APD Week 3 - Play and Object

Theme: 

In response to the theme of Play and Object, in a simulated cinematographic way, a very brief short film is made. 

'Perhaps this is a low-completion production short film. However this is also a short film that encompasses a wide range of feelings, including fierce competition, hard training, difficulty, delight, championship victory, and heartbreaking sadness. —— Film Review from April Li (Right, it's me :P)'

Context:

I'm a big fan of origami and follow a lot of different origami artists on social media. Kharukik, a Japanese artist who specializes in producing amazing works of art out of package boxes, deserves a special mention. Based on the package's specificities, he constructed a number of extremely sophisticated models. (https://www.instagram.com/kharukik97/) Of course, there is a slew of other origami artists whose work is absolutely interesting. These works can be realistic, artistic, interactive, and entertaining. So, when thinking about the concept of Object, I decided to produce something origami-related. I've been considering the specific way. 

The idea was mainly inspired by Duncan's outcome from last week —— Small Recess, a playground soccer game involving fingers that is attractive to the sight and entertaining to watch. It's not only highly innovative, but it's also very engaging, which makes people want to join.  I recall Yunjia posting her finger and quickly joining in the conversation XD, probably because the main character is a finger. People can instantly sense a sense of commonality and can more easily bring in emotions and feelings when the protagonist of a work is an object that he or she also possesses physical possession or quality, or the spirit. Also thanks to his outstanding definitions and thoughts on Play and Object, which provided a lot of great work and ideas. In particular, use the objects to enrich the theme. (Duncan Corrigan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLwyRKVRuas) 

Another source of inspiration was an Object outcome from a former Magi student Simiao Gao who created artwork in a similar style to a Flip-book, which is a book that has a succession of photographs that progressively shift from one page to the next, such that when the pages are turned quickly, the pictures appear to animate by simulating motion or some other change. (Simiao Gao http://magistudio.net/work/2019-apd-wk07) Their work inspired me to consider the idea of spreading variety, and why not display it as a short film? The outcome can surely take any form. 

The storyline was inspired by Group Play, and I had been thinking about it since the plot's inception, as a film (even a short one) should be filled with emotions and reversals. As a result, I decided to create a game in which two teams competed in soccer. In early childhood, the child loves to play with other children rather than play alone. They obey the rules of the game and is faithful to the group (Even adults do not lag behind in purging out their emotions through playful activities with others).

Method:

Based on prior students' work, I believe that the process, rather than producing a simple outcome, is actually a very interesting aspect of the process. The results are more meaningful because of the interesting process. I didn't record some of the discussion and process in previous outcome, I wanted to record part of the fun manufacturing process this time.

The initial step is to buy some materials, after which the difficult process can begin. I believe the most difficult component will be constructing the soccer goal frame. So I made a super rudimentary version of it, and even then, my fingers were covered with super glue. (P.S. I’m guessing no one noticed, but if someone had, you would have noticed that I hid a surprise in origami. These children I folded flipped twice when they fell like dominoes! Simulating the fall of a real person!)

The second step is shooting the short film, and I just did a quick one with my phone. Of course, I create a Storyboard before that. Even the simplest movie should have one, and then I went online to learn basic short film techniques and structure.

Finally, there's the funnest part: editing. Add some cool filters and text effects, as well as some amusing music effects. Of course, because to the constraints of time, the final product is still a work in progress (very rough one), but I enjoyed the entire process of creating it.

Reflection:

That's right, it's another rough outcome. This short film has three stages in total. Conception, production (including filming and prop creation), and editing. This short film was created for a unique soccer team to commemorate their winning goal. A tense encounter between two soccer teams constructed entirely of paper.

This idea has been floating around in my head since Wednesday after class, so I promptly began to prepare the material and get to work on it. But before that, some necessary preparations are essential (this point comes from PPP). For example, the plot, despite the fact that I began to consider writing a soccer story (and the characters are made of origami). However, the exact plot must still be considered. The first thing to note is that this is a fairly short story, therefore it may not focus on those shooting skills. The storyline must be very straightforward, or I will be severely pressed for time. My tale starts at the conclusion of a soccer match. The game was nearing its end, the score was still 1:1, and both players were tense. After then, my story begins. I skipped through the lengthy buildup and went straight to the story's climax and conclusion.

The entire process of producing it is a lot of fun. Making handicrafts is difficult, and all I have gained more respect for these origami artists. My hands may wish to never have to perform any more handicrafts creating, but my mind wants more XD! After that, it's time to learn some advanced shooting methods. Filmmaking is also a unique art form, especially after seeing numerous tutorials. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pCYATqjgr0) Although I was unable to implement the majority of these tips, it was a great pleasure to know them. 

Then there's the editing stage, where filming skills are crucial, and sound (background music and sound effects) are essential for bringing the sense of perspective to life. As a result, I spent a lot of time deciding on the sounds. Of course, this is the most time-consuming part.  

Relevant works:

Just sharing :D

A lot of intriguing Chinese films integrate origami with the art form. Shanghai Art Film Studio produced this Chinese Micro Movie titled "A cabbage" in 1961. (China Movie Official Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfrAD4YeMxc) This film use painting or other plastic art pictures instead of real people, making them dynamic, endowed with life and character, mirroring real-life and communicating the artist's aim through symbols and metaphors.

Shanghai was the origin of Chinese art films, with Shanghai art film workers producing the first Chinese animation film on a trial basis in the 1920s, the first Chinese puppet film in the late 1930s, and Shanghai being the major production site for new Chinese art films in the early 1950s. In the early 1960s, Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio made a successful ink animation film, which was a key achievement of the Chinese art films Studio and pioneering work in the history of animation films. Chinese national-style art films continued to be made after the 1960s, particularly in the 1980s. Exaggeration, deformation, and other kinds of expression are used in the majority of Chinese art films, which are based on fairy tales, myths, folk legends, and scientific fantasy stories. Children and teenagers are the primary target audience for art films, but adults enjoy them as well since they are bright, vibrant, and interesting, and they can express important views and philosophies through distinct pictures. 

References:

Ray, D. (2011). Advanced play therapy: Essential conditions, knowledge, and skills for child practice, New York: Taylor & Francis.

Ray, D., & Cheng, Y. (2018). Child-centered group play therapy implementation guide.

Cheng, Y., & Ray, D. (2018). Child-centered group play therapy skills checklist.

P.S. This is a temporary learning situation. Filming skills aren't very helpful because I can't control how much my hand shakes.

Outcome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSAcA3uocWU

The final outcome with process: https://youtu.be/i3dk_D-p0ms