Foley

13/10/14

Foley

A foley artist (AKA foley operator) is a person who creates foley sound effects. 

Deffinition:

Fo-Ley

1. A technical process by which sounds are created or altered for use in a film, video or other electronically produced work

2. A person who creates or alters sounds using this process.

(after Jack Foley 1891-1967, pioneering sound effect at universal studios in the 1930's)

Foley is the art of recreating incidental sound effects (such as footsteps) in synchronisation with the visual component of the movie. Named after an early practitioner. Foley artists sometimes use bizarre objects and methods to achieve sound effects, e.g snapping celery to mimic breaking bones. The sounds are often exaggerated for extra effect, fight sequences are almost always accompanied by loud foley added thuds and slaps. Sound is a vital and vey powerful component within the production of film and animation. It can enhance the overall experience exponentially.

For this project i will be given a sort film sequence and i will record my own sound effects and add them to the film. 

I will watch the sequence fist and decide where i think sound should go and what type of sound it should be. I will identify ambient sounds and, soundtrack and foley. I will consider how i will create the sounds i need with regards to props or actions and what locations if need be they would need to be recorded in (eg road for traffic sounds). I will not however watch the origional sequence with sound, as this could cause me to simply try and coppy the sound add in the origional animation as opposed to thinking my self about what the sound could be, what would fit in and what would work best.

 Gary Hecker Doing foley sounds:

This video show how foley artists work and how unusual objects can be used to made the desired sound for the film. 

i decided to look at examples of foley artists who have created sound for animation as the short clip i will be working from is a clip from the animation Wall-E.
Interviw with Gary Rydsrom, Sound designer on Toy Story:

This video shows how cartoon animations can in a way have their own separate world to create with the sounds not necessarily always having to sound so realistic as with films that involve people and recorded shots of acting location dialog etc. The Foley artist for animation can use more bazaar sounds and the nature of the cartoon world will create a sense of different laws of the world for the audience and there for making the audience believe in that world and the sounds within it this can be heard even in the dialog of the actors speaking for the characters in the animation of toy story. One example shown in this video is the part when the artist is trying to record a sound for bulseye the toy horse licking woody's face. The noise he uses is is an over the top sloppy loud licking sound, and he uses the noise of a cows long sticky tongue licking peanut butter to get this sound.

This is the sound i made and added to the short clip for Wall-E.
The clip involves a lot of metal and so when looking for objects to use to make sound the metallic objects were the go to objects. I looked at each of the movements within the clip and decided what sounds to make. The heavy door movement in the scene when the door opens and hits the ground. i used an electric razor to make this sound (the same noise i used for when wall e moved as it made a robotic buzzing sound that was effective for this movement) and slowed it down to sound like a heavy machinery sound and to emphasise the slow movement of the door and its weight. this  noise leo sounds a bit echoey and the metal building it is attached to would vibrate and echo slightly as this was move and so again this noise was very effective at this point. Another noise i created for the door movement was metallic squeaks to suggest rusted metal forcing past each other and friction of metal as it moved. I made this squeaky rusted sound by rubbing the wires of a head massager against metal.
Metal head massager:

There were small sounds to consider swell such as when wall touched or grabbed things i added a small metal noise that sounded like his metal hand grabbing whatever it was. Also there was a part in the animation where he brushes something off him straight after he moved the metal strips around near the door. I added sound for this which was simple scraping of two metal objects together quickly.
Over all i think the effect of this piece is good as the sound is all in time with the actions that happen in the animation and they sound like the actions being perfumed.
I used a variety of different types of sound such as ambient sound with the wind at the beginning, foley sounds such as the metallic clanks of when wall e touches things and also music, when wall e turns on the music play and music plays. I have also experimented with overlapping different types of sound when i had the music and the foley sounds playing at the same time when wall e is moving around and doing things while the music was playing. I made sure that the two sounds didn't sound too busy together and that they were the right levels in comparison to each other.

 Running a spoon along bumpy metal to make the noise for wall e cranking to when he needs to reach the light switch and the tv. the bumped metal noises one after the other makes a mechanical cranking of levels sound.

Some of the objects we used (mostly metallic). 

Floey Performance

20/10/14

Live Performance

For this project i am going to be further exploring the possibilities of sound to add new depth to the Pixilation Shoot i did with my group previously in my projects. 

We will be working again as a group to add the foley sound effects to our short film that we all collaboratively made in project 1. However we will approach adding sound in a slightly different way and will "preform" the foley sound in a live performance. This means that we will have to be aware of our bodies in order not to make background or unwanted noises in the performance and also means that we need to know where to stand and what order we will perform in with regards to where the microphone is (different sounds need different distances from the microphone as the sound can not be made to be louder or quieter like in premier, it must be the right level of sound) We also need to make the sound right on the point in the animation where the sound should happen, meaning we must be aware and keeping track of timing. Organisation will be a big aspect of this task. 

