Its narrative will teach about the problem of cyber bullying and the visual style of it is different and interesting for the children.

Cyriak Harris - Guest Lecturer

Cryiak Harris
- freelance animator
- website Beta

In relation to time and space
- cows and cows and cows video
   - distorting images - stretching them, then they turn to spiders and flattern
   - multiple of the same image
   - he animates them to the music - he chose simple music with an easy beat to follow

Animators are seen as artists - drawing the scenes for my animation makes me feel like an artist.

Video of the Queen pulling her brain out and video of a baby sneezing out its internal organs
- mixture of real photography and images with animation over the top
- he used Adobe Photoshop to create this piece

- his animations tend to be more weird and wacky which is what has made them so popular and well known
- advertisements began to use this style due to the high response from viewers
- he used stock footage from websites to get most of the images though he had connections to some friends who also lent him their photographs and footage.
- he finds using photographs is a much quicker way of making animations which also means he can produce more or make them longer.

Social Media Usage Statistics

I have found a model which depicts a range of statistics on social media use from 2012. This diagram shows the amount of people who interact via social networks divided up by a different sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc.

As you can see it states that more than 350,000,000 users suffer from Facebook addiction, people cannot even stop themselves from using these online forums. It is like it is a drug, it has a hypnotic effect while also providing a way of escape for many.

The fact that 750 tweets are posted on Twitter every second shows how much people enjoy voicing their opinions or updating interesting things about their lives. This reflects how popular the social networks are as a platform for individual expression and freedom of speech. However this also raises problems with the fact that the content cannot be monitored because of the sheer volume of it. This means that anything can be posted online, for anyone to see. This means anybody but specifically children use the internet they are extremely vulnerable and at risk. Inappropriate content or messages can be posted online and they can only be removed once the issue has been bought to the attention of the social networking site. This is also a big issue when it comes to cyber-bullying as there is nothing stopping negative comments being posted, or stopping others from joining in. 

Instagram has 5 million images uploaded to the site everyday. Sharing pictures is a fairly new phenomenon that has swept the world. It is this idea of being able to share content that is a good form of interaction but again there is no monitoring on the content that can be uploaded. The trend with tagging things can then group any connections to the photo. Any terms can be tagged with a photo which means negative and abusive terms can too. 

This model shows the power of online communities and the amount our population rely on them. They are a form of entertainment and social interaction but there are many dark sides to them too. For example issues like cyber bullying and addiction.

http://www.jeffbullas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/the-latest-social-media-statisticsfor-2012.jpg

Animating a thumb

 
I cut out the thumb from one of the many photographs I took of the hand using the phone. I can then use this to help navigate the thumb myself around the screen helping the narrative to flow.

I just love how effective the simple of line drawing of the thumb looks. Especially in contrast to the image of it opposite.

On the left is the photograph cut out of the thumb and on the right is the rotoscoped version. The drawn thumb can then be used for once Rosie has become animated and is still using the technology.The process of how I managed to draw this image of the thumb is documented in the screen shots below.

The first screenshot shows how I drew around the edge of the thumb in order to get the shape and outline completed. This was a painstakingly slow process which required me to zoom right in to be as precise as possible. I needed to use a computer mouse in order to make the lines as neat as possible.

Once I had finished the outline of the thumb I created a new layer and coloured in the whole area within the outline of the thumb white. This then can be seen in a close up in the next screenshot and the third screen shot shows it from the real perspective. 

Photographs of Hand Gestures for Using the Phone

I would have liked to have used a lot more rotoscoping within my animation as I prefer the style but as previously discussed I have now decided to focus more on the important rotoscoped scenes and then tell the rest of the story through Rosie's use of her phone and laptop. Here are some images I have now taken of my character using their phone. 

As you can see each image shows the thumb in a different place, I will use this to help show how she is navigating her phone. I will cut round the thumb using Adobe Photoshop so I can then reposition it over the animated screen and then change the hand gestures accordingly to the content on the screen.

