ARTIST INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THE ARTIST 

"Artist Alicia Christie"
Photographer: Tara C.

                My name is Alicia Christie and I am a student at Holy Cross Secondary School.  While I have been at Holy Cross I have taken many technology classes such as Communications Technology and Yearbook.  In these classes I have done many different projects including magazine ad reproduction, a suspense short film, a movie poster reproduction, a logo and many more.   In grade 10, because of my love for these projects I decided that I was going to join the SHSM Specialist High Skills Major.  SHSM is a program that is offered at Holy Cross that specializes in Communications Technology.  From being involved in this program I have had numerous opportunities.  I have received the training in WHMIS, First Aid, CPR, Fall Prevention and General Health and Safety.  I was also fortunate enough to tour colleges and their tech programs and work with TV Cogeco to experience the filming of a professional live sporting event. SHSM has provided me with many wonderful opportunities that I would never have had the chance to experience otherwise, I have also many great people through the program.

                The Com Tech area that I am most interested in would be photography.  This is because I really enjoy how you can take something simple and with a little creativity make it into something beautiful.  With the many different styles of photography, lighting styles, edition techniques and locations you can create many different creative photos.  I always like taking the pictures but never really took too much interest in it until I entered high school.  The biggest influences in my love for photography would be my tech teachers, Mr. Esford and Mr. Prior.  Mr. Esford was the first person to introduce me to professional photography and the different photography techniques.  Mr. Prior then strengthened my love for photography by giving me constructive criticism on my photos in his yearbook class.  They both taught me many valuable skills when it came to photography and life in general.  Later in life I would like to have a photography business on the side.  I knew I wanted to have photography in my life from when I first saw the work in the Com Tech class room and I aspired to do that.  That decision was one of the best in my life.  Com Tech has taught me that art does not require a pencil or paintbrush. 

YEARBOOK

PLAY PUBLICITY SHOTS

 

"Shrek and Fiona"

Photography by Alicia Christie

 

"Shrek, Fiona and Donkey" 

Photography by Alicia Christie

     This year Holy Cross' school production was Shrek the Musical.  For the play the school wanted to create publicity posters in order to advertise the play and performance dates.  I, along with two other students were assigned the task of taking the pictures for these posters.  First we started on our school stage and took photos with the props that the art classes had made, you can see that in the first picture.  After we finished shooting there we then went to our teachers back yard which had gorgeous scenery.  The four leads were dressed in their full costume for these pictures.  I used a Nikon D200 DSLR camera, with two portable lights with shoot through umbrellas to achieve these pictures.  I later edited the pictures on Adobe Photoshop.  

THEME PHOTOGRAPHY 

"Laces"

Photography by Alicia Christie

       As part of the yearbook course we had to do themed photography.  As part of this project we had to do a close-up of something involved in our theme.  My theme was football so I decided to do a close up of a football.  This photo was achieved by using a Canon EOS T3 Rebel with an EFS 18-55 mm lens.  Along with the camera I used a light with a shoot through umbrella to light up the football and laces. 

  

"Foot Ball"

Photography by Alicia Christie

            Another part of our themes photography assignment was that we had to do a creative portrait shot.  For mine I decided I was going to do it of the person's legs and feet on a ball.  I decided to do this because to me this captures football and I think it is a very creative shot.  To achieve this photo I again used my Canon EOS T3 Rebel camera with an EFS 18-55 mm lens, as well as two soft boxes on either side as well as a hand held canon light that was placed on the ground pointing up.  

Studio Portraits 

 

"Low Key Photography"

Photography by Alicia Christie

        Another component of the yearbook course was to take many different kinds of portraits.  One of the types of portraits that we had to take as a low key portrait.  This photo was taken in the yearbook studio with a black background to prevent the shot from being too bright.  I used one soft box on the right side of her body as well as a hair light on the left side of her body to prevent from her hair being too dark and blending into the background.  I used a Nikon D200 with a Nikkor 80-200mm zoom lens to take this picture.

