CPS Week 9: Forces

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Theme

The forces within and without

Context

Today’s task was structured a little differently. In order to recognize, embrace and explore the notion of creating work under constraining forces we were prompted to generate three rules for others and, in turn, randomly select three rules to shape our own work.

My rules were:

• Always forward
• Can’t exit right
• Use vehicles

I wished to use this exercise to break free from the limitations I impose upon myself to be an ‘animator’. I find that I often unconsciously constrict myself creatively by trying to further my work in the field of animation, shuttering myself off from other possibilities in the process. Thus, I have imposed another rule upon myself for today: don’t animate it.

I was inspired by the early Found Footage Collage Films of Bruce Conner, in particular his pieces ‘A Movie’ and ‘America is Waiting’.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x248brc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTFIzLKaZj4

Method

I will create a short film using found footage from the Prelinger Archives centered on the idea ‘Always Forward’, without anything exiting the screen to the right, and including vehicles.

Reflection

I really enjoyed letting this week’s theme guide my work, rather than imposing a direction upon it. By having rules set by others to guide my production, I was more easily able to jump into making.
This is a very realistic format, as often in creative environments one will be provided with a client brief, outline, or storyboard from which to work. 

Throughout the process, I became progressively more aware of how much easier a project flow can be when working within constraints. They add structure to the ideation phase, and provide a solid overall foundation and direction. It also opened my mind up to an alternative way of producing work due to the one limitation I set upon myself: don’t animate it. I found that my default method of making creative content within the context of this degree has been animation, largely due to my desire to further my experience and skills in the area. 

However, it will not always be the most effective mode of production, and pigeon-holing myself by leaping toward one technique could prove detrimental. By opening myself up to new avenues and embracing playful exploration, I discovered the joy of video collage. It felt incredibly freeing to hunt through old video archives and paste together my own narrative, and I look forward to Tinkering with this medium in the future.