1/21/09
11/14/08
10/27/08
Images
Here are some images, such as storyboards and character sheets that are references for the project.
Click on any image you see here to enlarge.
Click on any image you see here to enlarge.
9/30/08
Revised Thesis Statement & Synopsis
Thesis Statement:
To create a 3D set that describes the living conditions in a slave cabin during the mid 1800's. This project will focus on the use of textures, lighting, camera work, and sound in order to demonstrate the common thread of the slave’s painful existence.
This visualization will convey the message that slavery was endured not by few, but by many, ultimately generating a greater understanding of the harsh living conditions endured by millions of slaves.
Synopsis:
"Slave Quarters" (temporary title) is inspired by recordings and interviews of former slaves conducted by the National Writers Project during the late 1930's and known today as The Slave Narratives . During this time thousands of first hand accounts of slavery were documented in narratives that revealed remarkable stories about the people who lived through slavery.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html
At first the cabin is empty and deserted, as if we are seeing it during the same time as the narrator is describing it (1936-1938). As our narrator recalls her hardships, the viewer watches an abandoned cabin come to life with the narrators words.
The viewer hears more voices recounting memories of the past, and w
e begin to comprehend that these descriptions are not of just based on one persons experience, but many. The narration continues and objects appear in the scene, as if the viewer is going back in time to reveal the conditions of the cabin when it was inhabited. As the narrator's describe these painful memories, light pours into the cabin through cracks in the wooden walls, and colors change in the scene. Slowly makeshift furniture forms, tattered clothing hangs from the walls, cooking utensils, and a fire in the hearth appears in the modest home. The camera reveals these harsh living conditions, as a lifetime of sorrow is described first hand by former slaves.
Finally as the camera moves out of the only window in the cabin, it is revealed that this is but one of hundreds of cabins making up the slave quarters on a plantation.
These quarters reside at the foot of a hill where high atop lies the pristine masters "big house", contrasting the disheveled look of the cabins below.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html
The project consists of a 3D CG set that describes life in a slave cabin during the mid 1800's. This project will focus on the use of textures, lighting, camera work, and sound in order to demonstrate the common thread of the slave’s painful existence.
In this short visualization, the camera reveals what daily life was like in a slave cabin during the 1800's, illustrated through a 3D recreation. This piece will convey the message that although we are looking into a one-room-cabin, the experience and hardships we see were those experienced by millions of African Americans. This will be demonstrated through sounds and visuals that fade in and out of the small room like memories. The viewer will hear many voices expressing first hand their experiences as slaves, and see detailed textures that reveal what life was truly like during slavery. As our narrator recalls her hardships, the viewer watches an abandoned cabin come to life with the narrators words. The viewer hears more voices recounting memories of the past, and we begin to comprehend that these descriptions are not just based on one persons experience, but many.
At first the cabin is empty and deserted, as if we are seeing it during the same time as the narrator is describing it (1936-1938). As our narrator recalls her hardships, the viewer watches an abandoned cabin come to life with the narrators words.
The viewer hears more voices recounting memories of the past, and w
e begin to comprehend that these descriptions are not of just based on one persons experience, but many. The narration continues and objects appear in the scene, as if the viewer is going back in time to reveal the conditions of the cabin when it was inhabited. As the narrator's describe these painful memories, light pours into the cabin through cracks in the wooden walls, and colors change in the scene. Slowly makeshift furniture forms, tattered clothing hangs from the walls, cooking utensils, and a fire in the hearth appears in the modest home. The camera reveals these harsh living conditions, as a lifetime of sorrow is described first hand by former slaves.
Finally as the camera moves out of the only window in the cabin, it is revealed that this is but one of hundreds of cabins making up the slave quarters on a plantation.
These quarters reside at the foot of a hill where high atop lies the pristine masters "big house", contrasting the disheveled look of the cabins below.
9/28/08
Audio vs. Visual
Audio vs. Visual
I am searching for quotes and lines that will successfully serve as a backdrop of voiceover for the piece, not to exactly match the visuals in physical description, but to match in emotional content. The narration will support the visuals as equally as the visuals support the narration. I don’t want one to overcome the other, but for both to be essential to final outcome and understanding of the work.
