ITAP 2/ Research and Development from an Illustration perspective

Illustrators need to surround themselves with things they inspire. That was one of the phrases which got stuck in my mind from the 2. ITAP lecture. Everyone needs some kind of inspiration before they start their research. To me music, film and traveling creates my muse. 

I started to develope an interest in Silent Films and the era of the Roaring Twenties. I‘m fascinated by the excessive gestures of the actress/actors and the fashion, make up and hair. It is interesting how the light was set and how emotions were shown without any talk. Nowadays Silent Films seem so rough compared to all the new techniques of filmaking.  

Also Stop-Motion Films such as Coraline caught my eye. The fact that most of it is handmade is so unique.  Of course a film like Coraline is mixed with newest techniques, but the fact that most of it was made by hand is amazing. The love for the details and the passion for the figures is overwhelming. In an age where everything can be done with the help of computers, a film like that stands out.  Watch a part of the "Making of Coraline" and you will see what I mean. 

I came to the point to create my own Stop-Motion film and mix it with the style of Silent Films. To design a character I looked at actresses of the Twenties and Louise Brooks style was so perfectly clear, that it seemed obvious to choose her as a model. She was an outstanding actress who was ahead of the time she lived in.  Brooks was different from the others and her uncompromising style and acting brought up an icon. 

I found one of her films on youtube called "Diary of a Lost Girl".  Here is the first part of it.

My first Stop-Motion Film turned out to be an experiment with different materials. The story came while crafting the figure and the room she lives in. All the sudden I started searching for things in my environment which i could use in another context. A thimble turned into a showerhead, cotton wool turned into foam, clingfilm into water and a yoghurt pot became an armchair. 

The characters extremeties were seperate and the room was made of styrofoam, so that I was able to pin the figure into the scenery. To change her facial expression, I put on snippets with removable glue.

Another character is Oscar, who was inspired by Oscar Wildes "Dandy-look". Brooks and Wilde had similarities because of being ahead of their time.  

To me it was clear that the main character Louise should be coloured. The story is about a woman who's different from the others. She is the only one of her kind in a cold blue world where everyone's the same. When the only person who used to accept her just the way she is left, it was time for her to move on.

I hope you enjoy the film and thank you for reading my blog.

Reference: youtube, my own