Making miniature versions of GOBO lighting

Following on from my previous post, it became evident that by shining a LED torch underneath a stencil created a clear and poignant image behind the model. This could easily be hidden from the voyeur to disillusion them to where it is coming from. For the purpose of this experiment I used a torch app on my smartphone. Although effective, If i were to do something similar in my final major or separate future personal project, I would most definitely explore permanent lighting fixtures into the set. On the other hand, having a light which wasn't fixed meant I could control the distance between the light and the stencil, this could create a varied photo shoot of large, small, dark and faded shadows. What I have built is essentially a makeshift GOBO light. At the beginning of the project I actually discussed the possibility of designing GOBO stencils or projected images to be shown on the backdrop of the set. But due to the uncertainty of this being able to happen both myself and set designer decided not to go forward with the idea. It seems ironic that I have gone down this same path again.

For the shadow images, i tried to choose strong symbols that fitted with the scenes they cast over. Some worked such as the simple sail form, whereas others such as the anchor/chandelier didn't. I think the reason being, the shadows outside of the model box helps the audience differentiate between interior and exterior as the image of a window would. 

I also experimented with type as a stencil. This proved quite difficult to cut as the type needed to small to project the shadows well. This was to go along with the letter scene. I also made up a stencil with 'persuasion' within it. This is would help would help create a proposed image for a poster. 

The above two images present another stencil I tried out. It was an extension of the simple ship sail stencil I had already made. I felt like the ship needed some context seeing as the Bath scene had a city line shadow. I had the idea to incorporate the image of the cobb at Lyme Regis. An iconic image for the location as well as a key image for the novel itself (one of the character falls of the steps of the cobb).

My favourite out of the gobo stencils has to be the bath scene. Even though compared to the other stencils, its stencil isn't much of a masterpiece, I think it generally frames the model box really well. 

Making model box take 2

For the initial construction of my second attempt at model making, I went about gluing the ridged staggered along the height of the box. I wanted slots for four layers. This meant 16 of these 1.5cmx42cm length of wood. Two for each ridge. Aware of my lack of technical skills when it came to model making, I was vigilant with measuring up and ensuring the ridges matched up to avoid any mistakes. I also sought out the assistance of my housemate to hold the pieces of wood as I drilled and screwed the pieces of wood together. Despite, not drilling my fingers off and successfully constructing the box, I would much rather make any future 3D structures in the workshop, where I have access to an appropriate environment for drilling.

I did have some trouble with splitting in the MDF whether the nails were too big for the 12mm width. This is a important issue I need to consider in the future experiments.

 There is an obvious comparison between my two model boxes. I am very glad that I pursued the construction of a wooden box. Even though, it is still unfinished, i.e. I need to spray paint it black. It looks much sturdier. I do however have the fact it was suggested to create a landscape box as an issue. After putting the box together, it became apparent that the scenes I had previously cut by hand were too big for the slots, even with some of the scenes having space to be cropped, other layers such as the ornate seaweed border, were too delicate to be cropped any more. Therefore they had to scrapped form the final images. This is very annoying as the main reason that I decided to keep the set box portrait was so that i didn't need to re cut already made image. Anyhow, I can only take this as a lesson to be more considerate of measurements.

On a separate note, I am unhappy with the box being on the floor, it limits the viewing experience for the audience/viewer as well as limiting angles in which light can be shone onto the model and scenery. I have though up a solution to use a coffee table as a plinth to raise the model of the floor. I had also bought a king size white sheet as a solution to my issues with dodgy studio backgrounds. Instead, i am going to use it to cover the coffee table.

For the initial photo shoot, i secured the lights to the lid of the model box in a looped shape. This essentially allowed me to control the lighting. It also worked as if the model box was a room, being lit form lighting from the ceiling. It was also neat and wasn't too obvious to the viewer how it was being lit.  The rest of the lights, wrapped around the table to create a barrel like image in the composition. 

On the other hand, the lighting positioning seemed to work better with some scenes and not so much on others. I think perhaps the fact the model box is still unpainted is an added issue to photographing the scenes. Similarly to the first model box, the light colour of the wood means differing coloured shadows are projected onto the surrounding walls. This is increasingly become a distraction from the paper cuts. Also I don't like that the audience are able to see what the box is made from. In a theatrical environment, an audience will not be able to see the structure of the theatre (unless it is intentional). This supports the theory that traditional theatre creates an illusion of reality. My approach to this text is not dadaist. I am complacent to make my audience concentrate on the imagery i have made rather than ponder on why I've created it. 