We will watch our animation that we created as a group and create a table to note down all the sounds that need to be considered and possible props we could use to make the sounds, we will then delegate who will be responsible for each of the sounds and work out the order and timing of them, this will come more when we practise the performance a couple of times.

Today foley is still used in radio, however the decline in popularity for the radio has cut down that work significantly as well as the fact that sound effect libraries mean that not much foley needs to be performed live. For film foley artists, they are given the media they need to make sound for and can record each sound and then even edit the sound after to perfect the sound they need for the film for example footsteps and cloth sounds etc. However in live theatre the foley technique is fairly different as instead of perfecting one sound it is the artists job to do as many as possible as good as possible on the spot. The emphasis in the sound become almost visual and really adds to the atmosphere and visual aspects of the performance and in some cases can make a situation more clear in what is happening at that time. However as the performance is live and on a set there are also safety hazards to consider which the artist in the video about explains for example he mentions that it is unsafe to have water on the set and so he has to come up with a way of creating a splash sound with out using water. This shows How foley makes the artist think more about what they are using to make a sound and how they can manipulate objects in various ways to create certain sounds. 

The productions of Waves and ...some trace of her approached the use of sound in a very different way to conventional theatre. This film looks at how multimedia productions can incorporate the techniques of radio plays into live theatre by using Foley sounds in their live performances to add a theatrical performance  the plays and to emphasise all the noises .

This video shows the high impact that foley has when doing a live performance. It shows examples of some of the methods the actors used to create sounds for certain scenes in the performance such as the pages of a book burning it shows the woman crumpling paper to create a crackling sound. With out this sound the emphasis on the destroying crackling flames would not exist and the scene would not be as dramatic and powerful. The sound create a feeling to a scene and draws the audience in as though they are fully involved (all the senses are being engaged) 

This is our Pixilation "Big Shoot" animation we will be working from :

We decided to consider the aspect of using lateral sound as well as literal to create narrative in some ways and to have a sound that represents something in a less literal representation. For example in the animation we will be making sound for the actor when she makes glasses appear over the face like magic. We decided, after looking at some of the props we had to work from, to use a harmonica tune to represent the appearance of the glasses and to emphasise the almost magical cartoony nature of the animation.

The added sound and our live performance: 

The video shows how we had organised ourselves in order for each person to be ready to make their sound for the different parts of the animations. This was a fairly tricky animation to add foley sound to as in the first animation the clips of the letters over lap and so at points it sounds like there is possibly too much busy noise happening in the animation in contrast to the simple appearance of that animation and possibly takes away from the humble qualities of the animation perhaps. however we were all in time mostly for this and worked well as a group and the task was a good experience overall of having a go at live foley. For the second part of the animation we added sound to the 'seasons in motion animation'. This animation happened rather quickly and so again was a fairly difficult timing wise animation to add sound to it and it meant we all had to be very aware of what time we made our sounds and order of events happening in the animation. Considering this i think the results were rather good for this project and it was good fun experimenting with various objects to make these noises along with performing it as a group. 

Foley Atmospheric & Spot Sound

20/10/11

Atmospheric and spot sound

For this project i will be creating my own sound track to my moving compositions i made in an early project i did (Compositions in time) And i will add sound to the entire sequence of the animation i created. The emphasis in this creation will be on creating an atmosphere and mood to go with the theme and emotion of my composition. When used well sound can suggest meaning to the audience beyond what is being visually offered to them. 

'The Bog' By Charley Spring (eerie atmospherical music):

 This is a video i found that displays an example of how sound can be used to portray an emotion or atmosphere (even without visual aspects sound can have this effect) the video displays an array of atmospherical sounds that are slow and deep and slightly vibrated. There are the occasional higher pitched noises to create an uneasy feeling all of the sounds create a tense potential dangerous feeling due to the nature of their noise. 

Foley sound can also be used to create various feelings with regards to using noises for example to as scratching or "nails on a chalk board" squeaking noises that create an uncomfortable feeling due to the uncomfortable nature of the sound itself. I will not be using music in my animation to create the sound to go with my animation however i will consider noises that create the correct feeling intended to go with my animation for example for my threatening moving composition i should consider using deep slow sounds and possibly even using scratching or squeaking noises to create that uncomfortable sensation and emphasise the emotion and atmosphere of my moving composition. 

