AS Media Text Manipulation

AS Media Blog:

Typography Manipulation-Photoshop

Task:

•        To utilise Photoshop in order to manipulate a form of typography for a certain effect, or to create an idea of genre.
•        We had the freedom to choose what to do with the typography.
•        We had the help of tutorials to aid us I manipulating the text

Tools I Used:

• Warp tool

First Experiment:

After watching the first video I decided to use the warp tool to blend a few pieces of text with a picture. Starting with the picture below, in a similar fashion to the video I used the warp tool to put text into the shape of an object. After completing this experiment I have come to realise that this wasn't the best image to use as the lips are open making the shape of the lips not entirely true and make it harder to re-adjust the text into the correct shape that I had planned.

After distinguishing this i proceeded to use the following dimensions for my font.

After this i used some word association to determine what words would be meaningful and relevant to the image chosen.

Words I came up with:

- Love
- Passion
- Kiss

After coming up with these words i lowered the opacity of the picture of the lips so that it was easier to work with manipulating the text.

Then I Typed in the word love and alligned it so that it covered the majority of the right side of the top Lipton


Next, following the video, i used the warp tool to shape the text into the shape of the background I stretched the corners of the word out so that it filled the space and I squished other part so that it fit the arch of the lips, also i had to elongate the "o" as it would then fit the shape.

After this i proceeded to insert the next word 'passion' onto the bottom lip as it was the longest word and I thought it would be a substantial length to cover the whole of the bottom length.

Using the same technique as previously and using the same dimensions as the previous word I placed the word in the position of the bottom lip and proceeded to warp it into shape. 

The outcome of this is that the text seems rounder and more three dimensional so that it fulfils the image of a pair of lips, however it didn't quite turn out as perfect as I had previously imagined as it doesn't quite reach the corners of the lips and isn't in line with the top lips because of this. If I were to re do this I would have made sure that the allignment of the text would have been tighter and more precise to the scale of the background in question.

Next I inserted the final word 'kiss' and did all of the previous steps to make it fit into the shape of the top left part of the top lips.

As you can see the alignment and placement of the text was wonky towards the left and the shape of the word did not match that of its opposite side. If I were able to re-attempt this then I would have copied the word 'love' out, flipped it so that it is the same shape as the previous one making it symmetrical and then changed the text to kiss as it would have kept the same dimensions and editing as the other side thus making the lips seem symmetrical. This mistake could also be down to the background picture as the gap in the lips made the judgement harder on wether to stretch or reduce the size of a certain part of the text and may have hindered the results. With this in mind I would have picked a clearer picture such as the one below.

Using the skills i had just acquired and knowing the level of success that the previous experiment had received o decided to create a simpler shape.

Experiment 2:

Tear Drop:

Using the picture to the right I used the same method learnt in the video that I watched previously to create an image out of text with some form of relevant and symbolic text used within the shape to send a deeper underlying message.

After this I chose to use word associated with a tear and came up with the following words:

-Suffering

- Pain

- Hurt

- Vulnerable

- Sadness

I opened this in photoshop and proceeded to use a simple font using the text tool (below left) to type the word 'suffering' I then rastorized the text, in able to warp the text by using the paint tool (below right) and clicking on the text which brought up the message (below centre) which when you click ok rastorized the text.

After this I went to edit and transform and warp.

This lead to the text being bound in lines (as seen below) and enabled me to change the dimensions of the text.

 After this I rotated the text so that it was portrait by going to edit rotate 90˚ CW, and then proceeded to warp the text into the shape of the head of the tear drop making the top end rounded and making the size gradually expanding so that it filled enough space on the image. I chose not to change the opacity of the image as previously i found it more difficult to distinguish the hard edges of the shape and this resulted in less accurate scaling towards the image.

After this i chose to use the word 'pain' next as I thought that the straight line in the 'P' would be easier to curve into the above shape of the 'G' making them seem more flush and more neat.

Following this i used the word 'hurt' as I was under the impression that the 'H' would be similarly easy to distort into the shape, after putting it in the same way as the word 'pain' i realised that the aesthetics of the tear weren't to the standard I was aiming for. Therefore I flipped the word to make it more aesthetically pleasing, however by doing this I had put the letter 'T' next to the curve of the 'G' which made the distortion of the text significantly harder than I anticipated as it left a minor gape between the lettering that was a minor flaw. Nonetheless if i was able to re do this i would have chosen a better fitting word for the part of the tear as it was an unnecessary inconvenience that occurred whilst carrying out the practical.

After this minor set back I realised that the word 'hurt' was longer than the word pain which made the next word 'vulnerable' more off centre and wonky than I wanted (illustrated below left). With this in mind utilising the same skill used throughout the practical I adjusted the positioning and angle of the writing to make the words in the image seem like they were neatly aligned and allowed for an easier platform to insert the final word in (below centre + right).

After this I added in the final word of 'sadness' to the bottom of the tear. Whilst doing this i realised that the word would have to be angled slightly as the previous attempt of restoring the neatness of the piece was not as successful as previously imagined. With this in mind i repeated what I had done previously with the word 'vulnerable' and managed to be successful in keeping the shape of a tear.

