Jessica+Jordano+Fall+2015

My name is Jessica Jordano Journalism major No experience with computers Art I in high school I am a fashion blogger, and want to work on a fashion magazine after college.

First Colorized Image In this photo, I wanted to present colors of the same color family, such as purple and blue to demonstrate the bond and the similarity of the couple.

Colorized Image with First Background: (transparent couple) Originally, I was attempting to have the couple transparent. However, I was unable to present the story behind the transparency of the couple. Therefore, I intend to make the couple smaller (due to the original photography's low resolution) and placed at the center of the photo, to be the focal point of the piece.

Image with at Least Seven Components (Draft): Size of couple and boat need to be edited. Furthermore, I added the components of three. Project Final #1: (boat in background is from original photograph)

Final Image: The lightning bolt edges are edited, the birds are spread out, and the fish are removed. In this picture, I wanted the importance of family to be represented, especially through the number three (the three birds, three lightning bolts, and three members of the family). Furthermore, I wanted to demonstrate that the power of family overpowers anything.

Reflection on "After Effects or the Velvet Revolution" Jessica Jordano

Digital Art Reflection October 6, 2015 The Language of Visual Film As Andreas Huyssen explains, “All modern and avantgardist techniques, forms and images are now stored for instant recall in th e computerized memory banks of our culture,” eventually concluding that we live in a technologically advanced world so that artists can reference and be inspired by pieces of the past. However, this ability to fuse qualities stored in “the computerized memory banks” and modern inspiration is difficult. In my opinion, combining themes of the past and present through the application of advanced technology, such as Digital Effects, provides a piece with more dimensions. To clarify, although professionals still struggle with this concept, applying several technologies in one piece will present a larger significance, as it will push our society to find the countless ways to fuse present and past technologies.

In addition, the constant evolution of the relationship between art and technology is astounding; with every piece that pushes technological and creative limits, artistic genres are constantly growing and developing into something new. As the article mentions, this “dramatic” process involved evolutions in genres including cinematography, specifically narrative filmmaking, and typography. In a similar way, by using old technologies to develop new innovations, the art world is transformed in terms of inspiration. Artists, such as filmmakers, animators, and photographers, find new sources of inspiration because as thetechnological advances of a society changes, the cultural values and priorities change as well. Therefore, it is intriguing how a visual art form can illustrate not only th e development of technology, but also the change of cultural values.

The interview with Mind Lipschultz, an editor, was also interesting, as she argues the convenience of Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, contrasting with one’s inability to access or even afford animating and editing with other software in the past. Therefore, Lipschultz highlights the convenience of Adobe. However, this argument can be taken onestep further; in using such accessible software such as Adobe, oneis able to create art that is beyond anything he or she created in the past. In other words, the artist now has the tools to push the boundaries of art, using new innovations. In this way, the convenience of Adobe improves both the process of creating art, as Lipschultz asserts, and the final product.

Furthermore, the author of “After Effects or the Velvet Revolution” analogizes visual art to language, concluding “ a new hybrid visual language of moving images in general” is growing in modern day. Through this example, the idea of visual art evolving and expanding to new lengths is presented, similarly to how a language changes into different dialects over time. Furthermore, this process of changing also reveals this idea of a cycle in terms of developing innovations. In the visual art arena as well as other institutions, it takes time and the exploration of old technologies to develop new innovations. As mentioned in the article, it was not until the 1990s at which animators and graphic designers could use advanced software as a “commonplace,” proving that any developm ent takes time and exploration.

Kinetic Typography Final Project: Panic! at the Disco- Vegas Lights media type="youtube" key="gDGxud8hPgA" width="402" height="233"

Final Cinemagraph Projec



Short Video Project: media type="youtube" key="K301StBUOBQ" width="560" height="315"

The Red Zone of "The Fungus Trip" In this video, I employed several components of After Effects. The animations of the texts were deliberately chosen to demonstrate the physical feelings as a result of taking a mushroom. Furthermore, I played with fonts, changing the font of certain words to emphasize their meaning and demonstrate themes including //Alice in Wonderland// concepts, insanity, the authentication of a reality, and the amplification of one's senses. The lyrics after the word "MUSHROOM" are presented in black, in contrast to the white text in the beginning of the video. This element demonstrates that the couple has officially taken the mushroom and is now beginning their journey. media type="youtube" key="mYalg56AoLs" width="560" height="315"

Red Trigger Image: A corner section of the red painting that horizontally rotated.