This is the sound i added to my threatening moving composition. I started off using smaller sounds of crumpling a plastic bag to make a crackly sound and by scratching a head massaging device against a sheet of metal so make the screeching squeaky noises. Both of these noises sound quite eery and so set a tense eery feeling for this composition when combined with the dark enclosing frame. (i slowed down the squeak noises in premier making them sound lower than they were originally slightly however this made them slightly more subtle and more sinister). The next sound in my composition starts when the shapes start to move in and its sound is a low eery dragging noise/ deep humming noise. I was very pleased with this noise and i created it by recording my self drag a heavy chair across the floor on one leg at an angle (this created more drag and there fore a loud enough sound for the microphone to pic up and also creates a gloomier more sinister sound of a heavy object agonisingly dragging across a surface) i then slows the sound down to 50 percent and this even lower humming sound was created that sounds almost like a paranormal wind/ echoing. I also kept the crumpling sound going on at this point however slightly quieter so as not to over power the the humming sound i also kept the squeaking of metal noises travelling at this point and then added another slower version of the squeak to create the ringing noise at the end of the animation. As the animation travels i make the sounds get louder and less comfortable i added a further scarping scratchy noise i made by dragging a container across a textured plastic surface to increase the sounds towards the end of the animation and i also made the humming noises get louder along with adding the high pitched ring. This increase in noises reflects what is happening in my animation with the dark shapes slowly threateningly engulfing the white space and swallowing more and more of it. This is what the sound is reflecting as the sound slowly starts to get louder and more uncomfortable as the uncomfortable sensations rise in the animation and it amplifies this feeling of threat. Also the sharp squeaky metallic noises that run through how reflect the sharp edges of the shapes and exaggerate them this could also allude the audience to stop seeing them as shapes and see them as knives almost creating a more sinister appearence.

Like in Charley Springs atmospherical music piece my sound that i have created using objects is slow and has a low humming/ vibrational sound to it, This sound creates quite a tense feeling as it is slow and rather dark / unearthly sounding creating this feeling of strangeness and uncertainty. I also involved the occasional higher pitched noises when i involves the squeaky metallic sounds in the background, similar to how Spring uses higher pitched notes in his piece to break it up slightly and add moments of heightened intensity and threat.

Composition - Time

7/10/14
The Effect Of Motion On Composition

Composition is further achieved by the addition of time allowing compositions to move through multiple states using rhythm and pace to accentuate the emotive experience. Repetition enables the use of visual pattern whilst motion further develops compositional play. 

For this project i am going to be creating a short series of stop motion animations that play with composition. 
I will use starting points that i developed in the previous project (Composition Static) I will identify the compositions that i think are the strongest and would work best to animate.
I am going to create short sequences that accentuate and communicate further the intended feeling. I will consider how the addition of time might add to this and how i can reach the movement the composition created for the word. 

Composition:

com·po·si·tion [kom-puh-zish-uhn] Noun.

1.  The combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole.

2.  The manner in which such parts are combined or related.

3.  The result or product of composing; a mixture or compound.

4.  Arrangement of artistic parts so as to form a unified whole.

Time:

NOUN 

1 [MASS NOUN] The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole: 

travel through space and time one of the greatest wits of all time

6 [MASS NOUN] The rhythmic pattern of a piece of music, as expressed by a time signature: tunes in waltz time

SYNONYMS rhythm, tempo, beat, pulse, flow; metre, measure, cadence, pattern; accent, stress.

The tempo at which a piece of music is played or marked to be played.

ANIMATION IS ALL ABOUT TIMING

The definition of “visual” rhythm: movement by the repetition of objects

Could this, by it’s very nature, be animation?

Key

By this definition.ANIMATION IS RHYTHM

Definition: “visual rhythm” 

movement by the repetition of objects

visual patterns emphasizing repetition the alternating light & dark areas lead the flow of the eye when drawn across an image.

 Bridget Riley ‘Breath’ 1966

Movement of the eye is directed across the page and up and down the page by the alternating light and dark areas and the shapes they create together repeatedly lead the flow of the eye along with them one after the other etc. This is showing visual rhythem in the image. The shapes in the image also create that of sound waves in a way and emphasise this idea of visual rhythem and therefore shows a good starting exaple. This piece also shows some illusional qualities. 

Definition: “progressive rhythm” - 

the shape & size of the pickets in the fence appear to decrease from the left edge of the photo to the right edge.

The perspective of the image suggests quicker shorter movement towards the right of the image as the eye travels across it from the larger shapes created by the fence to the smaller shapes. The shorter lines making up the shapes on the right and gradual lac of space between each shape suggest that the movement is getting faster as the eye travels left to right across the image. 

Bridget Riley ‘Intake’ 1964

shows a similar example of the idea of movements in still image and progressive rhythm in an image, as the lines she shows get smaller towards the left of the image creating perspective and faster movement. 

The pronounced slant of a line gives it dynamic quality. The dynamic force is enhanced when the lines are unequal lengths and with unequal distance between them. This diagonal line suggests movement. 

Definition: “linear rhythm” 

characteristic flow of the individual line

Wider shot and slanted perspective emphasise a visual "line”. This leads the eye from one side of the image to the other creating movement in the image. The eye follows the thick line created in the centre of the fence caused by shadow and space.

Bridget Riley ‘Movement in Squares’ 1961

This piece shows suggested movement and line in the image due to the positioning and sizing of the shapes. This creates and illusion effect and makes the image appear to be a 3D curved form either side of where the line is created and making it appear as though the line is a gap between the two curves. This leads the eye up and down the line but also around where the curved illusions are created around the line. Following the suggested shape with the eyes. 

