Brief
In preparation for our next unit, we were tasked with finding additional research for our proposal and any amendments that we would need to do in light of the restrictions regarding travel and studio work.
My proposal focuses mainly on printed outcomes on acetate sheets. Which means there is a possibility that my design outcomes will have to change slightly as I would’ve needed to use a different type of printer outside of the University (as discussed with my tutor). I did research into acetate printing to see if it was possible to print on an ordinary printer I have at home. If I use the correct acetate sheets for my personal printer it is possible, but it still has the risk of the ink smudging when it is taken out.
There is still the possibility of the acetate prints not working as well as I would've wanted, and so I will need to come up with another idea that still captures what I want the audience to see.
Possible Solutions.
Because I can no longer use a projector, I have been thinking of other ways of using light to display my images in the same manner.
My first idea was to just take advantage of either natural lighting or small lights and have each acetate sheet stood as a frame so you could walk around them. As much as I think the idea could be developed fully, I feel as though I would be taking a step back within my designs as I had researched into how early cameras worked and I wouldn’t be using the knowledge I had gained to my advantage.
I then came to the realisation that if I was not able to use a projector, I could build one (albeit simpler). I then began watching videos of other people making cardboard projectors, using magnifying glasses or empty light bulbs filled with water. One video that I found was particularly helpful as it gave me the basis for the series of designs afterwards. In the video you are shown how to make a light box projector for wall murals. And the way it is built is very simple, with only two holes cut out of the box and a clear plastic bag used to display the image.
Design Ideas.
As I do not the access to a projector, I have had to think about the different sources of light I can use to produce the same effect. One idea involved using the light from my laptop screen as it would be roughly the same size as the acetate sheet and would also fit into the box without much difficulty.
Another idea that came to mind was the use of a pully system which would allow the user to move the film panels freely without having to slide each one out individually. I am still not 100% sure if I will proceed with this idea, it will be something I will have to consider once I make a bigger prototype.
Plastic Sheets/Designs.
Outcomes.
The colours of the finished outcomes came out much better than I had originally thought, as I believed the colours I had used to be too light. But that might be due to the fact I did draw onto a clear surface.
One downside to the light box outcomes is that some of the colours appeared streaky as the pen had dried too quickly. But it was interesting nonetheless to see how the colours responded to the light.
Overall I am very pleased with how the first prototype worked as it shows on the most basic level that I do not need to use a projector to produce the same desired outcome from my project proposal.
Light Projection.
In my project proposal I had planned to use a projector to showcase the acetate panels as film negatives. But this now might be challenging as I do not have access to one.
In my original proposal I was going to make each acetate panel as a film slide, adding in a boarder to each of them so they would lay level each time someone moved them from the projector screen.
Building Process.
For my first prototype, I used a smaller box then what I will be using as I only wanted to see how the light projection worked. (Functionality over practicality and physical appearance).
Because I was looking mainly at the different mechanics I could implement into the final design, I added on different parts to the light box to see how they would work and to also keep it somewhat similar to Le Prince's design. The image below shows the 'Lens Cap' I added as I would need a way to block out the light and to also protect the acetate screen if it were inside the box. In its most basic form the 'Lens Cap' is two pieces of cardboard that sit below and above where the acetate sheet would be that hold the Cap in place. I did misjudge the hole slightly as I trimmed it down so it isn’t a perfect fit anymore, but it is still effective at blocking out the light.
For the torch I used the built in one from my phone as it was the correct size for the box as opposed to the other torches I have around the house. I covered the hole I made for the torch (similar to the cap from the previous image), and proceeded to make a latch to hold the cover in place. the latch also works well as a handle to carry the box as I had made the slit for the latch very small to make sure it stayed in place.
As the acetate sheets have not arrived yet, I have been using a material called Makralon (used for vinyl printing and the making of clear machine guards). One characteristic of Makralon is that it does not shatter on any type of impact, and there was an abundance of it in my house.
I cut some Makralon to size for the light box and then decided to draw over some of the outcomes I had made for my concept art page. Some colours worked better than others as certain pens appeared lighter, such as light grey and some lighter shades of blue. I will make a note of this as I might encounter the same problem when I am able to print in the acetate.
I attached the Makralon sheet to the inside of the light box, (after attaching it and seeing the outcome I realised that I could’ve easily fitted it to where I had fitted the lens cap as that is technically where I would go in the final design.
I fitted it to the lens cap hole which worked a lot better and I did not need to attach it with sellotape.