Video Piece - Drawn Sketchbook Animation

Animation Test 1

Test 1 from Thais Verissimo on Vimeo.

Animation Test -1
-Possible Introduction -

Plot:
Girl dreams of wearing numerous shoes in one lifetime:
cake designer, food photographer, yoga instructor, high school professor, world traveler

This animation will happen on the pages of a Japanese Moleskin (in which pages are all attached and unravel out together when they are pulled out of the Moleskin)
I'm planning on including - drawn animation, cut-out animation, and pop-up book effects

New Project - "Come Play with Me" *title still on the drawing board*

So these are some of the first test shots to a new project currently being called "Come Play with Me". How do I begin to talk about it? is a question I often face when a new project arrises since new ideas tend to evolve quickly in the beginning in a very short time. Perhaps I'll begin by the beginning...in a land far away :) called the University of Houston. No but really.

It all began last semester, after learning about a photographer who would gather and keep things in his backyard only to much later know how to use them. Afterwards, I was walking around the UH campus and I passed by a tree with branches sprouting out in a V, with a nest in the space between the two branches...I then thought of a student who made miniature furniture out of twigs for a class project...which brought my mind to a box in my closet full of miniature dollhouse furniture that was just stacked away gathering dust. I almost threw it out but I knew it would come to use someday , just didnt know how. Then it hit me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to take the little furniture, place them in trees where birds would build nests and by roots of trees and then leave the furniture there to give pedestrians a surreal experience on a monotonous day.

Afterwards, when school began, I spoke to a professor and we talked about imagination, playing pretend, the definition of home, and stories of elves and gnomes - basically fictional creatures that live in the woods...and how they would use the furniture and what they would make with it with even a minute of wondering what would an elf make? We also touched upon Buddhist philosophy of coexisting with nature and the question of - do I want to lead my viewers somewhere, or do I want to let them wander where their minds want to go.

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Yesterday's thoughts during test shots:

I want to leave an open door my viewers' minds to "play" while viewing my images.

I want to invite their imaginations to run free and play pretend with me

...to maybe make their own stories of what kinds of creatures are living around the furniture at the roots of these trees, in between the clovers and leaves

We forget how to play pretend when we grow up.

Now is your opportunity to do so.

* I think it's important for me to keep things simple on this project.

I feel that the "Less is More" philosophy is a must

otherwise I'll be force feeding the audience.

I'll be feeding them too much.

I feel more would make this project cheesy and more would take away from the magic and "mystical-ness" of the images.

Ambiguity is the key most of the time so if I dont give the viewer everything, they will have room to add their own things... which would make my intention successful (of inviting/allowing the viewer to play pretend / let their imaginations bloom and create stories/things)

Response to: Field trip

http://fswphotography.com/

This week photographer Frank White was gracious enough to allow our Digital Photography class into his studio and home to share with us a little bit of the life and working space of a commercial photographer.
Honestly, compared to so many people I've heard speak, Frank was the most honest person I've heard so far. Sure sugar coating makes life seem more cheery but a good dose of "this is how life out there really is" is always a good wake up call. *So thank you Frank*
Surprisingly, plenty of people didn't think the same. But opinions are opinions and there you go

For me personally it was a really good eye opener into the photography world of today. I had this illusion that I would graduate, quickly get a food photography *commercial* job afterwards and pay off my school loans in a jiff. Jiff? anyways...
yea so i thought it would be a breeze, but Frank really made me realized that alot of work is necessary to get there and that a business attitude is totally necessary + networking + a good business card + the really important - selling yourself.
Being a strong presence basically.
Doing well in class projects is not all it takes and we cant just count on doing that and only printing photos to have a decent life after graduation...
afterall, surviving just on your art is really tough
and i just dont understand how so many people think they can just do that after graduation while being so against commercial photographers. Hello - they have a house and money to buy expensive cameras. If you tell me you seriously dont want that then well I dont know what to say
* Trying not to sound hateful * I just really dont understand this opposition to a paycheck. I mean if we all lived in the mountains like Monks then sure ok i get it , but we live in a society where money = food, housing, and clothing
...right? unless we convert back to trading

So anyways
Go Frank you rock you're an inspiration and an example of where hard work can get you