Norman McLaren Lines Vertical 1960

McLaren's has used the movement of the shapes to create a certain mood or feeling. the colours and the simplistic movements that overlap and aline, creating balanced compositions within the frame are creating a tranquil atmosphere. the music he has added to this piece shows this feeling portrayed as well and exaggerates it.

THE USE OF SPACE

Spaces between the forms, or the negative shapes, play just as great a role as the positives and they enable you to check the accuracy of your drawing. The positives make the negatives and negatives make the positives.

Stan Smith, Landscape painter

Use of positive and negative space & strong contrast for compositional effect, visual interest, narrative structure and atmosphere. 

Ruth Lingford 'Death Of a Mother' 1997

Norman McLaren:

“Movies move! How it moves is as important as what moves.”

A simple Jerky Creepy Walking effect used in horror films. from Winston Varn on Vimeo.

This is a video i found where the artist in the video is showing the viewers how to create a jerking walk illusion that looks very suited to the horror genre and has been used in various horror films to create an eerie uneasy feeling and to add a sense of horror to the film such as in 'The Ring' this technique has be used. I thought this was a good example of how movement itself can portray a feeling and add narrative and atmosphere to a visual piece of work. In this video by simply having the actor moving in a twitchy unusual way and 'contorting' the body in strange positions as they walk this can create a very uneasy look to the scene, and creates an unhuman like appeaerence and therefore adds mystery and fear. As the creator of this video mentions when talking about how to create this effect, the way in which the actor moves effects and has an impact on the audience to create this feeling of horror and this same idea of movement could be looked at with regards to moving a composition of shapes (which is what i will be doing in this project). The idea of having shapes in a composition twitching and jerking in similar ways could also have this effect on the audience to some degree. 

What I Did:

I decided to chose my threatening, tension and euphoric compositions to explore movement and capturing the essence and nature of the word in the movements of my animations as well as the static compositions i have created. I will then, if i complete these and am happy with them choose others of my compositions to move if i have time. 

Threatening movements:

Sudden fast movements, slow to build tension and rise the feeling of threat. All shapes closing in on the white space. 

I created some thumbnail story boards in my sketch book before i started creating the movements for my threatening composition on istop motion. This was my first attempt:

My thought process behind this moving composition was to have the thick dark boarder close in on the frame to start with, to create an uneasy feeling right from the beginning of the clip. i then made the pointed shapes move in from the dark boarder threatening to close in on the light space within the frame. Then i made the shapes move back into the boarder slightly, fairly slowly, and had them jolt back in towards the centre of the frame in stabbing motions to create increased feelings on tension and danger i then had all the shapes push into the line in the composition threatening to break it however not breaking it as this would end the treat and turn it to action. 
I decided however that i was not happy with these results. I think that the shapes moving back into the frame, gave a release of tension and threat and some breathing space, however i wanted to create a building sensation of tension in my piece. Also i think that by making the shapes touch and stab the line in the composition this could actually be the end of the threat in the piece as it could look like the shapes are already attacking the central line and there for no long only appearing to be threatening. 

This was the next attempt i created to try and give the feeling of threat that i wanted. I made the entire thing move more slowly and made myself have more control over the movements and how slowly they move. I made the whole frame move in very slow to create a slow building feeling of threat and increasing darkness. i then made the shapes move out of the dark frame still moving very slowly, and twitching slightly as they move in to create feelings of unease as this is an emotion that comes with the feeling of threat. I had the line in the composition slide in quickly more so just to experiment with different levels of speed in the composition than anything as i still had the sharp shapes moving slow when this happens however the effect worked. I then had the frame and the shapes squash in even more closing in on the light spaces to an extreme amount and rising the feeling of suffocation and threat of suffocation and threat of darkness. 

The previous video unfortunately shows my hand in parts and some masking tape on the edges in parts which i had used to secure the card i was working with (so that things didn't move that were supposed to stay still as i was creating my animation). Thank fully as this animation was was pure black in the areas where these things shows i was able to simply mask them out in photoshop on each frame. I also adjusted the levels to correct the lighting and light balance error at the end of the video where all the shapes go greyish and show where they overlapped etc as this ruined the intended feeling of the finally and build up to the finally of increased threat. 

Tense Movements:

The idea i had behind these movements was to have a contrast of fast and extremely slow pase of movement to amplify the tense feelings when the shapes moved slow about the touch and getting closer and closer to each other. And to draw out this time of when they would touch to increase tension. This means that there is a tense space and tense sensation of time both being shown at the same time when i make my shapes draw up close to each other. However my overall movement of this animation was far too fast and the same atmosphere is not created because of this. The pace of the movement of shapes at the end needs to take even longer i think to really emphasise and exaggerate this feeling of unbearably close tension yet no touch to draw out and the extended length of time is what will enhance this. 