Original Photograph taken in Flo rida paired with Edited Version: In this transition from the original image to the edited image, I used several adjustment layers to play with hue, saturation, grays, and levels. In the background, I purposefully made the buildings blacks and grays as a way to emphasize the natural setting of the scene and deemphasize civilization. Furthermore, in the trigger image, I was very inspired by the magenta tints scattered throughout the painting. I wanted those rich tones to be highlighted in the final composition. Thus, I made the lake a rich magenta hue to showcase the deep colors of the painting. Finally, another interesting element of this picture, and my favorite component, is the exaggerated levels of sky. I added an adjustment layer and created drastic levels from the top of the sky to the area just above the buildings. The deep reds in the upper part of the sky reflect the hues of the original trigger image. In addition, this change in color demonstrates the amplified senses of someone on a mushroom trip; although the sky and the clouds are authentic components of the couple's reality, they see differences in their environment more clearly and amplified including different hues of the sky.



Couple Edited that Travels through the Mushroom Trip paired with Original Image The key of these images was to subtly present the red hue while still conveying to the audience that the couple is undergoing a mushroom trip. The yellow and blue eyes of the couple foreshadow the zones to come in experience. I used several adjustment layers to colorize the image, and control the subtle hues and saturations of the red color. For instance, the red-tinted skin tone involved a slight change in the red hue of the people after selecting the entire couple.

"The Fungus Trip" Analysis Our project takes the class on a mushroom trip, using Photoshop, After Effects, and Primer to emphasize one’s experiences while taking mushrooms. Throughout the experience, we use colors, shapes, transitions, movements, images, and videos to take the class on a unique, abstract experience that emphasizes certain aspects of a mushroom trip. For example, the layout of the project, involving three colored zones of red, blue, and yellow, illustrates the idea that when one is taking mushrooms, colors are vivid and amplified; thus this format demonstrates the idea that someone taking mushrooms does not hallucinate, but rather has magnified senses, absorbing his or her surroundings in a different way.

Throughout the experience, there are subtle clues to reveal that the class is experiencing what it is like to be high. The first video, known as the Red Zone, is an introductory stage; it tells the audience that you are beginning a mushroom trip through a series of hints without explicitly telling the audience that this is a mushroom trip. For example, the song, the //Alice in Wonderland// quote in the beginning of the video demonstrates the theme of sanity versus insanity, and the idea that when one takes a mushroom, they waver between these two entities. Furthermore, the song “White Rabbits” by Jefferson Airplane implies the initial emotions of taking a mushroom, including confusion and satisfaction. In addition to introducing the idea of a mushroom trip, the Red Zone also incorporates elements of Photoshop to present red hues. This was my favorite part of developing the project, as I was able to use an authentic image from my hometown to create an augmented and abstract reality. Therefore, the natural, serene setting behind the couple presents the idea that although the surroundings are authentic and true to nature, the couple sees the colors in a different way, as their senses interpret and respond to their environment now that they have taken a drug.

Moving on, the second element of our project was the Blue Zone. This zone emphasized the couple’s experiences after taking the mushroom and participating in their environment. The city scene at the end of the video as well as several sounds of birds chirping and waves crashing demonstrates that the couple is now experiencing their reality in an amplified way, absorbing their surroundings completely.

Finally, the Yellow Zone illustrates the magnified emotions as a result of the mushrooms. The couple embraces their physical and emotional connection, feeling an incredible sensation through the simplest human touch. Furthermore, this zone still highlights the color yellow not only through the yellow flowers and yellow components of nature, but also through the yellow tint of the page of the book in the beginning of the video and the yellow overlay of the two hands holding.

In conclusion, each element demonstrates a different component of a mushroom trip; the Red Zone presents the beginning stage of the trip, taking the drug and preparing the audience for the trip, the Blue Zone engages the couple’s physical presence in their environment after they have taken the drug, an the Yellow Zone addresses the amplified emotions engendered as a result of the mushroom. The trigger images of the series of paintings were inspiration for the three zone; Each similar trigger image was intended to connect the three videos. Furthermore, engaging the paintings in the project allowed us to interpret the experience in our own way; instead of having a trigger image as a concrete, basic object, the paintings added an abstract, interpretative element to the experience as a whole.