JOURNALISM

ARTICLES FOR SPORTSXPRESS MAGAZINE

SOCCER ARTICLE 

 

"Holy Cross Soccer's Run to Provincials"

Article by Alicia Christie 

GIRLS HOCKEY ARTICLE

"Holy Cross Girls' Hockey Win Silver in Provincials"

Article and Photograph by Alicia Christie

     As part of the SHSM program one of the things that I did was I wrote articles for a local sports magazine.  I volunteered to do this on two occasions, first for the school soccer teams and then again for the schools girls hockey teams.  For these articles I had to go to the coaches of the teams and ask them for information on the teams seasons and interview them for quotes and feedback on the seasons.  I then had to organize a time to take a team pictures of the teams for the magazine.  After I wrote the article I then had to proof read it and send it to Mr. Esford the teacher in charge of SHSM and he sent it to the magazine.  This all had to be done with in a few days.  

VIDEO PRODUCTION

INTRO MAIN TITLE SEQUENCE

"Christie Creations Main Title Introduction Sequence"

Video Produced by Alicia Christie

     This video production is an introduction using my personal logo that I created.  To make this introduction I used three different programs.  The first program that I used was Motion.  Using Motion I looked through a variety of different backgrounds to use in my final product.  I finally choose the one that I did because I felt that it looked good with the way my hands come in.
   
     The second program that I used was Sound Track Pro.  I used this program to make the music in the background of my introduction as well as the sound effects that are in it.  I went for a simple elegant track for the background music because I feel like that goes with the style of my introduction.  For my sound effect I went with a the sound of a camera shutter because my logo is for a photography company

     The third program I used is Final Cut Pro Version 7.  This program was used to put the whole product together.  I had to import the logo, sound effects, music and background and then put them in order.  I also had to use a variety of fades in order to make it all flow together nicely.

HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO 

 "Cabaret"

Camera and Editor by Alicia Christie

      One of our projects in this course was to make a highlights video for a activity at the school.  The activity that I choose was to do our Arts Cabaret.  Our Cabaret is an annual event that takes place at the school.  It is a variety of singers, dancers, bands and variety of instrumental performances by the students at the school    

     To complete this video I first had to film the event using a Panasonic AVCcam.  After I filmed the event I had to go through all of the clips I had and import the good clips to sound track pro.  I then had to listen to the clips individually and choose the best portion of the clip to use for that performance.  After I had all of my clips chosen I then had to place them in order and put a variety of fades on it so it goes smoothly. 

NARRATIVE FILM 

 "Wake Up Call"

Audio and Editing Alicia Christie

          One project that we had to complete in the course was doing a Suspense Narrative Film.  I worked with two other students on this project.  Tara who was the director and Courtney who worked the camera.  I was in charge of audio.  All three of us also worked on the editing of the film. 

        When we filmed this movies we used Panasonic AVCcam with a Panasonic AG-MC200 shotgun microphone on a boom pole.  As the audio person I was in charge of holding the boom pole so we could hear what the actress was saying.  With this job I had to make sure that I was close enough to the subject but making sure that it wasnt in the shot.  I was also in charge of finding the sound effects for the film on Sound Track Pro, as well as the music from the background which was Royalty Free.  

     After the filming was complete as a group we choose our best shots and then imported them into Final Cut Pro Version 7.  We then arranged them in the correct order, put the music in the background and the sound effects in the right place.  After we had all that organized we then put in our fades on both our video and audio tracks.  

BULLYING PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 

 

 "Stand up, Speak Up" 

Camera and Editor Alicia Christie

     This project is from my Grade 11 Com Tech course.  This project was a public service announcement on bullying.  As the producer of this project I had to come up with the idea for this project, then I had to write the script and find actors and actresses.

     Once I had the script and actors/actresses in place I had to film the video.  To film this video I used a Canon Vixia HFS100 video camera as well as a mic pack with a clip on microphone to put on the actor/actresses.  After I had all the clips filmed I then imported all the clips into Final Cut Pro.  In my video I also had to use the effects in Final Cut to put the writing on the screen. I also used cross fades and cross dissolves on all of my clips to make them flow smoothly.   

 

 TELEVISION COMMERCIAL REPRODUCTION

  "Doritos: Bird of Prey" 

Produced by Alicia Christie

     Another project from my Grade 11 Com Tech course was a Television Commercial Reproduction.  For this project I was in a group with one other student.  We as a pair decided together on what commercial we were going to use.  When deciding we had to take into consideration wither or not it would be possible to get the location and all the props necessary to complete the reproduction.
   