In this moving composition i used the same idea as the animation i made previously for my tension composition, however i made everything much slower and more drawn out and i also made the shapes push backwards when the rectangle gets close to the smaller square however still not letting them touch creating that feeling of tension and almost magnetic repulsion being forced and squashed towards each other with the repelling tension in between them. I then make all the shapes move back towards the left once the larger square meets up with the rectangle at a very slow past again creating an extended feeling of lack of resolution of touch and therefore amplifying the tensions.

Again this animation had a couple of masking tape scraps present in the side of the frame and so like i did with the threatening composition i removed these mistakes in photoshop frame by frame. This created an overall more organised and simplistic visual effect to my pice with less distractions contrasting inside the frame and therefore drawing all attention to the movements of the composition itself and allowing my animation to deliver its message and feelings at full capacity. 

Composition - Static

29/09/14

Composition is the combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole, and the manner in which such parts are combined or related.
As visual designers we are all concerned with using and understanding visual imagery. This part of the unit examines what happens when elements combine to form compositions and how they can change the mood and over all visual effects within a frame. It is not possible, and it would be wrong to set out rules for composition, this should only act as a guide.
Research:

Composition can be used to create a feeling to the viewer with regards to how the elements within a frame are positioned. This is because when an element is placed in a space, it has a relationship to its space. An example of this is if a bold element were to be placed centrally within its given space (shape or text) this would make it the main focal point and would give it the appearance of being important and solid.

This example is showing True Symmetry. A composition which can be mirrored or almost mirrored and shows an obvious balance in the composition. This can lack interest however creates a feeling of solidity, tradition and self satisfaction. This type of composition is often more comfortable in appearance. It is showing one main focal point and directs the viewer where to look within the frame easily. 

Elements in a composition each have character and when combined with other elements make an overall character together. 

This is an example of how two elements within one frame have created an overall character depending on where and how they are positioned. In this frame the shapes are very close together creating tension between them as the space between them suggest that they will touch, however they do not quite. The proximity in which they are placed makes us percieve them as one image as the eye will generally look at both at once. If they were further appart the would be seen as seperate as the eye would have to look at one before the other: 

This is an example of how the distance between the shapes separates and isolates them and forces the viewer to look at one before the other which makes this separation. In this instance both shapes being exactly the same either side the shape in which a viewer will look at first will vary from person to person however generally will be looked at depending on the direction the individual reads from (left to right for example however in some cultures this would be right to left). 

The compositions within a frame can be used to imply shapes, forms and textures depending on where they are places etc as well.

Implied Texture is shown in this example with regards to the various sizes and therefore different feel for each shape (bumps on a page) implied 3D space can also be seen in this example as the circles various sizes create an almost illusion after looking at the image a little longer as small shapes represent and give the appearance of being far away when contrasted with the larger shapes which appear close up. This example shows a rather chaotic composition and does not direct the viewer where to look first making no importance to the composition. However generally the eye will be directed to any of the larger shapes first.

This example is showing implied line through repetition of the placement of the dots. they are evenly repeated one after the other creating the appearance of a line. The viewer will usually find a point in which to look at along the line (left or right) and will usually be lead visually to the other end of the line (following each other dots from one end to the other) this creates movement in the composition as the viewers eye is being directed to move across the composition. 

This example is showing implied form or a 3D shape. The shapes and how they are compositioned together make the suggestive 3d form of a circular band (the shape of a ring). Form describes 3 dimensions and shape describes 2 dimensions.

We 'like' a shapes relationship to its space within a frame in some positions (for example the central dot in the first example) symmetrical positioning is seen as pleasing to the eye however we are made to feel more uncomfortable when they are positioned in a less 'pleasing' position in the frame.

This example is showing an asymetrical compositioning as the overall placement of the shape is not balanced. Asymetry means that everything is not perfectly lined up and mirrored. Asymetrical compositions can still be balanced however with regards to weight of shapes spread through out a frame sizes etc. The effect of asymetrical compositioning is a less important visual impact along with potentially uncomfortable appearences. It can also however create a more interesting appearence as it is diffrent and with regards to film framing allows the viewer to see whats in the background.

The fibonnacci sequence is a framing tequniche that uses ratios commonly found in nature to create interesting compositions within the frame:

Rules of thirds is another framing technique used to try and create interesting compositions, the idea is that by placing a shape on any of the four central cross over points of the lines of the grid, the composition will appear more interesting and will be asymmetric.

Extreme Asymetry:

 This is an example of extreme asymetry where the composition is very off balance creating a very uneasy feel about the shapes within the frame. This example also shows tension between the shape and the edge of the frame, again emphasising this uncomfortable appearence to the compoasition.

