Project 2: A Mid-Term Concept

After my first project was complete, it was time to think about a new idea. I wanted to think of an idea that would challenge me to learn new tools and skills, while also being relevant to class. I was fascinated by A Thousand Plateaus' imagery and vocabulary. for my next project, my thought process went as followed:

• the concept of rhizome as computers and internet framework =
• the internet as a mode of increasing dependence for humans=
• humans becoming more "machine-like" because of embracing of technology
  as well as increasing use of technology to increase efficiency in all areas oflife=


• Man becoming a "machine" visually to represent all these ideas, starting with
  initial ideas from A Thousand Plateaus

From these ideas, I decided to make an animation of some sort using the "Man to Machine" concept. Here are some initial drawing I did, just to sketch out my idea visually. The first drawing is just a sketch of a close-up I wanted to be sure to include and the second drawing shows the movement I wanted the man to go through during the "transformation.....

After composing everything in Poser, exporting into After Effects, I used a special Plug-In to achieve a metallic look that best represented the "machine" to me. You can check out the Plug-in I used and similar plug-ins at the Plug-In Site.

In order to properly create the effect, I had to create Alpha channels by rendering a B&W duplicate of a clip in Poser and exporting it into After Effects. The using the resulting compositions, mask and the effect itself, the clips were altered. Here are some more pictures and screenshots from After Effects to give you an at least some idea of the process.....