     Once we had our commercial chosen we had to find the location and the props for the commercial.  We decided to go to Value Village to buy the clothes and we filmed it in our school cafeteria.  We ourselves were actresses in this film so when we filmed it we used a Canon Vixia HFS100 video camera on a tripod.  We also used mic packs with clip on microphones for the audio.  After we then imported the clips into Final Cut Pro and chose our best takes.  After we had the best takes in order we then had to match up our video clips with the audio clips of the original commercial.  We had to make sure our mouths were in sync with the sound of the original commercial.  

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOJOURNALISM

"Cabaret"
Photography by Alicia Christie

      One element of our ISU in the Com Tech course was to take pictures at a school activity.  We choose the activities at the beginning of the semester regardless of when throughout the semester your activity was.  The activities varied from sports to arts events.  The reason we choose so early was so we knew and that we had to take the initive to remember and plan to be at the event the correct day, lessons that are needed in everyday life. 

     The activity that I was in charge of taking pictures of was the Arts Cabaret.  In order to capture the moments at this event I used a Nikon D200, with ISO 1600, F-Stop at F16 and a Shutter Speed of 1/125, it was also set on the sports mode.  I then uploaded all of my photos on to my computer and choose my best 25 pictures, with the best focus and facial expressions. 

       After I had my best 25 pictures chosen I then opened them into Adobe Photoshop CS3.  While I was in Photoshop I cropped the pictures to get rid of any unwanted and unnecessary clutter to make the photo more professional.  I also edited the photo slightly just to make the picture more vibrant and brighter.  The photos were then published on our school website. 

PUBLICITY HEAD SHOT

 "Tara Publicity Head Shot" 

Studio Photography by Alicia Christie

     For the webpage project we had to take a Publicity head shot of a model, mine was Tara.  She then had to take my picture in return.  In the picture we were instructed to choose a prop that best represented what our favourite part of Com Tech is.  All the props were old fashioned to make the portraits more vintage and creative looking.
   
     To achieve this photo I used a Nikon D700 DSLR with a Nikkor 85 mm portrait lens. I also used the Camray 300 Compact Lighting System to create a Rembrandt lighting style on my model, we also took the pictures at a creative angle to make them different and unique.  We used the black background to make it more professional and not take away from the photo.  After we took the pictures we then chose the best one of ourselves and open them in Adobe Photoshop CS3.  When it was in Photoshop we made the photo black and white.  This effect was used to make the photo more vintage and match the vintage look of the props we used. 

 

TRAINING EXERCISE

 

 "Shutter Speed Training Exercise"

Photography by Alicia Christie 

     In our Com Tech course we completed a number of training exercises.  We did these exercises in order to prepare ourselves for many live events that you need to be ready for any situation that you may face to take photos.  With the training exercises it gives you the chance to figure out what settings you need while you have the chance to make mistakes.  

     This exercise was a shutter speed exercise.  I used a  Nikon D5200 DSLR with a Nikkor 18-55 mm lens on a tripod to take these photos.  I took a picture of the same model at different shutter speeds to show the importance of having the correct shutter speed.  I took a picture of a model jumping at a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second and again at 1/30 of a second.  You can see that there is a big difference in the quality of the photos depending of the shutter speed. 

     In the photo of 1/1000 my model jumping is crisp and in focus.  This is because the shutter is open for a limited amount of time, which causes the camera to catch little movement the model is making.  With the shutter speed of 1/30  the shutter is open for a longer period of time which allows more light and more movement into the shutter of the camera.  Since the model was jumping the camera caught the whole movement of her jumping which caused her image to be blurry. 

     From this project I am now comfortable to take pictures at many different events.  This exercise gave me the skills needed to know what shutter speed to use for the events to make sure that my pictures are not blurry.  This project showed me the importance of shutter. 

GRAPHIC DESIGN

PERSONAL LOGO DESIGN

"Christie Creations Photography Logo"

Personal Logo Design by Alicia Christie

           The image that I choose to represent “Christie Creations Photography” is two hands framing.  While I was designing this image there were many different ideas going through my mind that resulted in this final product.  There are three main parts to this design that effectively communicate my idenity; they are the design process, the hand imagery and the circles in the middle. 

