3 different Ground

4 May 2022  (Week 5)

Mabuchi ARATA / 0351579 
Visual illustration & Visual Narrative / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task : Chiarosco

1, Introduction

As we can all require to use several numbers of layers for proper digital drawings and Adobe software editing, there are three different layers foreground, middle-ground and background. All 3 different layers may seem compilicated and as it seems it requires attention to understand or it may cause massey design, but if we handle it correctly, each layers can provide depth and the design can get more interesting.

As I mentioned already, there are three different layers oof the design simply to explain, Background, middleground, and foreground. Each of them have different tasks and I'll explain about it one by one.

2, Self study

(Fig. 1.1 Three different ground)

    Foreground

So Let's figure out from foreground. Foreground is the layer of the ground which is most closest to the camera, mainly we put any people or pbject in this layer, but if the camera is placed high, it may include landscape.

You can arrange the subject matter to be at the foreground. You can also arrange emphasis by different contrast. 

This ground can be used to put your subject main point to show in your design. To explain this much simpler, this part of the design is put any your image to express the details of environment.

    Mid-ground

This is basically the middle between background and foreground, therefore its work is very similar to the foreground abd background, so it may be able to say that this ground s capable to represent both object or environment. 

Similar to the foreground, we can all arrange emphasis as foreground by using same method as we do in foreground, however we can allso add some soft of environmen set like Background.

The interesting to know is that mid-ground is that this is also used as connection between foreground and background, Withour good mid ground representation, some of the artworks might lose its coherence.

    Background

I think this may be the most famoust tern in the three section. This layer is the section to express the environment surrounding around foreground, but it's also good way to express the landscape.

This space may be the biggest part of the design so the time should spend in this layer can be longest, however better background image can provide us not only strong impressions, but also realistic impression that may be seemed as real.

The re is one magic between foreground and backgrouns, if we ass more details to the background and less on foreground, viewer's attention moves to the background, and if we add details on foreground and less on background, viewers start to see the foreground.

3, My own work

I will show my given task of "caputure 3 different ground and explain what kind of design principles are used to affect to the story". Why do we need design principle? This is because the impression of the scene can be improved by using design arrangement using visual rules.

・Visual Narrative  : Representing stroies by using visual composition.

・Visual Flow        : Move viewer's attention by arrangement of visual element.

・Visual balance    : Provides visual comfortable to get attention by visible lines

・Visual Hierarchy : Organizing visual importance by handling rank of visual elements.

Let's get started to explain each 3 different ground and how they are used to express the attractive scenes with visual rules.

Foreground

(Fig 1.2 Mr. Iglesias)

This is the scene from Mr Iglesias where two characters Ray Hayward and Paula Madison are talking behind the scenes. The point you must check is the visual flow, balance and colour. 

First of all, we can see the light from left center to the center and two actors are watching towards left side. In the result, we can all  sence the flow from center to the left side. 

Secondary, we can understand that there are clear difference of heght of two actors. and hight contrast between them, both two factor creates the assymetric balance which has same visual weight to lead emphasis in he image.

Finally, About the colours. In this image, Female high school teacher Paula Madison wearing red clothes and having golden hair, but the environment (curtain) is mainly using blue-ish colour. In the result, the colour contrast was born and there is surely attendance existing center bottom.

Mid-ground

(Fig 1.3 The memory Of Phantasm)

This is the scene from Genso Mangekyo (The memory Of Phantasm), this image is good to explain Mid ground. The secene is about main character Marisa dodging the sword slash. She is in the middle ground between foreground -light- and background, but they're all combining to create one scenes that provides us a srong impression.

To talk about this scene, we can definitely find the visual rules of fow. We can see  that there are line works upper left and bottom right representing fast vertical moves, but the point you must pay attention most in the image is pose of Marisa.

her pose is breaking its balance, its pose is actually showning its fast move representation and flow of viewer's attention towards right hand side. 

As this example shows, even human pose can represents the flow of movement.

Back-ground

(Fig 1.4 World of light trailer)

The final talk about 3 different grouns is Background. As the name suggests, this ground shows the environment surrounding around the element represented in the feither foreground and mid-ground. It may be not good at represent the movement (but actually, it's not impossible), the example shows the ability of Background.

This is the last part od the trailer of "World of Light" which is the game for "Super Smash Bros Ultimate" released in 2018. The scene is about Kirby escaping from many lasers from the main boss Galeem. This background clearly shows up the way to use main design principle.

Fist of all, The background's sky looks gray and whole light tone of environment is pretty dark, in the result, the impression of this scee is about sadness, or alone and this is surely representing the ideas  and impression of the trailers, this is because before this scene all smash bros characters except Kirby were all gone by Galeem's gigantic laser, so this background colour and light tones rightfullt express the ideas of sadness and alone. 

As I have mentioned earlier, every three different layers of grounds are working perfectlly. In the scene above, the darkish ligt tones of environment is surely creating a contrast with mid ground which contains kirby and the shiny star. Strong image contrast can give us high influence of attention.

4, reference

Mr. Iglesias , Netflix , June 21, 2019

【スマブラSP】 灯火の星

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_wCTTyZsLI

・Outdoor Photographer Foreground, Middleground, Background

https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/tips-techniques/photo-tip-of-week/foreground-middleground-background/

・ASKINGLOT What is middle ground in art?

https://askinglot.com/what-is-middle-ground-in-art

・Premium Beat Cinematography Tips: Mastering Foreground, Middleground, and Background

https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/mastering-foreground-middleground-background-in-cinematography/

・B&H Effective Use of Foreground and Background in Photographic Composition

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/effective-use-foreground-and-background-photographic-composition#:~:text=Foreground%20can%20be%20used%20to,the%20subject%20and%20its%20environment.

・Adobe Key Principles of Visual Hierarchy in UX Design

https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/process/information-architecture/visual-hierarchy-principles-examples/#:~:text=What%20is%20visual%20hierarchy%3F,most%20important%20elements%20stand%20out.