Artistic Inspirations

Like everyone else during this quarantine, I have started watching Tiger King, a docu-series on Netflix. It's about people who own their own wild animals and have "sanctuaries" where they have shows and attractions like tiger cub petting. There are obviously animal rights activists who claim abuse and go after these people, but those that own the tigers say that they are treated fairly and live happy lives. The series follows one of the most popular owners, Joe Exotic, the "Tiger King" and his saga which includes a feud with a woman named Carole Baskin who owns Big Cat Rescue. The story takes a surprising turn in which murder may or may not have happened and someone plots to have Carole killed. It's truly a wild story in every sense. The directors do a great job at highlighting interesting characters and telling the story from each of their own perspectives. It makes for an interesting yet also humorous documentary hearing how each person remembered each ...

4-Color Printing- method of printing that uses 4 colors, CMYK (cyan, yellow, magenta, and black). The colors mix together to make most of the color spectrum. Bleed- the bleed is what goes beyond the trim edge. Anything that goes beyond the guidelines will be trimmed off after printed. Direct to digital printing- method of printing where the image is printed directly onto the final product instead of paper or a transfer. Hard proof- a printed example of what your final print will look like. Soft proof- viewing the example of what your print will look like digitally. Inkjet printing- a printing process that prints a digital image by spewing out ink onto paper. Letterpress- ink is applied to rubber stamps and pressed against paper to form image. Offset printing- printing process in which the image is transferred from a metal plate to a rubber blanket and then to the print media. Pantone colors- a standardized color system from Pantone Inc. used across many industries. Eac...

Defining Terms for Logo Design Logo- the symbol used to identify a company or brand. Abstract mark- an abstract logo that is not a recognizable symbol, it is completely unique and different from anything else. Lettermark- a logo that uses typography, usually the company's initials or name. Mascot-  when a company uses a character or spokesperson as the logo. Emblem- a logo that is a symbol with text inside of it. It often looks like a family crest. Pictoral Mark or Symbol-   an "icon" logo, a simple symbol logo, such as Apple or Nike swoosh. Wordmark- a simple logo that just uses the company's name as the logo. Utilizes typography to create an effective design. Graphic Design Above the Fold - relates to website design, utilizing the what is visible when first opening the web page. Branding/ Brand Identity- logos, colors, designs, typography and more elements that are used together to create one identifiable brand for a company. Gutter- the unused...

I am a huge Disney fan, so watching The Imagineering Story, directed by Leslie Iwerks, was really interesting to me. The docu-series focuses on the Imagineers, the physicists/creative minds behind the Disney Theme Parks and attractions. The documentary starts out explaining Disneyland's beginnings and how Walt Disney pulled off making the world's most popular theme park. We continue on to follow the imagineers and how this group of people basically built and made the theme parks possible. This is particularly an interesting documentary because it explores the history and uses much historical footage and archive imagery. We get to hear from original Imagineers and know their exact thought processes when creating iconic attractions. Iwerks does a great job at storytelling and giving the audience a behind the scenes look into the creation of basically every attraction and park that Disney operates. The trailer is inspiring for my documentary because it uses quick cuts...

Last week, we visited Donna Lawrence Productions. Donna Lawrence makes incredible short form documentaries that are installed in museums. She has made films for the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Statue of Liberty Museum, the New York Historical Society, and many more. After viewing a screening of some of her films, I really got an idea of what a professional documentary looks like and how a true genius in the field of documentary works. I made sure that I paid attention to the way they use interviews and voiceovers. Most of the interviews were played over top of imagery, they weren't just videos of a person talking. The audio clips were not too long either, they were just snippets of important statements and information that gave some context to the imagery we were seeing. This will be important in my documentary because the message will rely heavily on what the people involved are saying. What I really took note of was the music that was used. Each soundtrack was perfectly timed ...