Wordplay
At the time, injustices against minorities were a major public concern. This project uses stop-motion to reflect a facade of peace while revealing deeper, darker corrupt undertones.
Designed and Produced by: Gagan Saggu & Nathaniel Rojas
Challenges
Some obstacles we faced were working with different material such as candle wax block and having it fall apart during the carving process. Others would be taking safety measures while igniting our assets as well. This was solved using backup material and safety equipment across the whole process. Finding an appropriate pair of words to effectively display the topic but also mind the sensitivity was something to keep in mind throughout the project.
Preliminary Sketches
In our storyboards, we wanted to convey the idea of how privileged people are prioritized over the black population. By using the words Them/Us, we attempted to find a strong method to display this message in after effects by making a wheel that constantly rotates. However, in this wheel that seems like is cycling it is instead of keeping "Us" on the bottom at all times. Therefore, reinforcing that they are constantly held down by other privileged people.
Conceptualization
After the critique we found that even though our after-effects mocks were strong although there was more potential to be found in the stop motion variation. From this point on we decided to model Project 1 based on this idea.
PART B
Development Cont'd
After Part A, we re-evaluated how our concept was executed while prioritizing manipulation in letterforms (which was lacking in Part A). We developed concept sketches once again and explored different words that fit our topic and theme. We still wanted to make revisions to our Part A to see if we can elevate it but we were more focused now on taking what we learned earlier to a different medium by using custom typography.
Conclusion
The block of wax symbolizes the system’s security and its perceived values, while the wire represents the deep-rooted corruption within. At the start of our video, the system encloses the corruption, showing its long-standing presence. Fire melting the wax signifies the global protests against systemic racism and police brutality, revealing the corruption hidden within. To emphasize contrast, we used a red light on the corruption for an ominous effect, set against the system’s cool, solid appearance. This approach visually and physically highlights the tension between structure and corruption through color and medium.