These quotes will be threaded together with voiceover, and music. The audio will be a dynamic layering of voice, music, and sound efx, for the purpose of expressing that this was an experience endured not by just one person, but by many.
This is the reasoning behind my not choosing just one persons story as the narration. Also by choosing quotes from many different accounts while simultaneously showing ONE place, one cabin, one room, I hope to illustrate an understanding of the common thread of the slave’s painful existence.
I am searching for quotes and lines that will successfully serve as a backdrop of voiceover for the piece, not to exactly match the visuals in physical description, but to match in emotional content. The narration will support the visuals as equally as the visuals support the narration. I don’t want one to overcome the other, but for both to be essential to final outcome and understanding of the work.
These quotes will be threaded together with voiceover, and music. The audio will be a dynamic layering of voice, music, and sound efx, for the purpose of expressing that this was an experience endured not by just one person, but by many.
This is the reasoning behind my not choosing just one persons story as the narration. Also by choosing quotes from many different accounts while simultaneously showing ONE place, one cabin, one room, I hope to illustrate an understanding of the common thread of the slave’s painful existence.
Research Beginnings
How I started my research:
Thousands of first hand accounts, are available online through the Library of Congress’s website. I have begun my research by pulling quotes, photos, and inspiration directly from that website, and reading through the accounts of former slaves. Most of my searches through the narratives are done by searching the entire volumes for keywords; slave cabin, work, food, family, whippings, rape etc. etc. Each of these searches yielded about 100 results from many different peoples accounts. I have started reading them one by one and pulling quotes that I believe illustrate the suffering and degradation that people underwent at the hands of their slave-owners during the time.
Here are some links to what I have begun to pull from so far
LINKS to actual Narratives:
Living Conditions
Account of Life on Plantation, Cabins, Branding...
Another description of beatings and daily life
Ben Simpson
I aint never seen no good times... Jenny
Photo
Rev. Theodore Dwight Weld witnessed accounts
George Kye: narrative University of Oklahoma
Sade's Slave Song: Lyrics
Thousands of first hand accounts, are available online through the Library of Congress’s website. I have begun my research by pulling quotes, photos, and inspiration directly from that website, and reading through the accounts of former slaves. Most of my searches through the narratives are done by searching the entire volumes for keywords; slave cabin, work, food, family, whippings, rape etc. etc. Each of these searches yielded about 100 results from many different peoples accounts. I have started reading them one by one and pulling quotes that I believe illustrate the suffering and degradation that people underwent at the hands of their slave-owners during the time.
Here are some links to what I have begun to pull from so far
LINKS to actual Narratives:
Living Conditions
Account of Life on Plantation, Cabins, Branding...
Another description of beatings and daily life
Ben Simpson
I aint never seen no good times... Jenny
Photo
Rev. Theodore Dwight Weld witnessed accounts
George Kye: narrative University of Oklahoma
Sade's Slave Song: Lyrics
Inspiration
"Tisn't he who has stood and looked on, that can tell you what slavery is--'tis he who has endured."
My first and foremost inspiration for this project was the HBO special also aired on PBS called: Unchained Memories: Readings From the Slave Narratives. This documentary was researched and taken directly from the National Writers Project of 1936-1938 during the great depression. At the time writers were hired by the federal government through the WPA to conduct thousands of interviews, take audio recordings, and photographs of former slaves throughout the USA.
“The interviews afforded aged ex-slaves an unparalleled opportunity to give their personal accounts of life under the "peculiar institution," to describe in their own words what it felt like to be a slave in the United States.”
- An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives
by Norman R. Yetman
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snintro00.html
My first and foremost inspiration for this project was the HBO special also aired on PBS called: Unchained Memories: Readings From the Slave Narratives. This documentary was researched and taken directly from the National Writers Project of 1936-1938 during the great depression. At the time writers were hired by the federal government through the WPA to conduct thousands of interviews, take audio recordings, and photographs of former slaves throughout the USA.
“The interviews afforded aged ex-slaves an unparalleled opportunity to give their personal accounts of life under the "peculiar institution," to describe in their own words what it felt like to be a slave in the United States.”
