seeking creative ideas/input at DVinfo.net

Kell Smith · December 10th, 2009, 12:12 AM

I would like to do some creative shooting just for the fun and art of it. The two topics in mind are light and color. But I'm completely at a loss for creative ideas. Does anyone have any to share, to get the process going? Thanks in advance.

Bill Davis · December 10th, 2009, 04:31 PM

OK.

Light and color. Got it. Google light spectrum. See the rainbow array? Notice the primary colors along the spectrum. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet?

Now go out and SHOOT a few real world examples of each. Could be the cliche' of the stop sign, or the red of a weathered barn - or the red of a palm print on a battered spouses face - your imagination is your only limit.

Now figure out a way to use those shots - in that order - to tell a STORY of some kind.

Have fun.

Kell Smith · December 12th, 2009, 03:14 PM

Thanks Bill,
Very cool idea. =)
I have a lot of good general ideas (like light) but am often at a loss as to what to do, when it comes time to turn them into a project. It's like there's a bottleneck in the creative process when trying to develop the idea.
I'll start on your idea.
Can anyone here relate to having a creative bottleneck between general, and more developed, ideas?

Andrew Smith · December 13th, 2009, 10:41 AM

Each colour has its own shot. Throw it out of focus at the beginning and end of each shot, so that the fade between shots comes down to mostly being a change in the hue of the colour.

That being done, work your way through the spectrum of colours, in order.

In the beginning of the film/video, show the scientific linear graph of the colour spectrum (something like this). Then zoom in to the beginning colour at the left hand side to make your first transition through to your first shot (of that colour).

No need to thank me. Just send through my part of the residuals cheque. :-)

Andrew

Kell Smith · December 13th, 2009, 11:54 AM

What creative ideas! Thanks guys.

I"m interested also in the process people go through to between ideas and output. For work projects, certainly; but even more so, creative projects. These might be difficult questions to answer, but how/where do you get your inspiration for creative ideas, and once the idea comes, what is the process you go through to narrow it down? Do you write it down and brainstorm? Draw it? Do you just pick up your camera and shoot and go out and look for ideas? Do you shoot small projects and then develop some of those ideas into larger ones later on? Do you have a notebook full of stuff still waiting to be made?

Do you even do creative stuff on your own that is not actual work for someone else?
Projects just for you? And if so, what types of projects have you done? Are they movies? Artistic techniques and ideas? Animations? Subject explorations, documentary-style? Fun projects?

Andrew Smith · December 13th, 2009, 12:04 PM

I just think up stuff and then swirl it around with my "equal opportunity offender" attitude / sense of humour. What comes out at the end is usually recognisable.

Andrew

Dave Blackhurst · December 14th, 2009, 02:34 PM

somehow a prism comes to mind... white light, composed of all the colors... blending, splitting, ought to be somewhere to go with that?

Andrew Smith · December 14th, 2009, 07:58 PM

Just don't use any Pink Floyd music on the soundtrack, eh? :-)

Andrew

Kell Smith · December 15th, 2009, 11:11 PM

If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?
Wrong album. I just like the line.
I think my favorite Pink Floyd line is, 'if they catch you in the back seat trying to pick her locks/ they're going to send you back to mother in a cardboard box/ You better run!

The prism idea is cool too. I have no idea how to incorporate that without doing something animated. But it has possibilities.

I"m just trying to prime the pump to get the creative process moving. Just to get ideas and possibilities out there. I'm not nearly connected enough creatively, to this as an art. But that creativity is the foundation for everything else.

Andrew Smith · December 15th, 2009, 11:12 PM

Bonus points if you can somehow incorporate a pink elephant.

Just sayin'

Andrew

Kell Smith · December 16th, 2009, 09:20 AM

LOL
Oh wait... I"ve got it....HOw about a big wall?
It's coming to me...another....brick.....

Andrew Smith · December 16th, 2009, 09:53 AM

Gotta keep that elephant there somehow.

Andrew

Kell Smith · December 16th, 2009, 10:01 AM

Seriously though...
Just drawing from the themes color and light...
I like the very cool ideas described earlier in the thread.
In addition, here are some other color ideas -
candy, something animated, contrary color or color tension, or even something with the Pleasantville effect.
For light.. in addition to the ideas described above, I guess it could be anything from moonlight, to carnival lights, tail lights, something sparkly, reflected light - water? Mirrors?

The next step - narrowing this into something specific and shootable- is where the process begins to break down for me.

Kell Smith · December 16th, 2009, 10:02 AM

I know! We'll have him crash through the wall!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

Gotta keep that elephant there somehow.

Andrew

Kell Smith · December 17th, 2009, 09:23 AM

Yesterday I printed out a bunch of storyboards and went out to the coffee shop (a more creative atmosphere) and spent about two hours trying to write out ideas.
I think for the color assignment, I'll have to go out and just look for colorful things, since it didn't really come to me on the storyboard.
There were some other ideas that did, mostly techniques such as time-lapse or animated pieces.
Animation comes to mind when my imagination gets going, but I want to do more with the camera/shooting.

