Versant - Latest cut & Post mortum

The Versant composition has gone through many revisions, the primarily concern was to make the visuals hit the audio at key points. I also sought to re-mix certain layers as I found that some elements had been over used.

The cut below is the latest incarnation, while there still persist a few tweaks that need to be made the work is in its final stages of completion and the final cut will be very similar to this.




LLOYD EVANS - Versant from Lloyd Evans on Vimeo.


A critique of the work provided an opportunity to critically review 'progress' made.
While I believe the production of Versant has developed my technical understanding of working in Aftereffects it was clear that the work needed further development. Feedback included:

Lack of compositional interest - Marks appear from the same central point and gently move towards the viewer in a repetitive nature.

I  arranged elements in  an all-over pattern for two reasons, firstly my investigation has focused on all-over repeating imagery, while I was not concerned here with the image repeating I was still treating the picture plain as an all-over field of interest. Also when the image was reviewed it was projected onto a flat surface, I had made a conscious decision to make the animation similar in all parts of the picture plain as it is intended to be disrupted through projection onto uneven or broken surfaces. in effect it is designed to be fragmented. To that end I intentionally kept the image similar all-over, if one part of the image was obscured or warped beyond recognition it would not greatly effect the effectiveness of the work as a whole and therefore be able to function in different contexts.

I have decided to reconsider how I see the image and will treat the image as a painting not a pattern, ordering compositional elements accordingly. This means I will endeavour to create more dynamic compositional relationships. I will also not design for fragmentation but aim for the image to 'work' on a flat picture plain. While I still intend to experiment fragmenting the image this will not be the primary consideration.

Rhythm - The image does not 'build' in the same way the music does.

I agree that the drama and intensity of the music is not matched by the visuals, while the visuals do build this can be 'clumsy'. I believe I needed more distinct layers to work from, where the visuals builds from 3 or 4 layers I need to make this dynamic more intense and less predictable. This also relates to the first point about compositional elements.

Timing - The visuals do not always 'hit' the audio cues.

I now know how I would better achieve a synchronised image in Aftereffects, the mini breakthrough came towards the end of the production and I was not keen on going back and amending the whole composition. However this is something I am confident can be amended for future works. I will also re-look to experimenting with creating animations in different ways. Top of the list is using Resolume, I will create a library of animated compositional elements that can be mixed using this software.

Lack of visual tension - Sublime?

Discomfort, terror, being overwhelmed are sensations linked to the sublime. To date my work has not really explored these qualities. However in Versant the music did not require or warrant the kind of visuals this might require. I also question the need to unsettle or disorientate the viewer. There are two main reasons for this,
1) These sorts of effects can be achieved but will ultimately wear off with sustained or repeated viewing, eroding the effectiveness of the work. The very reason for me animating my paintings was to sustain the viewers connection with the work.
2) I do not believe the sublime has to be concerned with these qualities. Scale, otherness, aesthetic response, emotional connection are all paths to the sublime. Terror is not a prerequisite, creating work to unsettle the viewer is a perfectly valid well trodden path, I see my abstract works as phenomenological responses to my own experiences, be they physical, emotional etc.. if they unsettle or cause terror of discomfort that is ok but it is a by product of experience, it is not a conscious design choice.