Along with helping navigate around the social network site YourBook it will also help show the relationship Rosie has with technology and the virtual world.

Animating Rosie Scene Production

I have begun rotoscoping the images where Rosie is going to become animated so that I can start animating it all together in Flash. This is to represent that the nasty comments from the virtual world have become too much and have take over her life. The difference between the virtual world and the real world have become blurred for Rosie. This is because the virtual world has effected her so deeply that it has consumed her reality.

I want the progress of her becoming animated to be in stages rather than like a switch has been flicked. These screenshots show how I have gone about animating her. 

Each image has been edited three times with the next stage of the rotoscoping so that the animation is seen to grow upwards, consuming her into the virtual world.

Once an image has three stages of the rotoscoped growth I then move on to the next image in the sequence to continue this same pattern, this is so that the animation will appear to smoothly spread up the character but while she is walking too. 

As you can see this is a very effective style and already the character stands out much more. The use of black and white helps to strengthen the massive difference in how she is portrayed. From this scene onwards she will be an animated character until the end when she manages to return back to normal once she has managed to stop the bullying.

Editing New Images into Flash

Here are some screenshots of me importing my new images into Flash ready to create a new scene of my animation. This is the scene where Rosie is walking home looking at her phone, scrolling through all of the nasty footage that has been posted on her profile.It all becomes too much for Rosie and this is where she suddenly turns into an animated character.

I have to resize each of the images to fit to the stage size. I then have to use the onion skin tool in order to see the size of the previous image and so that I can scale down the next one and place it in exactly the same place. This helps the sequence to flow smoothly and the stop motion animation to work without appearing disjointed. I have to do this with each of my new images though some I will have to rotoscope over first for the parts where she becomes animated.

Audience Ideas: School Children

I have decided to look into what kind of audience would appreciate my animation and how it would therefore fit into society. I believe that it could be used to help educate children. The government are constantly making changes to the curriculum to make the children are taught about any health and safety dangers they may be at risk to or face. These are things like bullying, strangers etc. but I do not feel like there is enough on cyber bullying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5210886.stm

In 2006 the government recognised the growing issue of cyber bullying and the need to address it within the education system. Guidelines were publish to help the schools, parents and the pupils understand the nature of cyber bullying.
The Anti-Bullying Alliance stated that 1 in 5 pupils had been bullied over the internet or through mobile phones.This reveals the true scale of cyber bullying but it also shows how hard it is to control and change because of the technologies used to do it.

The guidelines have resulted in
- all communication technology at school is monitored and restricted,
- advice being given on how to block unwanted contact,
- how to keep the messages and emails for evidence
- the importance of never giving out personal information or posting photographs to people

From studies it was found that girls were significantly more likely to be subjected to cyber-bullying and that around a third of victims never told an adult about it.

These government changes prove that there is a place for When the Virtual Becomes Real to become an educational tool.

New Images for When the Virtual Becomes Real

 Yesterday I took some new photographs for the sequence where Rosie becomes an animated character. I have chosen to have the setting as her walking down the street as this shows she is out in the open fresh air, with no one around. This outside setting will then contrast with how trapped she feels, and her inner turmoil reaches a new high when she reads new abusive messages on her phone. This turmoil will then be reflected aesthetically through her changing into an animated character.

Below are images I took of the same sequence from above but from a different angle to see which one was more effective. I think I will use the shots from above due to the fact the character starts from further away so there is more time to see her change into an animated character at a slightly slower pace due to there being more shots.I also think it works really well to have her walking straight at the camera.

When I am editing everything together I am going to try to possibly incorporate shots from each of the angles of her walking along the path. I believe this will help make it more cinematic and to be edited like a movie.


The next images from each angle showing when the character stops walking, shocked by what she has read on her phone which will be shown through edits to shots of her screen mixed with this sequence. She is looking visibly upset by what has happened. This will also be when her transformation to animated character will be complete.