           

            When I first started thinking about this project I really had no idea what I was going to do, so then I researched professional logo designs on the Internet as well as looking at the logo designs that my peers had previously made.  After that I selected sketched 5 very different designs with different colours. I then selected my favourite design from the 5 sketches to use as my final image, however I also took strong elements from different sketches to elevate the logo.

            One of the main elements of my logo are the hands. The hands represent the framing that directors and photographers do before they do a shoot or take a picture.  Also the way that I arranged and drew the circles gives the illusion of an eyeball in between the hands. The significance of this choice is to represent the creative eye photographers have to possess to make images interesting and that you have to look at the whole image.  

            The circles in the middle have a variety of significances.  The outer circle represents the lens of a camera, and the different colours also represent two letter “C”s which are my last initial.  The inner circle is represents the pupil of an eye; I used this to just further enhance the illusion that the hands are creating an eye. 

            While creating the logo of the hands framing to represent “Christie Creations” there were many different ideas flowing through my mind.  The creation of this logo would not have happened without the design process, as well as the two main elements of the hands and the circles in the middle.  In the end I went with a design that was simple, but I feel that a more simple design is effective. 

DESIGN PROCESS

"Process Work: Personal Logo Design"
5 Pencil Sketches by Alicia Christie 

These 5 sketches were the beginning of my design process.  After these sketches I started working on a larger sketch, which then led to my final logo.  Quite a few of my original designs were simple and colourful.  The design that is in the top middle is the closest to my final design.  After the opinion of many classmates, I decided to take the two "C" making a circle from the top left and use that in the middle of the hands making a camera frame.  I also to the suggestion from my Com Tech teacher to move the "Christie Creations" from the top and bottom of the drawing and moved it into the middle circle to make the design more subtle.  After many different, slight edits and changes, I finally came to my completed design that you see above.   

TEXTBOOK COVER REDESIGN 

 

"Textbook Cover Redesign" 

Design by Alicia Christie 

     One of the projects I had to complete in Grade 11 was a cover for a textbook.  This project was also to enter into a contest.  We had to choose a topic and then from that topic create a new textbook cover for the textbook.

     There were many different aspects to this project.  First I had to research current textbook covers of the textbook I chose.  I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to recreate our World Religions textbook.  I then drew 5 different sketched ideas of what I thought would make a good cover and from those sketches I combined different aspects of them to come up with my final idea.

     After I had my sketched idea I know had to create it.  I did this in Adobe Photoshop CS3.  In Photoshop I added the text components and arranged them in the circle shape that you see.  I also used an effect available on the program to make the bumped look that you see on the background of the page.  I also scanned a image of a dove that I drew into the computer and placed that in the desired area on the page.  After I had all the main aspects in, finally I placed the name of the authors at the bottom of the page in a simple font.

"MAGAZINE AD REPRODUCTION" 

 "Original Magazine Ad" 

Design by Cover Girl

"Reproduced Magazine Ad" 

Reproduced Photography and Graphics

      In Grade 11 Com Tech we were given the task to recreate an magazine ad.  I chose to recreate a Cover Girl mascara ad with Pink on it.  When choosing this ad I had to take into consideration wither I had a model that looked similar to the model on the original ad as well as if I could get the product needed.  

      The first thing I did to start this project was take the picture of my model.  I had to make sure that I had the right colour and kind of shirt for her to wear.  I also had to do her hair and make-up so it had the desired look.  To do this I used a Nikon D70 DSLR camera as well as a light with a soft box on it placed on her right side to get the shadow on her left side.  

     Next I did the product shot.  To do this picture i purchased the product from Shoppers Drug Mart.  I then again used a Nikon D70 DSLR and a light box to do the product shot.  I had to make sure that I had the angle of the product correct and that I was close enough to the product to make sure I reproduced the shot exactly as in the original ad. 

      The final step was to put it all together, I did this using Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Mac.  I started with putting in safety margins around the document to make sure that none of my work would be cut off in the final product or when printed.  I then placed in the background.  When I put the photo of my model into Photoshop I had to but out the background and all of the unnecessary objects so it was just my model.  This was done using one of the many handy tools on Photoshop.  I then repeated this process with the product shot.  Lastly I put in all of the text elements that were necessary to complete the finished product.