csz97 Blog Folio

Doodle Dreams by csz97

DREAMS - one of the most mysterious gifts that we possess as human beings. No one has fully understood its content and purpose, not even science. They differ from one person to another but every dream gives us the same experience that makes us think they are real at that moment. It taps our senses and digs out sorts of emotion like happiness, sorrow, joy, anxiety, fear, or bliss. They take us to places without the use of our feet. They give us vision without the use of our eyes.

I have always been fascinated with dreams. Some dreams are simple flashback of memories, while others are extreme, impossible and merely bizarre. Sometimes I write about these dreams and try to seek interpretations, hoping to discover a treasure that is buried in my subconscious. But sometimes words aren’t enough so I try to doodle the remaining images in my memory from the dream.

Disintegration of Persistence of
Memory by Salvador Dali

For artists, dreams have become a source of inspiration. It has influenced the world of literature and art ever since. We can read it in the books of the Bible, in the verses of Homer’s epics, in the novels of Stephen King and even in the songs of Billy Joel and Beatles' Paul McCartney. Dreams also inspired visual artists like Surrealist painter Salvador Dali, and film-makers like Christopher Nolan who directed “Inception,” a sci-fi fiction action film about manipulating dreams. With the rise of cutting edge technology, these dreams can now be inspired to create other forms such as computer graphics, digital film and music, and animation (may it be in 2D or 3D form). All of these are not possible without man’s determination to understand, recreate, and share the magical experience of dreams.

Of all the different forms, Animation may be one of the most challenging to create. It uses all the other elements from the other forms: the aesthetics of visual arts, the technicalities of film-making, and the story telling of literature. And to celebrate the wonderful world of Animation, Animahenasyon is here to gather every Filipino animators and talents to showcase their works. For years, the Philippine Animation Festival helped gather, promote, hone, and recognize student and professional animators around the country.

As a budding animator, it is also my dream to be recognized in Animahenasyon. Last 2009, my class project, a stop-motion short film, was fortunate to be one of the finalists. In 2010, a new contest was opened, the poster design contest, and I grabbed the opportunity to participate. With God’s grace, my entry “AnimaDreams” was chosen as the official poster design for this year’s Animahenasyon. It is a Digital Illustration created in Photoshop.

"AnimaDreams" Poster for
Animahenasyon 2011

My design is inspired by a dream land where nature, humanity and technology coexist harmoniously. As a Mindanaoan, I incorporated artistic elements that I have been accustomed while growing up in a place known as a melting pot of culture. The background is a pattern inspired by ukkil, the art of carving of the Sulu Archipelago. You can also see the famous vinta of Zamboanga and a woven turung dulang used as the geometric headpiece for the iconic figure. The head, representing the talented and creative Filipino, is in a form of a detailed futuristic luminous tree. It also symbolizes the innovative, forward-thinking, and brilliant mind of Filipinos.

Aside from culture and technology, nature is also a vital source of my inspiration. The creatures are sci-fi glowing versions of bizarre organisms that do exist in reality. They give color to our environment, make it a livelier place. And together with these creatures are two characters, a boy and a girl, joyously swinging in motion under the giant trees. They are bare foot, one with nature, discovering the fantastic world of dreams.

Like my artwork, Animahenasyon is a festive place where dreams come alive. It’s a place where each and every talent collaborate to create animation, a dynamic form of medium used to express visions and tell stories. Animation is a product of our endless desire to make dreams a reality. Though dreams are mysteries rooted from the deepest, darkest corner of our psyche, it is but a mere extension of a bigger, brighter place that we can easily access anytime, anywhere – our IMAGINATION.

- o -

I wrote this article for the souvenir program for Animahenasyon 2011.

an-nikah joe harris kari muslim wedding onsite sde seed interactive Video Production videography wedding

Jhopet and Cathy SDE

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debut fantasy pasonanca park photo shoot photography photos pre debut seed interactive wings

Rhea @ 18 Pre-debut Photos

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joe harris kari muslim wedding onsite sde seed interactive Video Production videography

Patrick and Fatima SDE

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2009 beacon newsmagazine cover Digital Art graphic design layout marejada photomanipulation