These final images are then of her walking to her house, a place that should be a safe haven where any child should feel protected however due to social networking and its ability to over power space this is not the case for Rosie.

Deadline Feedback and My Changes

I have received have now received my feedback and have met with my tutor to discuss where to take my project and the criticisms of it.

I have chosen to use rotoscoping as the style and method used to create my animation because I believe it enhances the narrative and theme within the project. The use of animation with real photography helps to blend the digital with the real, thus emphasising the virtual and real world blurring which occurs within the narrative.

The feedback that I have received on this aspect of my project is that the rotoscope tests I handed in where seen to be very affective but it has been pointed out that this is a time consuming process which means my storyboard may have to be altered.

- I am now going to portray a majority of the story through  close up shots of her using her phone or laptop at different times with focus being the screen. The screens will be animated to depict the social network and the ongoing bullying. There will still be a few shots with her animated and the pivotal scene where she changes to an animated character will remain. This should help speed the narrative up along with making my project time scale more realistic and achievable.

- I have also taken the feedback on board and for now I am not focusing on the suicide dream scene as this is not necessarily needed if I run out of time. If I am doing okay for time I will place it in as I do think it is a good part of the narrative considering many would consider this option. Bullying makes people think that life is not worth living.

Mark Isaccs - Guest Lecturer

Documentary

Travellers
-What is documentary in this clip?
   - he interviews the subject with his voice also being heard in the clip
   - the style of camera work is in the style of documentary
- Mark explores the notion of people leaving their home and arriving somewhere else
- it is a BBC film
- depicts a girl leaving Ireland, you see her getting off the ferry, then waiting at a bus stop but these scenes are all reconstructed as she already lives in Ireland
- he thought it would be interesting to take her back to the place where she arrived in England, to see the emotions this stirs up for him to be able to capture

Documentaries should not be a simple recording of reality as real life is not interesting, he makes it interesting for the cinema.

Lift
- he met the characters within this documentary at different stages off camera
- he got his assistant to research people so Mark could start off as a stranger to them
- people would tell him stories and he would ask them to repeat it in the lift to the camera - the story is still the same but it leads to questions of how the content is portrayed with us.
- one character talks about having a jacuzzi in his flat
- Mark knew a religious woman that lived in one of the flats, he asked her to come into the lift to talk about religion to the camera. While this is happening a Bangladeshi man comes in and they then discuss it between them. This part was then natural and real.
- he gets people to live in a scene, making things feel real and not fake.

When should you start filming?
How much research should you do?
What if someone says something good off camera?

- a hands on approach - he would go door to door down the road he had chosen to find his subjects
- the people are the most important part of a documentary, they need to be authentic.
- he would film a scene and then spend a month or two deciding where this scene will go
- Mark tries to recapture the first impressions he got from the subjects so that the viewer can see what he sees

Calais - The Last Border
- a subjective view of Calais
- he is making the film from his own point of view
- the images chosen feed into the conflicts in the film

Need to question whether you're being fair to your characters?
Mark does not change things around to make people look bad

There is the question of ethics which depends on what your intentions are.

The Listening Post Exhibition

The Listening Post is an exhibition which uses social media for art.
By Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin

- It is responding to the conditions and challenges of social media.
- It cuts fragments of real time from thousands of online chat rooms and displays them as an art exhibit. It allows you to experience a snapshot of the internet and it manages to humanise would would usually appear to be computer data.
- You can either stand back and experience the exhibit as a whole or stand closer focusing on different strands.
- A form of art realism
- Questions of privacy can be raised as they are using peoples own private conversations without their permission.It is also unethical and unmonitored - when you watch the listening post you feel like you are intruding on peoples private conversations and lives. It feels wrong to do so but at the same time it is enchanting.
- The size of it reveals only a miniscule fraction of the true amount of people communicating online at that moment.

The Science Museum describes how the artwork is renowned as a masterpiece of electronic and contemporary art. How it is a monument to the ways we find to connect with each other and express our identities online.

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/listening_post.aspx