Below is the finished product of the tear drop idea.

Personal Comments:

Overall I am pleased with the turn out of my image as the shape of the tear is clear and neat even through the mishaps. I am also pleased that all of the words that I wanted to use were included in the image.




Experiment 3:


- Clipping Mask


After watching a video (link at bottom of blog) about how to insert an image into text I picked an image that I wanted to use (below).

Sources I Used:

Why/How It Helped:

I was introduced to new tools and methods on how to use photoshop

Sound deconstruction of Ghost Ship

At the beginning of the opening scene the sound begins with contrapuntal music of someone singing, whilst there are people dancing on the deck of the boat. You can also hear a piano and string instruments. This is diegetic sound as we see a woman performing the music on a stage and a pianist. You can also hear the sound of people talking in the background and you can hear the sound of waves in the sea. This is all diegetic sound as we can hear it actually happening in the scene. 

The next sound that you hear is diegetic sound of the leaver being pulled down and the wheel turning. This is followed by the sound of a swish as the camera is panning to the left and tracking the wheel as it begins to turn around. The music then turns eerie and ghostly and is echoing to make the scene be portrayed as more sinister and creepy.



The next sound that you hear is diegetic sound of the cord snapping and it breaking and slicing lamps, pushing over tables and slicing into people. You also hear people gasping and screaming at the shock of what has happened and the pain of them being sliced.













 
You then hear the twang of the wire as it bounces back after slicing and breaking objects and people. This is followed by the grinding and scraping of metal and an eerie echoing noise.

These next two shots show the champagne glass splitting in two and smashing to the floor, and the diegetic sound of blood pooling to the floor. Then there are diegetic sounds of body parts dropping to the floor and gasps from people as the body parts fall. There is an eerie echo in the background to create an eerie and sinister atmosphere.



The next two shots show a girl screaming and then the camera zooms out and tilts down under the water as you can hear the sound of the sea and the swishes from the quick movement of the camera. This is all diegetic sound that is used in the opening scene.

AS Media - Genre Deconstruction - The Revenant

The Breif:

To deconstruct a film opening of our choice
Analyse the use of:
- Genre conventions
- Location
- Plot/Narrative (Scene opening)
- Name (Typography)
- Sound (With time stamps)

Links:

 

Part 1 + 2

Genre: Historic/Adventure

Genre is presented through many different mediums in these two opening scenes of The Revenant such as;

- Props

- Costume

- Setting

- Sound

- Plot/Narrative

Plot/Narrative:

The first scenes show a clear equilibrium for the main character Hugh Glass as he is at a place of contempt and is serene in his living with what we can assume is his family, this is followed by a small disruption of this moment of peace as we see a revolution era soldier setting fire to the hut situated in the scene. Initially this sets the location as in native America and shows straight away that this is a historic film as it is far from contemporary as this would be seen as a conventional use of costume in historic movies as it is a key signifier of the genre because the automatic association with an old military outfit is history. Secondly this implies that the narrative of the story will follow to some extent Todorov's 5 stage theory (shown below) as we have already been shown an equilibrium and a minor disruption to the life of the main character setting him on his journey to create a new equilibrium.
 

Todorov's Theory:

The Narrative Theory

Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He believed that all films followed the same narrative pattern. They all went through stages called the equilibrium, disequilibrium, acknowledgement, solving and again equilibrium.

There are five stages the narrative can progress through:

1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.)

2. A disruption of that order by an event.

3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.

5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium

Setting:

The setting used is very idyllic and naturalistic landscape which contextually links to the genre and time in which the movie is set, as in the time of the revolution of the 1800 where power was to be restored to the states. The setting is in a forrest and near water with no sight of any set civilisation, this is a very blank and natural setting and shows the small amount of development in this part of the world which is conventional of historic films as it ventures throughout the open and makes it easier for the inclusion of ambushes and fight scenes but ultimately contributes to the genre of adventure as it leaves the landscape open to the audience and to the characters as it allows for much more freedom of movement both literally and in regards to the progression of the narrative. This is conventional of the adventure and history genre as it leaves the landscape for exploring wide and ambiguous enabling the audience to realise and accept that the idea of adventure is imminent in the film.

Sound/Props:

The non diegetic tribal drumming in the background is relevant and conventional of an American revolution movie that is set in the 1800's as there was a higher percentage of native Americans that lived there. Also tribal music and drums are key signifiers of danger and war, thus it conforms to the genre. Stereotypically when we think of a fight scene we may think of hearing different sound effects such as; punching, gunshots, cracking of bones, blood squelch, gunshot fire, the damage on natural environment (bits of tree bark flying off) and many more. There is an intriguing sound effect of an arrow being shot into a tree which not only conforms to the damage of the natural environment but also the genre in its entirety as it is conventional of native Americans to use more medieval weapons such as bows and arrows and clubs. Also more stereotypically the native Americans use tomahawks which is highly conventional of their culture and of the film genre.