By adding another element to this composition the peace become slightly less uncomfortable due to the fact that the lines start to balance out the composition slightly. it is still asymmetrical but the dominance of size and shape is starting to be spread across the frame rather than weighted all to one side by having just the bold shape to the left. This new addition also creates relationship between these shapes. The eye is directed to look at the bold shape on the left first as this shape is more dominant. It is then however lead up and along the line because the line is placed so close to the shape. This piece is directing the viewer at how to look at it and how to 'read' it just by placing these elements close to each other. 

These two images show examples of how dominance can show the viewer which shape to look at first and what is the main focal point (the larger shape is the main focal point in the left image however by simply making the shape more opaque the line actually becomes more dominant and the main focal point in the right image even though the shape is larger still, this is because of the bold appearance the line has in contrast to the shape and so make the shape simply appear to be part of the background or in the background, and the line in the foreground. Changing the emphasis of shapes in these examples also seems to make the image on the right more balanced due to the main weight of the composition being more central (with the line) and not all to one side. 

These images show an examples of how elements touching form groups and relations between the shapes in a composition and by simply placing the shapes away from each other the composition will say a completely different thing and create a diffrent atmosphere. the image in the right shows two seperate groups. (it also shows extreme asymetry and tension with regards to the spacing between the bold line and the frame and the overall positioning of all the sahpes being to the edges of the frame. 

BALANCE - in design is the distribution of elements across the design. Balance is a visual
interpretation of gravity in the design. Large, dense elements appear to be heavier while
smaller elements appear to be lighter. You can balance designs in three ways:
symmetrical balance
asymmetrical balance
discordant or off-balance
UNITY/HARMONY - bringing together elements in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Similarity, concert, organisation, blend.
CONTRAST - offers some change in value creating a visual discord in a composition.
Contrast shows the difference between shapes and can be used as a background to bring
objects out and forward in a design. It can also be used to create an area of EMPHASIS.
EMPHASIS - in design provides the focal point for the piece. It is a way of making the
element that is most important stand out in the design. Emphasis is sometimes called
dominance.
RHYTHM - regularity, irregularity. repetition, sporadic, staccato, languid. Visual Elements
like the beat of music.

Josef Muller Brockmann Exhibition Poster 1953:

This poster shows balance across the spread of the frame with the weight of the shapes used and where he has positioned them. the two thick lines on the left and right of the poster create even balance of positive space from left to right and then the block at the bottom balanced the two small lines above the text.

Jan Tschichold Phoebus Palast Poster 1928:

This poster shows how the artists has used emphasis on the main title at the top to direct the eye to the title and has then used line to lead the eye to the images suspended within the lines. 

Josef Muller Brockmann The Swiss Automobile Club Poster 1952: 

This poster shows how the artist has used dominance to create a feeling in the composition as it makes the motorbike look large and threatening and the boy look small and vulnerable. putting across the message of awareness of the danger of motorbikes. 

After looking into composition, to get a better understanding of it myself and experience experimenting with composition i have been given a selection of individual words along with a selection of shapes and a frame. I will use the shapes to experiment with creating compositions within the frame that display the emotion and characteristics of the words i have been given.
I decided for each word i was given i would also use a thesaurus to find the synonyms and antonyms for each word to get a better understanding of the word and the opposite of the word in order to help me create my composition.

Tranquil:
Synonyms - Mild, Restful, Serene, At Ease, At Peace, Pleasing, Smooth, Soft, Soothing, Still, Untroubled, Whispering, Placid, Calm, Undisturbed, Bland

Antonyms - Agitated, Harsh, Stormy, Chaotic, Noisy, Wild, Troubled.
. From these words i would imaging that to represent this word i would use a simple arrange meant of not much shapes involved inside the frame, and composition the shapes in a aesthetically pleasing manner (symmetrical and possibly centred as opposed to asymmetrical and quirky).

For the word tranquil i decided to create a symmetrical balanced composition would be best as this is the most pleasing and comfortable composition (which i spoke about earlier in my research) and tranquil is a pleasing and comfortable feeling. i decided to use only small shapes, no bold over powering shapes as the feeling of tranquil holds rather simplistic qualities and large bold shapes can create louder, harsher visual messages. The use of the waved line also creates a sense of flow in the piece and soft movement (softened by the curves in the line) the space between each wave in the line also suggest a slow movement which comes with a rather tranquil peaceful emotion, like water and the word tranquil suggests a slow pace and peacefulness as opposed to lively. I left lots of white space in the frame around the shapes in my composition to create a feeling of openess and freedom (feelings that could associate with tranquility) and to add breathing space, as well as emphasise this feeling of simplicity.

Threatening:
Synonyms - aggressive, close, warning, dangerous, sinister, grim, unlucky, unsafe, scowling, uneasy, overwhelming, near, alarming.

Antonyms - Good, safe, nice, away, far, pleasant, remote, distant, kind.