Unfortunately, my initial plans to create shadows through negative space images did not work as planned. Although, the delicate design of the bottles worked quite well by themselves ( see last three images). Similar to my experimentation with shadow making on my A1 3D anchor/chandelier, I was able to create a double shadow behind the model box. I find that the shadows created behind when shooting the image can be just as effective as the layered images themselves. I intend on exploring more how I can manipulate the shadows to create separate images. Perhaps if I hand cut stencils and shone a light through them as i did with the window I may be able to create more of an installation experience for the viewer.

Image planning and making

I have noted that I work much better going straight from an rough drawing into paper cutting rather than spending ages on an intricate drawing to then try and copy. The following images are examples of drawing as an application of problem solving and image planning as I tried to formulate strong and symbolic images in the short amount of time I had left. Even though, they are very rushed and perhaps not the best drawings i have done over the project, I really enjoy the energy of the drawings. In my opinion, they definitely document my thought process much better than my initial drawings of naval imagery in the first few weeks of the project.

Attempting to think of ways to bring back the anchor chandelier into my scenery. Thinking up concepts such as a anchor in the middle of a dining room table. This was with the intention of initiating 'an elephant in the room' ambience to the image.

There is much emphasis on communication in the novel, in particular letter writing. During the period, which Persuasion was written letters were the sole means of communication, which made them much more precious and the written word was much more poignant in people's lives, as well as a platform for courtship. In the novel, a letter from the love interest, Wentworth, stuck out to me as a vital symbol of the novel as a whole. Whilst, i had tried to put all my attention onto my interpretation of the text, It was still important that I was creating imagery that could translate well in poster format also. I felt that bringing the letter to life in a scene could make for a pleasing image. I had the idea, to set the scene with the letter sitting open on a desk, with there being some suggestion of love pouring out of it. I have researched into objects such as inkwells, quills and chairs that may suit this setting. Predominantly, I'd like the image to suggest that anne has opened the letter. However, the audience may interpret it as Wentworth writing the letter due to the absence of a character writing the letter. I like the mystery the image develops. Also adding a character would spoil the ending to someone that does not know the narrative. 

 I have started considering typography I could apply to my imagery and for the poster itself. I like the idea of trying to incorporate quotes from the final letter into my scene, such as "You pierce my Soul". There is the danger of spoiling the mystery of the image though. I will still experiment with this idea, perhaps trying to cut it on a separate layer so it can be added or taken away from the set as required.

For the imagery coming out of the letter, I'd decided to look over the imagery I had already explored. I realised the extensive amount of drawing I had done of ship sails. These of course could be very flowing as a shape and had the scope to be very elaborate. The incorporation of the sails in the image would also wrap in naval imagery with regency interiors continuing on from my explorations of this idea.

Bottle scene idea and development

For the next scene, I wanted to create an environment that reflected more on the reference to Captain Wentworth and the Navy in Persuasion. Earlier in the project I had explored this through the image of a ship in a bottle, held in a woman's hands. Despite considering this as a possible layered image in the model box, I decided to take a different take on this idea. Following on from experimenting with shadows in the first photo shoot, I was keen to explore different methods of creating shadows. I had the idea to fabricate a shadow shaped like a ship sail with negative space. The negative space would be cut out of bottles hanging down in the model box. In theory, two layers of these bottles would give the illusive suggestion of a sail.

The two above images are plans for the bottle scene idea. The right image shows a quick experiment I did over a couple pages of my sketchbook.

I attempted to achieve this scene by drawing out the sail shape on tracing paper, then drawing the bottles on top, revealing snippets of the sail through negative space. With little prepared for the laser cutter, I also decided to use these images as a basis for my laser cutting experiments. This way I could have this design cut in lots of different colours for the next shoot, as well as developing upon my Adobe illustrator skills.