- An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives
by Norman R. Yetman
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snintro00.html
9/27/08
Slave Cabin: Slave Narratives
I have decided to build my thesis around the recreation of a Slave Cabin from the 1800's.
My ultimate goal is to focus on texturing/lighting/ and modeling in 3D to describe the living conditions undergone during the times of slavery. I want the work to use complex textures/models and narration to convey the suffering taken place during the times of slavery. Invoking powerful emotions through the use a strong visual narrative is one of the purposes of this piece.
The most interesting and challenging aspect of my thesis will be successfully telling a story simply with the use of cameras, sets, and lights.
My ultimate goal is to focus on texturing/lighting/ and modeling in 3D to describe the living conditions undergone during the times of slavery. I want the work to use complex textures/models and narration to convey the suffering taken place during the times of slavery. Invoking powerful emotions through the use a strong visual narrative is one of the purposes of this piece.
The most interesting and challenging aspect of my thesis will be successfully telling a story simply with the use of cameras, sets, and lights.
9/8/08
Theme
I have a couple ideas for my thesis and after getting the ideas down on paper I noticed that they both had a shared common thread. I have decided to describe this commonality of goals for my thesis.
This is a rough explanation transcribed directly from my notes:
Take a scene, architecture, or place from the past. Recreate it using 3D to transform it from what it looks like today, to the way that it looked long ago.
Why???
1. This will allow viewers to visualize a piece of the past. (historical importance) Somewhere people may have read about or seen in photos for educational purposes, recreating a place allows viewers to feel a scene that may have only existed in their imagination.
2. To share what my imagination seen when reading about history
3. To evoke the imagination/emotions of others
4. Memorialize a part of civilization
5. Pictures can be worth a thousand words. A visual representation of an important place in our history can evoke more emotion then simply reading about it or looking at still images/paintings
6. Visualize an important part of history as a clear picture in your minds eye that will last in memory.
This is a rough explanation transcribed directly from my notes:
Take a scene, architecture, or place from the past. Recreate it using 3D to transform it from what it looks like today, to the way that it looked long ago.
Why???
1. This will allow viewers to visualize a piece of the past. (historical importance) Somewhere people may have read about or seen in photos for educational purposes, recreating a place allows viewers to feel a scene that may have only existed in their imagination.
2. To share what my imagination seen when reading about history
3. To evoke the imagination/emotions of others
4. Memorialize a part of civilization
5. Pictures can be worth a thousand words. A visual representation of an important place in our history can evoke more emotion then simply reading about it or looking at still images/paintings
6. Visualize an important part of history as a clear picture in your minds eye that will last in memory.
9/4/08
Thesis
As I embark on this eight month process I am having a hard time making any sort of decision. The problem I am having is that thesis is such a huge commitment. I have to love my idea. It has to be great, because it is going to consume my life for the next two semesters. Hopefully it helps me get a job in the future as well and shows off my talents as an artist.
I have committed myself to what Thesis will NOT be:
My thesis will NOT BE: funny, cute, or focused on character animation, it will not have a long involved story with some sort of plot that takes twists and turns, it will NOT focus on animation of people animals or imaginary beings, there will be NO dragons, slapstick, or Robots. It will not take place in the future.
My thesis will be (this is way harder to describe):
An integration of texturing lighting and scenery that evokes emotion and communicates a powerful concept through beautiful imagery. I want to create an environment that intrigues, educates, and wows the viewer. The camera, sets, and props will narrate the story. What/ where will this place be? I haven't quite made up my mind about that. But it is narrowed down to a couple.
I have committed myself to what Thesis will NOT be:
My thesis will NOT BE: funny, cute, or focused on character animation, it will not have a long involved story with some sort of plot that takes twists and turns, it will NOT focus on animation of people animals or imaginary beings, there will be NO dragons, slapstick, or Robots. It will not take place in the future.
My thesis will be (this is way harder to describe):
An integration of texturing lighting and scenery that evokes emotion and communicates a powerful concept through beautiful imagery. I want to create an environment that intrigues, educates, and wows the viewer. The camera, sets, and props will narrate the story. What/ where will this place be? I haven't quite made up my mind about that. But it is narrowed down to a couple.
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