To create the composition for this word i decided to use the pointed edges of shapes and point them in towards the centre of the frame as the points appear more threatening and dangerous. I pointed them into the centre from all angles of the frame as it creates elements from all around the whole of the frame creating no space for escape and creates a more daunting appearance as all the shapes are targeting inwards. I left not much white space as this emphasises the darkness and threatening feel of the composition leaving less breathing space and room around the shapes suggesting less space for escape. I also made the boarder thick, and bold in this creation with the dark shapes appearing as the are coming out of the darkness to create the appearance of this threatening sharp darkness closing in on the space making it appear more suffocating and threatening to close in on all of the white space. I made the size of the frame smaller and more square for this piece again to emphasise this idea of a daunting closing in emotion. All the shapes i used were thick bold shapes as i thought the feeling of threat is obvious and loud and when felt becomes an overpowering emotion, the shapes i used reflect this as they cannot be ignored or missed. If i had involved smaller shapes they might not have been seen or noticed when placed next to the thick shapes and i wanted the whole pice to show this obvious loud threatening appearance.

Uncomfortable:
Synonyms - Annoying, awkward, harsh, troublesome, distressing, difficult, cramped, painful, ill fitting.

Antonyms - agreeable, mild, easy, straightforward, happy, simple, soft

For the compositions i created for the word uncomfortable, i decided to place all my elements asymmetrically to one side and create a fairly unbalance composition as these techniques are less aesthetically pleasing and creates a more uncomfortable visual emotion. I placed the shapes diagonally to create a more uneasy feel about the composition and squashed them all un close to each other. The space i have left to the left of the composition emphasises the lack of space and uncomfort of the shapes and exaggerates this uncomfortable appearance. I think the first image shows a better example of this word visually as in the second image i think i have used too many elements and perhaps crowded the composition slightly and making it more confusing. The effect of the second one i think could appear as overwhelming due to the abundance of shapes.


Euphoric:
Synonyms - Dreamy, enchanted, heavenly, joyous, cool, cozy, floating, spaced out, elated, in ecstasy, delighted.
Antonyms - Grieving, miserable, unhappy, upset, low.

For this word i was try to create a fairly light looking composition by leaving lots of space in the frame creating space. I also wanted to give the appearance of happy, yet crazy emotions as these are what come with the feeling of euphoria and so to do this i used lots of small fairly scattered elements in each trail of my compositions, however not too scattered as this may become too visually unpleasing and chaotic, i still wanted some kind of balance and pleasing visual compositions to my piece to put across this emotion. I decided to use the large circle as a main focal point as rounded shapes are not threatening and create a soft happy appearance due to their lack of edges and give the appearance of flowing (never ending cycle of the flow of the line around them, one line that creates the shape does not end end).

Heavy:
Synonmys - Huge, large, abundant, obese, bulky, big, awkward, chunky, beefy, built, massive, gravid, top heavy

Antonyms - Little, tiny, unimportant, graceful, thin, insignificant.

For this composition i made the boarder itself chunky and bold, as this immediately itself creates the idea of a heavy frame and imitates the meaning of the composition. My idea behind creating this composition was to have a large shape with regards to the size of the space in the frame with straight edges as this looks more sturdy and difficult to move (connotations of the word heavy) then use line to direct the ye to a smaller rounded shape that looks light in contrast to the heavy shape. The contrast between these two shape would be what show the heavy in this composition (this is because the larger shape is bolder and there fore the more dominant shape meaning the attention is on the larger shape and there for the attention is on the heavy) I did this non figuratively and think it works this way, however it could be looked at figuratively with regards to how i have compositioned the shape and due to the fact that the heavy shape is 'floating' in the frame, could make it look light especially seeing as the line i have placed in the composition could look like the string of a balloon and the shape the balloon. If i had placed the square closer to the bottom of the frame the appearance would probably change and appears more heavy and weighted down, simply flipping this image upside down could achieve this appearance.


Precarious:
Synonyms - Dangerous, rocky, tricky, doubtful, unsettled, unreliable, risky, insecure, hazardous, uncertain.

Antonyms - Cetain, definite,  strong,  reliable, guarded, safe, protected.

I positioned these shape sin funny angles and emphasised the points of shapes in both compositions to create a rocky dangerous appearance (words i found were synonyms of precarious) I placed the shapes in diagonal positions again to create feelings of uncomfort visually and made them unbalance again to make them appear uneasy.



Tense:
Synonyms - strained, firm, rigid, stiff, taunt.

Antonyms - Flexible, loose, soft, calm, limp, slack, laid back, relaxed , uncaring.

To create a feeling of tension in this composition i decided to place my objects extremely close to each other leaving only a small space between the shapes. This creates expectation of touch and, near touching of the shapes creates this feeling of tension before they touch. I first created the composition using these shapes in the centre of the frame. i then decided to make the piece seem even more tense i would place them all to one side as this creates a visually more uncomfortable feeling about the composition due to the fact that it becomes more asymmetrical by doing this and tension is usually an uncomfortable feeling so this emphasises the feeling of tension more. With regards to the top image i have place the square to the left of the rectangle to open up the composition as before placing this square it could be confused with claustrophobia due to the fact that the square to the right of it would appear trapped and squashed in near the frame by the rectangle. 

