Statement of Intent

Overview

In this design I aim to create a stop-motion video that takes the viewer on an otherworldly journey through space, conveying the sensation of breaking free from the limitations of daily life through music. Using paper mechanics and stop-motion techniques, I will create a visual experience that captures the excitement and exhilaration of embarking on a transformative adventure. Inspired by the beat switch in the music and the instrumental version of Frank Ocean’s song “Nights” from 3:35 to 3:45, the video’s protagonist will venture through space towards a portal that will serve as the gateway to the climactic experience.

To achieve this vision, I will employ various concept-building strategies, experimenting with different models and prototypes to refine the design. I will prioritize material sensitivity and functionality, thoughtfully constructing the interactive image to ensure an engaging and seamless experience for the viewer. Ultimately, my goal is to create a dynamic and captivating stop-motion video that captures the essence of the ethereal and transports the viewer to a world beyond our own. This musical interlude serves as a pivotal moment in the narrative, marking the character’s departure from the earthly realm (along with the inversion from white to black paper) and then the journey is concluded after falling through the portal back to earth.

Ideation

Exercise #1

Section 3:35 to 3:45

Alongside this selection of music, you can see the displayed drop after repeating pinging at a high pitch. This drop and reverbed record scratched is shown as a gradient blend. With is a smooth sound, thus given the oval and softer shading of blending. Linearly progressing we can see the introduction of high hat-sharpened triangles with bright red colors. Below this, there is a lime green piano note that stacks upon itself in a sub-bass form. With two beeps (represented by the yellow dots) we see this portion of the song loop as the reverbed record scratch is reintroduced.

Credit: Frank Ocean

By incorporating these design principles, I was able to start communicating the musical components visually. During the exercise, I reviewed music videos that follow a similar visual process to gain insights into enhancing the visual representation of music. I selected the song Nights by Frank Ocean to create a visualization using chosen shapes and design principles that represent different aspects of the music, such as rhythm, melody, and harmony. I carefully chose the color scheme and placement of the shapes to convey the mood and emotion of the music. Overall, this exercise provided me with an opportunity to explore the relationship between music and visual design. It demonstrated the potential for a deeper understanding of music through visual means, and I found it to be a creative and enjoyable process. I believe that the significance of this exercise lies in discovering new possibilities for visualizing music, and I effectively conveyed that in my work.

After completing the exercise using the song Nights, I feel more attuned to the ways in which music and visual art can intersect and inform each other. Through the process of selecting instrumental music samples and analyzing their correlations with visual language, I gained a deeper appreciation for the nuances of music composition and the ways in which it can evoke various emotions and moods.

Iteration and Production

As a team, we focused on several elements, including form/shape, line, color, and texture/pattern. We brainstormed several concepts and created mind maps for each, allowing us to explore various considerations, tangent ideas, and sensations/feelings that came to mind. By doing so, we were able to build a vocabulary based on our analysis, converting what we heard and felt into what we saw and felt. From collecting, a list of songs, emotions, and movements we felt were accurate, we began to hone in on the ideas and feelings we wanted to convey that overlapped within our diptych:

As we finalized what our dedicated pieces would be, we decided that we wanted to create two different songs with a feeling of euphoria. These are similar feelings with a contrasted nuance. We began to conclude there were two pieces of euphoric feelings we wanted to highlight. The senses of triumphant euphoria (focused on by my partner) and the senses of freedom and breaking free euphoria (focused on by myself).

Overall, we each try to create abstractions of what the music felt within the notes, sounds, and sounds being played. From this, we attempted to find somewhat fathomable moments unlocked with someone unattainable. As these conclusions began to be examined, we saw the power of elevation and levitation to be the most effective form of something that is tangible yet unattainable. This juxtaposition between the two started to become highlighted by a sense of control and the type of adjectives that would be with each top of “elevated flight”. The song of triumphant euphoria began to have a clear sense of prideful control such as a superhero’s flight, taking off with action and decisive control and ambition. This sense of agency was not present within the free form of euphoria. This freedom was more pressed within the sensor submission. The listener becomes free of the burden of control, they become willingly powerless and allow a greater being to take over. This resembles more of an underwater or galactic floating voyage. This pattern and motion are predicated by a being stronger and much larger than the being itself. The listener simply becomes an instrument and vessel for the powerful rhythm and sounds within the music as a larger work.