December 10th, 2009, 12:12 AM	#1
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	seeking creative ideas/input I would like to do some creative shooting just for the fun and art of it. The two topics in mind are light and color. But I'm completely at a loss for creative ideas. Does anyone have any to share, to get the process going? Thanks in advance.

December 13th, 2009, 11:54 AM	#5
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	What creative ideas! Thanks guys. I"m interested also in the process people go through to between ideas and output. For work projects, certainly; but even more so, creative projects. These might be difficult questions to answer, but how/where do you get your inspiration for creative ideas, and once the idea comes, what is the process you go through to narrow it down? Do you write it down and brainstorm? Draw it? Do you just pick up your camera and shoot and go out and look for ideas? Do you shoot small projects and then develop some of those ideas into larger ones later on? Do you have a notebook full of stuff still waiting to be made? Do you even do creative stuff on your own that is not actual work for someone else? Projects just for you? And if so, what types of projects have you done? Are they movies? Artistic techniques and ideas? Animations? Subject explorations, documentary-style? Fun projects? Last edited by Kell Smith; December 13th, 2009 at 12:35 PM.

December 10th, 2009, 04:31 PM	#2
Bill Davis Trustee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Posts: 1,538	OK. Light and color. Got it. Google light spectrum. See the rainbow array? Notice the primary colors along the spectrum. Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet? Now go out and SHOOT a few real world examples of each. Could be the cliche' of the stop sign, or the red of a weathered barn - or the red of a palm print on a battered spouses face - your imagination is your only limit. Now figure out a way to use those shots - in that order - to tell a STORY of some kind. Have fun.

December 12th, 2009, 03:14 PM	#3
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Thanks Bill, Very cool idea. =) I have a lot of good general ideas (like light) but am often at a loss as to what to do, when it comes time to turn them into a project. It's like there's a bottleneck in the creative process when trying to develop the idea. I'll start on your idea. Can anyone here relate to having a creative bottleneck between general, and more developed, ideas?

December 13th, 2009, 10:41 AM	#4
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,066	Each colour has its own shot. Throw it out of focus at the beginning and end of each shot, so that the fade between shots comes down to mostly being a change in the hue of the colour. That being done, work your way through the spectrum of colours, in order. In the beginning of the film/video, show the scientific linear graph of the colour spectrum (something like this). Then zoom in to the beginning colour at the left hand side to make your first transition through to your first shot (of that colour). No need to thank me. Just send through my part of the residuals cheque. :-) Andrew

December 13th, 2009, 12:04 PM	#6
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,066	I just think up stuff and then swirl it around with my "equal opportunity offender" attitude / sense of humour. What comes out at the end is usually recognisable. Andrew

December 14th, 2009, 02:34 PM	#7
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	somehow a prism comes to mind... white light, composed of all the colors... blending, splitting, ought to be somewhere to go with that?

December 14th, 2009, 07:58 PM	#8
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,066	Just don't use any Pink Floyd music on the soundtrack, eh? :-) Andrew

December 15th, 2009, 11:11 PM	#9
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat? Wrong album. I just like the line. I think my favorite Pink Floyd line is, 'if they catch you in the back seat trying to pick her locks/ they're going to send you back to mother in a cardboard box/ You better run! The prism idea is cool too. I have no idea how to incorporate that without doing something animated. But it has possibilities. I"m just trying to prime the pump to get the creative process moving. Just to get ideas and possibilities out there. I'm not nearly connected enough creatively, to this as an art. But that creativity is the foundation for everything else.

December 15th, 2009, 11:12 PM	#10
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,066	Bonus points if you can somehow incorporate a pink elephant. Just sayin' Andrew

December 16th, 2009, 09:20 AM	#11
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	LOL Oh wait... I"ve got it....HOw about a big wall? It's coming to me...another....brick.....

December 16th, 2009, 09:53 AM	#12
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,066	Gotta keep that elephant there somehow. Andrew

December 16th, 2009, 10:01 AM	#13
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Seriously though... Just drawing from the themes color and light... I like the very cool ideas described earlier in the thread. In addition, here are some other color ideas - candy, something animated, contrary color or color tension, or even something with the Pleasantville effect. For light.. in addition to the ideas described above, I guess it could be anything from moonlight, to carnival lights, tail lights, something sparkly, reflected light - water? Mirrors? The next step - narrowing this into something specific and shootable- is where the process begins to break down for me.

December 17th, 2009, 09:23 AM	#15
Kell Smith Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 436	Yesterday I printed out a bunch of storyboards and went out to the coffee shop (a more creative atmosphere) and spent about two hours trying to write out ideas. I think for the color assignment, I'll have to go out and just look for colorful things, since it didn't really come to me on the storyboard. There were some other ideas that did, mostly techniques such as time-lapse or animated pieces. Animation comes to mind when my imagination gets going, but I want to do more with the camera/shooting.