Circle Cutting
September 26.
So far I’ve bought a few different weights and kinds of paper stock to try out different methods of cutting. I bought different weights of card stock, one with deckle edges, and bought a thin matte board to try too.
I first practiced cutting circles by tracing the inside shape of my masking tape onto mailing packages and cardboard from the recycling and then moved onto my paper. I tried using a compass with a razor blade attached, but had little success, even with thinner paper. I then tried a variety of different methods of bisecting the circle, and then slowly defining the edges I had pre-drawn with my compass. I found out that keeping everything still, from my blade, to the compass, to the paper, was far more challenging than I expected, and like the balsa wood, mistakes were less apparent the larger the shapes became.
September 28.
I used guidelines to properly mark out where my circles would be placed on the page. My current order is.
- Make Guidelines
- Draw circle with compass
- Cut horizontally across circle diameter
- cut with exacto knife while turning the paper 360 degrees without stopping (Matte Knife didn’t allow for as much control, at least on lighter stocks)
- Remove circle
It’s important to consider how certain pressures on the blade can distort the shape or gash into the side of the circle. Choppiness is always very apparent and starting in the center, moving outward to the edge and moving without stopping is the best way to avoid this. People are likely to push the compass too hard and distort the shape and make jagged cuts. I found its also really helpful to turn the blade slightly on its side and force a slight bend in it so it moves along the curve easier.
October 3.
From others I’ve confirmed that my methods of holding are also effective for them, and to avoid scoring. From others I also noticed patterns of larger circles appearing more precise due to less turn area, than with smaller ones. I can stay more focused and slow down while I cut to make my process more effective. I experimented with placing my phone flashlight on a frosted flakes box to distinguish the black line from the paper, as the blade previously had cast a subtle shadow on it. Getting better at turning the paper and moving the blade simultaneously and getting the most effective grip will only improve the process. Describing the grip and turning motion, although seemingly intuitive for me has been a challenge to effectively document through sketches, but I know as I continue to explore, the ineffective elements will be removed and the core qualities of the motions will present themselves.
October 5.
From watching my peers and listening to the professors comments I branched out in my experimentation and began trying a much larger scale on heavier paper. I slowed down and anchored my wrist against the table to brace the heavier OLFA blade. I also realized that the tilt of the blade was far more influential with cardboard type consistencies, as the added thickness would reveal errors in the cutting, and with these stocks I needed to give extra attention to keeping the blade 90 degrees to the paper to both sides of the hole appeared consistent and the internal edge was clean.
October 10.
From the videos we saw I learned that the visual tools used for communication and the tools used for manipulation are the same. Everything in a video must be made with intent, or else the signal and noise become so mixed that bread making becomes a supporting element of the video, and empty dog dishes, incorrect measurements and background noise become the main focus. Amazing advertisements can make the ordinary, extraordinary, and can communicate a lot with very little. Any suggestive element can lead to a video having a clear stance, and true objectivity is hard.
October 12.
I learned that distracting elements need to be completely minimized. The only thing shown should be the task. I learned you don’t need an overload of thumbnails to tell a simple motion. The “Action to Action” model fits far better for our thumbnails than the “Moment to Moment” model. I want to be more intentional with my camera angles, and show specific sections in a communicative way, to separate my ‘light stock’ vs ‘heavy stock’ sections. I’ve considered using intro shots of me quickly showing light stocks before cutting a single light stock, and quickly showing heavy stocks before cutting a single heavy stock. A large factor informing my thinking is readability in video format vs still image. I’ve found through taking short clips, my tasks often cannot be performed exactly as my thumbnails describe, and need to be modified to read better.
October 24.
Some of my biggest feedback during the peer review was that the lighting made the circle outline invisible. For my next clips I will be experimenting with different materials to use for diffusion and also the soft light/backdrop setup. Another pointer I got was that my videos were each at a slightly different position which proves is detrimental to my videos overall continuity. My video’s intent should be to clarify, not to leave the viewer with more questions. Readability, intended message and conciseness are the main qualities informing my thinking. The pressure my hands are giving to the blade, the sound of the slice, and the light bouncing off the paper can be just as informing as the main video of the overall motion.
October 26.
While I only presented a short section of my video, my feedback received was based around minimizing irrelevant information, and having consistent lighting. While filming the final video, I paid extra attention to continuity throughout my filming, and would reshoot if an element from earlier in the series could not be replicated later. Clarity was definitely the main thing informing my thinking. During the peer reviews I noticed many aesthetically pleasing videos that accurately documented the task, but fell short with the content: the actual instructional element. As someone who in the past has gotten feedback on my work as prioritizing appearance over meaning, I paid careful attention to if my shots were readable, and could be replicated, rather than just observed.
October 31.
The McCloud reading was really influential in informing my thinking for the video. As a kid reading Calvin and Hobbes comics I always gravitated toward the aspect to aspect transitions, and was definitely informed by McClouds analysis of types of transitions used in western and eastern comic styles.
I found that what mattered most was what the video’s intent was and how it read, rather than how I performed the task in reality. I found myself crouched on the floor, holding my breath so my cameras mic didn’t pick up my breathing, and with both arms carefully hovering around the edge of my tripod. A video like this is a construction, just like acting, a representation of reality, an illusion of continuous motion, as an event not a series of clips from days of shooting. In the past I’ve been fascinated by video editing and know how long the video making process takes, but in a project like this where I need to generate the clips myself, I’ve learned to widen the time frame for my process massively.
The quality in the video was forced to be attributed to the simple cuts, arrangement and quality of the clips, not the traditional, music effects and bells and whistles I would add to a premiere file. By simplifying the requirements down to the core elements, I feel like I was able to effectively learn what communicated and what did not, what was necessary and what was redundant, and how to make the video as trustworthy as possible. I learned how to pre digest the process for the viewer, and repackage it to the best of my ability. The entire process is instructional and the purpose fails when it becomes self indulgent.
I definitely became hyper aware of sound in my video as well as lighting. From the sound of the cut informing the viewer to how hard I was pressing, to the slightly too sharp light creating shadows from my hand that obscured the viewer from seeing exactly where I was cutting. I feel like this project helped me gain an attention to detail I would have not possessed otherwise, as well as raising the standards on my work ethic. I found that I would quickly scrap clips that I had any doubt about and would re-film, and continue to reiterate until I felt it was truly as effective and trustworthy as possible.
From the video project I learned how to communicate more effectively, and to be as concise as possible. I definitely felt a new layer of determination with pushing through to get to a new level with my work. Finishing a project has never been an issue for me, but knowing how high I can reach and recognizing where my own bar should be set for myself, is something I’m always learning, and hope to carry forward. Sketching, documenting, photographing and thumbnailing every aspect of my project creates the best mental catalogue of the identity of a project in my head that I can continually reference, and I want to be continue to improve my documentation.
- Cooper Rosen