When i had last used the laser cutter, I had scanned in ink drawings, make quick selections, creating paths that were imported into illustrator ready to be laser cut. On this occasion, the pencil lines were too light to be picked up by the selection tool. Therefore, I was faced with either drawing over the drawing in pen or using the pen tool in illustrator to trace over the image. Eager to learn a new skill, I decided to trace with the pen tool. It was extremely time consuming task. I had only a small amount of knowledge of pen tool, which i'd learnt at college. However, the time payed off resulting in much cleaner cut images than if I had cut it by hand or scanned in a pen drawing. One of the layers, I hadn't prepared in time, and as i had run out time at the laser cutter, I was forced to hand cut the image. This was extremely frustrating, as I had almost finished tracing the image in illustrator, and after watching the other layers being laser cut in 5 mins. hand cutting one image took me two hours. It was a very beneficial lesson. I now know how to prepare images for the laser cutter by drawing in illustrator. A coursemate also has taught me a couple of shortcuts to cut down time when tracing images. This is mainly on straight lines that can be copy and pasted.


I was able to laser cut a few different colours of two of the three layers.

Whilst I was over in the workshop the past day and a half, i requested for some wood to be cut to the scale size of my last model box. Luckily, they were happy to give me the wood for free. A definite bonus considering the amount of money I had already spent on thick paper for this project. I asked advice how to ensure the best construction of the box. The technician suggested wood glue and screwing the box together. Luckily, one of my housemates owns a power drill, that I am able to use to put together the box.

Tutorial Feedback from Joel and Paul and further development of theatrical sets

Considering this vast change in my practical work in a short space of time, I was keen to get some tutor feedback to determine whether I was indeed going in the right direction. The good news was that my papercuts got a very positive reaction. However, there were some issues that arose in the conversation. It was suggested that I should make another model box made of sturdier material, such as plywood. This would then give the set more structure and would look more professional overall. Issues with lighting also came to light, it was suggested that i should have lights in between each layer to illuminate each image. This most definitely make the scenes more visually pleasing and reflect their purpose as 'theatrical illustrations'. Paul also suggested that I change my box format from portrait to landscape in keeping with the theatre structure as a landscape space. The portrait format was limiting the audience's view. Although, I think this is a fair point, I think the thought of redoing the paper cuts in the limited time I had left stifled me a little. It was also suggested that I lasercut all my images to save time. Even though I have booked in to use the laser cutter on friday and monday, I am keen to explore my skills paper cutting by hand. The way I am formulating my images is a combination of planning and improvisation. This isn't the most logical way of working but honestly, at the moment it seems to working in my favour. I am also a little reluctant to rely completely on the laser cutter as i did in my narrative project. I do agree with Paul and Joel that paper is limiting my practice. In the next project, I fully intend on broadening my portfolio with a range of cut materials.

The two main things that I am taking away from this tutorial is that its important that I remake the model box from wood and that I find a way to light it better. I have had the idea to buy fairy lights as a light source. These can be lined in the box and easily secured. I hope that they will create an installation like ambience that could be demonstrated in my photography.

I also failed to mention in an earlier post that I had contacted the senior lecturer of BA Photography to request the usage of the studios. Of course being the last few weeks of the autumn term they were fully booked. On a positive note, he gave some helpful advice on how to light my images and what to use as a studio. I will definitely use him as a contact at the beginning of next term (or perhaps before hand), to pursue a collaboration between myself and a photography student.

Country house interiors inspiration

During further research into regency interiors, I came across these beautiful door and mirror frames. Their extravagance is almost vulgar in a domestic space. I think this really reflects the message conveyed in Persuasion. They also bring nautical imagery into an interior context, this has some similarities to my own work such as the anchor/chandelier.

I have found in this project that I have been drawn much more to interiors and furniture as inspiration, something I haven't done much before. I have found that this widening of interests is helping me understand how to put my images into context with backgrounds. I'd definitely like to look further into interiors and objects in my final major project.