Marejada 09: The cover that didn't make it

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Look what i found in my archive of works. It is the initial concept cover for Marejada 2009. Marejada is the literary folio of Ateneo de Zamboanga University under its official publicaiton, Beacon Newsmagazine. It is a collection of peoms, short stories, and artworks revolving on a certain theme such as "Memories", "7 Deadly Sins" or "Back to Basics". For 2009, the theme was "?" which was really unique. This was my last third and last time to be the creative director and layout artist for marejada. For the cover, we want to incorporate a sense of wonder, curiosity and imagination with the design. We had a photoshoot with three models that was used as digital art for the dividers. This particular photo gave me an idea for the cover. I really wanted to use cool and dark colors that reminds us of space or the deep blue ocean. As you can see the girl doesn't have an eye which i intended to give it a surreal feel. It also symbolizes our blindness about the truth, thus, sparking curiosity which leads to discovery. She is holding a light bulb which is a typical symbol for an idea or knowledge. We intentionally excluded the name of the book "Marejada" in the front cover to add more curiosity. Instead, we just used "M" that blends with the smoke.

However, there was an issue raised about this design. Accordingly, it is to feministic and they don't want a person to represent Marejada. I still want to stick with the "M" with the smokes and the color scheme so i just made few revisions. I replaced the photo of the girl with objects and symbols randomly floating in space inspired by surreal artist Salvador Dali's painting "The Persistence of Memory." We are all happy with the final design and it was aleready approved for printing. We are really pushing the boundaries for this folio since it is the last year for most of the staff. Instead of the usual glossy paper and matte cover, we had it printed in book paper but in hard bound matte cover. It is was the most ambitious and complicated folio we ever made in Beacon. Aside from the vague cover, we also deviated on how we arranged the contents. Usually, it is divided into three groups: poems, short stories, artworks. We also also want to give a story by using the order of the entries. We grouped them into four categories: Wonder, Confusion, Dream and Inspiration. It was well-conceptualized and all our creative plans were realized. Thanks to our ever-supportive and genius EIC, Ate Maimai, our collaborators, the writers and artists who contributed their masterpieces published in this folio. I really miss doing stuff like this and i won't ever forget my beacon years :') Here's the final covers together with the spine.

CMK Creations nuptial onsite sde seed interactive Sure Audio Professionals Video Production videography wedding

Poch + Dette SDE

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photo shoot photography prenup seed interactive underwater wedding

Underwater Prenup Photography

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Here is the underwater series of Jaypee and Divine's prenup photoshoot. More photos and some of my insights about underwater photography after the jump.

This is our first ever underwater prenup photoshoot. Because of my ability to sink and hold my breath underwater, i was the one who shot these. At first we had the photoshoot at the beach. However, we find it really difficult to produce great shots due to poor visibility. It was almost 6PM so were losing precious light and to add to that challenge, we have to endure the cold wind, strong waves, rocky ground, and the salty water that makes it harder for us to sink and open our eyes under water. It's my first time to use the camera and i have to be creative in making the shot. The initial photos were kind of a disaster.

And because of that, we learned that we really have to schedule another photoshoot. We went to Garden Orchid Hotel, which will be the venue of their reception, and had the photoshoot session at their pool. We started almost 11AM and the sun was shining brightly above us. We have good weather and nice lighting. The water was not as pure as i expected but it was way better than the sea. In this setup, our eyes and feet don't have to suffer anymore. We can fully control the environment and we have so much time to produce creative shots.

By the way, the camera was provided by the couple since we dont have an underwater camera or a waterproof case for our DSLR camera. The underwater camera we used is an HD point and shoot Fuji FinePix. The photos came out okay but because of the color of the water, the photos were very bluish/cyanic. But no worries, we have photoshop and lightroom to enhance them. :D I really like the ethereal quality of the underwater photography. I love how the way the cloth flows and the body seems to be weightless and so relaxed. All in all, It was such a fun and productive shoot. There are so much things that can be improved but i learned so much in this shoot.

Here are seven important things to consider if you want to try underwater photography. 1. Location: The best location is a clean, freshly-filled pool. No chlorine, if possible. 2. Light: More light means better picture. If you want natural light, the best time is 10AM-2PM. If you want a black background, use artificial lights. 3. Protection: Protect you eyes by using goggles. If you can afford, rent scuba gears to breathe underwater. 4. Peg: Prepare your pegs so the client/subject/model will have an idea on how to pose and project. Have an assistant to show the pegs once in a while. 5. Prepare Physically: Be sure you know how to swim. At first, it will be very difficult trying to sink and hold your breathe underwater so do some breathing exercises before shooting. Be aware of your surrounding and don't force yourself to stay underwater for too long. We don't want to drown, right? 6. Be creative: Use props, modify the setting, and prepare different outfits to have a wide variety of shots. 7. Have fun :D