Kinetic Typography Video Analyisis

For this small-side project we needed to analyze a kinetic typography video, and apply 3-4 principles of animation to it. I chose a lyrics video for the song Help! by The Beatles, in which there is a small robot character, making it an easy choice for identifying principles of animation.

Firstly there is timing; more frames = slower and smoother movement, less frames = frantic and fast-paced movement. For the variety of the video there's mostly fast movement, a prime example being at 1: 20, however just 10 seconds later, at 1: 30 the character is slowly turning around a nebulous void. At 2: 07 there's an excellent display of anticipation, as the robot slowly builds his leap. The staging is really centred wholly around the robot, as all of the words come and go, yet the zoomed out camera negates what would be a feeling of loneliness. 

Still Life Drawing

Do note that the piece is unfinished.

For the classes still life realism project, we were given a selection of four sections to draw. I chose the bear skull, alongside flowers. I started the contour first (as one should), albeit heavier than one should draw, as it's simply a habit of mine. Specifically though, I drew first the left-hand skull (a bear's if I'm not mistaken), the entire picture was designed around that specifically; it is the focal point. The flowers came in second, however I had the bravado to "cut and paste" parts, which, I think, led to moderate success. One of the flowers was in the stance shown, and another (of the same type) was hanging somewhere else, so I merely pretended the other was alongside the first.

I was going for an L composition, with the flowers being the bottom half, and the top-most skull being the top half. until it became apparent I'd need to add more to truly highlight the composition, so I took another skull, which was nearby and "pasted" it into the frame, the lighting was all there so things were made far simpler. I then chose to add another section of flowers above the left skull, however it was hardly broken in by the end of class time. The negative space would've been a simple manner of adding in creases and folds from the white sheet behind the subjects.

Overall I'm proud of my left skull, and likely would be proud of it overall, had I finished it with the time allotted.

Digital Self-Portrait

The Norman Rockwell piece that inspired me to do his style.

Originally I was intending to do the 1950s - 60s "retro futurism" style, magazines talking of the wonders of all-American science, and "the world of tomorrow-today". It became heavily apparent that it wouldn't be feasible unless there was more in the image, which the rules don't permit, it is a self-portrait after all. I also didn't have the wardrobe to pull off such a style. So alternatively, I moved to a separate style, that being the regular-stylized (however still eccentric to today's standards) 50s and 60s magazine style, examples being vintage Coke Cola ads and such. However after that I still felt discouraged to continue, as eventually I'll be tasked with painting the photo, and it was just far too difficult, so I moved on to one final (yet still similar) style. The style in question was inspired by 20th century painter Norman Rockwell, so really, a more classical form of realism, with a tinge of post-impressionism (I find that the colours of skin tend to be similar in some pieces). As for the photo work, I did a very comical pose, one that would assimilate perfectly with a Rockwell piece.

I used a high contrast, with a brightness setting to severely lighten the light areas and darken the dark areas. I then, admittedly with recommendation from a classmate I added an orange light to it all, which really does push the Rockwellian style.  I used the dry-brush filter to really push the painted style and "2 dimensionalize" my hair and my teeth. And lastly I added a simple texture filter, specifically canvas, to really cement it as a painting.


Overall, I'm incredibly satisfied with what I did, however I regret it overall, as I feel as though I should have picked Pop-Art at the very beginning. I felt compelled not to, as at least half of the other students had chosen it, and I feel like I'd be stuck in a rut if I was a part of a collective such as that. However, all along I did intend on this style, I'm just afraid that it will be extremely difficult to paint, as I've narily any practice in the medium. So while this is going to come and bite me later on, I am still happy with the product, and I have no regrets at all regarding the actual process.

Art Deco Class Presentation

Subjects of Four Lighting Patterns

Split Lighting

Loop Lighting

Butterfly Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting*

While I am well aware of the rembrandt lighting technique, it sadly hadn't ended up a proper rembrandt, as I was pressed for time and needed a reflector for the lighting, otherwise it ends up more as a loop. Still a nice photo though.

Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO

Shallow Depth of Field I

As one can see the depth of field is clearly based upon the subject, as the background is completely blurred, it was the photographer's vision that one shan't be able to the view whatever those lights are. Only the immediate visage is viewable, even the subject's collar is out of focus.



The picture most left below is also an exemplar of a specific depth of field. The immediate cylindrical studding in the foreground are out of focus, to which after the third stud they are then go back out of focus by the sixth, right where the lego man's space ends.

Shallow Depth of Field II

Long Depth of Field I

The gold bricks within the photo are no more in or out 

of focus than the table's various convexes, meaning 

that the photo possesses a long depth of field.    

Long Depth of Field II

Once again, the white planks of wood on the dock are all, generally, equally focused, and as such, this was a photo with a long depth of field.

Slow Shutter Speed I

The photo's shutter speed was slow enough to not capture the big old doggo's face during mid-shake.

Slow Shutter Speed II 

In an excellent display of camera prowess, this photo successfully captured a pool break before and after it started.

Fast Shutter Speed I

A photo of a bubble in it's process of popping, only achievable with a high shutter speed.

Fast Shutter Speed II

This excellent display of marksmanship and skill in photography is a photo of an apple, propped by a rifle round, being shot. Using a fast shutter speed, the photographer was able to capture the apple being shot, displaying its insides still in the air. 

Low ISO Photo I

This photo is so over-exposed that the lights appear more as pure uranium, as the bulb is completely obscured by the light.

Low ISO Photo II

The grass, like before, is a blinding green, indicative of a low ISO.

High ISO Photo I

The picture is extremely grainy, a high ISO was used.

High ISO Photo II

Like before, this photo is extremely grainy, as a high ISO of 3200 was used.

Year Two opening: Six Portrait Lighting Techniques

To start off the second year of the class, we were tasked with finding six lighting techniques used in portrait photos.

Split Lighting

Loop Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting 

Butterfly Lighting


Broad Lighting


Short Lighting