Development of ideas towards a final outcome

(Studio created in my bedroom with a roll of white paper)

Taking consideration my experiments with 3D paper modelling, it was clear that it was a) taking me too long and b) they were difficult to photograph due to their size. This meant that there was no context to the objects making them in my eyes unworthy for final images. I was becoming more and more stressed by my lack of development. After a tutorial with Marcus and taking time to look back over the project, it was clear that the most successful and visually pleasing images were the 2D paper cut images. Despite the images being 2D, I didn't want them to be just 2D flat images. This didn't fit in with my interests with creating illustrations that were theatrical and performative. So, instead I decided to follow my initial proposal in my learning agreement to create theatre sets. With the time I had left, I decided not to make three but one model as a base and then hand cut scenes to compose 3/4 sets. These images would be cut in layered images that would be slotted into the model, making it easier to light and photograph without the nuisance of hanging them up with invisible as tried before with the anchor/chandelier.

Living with an Interior architecture student, I had some scope on making models. She advised me that I could feasibly build a set with mountboard and superglue. Here are pictures of the stages of constructing the set box.

I was able to cut and build this model box in one evening. This achievement was much more satisfying than the long process I had experienced making 3D objects.

For the papercut images, I was initially influenced by the combination of regency interiors and naval imagery that I had explored with the anchor/chandelier. I felt this juxtaposition of imagery conveyed the social divide emphasised in Austen's writing. The idea of faded wealth was also discussed in my initial meetings with the costume students and the director of the Persuasion production. I saw a lot of similarities between regency wall paper patterns and images of seaweed:

 (Sourced from pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/esillustration/persuasion/)

The above images are drawings I did in preparation to make paper seaweed for the anchor chandelier. The photos of the anchor chandelier do not show the intricacies of the paper cut seaweed, this is a shame, as I felt it added character to the object. I really love these drawings, and they really stood out for me as scope to develop my ideas. You can see how I have started to visualise the seaweed as interior detailing.

It also became apparent to me that I needed to look more into other interiors. My meeting with Rhyannan allowed me to see what direction her set design was going in. We talked about how the application of black and shadows could be reflected in the poster. She also has designed frames that could portray both windows and doors. I really liked the idea of using a window in my own set designs to convey the social divide. It also suggests the sense of the character being out of reach of what she wants, instead she is trapped within the expectations of society. In a general sense, the windows can give an indication of whether the scene an interior or exterior scene.


The following images are from the first photoshoot I did:

Taken with flash photography, the image shows the different layers of the scene. I have tried to replicate the faded wealth I mentioned earlier. (The protagonist's father has spent all the family's money on his vanity and extravagant lifestyle). There is also some reference to the naval references in the novel. By having the ship in the window, there is an indication of something being out of reach for the voyeur. Each of these scenes have been drawn straight onto the paper and hand cut. 

Experiment with typography as a layer in the scene. It is definitely too much, and would work much better with less intricate paper cutting.

Despite being pleased with the results with the paper cut layers, it was clear that not much was being reiterated to the audience with the image. I needed to keep in mind that even though I am creating scenes, I needed to present the images with an illustrative methodology. I reflected upon what I wanted to portray, which was a sense of claustrophobia in this environment. I wanted the audience to feel the same chaos, Anne, finds herself caught in the middle of. Looking back over my previous imagery, I had attempted to bring people into my project. Austen creates satirical characters, often flamboyant or snobbish. It is was important for me to demonstrate the humorous representations of people in my paper cuts. I tried to apply this in my drawing style, giving the character large features through quick drawings. I do regret not having the time to source my own photographic sources. In the time I had left I had to resort to drawing reference from film adaptations of the book. In conclusion, the drawings of the people lack the expressiveness I was looking for.

 However, I did like one of my character papercuts, that being the representation of the protagonist's father. I felt I captured an expression of distaste successfully. Also his vain personality is clearly demonstrated through a hand mirror prop.

In this first photo shoot, I also tried to bring shadow play into scene. This has been created by shining a LED torch through a smaller window paper cut. The window is much smaller as i wanted to emphasise even more how far away the character is from what she wants/needs. I also it adds to the claustrophobic feeling I was aiming for.

There are a few issues I have with this first photo shoot:

- It is way too dark between the layers, making it hard for the viewer to see all the details.

- The model box looks clunky and the white on the inside of the mountboard distracts from the images.

- I need to work more on the compositions of the photos. They look far too amateur and lack the 'wow factor'.

If I had started experimenting with photography earlier in the project, I could have seeked help from a photography student. This is definitely an idea for the final major, especially as I will want the best quality photographs. In the meantime it is important for me to understand the lighting and camera settings needed for the shoot.