Costume:

The most stand out costumes were the military soldier in the first clip as this is a key signifier of revolutionary America, this is on of the biggest hints at the genre as it clearly shows that the film is not contemporary and shows instantly where the film is based. Also the soldier is also a key signifier of war, this links heavily to the genre of history as we usually associate war with history. ALso the costumes of many of the native Americans are filled with feathers and very bland colours usually a shad of tan, this is seen as one of the most stereotypical attires that a native American can have, this makes the audience able to distinguish the difference in time period that this is set in and allows for a better understanding of the background of some of the characters, as their historic context is based off of the knowledge of the audience as if you are aware of the events that occurred in the revolution of the 1800's then people will understand the danger that they faced in that time and the extremities they had to go to to survive

Production company logo

Initial designs and ideas

For this practical task, we were asked to make a production company logo ourselves. Each person in the group was to make their own, and then we would decide on the best one and use this in our final coursework piece.

Some names I originally came up with relating to our 'Slasher horror' genre were the following:

• SOS Productions
• Unnerving Pictures
• Obsessed 
• Slaughter Productions

I thought that the best name was 'Slaughter Productions' as I felt that this related the most to the genre, as it is quite a gruesome and horrible word. I also felt that this would allow me to create an original logo, seeing as it is not too specific to one particular item/idea such as chopping or hitting. 

I also had multiple ideas for the logo itself:

• A butcher's knife coming down to cut a piece of meat
• Burning paper or leaves (as this is slaughtering nature)
• Cutting down branches or flowers (for the same reason)

My favourite idea was the burning of leaves as I felt this would be the easiest to film but still look effective at the same time.

Production

I filmed the leaves burning on my iPhone. I used a tripod with a clip which I used to hold my iPhone, as this would prevent the shaking that would have occurred if I was holding the camera with my hands. 

I collected some dry leaves and tried burning them to see how well they would burn. I burned one without doing any preparation type thing to ensure good burning. This didn't work very well, so I got the next leaf and put it in the oven on a low temperature for a few minutes to dry it out further. This burned slightly better, but I wanted the leaves to kind of explode into flames, and this leaf burned slowly and steadily. I then got some white spirit and poured it (very carefully) onto the next leaf and threw a match onto it. This gave me the desired effect burning wise as as soon as it caught, it burned very well, but the explosive effect wasn't very apparent. I decided I'd use a fire starter which you put on fires so they start faster, as these tend to have an 'explosive' type effect. 

When filming, I began by having a pile of dead, dry leaves with a crumbling, old and dirty wall as the background. I poured white spirit onto the leaves and put a fire starter under the leaves.

I then dropped some extra leaves on top to create a naturalistic, autumnal effect. After this I threw some matches on top as well to begin the burning. The leaves took a while to catch, but when they did they burned very well and made quite a large fire. I decided that I could edit out some of the time it took for the leaves to catch to make it seem more explosive.

When I watched it back, I realised there were a lot of 'natural sounds' in the background, such as cars going past and leaves blowing around and loud sounds, as well as the crackling and burning of the leaves of course. I thought if I edited and manipulated them, they would add to the creepiness of the clip that I was going for.

Post production

In post production, I cut the clip into 4 pieces: the first one where the leaves and the match was thrown onto the first pile of leaves,  the second where there was a loud noise in the background as the leaves were catching on fire, the third just of the leaves crackling and burning and the fourth just of burning but with strange, distorted noises in the background from the wind etc. I did this so that I could separately edit the sounds in the videos.

I tried the different effects of the clips with good background noises, but I didn't particularly like the effect they gave. In the end, I just amplified the volume of the loud noise in the second clip and left the fourth clip as it was, as I thought the sounds were creepy enough as they were.

I then added the title 'Slaughter Productions' with the drifting effect, and changed the font colour to red to represent fire and blood, and the font to 'Cracked' and the size to 144. I didn't like both of the lines having the same font, so changed the bottom line to 'Lucida' size 72 and bold, and kept the top line in 'Cracked' and the size to 144 in regular. However i didn't like the red as it kind of blended with the fire from the leaves, so changed it to white and much preferred this. I put the text to appear for 7 seconds on the screen, and it exits just before the end of the clip whilst strange sounds begin.

Overall I'm very pleased with my clip, and I love the way the editing and filming turned out. Here is the final clip.

Text manipulation

Using Photoshop I manipulated a word of text. To start off, I opened a document and called it 'Text manip'.

I then selected the text option on the left hand bar of the screen and typed the word 'Text'.

Next, I changed the size, colour and font of the text. I changed it to a purple colour, and changed the font size to 72 and the font to Bauhaus 93.

Next I made individual layers for each letter. I selected the 'Quick Selection Tool' icon on the left hand side of the page and selected each individual letter, pressing 'Ctrl, Shift, J' to create a new layer for each letter. Between each one, you have to click back on the original layer and repeat this in order to have a layer per letter. I then named each layer after the letter so I could easily differentiate between them.

I then selected the first layer 'T' and selected the 'Puppet Warp' under the Edit tab. This allows you to manipulate each layer. I did this for each layer and each letter.

Here is my final text manipulation.