Overwhelmed:
Synonyms - affected, moved, overpowered, devastated, vanquished, repulsed, stirred, doomed, sunk.

To create the composition for this word i decided to use many different shapes and sizes to fill the frame, to make the viewer unsure at where to look with no directional focal point. This itself creates and overwhelmed feeling for the viewer. I used lots of large shapes to fill lots of space in the frame making it seem overpowered and filled, i tried to leave not much white space again to give this appearance of overcrowded space. Some words i found that were synonyms of this word were words such as doomed and sunk, i decided to add some visual qualities of these words as they are emotions that can come with the feeling of being overwhelmed and so i added a thick daunting boarder creating a dark overwhelming appearance and used the lack of white and threat of overpowering dark shapes closing in on the light space to create a doomed lost feeling about the space in the composition.
Secure:
Synonyms - Protected, shelted, guarded, impregnable, unharmed, sheilded, defended, tight, stong, safe.

Antonyms - Endangered, moving, loose, unfixed, unprotected, unstable, undecided.

I used thick straight edges shapes in my compositions for security as these are more sturdy looking shapes in appearance and sturdiness suggests security. I placed each of these straight edged shapes either horizontal or vertical however i purposefully didn't place them horizontal as this is a less secure position and creates the appearance of movement rather than stability. The top image i created shows a thick rectangle securely positioned inside two lines either side of it. This suggests lack of freedom for the rectangle inside the two lines and there fore is secure. The pice shows a symmetrical balanced composition which in itself creates a safe comfortable appearance to a piece two feelings that come with the feeling of security. This piece would have looked more effective however if the two lines either side would have been thicker as the effect of them being thin as they are is a breakable appearance rather than solid, however i had limited shapes to work with. I tried to create another version of security using only thicker shapes which can be seen in the bottom image i made. This composition shows two sturdy thick lines trapped inside a larger sturdy line and suggests lack of movement and displays a secure composition.

Light:
Synonyms - Bright, Clear, Unobscurred, lucent, vivid, cloudless.

Antonyms - Grave, obscure, heavy, serious, weighted, dim, unhappy.

I decided for this composition to use a small rounded shape as round seems more light then solid flat shapes. I used a small circle as the only element in this composition to emphasise space and light of the space to put across this word. some of the words i found when looking at synonyms for light was clear and unobscurred, this is the appearence i was aiming to create by creating this space in my composition. By adding the dot to the side of the composition it creates a larger amout of space to its left emphasising the space and amplifies, visually, the space and room around the dot by having it a small size. Without the placement of this shape the space would not seem so vast and would meerly seem blank. the dot draws the eye towatrds it and then emphasises the space around it. I placed it in the bottom right corner as i wanted the space to be around by also abouve it to create a feeling of endless openess (like the sky) and had it s that it did nor touch the edges to create a visual feeling of levetation (suggesting it light in weight.) however perhaps placing the dot higher up in the frame would have made it appear lighter in weight as well (again as though floating and light), but this would be leaning to a more figurative image.

Claustrophobic:
Synonyms - Confined, limited, cramped, enclosed, narrow, airless, packed, opressive.

Antonyms - roomy, airy, calm, spacious, open, free.

I made sure i left a lots of space clear in the bottom image to emphasise the lack of space and claustrophobic appearance of the shapes in the corner. I positioned each of the shapes close to each other to create a cramped appearance with no breathing space, again making the white space to the right of the shapes seem more torturous. The top image i used a large square shape to push the smaller shapes into the corner as i used a different approach to this piece. I use the larger square to emphasis the claustrophobic feeling as it amplifies the lack of movement available for the smaller shapes to to its sturdiness and size, the size of the shape creates a crushing appearance in the piece and suggests it crushing the shapes into a small claustrophobic space.
Sedate:
Synonyms - Quite, placid, composed, deliberate, solemn, steady, tranquil, dignified, sober.

Antonyms - Agitated, loud, noisy, troubled, lively, excitable, upset.

My idea for creating this composition was creating a low sunken appearance while also keeping the appearance of it pleasant and happy as sedate is a more drowsy emotion of tranquil in a way and so would be more sleepy and sunken this is the effect i was trying to achieve. i used the block rectangle to suggests sturdiness and create a more flat slightly bland appearance as this is an aspect of the sedate feeling. however i also used a curved line to add some slow movement to the composition (the size of the curve suggests a slow movement, this relates to the movement of how sedate would be) i kept it symmetrical and balanced to create a pleasing appearance and create a comfortable stable appearance to the piece. The only problem i found with this piece is it could be looked at figuratively as heavy (as though the shape was bending the line with its weight) as people tend to try and create an image out of things they look at naturally and so this may be an off putting aspect of my composition.