Formal analysis - structure

In order to learn how to formally analyse my own work as well as others, I have found that the technique which works best for me is to learn by doing. I saw this as an opportunity to improve on the variety of ways in which I can express my creative abilities, therefore, I decided to create a horror film themed collage. To get started, I looked at examples of collages online, many consisted of various photographs put together in some form of shape or pattern however, when adding 'artistic' to the search the construct and style were no longer fixed. As I am investigating horror films, I decided to base my collage on a specific horror title. Searching for suitable images, I decided to make a collage based on Friday The 13th (2009), a reboot of the original series featuring notorious horror character Jason Voorhees. Below I have outlined the design process of the collage and my own formal analysis.

Design process
First of all, I scoured various websites trying to find certain images that would blend within the same piece. Originally, I looked at images from A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) because I have always been fascinated by the character of Freddy Krueger, however, I could not find several images that blended well, focusing on colour, lighting and shape.

http://www.psp-themes.net/data/media/4/Freddy%20Krueger.JPG

http://fondosdepeliculasdeterror.com/wp-content/uploads/images/e1/freddy-krueger-0.jpg

I then moved onto the character of Jason Voorhees from the horror series Friday The 13th (1980). Initially, I was running into the same problem, images that did not blend very well together in terms of colour and lighting and were disproportionate in terms of size and shape.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/shinemyspine/Jason/rainingjason.jpg

http://imagens.kboing.com.br/papeldeparede/4000jason.jpg

I remembered that the 2009 reboot of Friday The 13th used a lot of shadows and darkness for its promotional movie posters and advertisements, so I refined my search to this specific title. The results were much more helpful as I found two image straight away that did not conflict and in my mind would look brilliant together within the same piece.

http://th02.deviantart.net/fs34/PRE/f/2008/308/5/0/ITS_THAT_JASON_VOORHEES_by_DARKNESS_MAN.jpg

The first image I felt needed a bit more darkness, the colour of the fog in the background needed more colour and the outline of the trees, as well as Jason's figure needed to stand out more. Modifying the levels to ensure more darkness, I then added more brightness to make the fog lighter and more obvious. Next, I added a linear contrast to the lighting curves to add a sense of balance between the highlights and the shadows. Finally, I manipulated the colour balance of the image, adding more cyan to the midtones in order to make the fog stand out as well as compliment the surrounding trees in the background. The final modified image looked like this:

Next, I wanted to include Jason's Mask to add the finishing touch to the collage. Using the same search results I found an appropriate image to combine with my first edited image. 

 

http://www.foro3d.com/attachments/91502d1232361336-friday-the-13th-2009-jason.jpg

This image was easier to edit because it had less issues to fix. The dark tones on the mask towards the edges and around the eyes used to create shadows were somewhat distorted, therefore, I added a linear contrast to the curves in order to gain a balance between the shadows and the highlights. After that, I manipulated the levels to make the dark areas/shadows more defined. Finally, I added a hint of brightness as well as a dose of contrast to highlight the smaller details of the mask. The final edited image looked like this:

Using the rulers tool to centre the image of the mask, I combined the tow images together to complete the collage. Here is an image of the finished collage:

Formal analysis

Description: 
The above collage is digital media and was constructed using computer-based software. This collage consists of two images which differ in size and scale.

Shapes in this collage feature rectangles to depict the overall shape of the forest, the trees and circles to depict the hockey mask.

There is no direct relationship between both images as the bottom image is larger than the top image. Lines are vertical as well as horizontal in certain areas of this collage.

The colour scheme primarily consists of tones of cyan, beige, cream and red. White and black are also used in this collage to highlight light and dark areas. The images used in this collage were used for advertisement/promotional purposes for the movie Friday The 13th in 2009.

Analysis:
Using cyan for the fog in the background of the lower image, the artist conveys a sense of calmness which contrasts with Jason's character, a murderous psychopath who evokes feelings of panic, anxiety and fear. A sense of mystery is conveyed by the artist in the upper image as one cannot see what Jason looks like behind the mask, evoking feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. The top image effectively boosts the aesthetic of the lower image by projecting Jason's face clearly for all to see.

Neutral feelings are expressed through the colour selections of Jason's mask as beige and white are considered neutral colours, however, the red shapes on the mask evoke the deepest of human emotions such as rage, love and excitement thus, neutral feelings are contrasted via usage of a provocative colour such as red. There are both dynamic and controlled patterns of rhythm in this collage because there are no definitive patterns or even spacing between the shapes in the lower image, however, the top image is symmetrical, contains even spacing and same sized shapes and is therefore, controlled.

Interpretation:
As an artist, I made sure that my work had some meaning behind the aesthetic. Using the forest as a background for the lower part of the collage, I wanted to create a sense of atmosphere shrouded with feelings of mystery because one cannot see beyond the mist, but one can clearly see Jason in the foreground, begging one to ask the question; where did he come from?

I wanted to create a sense of isolation with this collage, showing Jason in the misty forest, a singular figure amongst the tress, evoking feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Using Jason's iconic hockey mask, I wanted to create a sense of insecurity because Jason, as a child was deformed in appearance, which is why he wears the mask and became the way he did, bullied and tortured by other children at a young age.

Judgement:
The criteria I think are most appropriate for making a judgement about this piece are setting, lighting and composition. The setting relates to the forest in the lower image, creating a sense of isolation successfully. My choice of lighting refers to the darkened eye holes on Jason's mask as well as the bright fog in the background because this creates a mysterious atmosphere. The composition is both dynamic and controlled, which highlights a developed understanding as well as the importance of this aesthetic element which in turn, creates a more dynamic appearance for the collage as a whole. Overall, I think I did well to capture the ideas I was trying to promote through my design choices and that there is a deeper meaning to my work beyond which I first anticipated.

Do I feel confident this skill/knowledge gap been filled and/or rectified successfully?
Yes, I feel confident that I can now successfully analyse my own work as well as others in a formal manor.

What problem(s) were preventing me from overcoming this skill/knowledge gap?
The analysis stage of the formal analysis process because I had not yet explored important artistic criteria such as composition, lines, shapes and scale. Overcoming this stage of the formal analysis enabled me to progress to the interpretation stage with greater ease and also inspired a more clear and detailed judgement.