More Development of the stop motion

Here I made sure the camera was in focus and I also added a filter over the images to give a more design orientated aesthetic like Shanshan suggested. Also we used a bit of white blue tack so that Josie knew where to put down the apple each time, which is what Tash suggested.

Revised Description

I made a few changes after I got my feed back from Tash and Shanshan

Int apple = whole apple;

While(apple = exists){

Take (a bite);

apple – one bite;

}

Josie is dressed like an art critic to convey the analyst nature of the computer, the space within the frame is the code and the apple is the main focus representing the data that the loop will affect. As she walks into the frame this signifies the computer running through the set up stages of the code. Josie comes to the part where the loop is written, thus analyses it by picking up the apple and determining whether or not it exists (the ‘while’ statement). Her smiling signifies the conformation that the statement works and carries on through the rest of the commands of eating the apple, reducing it by one bite. When she stands and walks around within the frame she is showing the computer is running through the rest of the code. All of this is repeated again and again because the computer runs over the code again and again; the only thing changing is the size of the apple as a result of what the loop is doing. Finally at the end of the clip Josie goes to assess the apple but it no longer exists, thus frowns because she cannot run through the rest of the loop. Similar to the beginning she walks out of the frame, but in the opposite direction to show the computer exiting the loop. All of this is supported by the music in the background, which is repetitive daytime music to emphasize the repetitive nature of a loop and the everyday action of eating an apple.

The Impact of Tone

Half from Alex Bohs on Vimeo.

This an interesting example showing how slight changes in tone can effect how the environment looks to the viewer. This is the kind of thing Shanshan suggested, so it will be an interesting idea to play around with in my final clip.

The Viewer's Opinions

To make sure I'm on the right track with my stop motion becoming an exhibition piece, I got two people to view my latest stop motion and my draft description individually, then tell me what they thought I was describing and how well or not I have produced this as an exhibition piece. The first person was my friend Tash who didn't know anything about coding or my project. The second was Shanshan who is pretty much an expert on coding from both a design and a computer science perspective. This was their feedback:

Tash: She fully understood the metaphor and how I was conveying it through the medium of a stop motion and found Josie's facial expressions quite humors. Though she didn't like how the apple wasn't always put back in the same spot because she saw the loop as always being in the same place in a list of code, she felt it is necessary to include this idea in the visuals. Her suggestion was to mark a point, that Josie could see but we couldn't, so that she knew she was putting it back in the same spot. In regards to the way I wrote my description, Tash thought it was a bit "jumpy", meaning that it would be nicer to read if each sentence flowed onto the next better.

Shanshan: Of course she fully understood my metaphor and stop motion, she thought it was actually quite interesting to watch even though the action is quite repetitive. She really liked how I had thought about the way Josie dressed and those type of small details. Her suggestions for improvement were to enhance the aesthetics saying "we are not film students, we are design students". She thought it might be quite nice to include some post production on the images by maybe even giving it a tone or playing with the contrast and brightness or something simple like that, so it is no longer just a series of plain photographs. After reading the description she thought that it was unnecessary to highlight the details of the setting at the beginning of the description, because for her the stop motion starts when Josie walks in. She suggested that I still include these details but maybe put them towards the end of the description, so for those who just want to quickly find out whats happening they can get the idea within the first half of the description and others who are more patient can read the whole thing. Over all she was really impressed at how effectively I explained the term of loops, and thought the music was very well suited and justifiable in the clip.    

More Development

I put a lot more detailed thought into this shoot, including what clothes Josie was wearing, the framing of the images and every action made. However, I did not realize that my images were out of focus, so looks like I'll have to do another shoot to make it better. The music here I think suits the stop motion more than in my previous development because of it mundane and repetitive nature, similar to eating an apple. Chloe was unable to do another shoot due to her own commitments, thankfully Josie was happy to help.

This is some pseudo code I came up with to help explain the application:

Int apple = whole apple;

While(apple = exists){

Take (a bite);

Apple – one bite;

}

Draft of description:

At the beginning of the clip it has an apple already sitting on the table in low lighting, this shows the sketch existing, but not open, and that the main part of the code, as well as the clip, is the apple. As the lights turn on this represents someone opening the sketch, though also serves as a good introduction to the clip. Josie then walks into the frame to show the computer running through the set up stages of the code. She is dressed like an art critic to represent the computer as the analyzer of the code, she picks up the apple and assess whether or not the apple exists (the ‘while’ statement). When she confirms the while statement works she smiles, from here she runs through the rest of the commands of taking a bite of the apple, it then reduces the apple by one bite. Josie then stands up and walks around to show the computer running through the rest of the code. The action is repeated again and again to show the computer running over the whole code again and again, the only thing that is changing is the size of the apple because of what the loop is doing. At the end of the clip Josie goes to assess the apple but it no longer exists, so she frowns showing that she cannot run through the loop, then gets up and walks off to represent the apple exiting the loop. The music in the background is repetitive day time music to emphasize the repetitive nature of a loop and  the everyday action of eating an apple.  

Stop Motion Development

The framing is a bit off here, I was trying to emphasize the apple as the main focus. I plan to re-shoot to get a more well balanced set of photos and get Chloe to be more eccentric in her actions.

Continuing to Develop Ideas

After talking to Ben about my ideas of incorporating toys into my stop motion, he suggested that I make sure there is a strong emphasis on the metaphor of taking bites out of an apple. So I thought the toys may not be the best idea as they will probably make the metaphor quite confusing or detract from the main idea.
Ben then suggested that I should probably make the action of eating an apple more exaggerated or eccentric. This idea made me think of this video clip:




One of the key elements that makes this video entertaining is the way the characters move with exaggerated actions like an old film. This technique would fit perfectly into my stop motion.