As the abstractions became clear, the process and imagery used within also began to present itself. Both my partner and I looked for ways to use paper mechanics and stop motion to create this comparison of euphoric sensations. Settling on the idea of silhouette and form within environments akin to the music and senses produced. As my partner highlighted more of a control take-off of prideful resilience, I focused on the idea of a powerless flow state. This pushed me to focus on a sense of orbit and the powerless individual in the grand scheme of the universe. Similar to stars, space debris, and black holes: some music encapsulates this journey where the listener lacks all control. This shift and movement were crucially when demonstrated within the movement of the silhouette.

From this, it was now time to start the process of taking photos and splicing them together to begin. This consisted of taking plenty of photos to create a fluid motion of the silhouette and the interaction between the body and the space bits. This was done through multiple attempts of moving singular pieces at a time. Many difficulties arose simply by a gust of wind when a classmate would walk by. This consistency and continuity of stop motion was a serious challenge. The photos quickly stacked up and only summated in mere seconds which was also an underestimated experience. Below is a screenshot some of the many photos within file explorer:

             

More visible images of each of the frames

In order to ensure a consistent visual experience for the viewer, I utilized DaVinci Resolve software and advanced stabilization techniques to meticulously crop and scale all of the photographs. This was done with great care and attention to detail, so that each image would perfectly complement the music and contribute to a seamless, immersive experience. By taking these extra steps to ensure that each photo was optimized for the visual medium, I was able to create a polished and professional final product that truly captured the essence of the music in a visually compelling way:

All photos and audio synced with DaVinci Resolve

GIF of final stop motion

I chose a specific portion of the song Nights by Frank Ocean that featured a noticeable record scratch noise, and decided to use this as a pivotal moment in my visual representation. To emphasize this shift in the music, I made the bold decision to invert the color of each element within the stop motion. By doing so, I was able to create a striking contrast that clearly demonstrated the sudden shift in both the frame and the music. I also incorporated a figure floating above a portal, which symbolized the cause of this shift before dramatically plummeting back down to earth. Through the combination of these carefully selected elements, I was able to create a cohesive and powerful visual representation that perfectly captured the motion and feeling of the music. The final result was a truly immersive experience that left a lasting impression on the viewer:

unattached to my partner’s work

attached to my partner’s work

Reflection

Throughout the process of creating this stop-motion video, my partner and I aimed to abstract the sensations we felt within the notes, sounds, and sounds being played. We searched for fathomable moments within something unattainable, striving to create a visual experience that captured the essence of the music. Creating the stop-motion video that captured the sensation of breaking free from the limitations of daily life through music was a fun and rewarding process for me and my partner. We wanted to take the viewer on an otherworldly journey through space, and using paper mechanics and stop-motion techniques, we created a dynamic and captivating visual experience.

We experimented with various concept-building strategies, and prioritized material sensitivity and functionality to ensure an engaging and seamless experience for the viewer. Collaboration and teamwork were crucial to our success, and we each brought our own unique strengths and perspectives to the project. As we examined our conclusions, we realized that the power of elevation and levitation was the most effective way to convey something that was tangible yet unattainable. This juxtaposition between the two became highlighted by a sense of control and agency that was present within the song’s triumphant euphoria. It was as if the listener was taking off with action and decisive control, like a superhero’s flight and space voyage.

Although the creative process wasn’t always straightforward, we remained patient and trust in our vision. In the end, we were able to create a stop-motion video that captured the essence of the ethereal and transported the viewer to a world beyond our own. The music served as a pivotal moment in the narrative, marking the character’s departure from the earthly realm and the journey’s conclusion after falling through the portal back to Earth.

Overall, it was very rewarding creating these videos, and we’re very happy with how it turned out. We learned a lot about patience, teamwork, and the creative process, and we’re excited to apply these lessons to our future projects.

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