Semester Plan

1. A paragraph that describes the subject, form and content of your thesis project.

So what am I doing, how am I doing it, and why?

My thesis idea, focusing on my fascination with the idea of 'apocalypse', demands that I build a plan for turning this subject into work. People will be included, though I won't be using any actual people. People are not the focus of my idea--not even myself. Not so much. My fascination is the focus. Therefore most of the plane of visual context will be composed of disasters disrupting the mundane of everyday monotony. I want a couple of styles to be included in this undertaking, reflecting my mixture of longing and contempt towards my fascination. Most of my work will be on a smaller scale if it's physical, allowing viewers to look down upon it or see the whole picture in their heads like I do. It will have a stark quality to it whenever it depicts the images of everyday life, but whenever the disasters occur I want a surreal, expressionist contrast to that starkness from before. Since I am working in printmaking, most of the scenery will be made of prints. I plan to use these scenes in a stop motion to bring them all together to make sense of it all in the grand scheme of things. I know the finished piece won't leave every viewer feeling the same, so I didn't make any intentions to aim for that. Just like the mind map I created, the apocalypse has many qualities to it that are admirable, but I'm not blind to the fact that as a young person with no kids of my own, my fascination is not shared by everyone. My video is meant to show someone like me, if not me, and my longing for something so terrible that I can feel ashamed of it all at once. My goal is to share it, maybe not with everyone, but with those who can best understand.

2. What kind of research do you need to do? Where and how will you do it?

I need to look into a few old texts to understand, mainly the religious and mythical ones. I know that the Bible clearly states how the apocalypse is going to happen, but I want to see how far back the idea goes and how people see it. Is it a coming of something good or evil? Is it simply the end of days? Is it meant to fire up the spirit or inspire through fear?

The internet is a pretty good source for this information if you know where to look, but I'm sure the library would have a few good resources I could tap. I've already watched a fair share of apocalyptic movies just because cinema and film are entertainment favorites of mine, and they helped shape this strange romanticism I see behind something as gruesome as the end of the world.

3. What materials and/or processes will you use?

I'm using quite the array of materials so far. I've got clay and wiring for the 'characters' in my final stop motion, acrylics to paint them with, paper for printing, foam core for stability in the set as well as matte board for the thinner things, a camera to take photographs, and I'll be using programs to put the video together on my computer.

I'm using perhaps a couple of lithography editions for this, quite a few silkscreen images, most stand-alone instead of editions {though I will have copies for registration's sake}. I'm going to be folding the lithography prints I'm making into desks, chairs, and so on for my 'characters' to use. In order to make a stop motion sequence I need to take a lot of pictures, 'a lot' being an understatement. Then, using either After Effects like I did once before or a new, better suited program for this project, I will put these images together in a rapid sequence that will create the illusion of movement from otherwise immobile objects.

4. What is the scope of your project? How many works will you make? Approximately what will the size be?

Technically my focus is coming together to form one piece, but there are various elements that need to be made that can be included in it. A few of these elements may be able to stand alone as pieces outside of the stop motion piece. These will not be large, in height or width. The stop motion will need to be projected.

5. Create a timeline that indicates when you will have works completed or meet major milestones.

By the end of this week, I should have my first litho completed.

The weekend on to next week, I shall start building the litho into a set while starting the next couple of screenprints.

By the end of next week, the litho should be fully built and prepared for the first filming/shooting while the screenprints are still in progress.

Another litho may be done next month, along with several more screenprints. Meanwhile I will be filming/shooting as I go along with what is completed.

By the end of this semester, I should have most if not all of the stop motion shot. If it is not done, I will be working editing during winter break and taking the very last shots the moment school begins again. I will try hard to get all the shooting done before the break however so I can get all the editing done before classes start again.

6. In your timeline also include when you will likely schedule each of the four required individual crits and the two required group crits.

Hmm...tough. I'm probably going to try to schedule both an individual and group crit for when the first litho set is finished. I will then schedule another individual one after the first shooting/filming is done.

I will schedule crits from then on whenever I have another part added to the stop motion, or I've done a certain amount of prints. I'm going to try to keep the group crits far apart yet still not too close to the end of the semester because if anyone has any suggestions I need a bit of time to follow them if they're good.