Casting Workshop

As a part of the Co.Lab Project, I created a cast of a curved wall with wooden sticks positioned through the centre of the plaster, this was to represent the curved walkway of the Tecton enclosures and the support structure inside the walls.

Research Workshop

We took a visit to Dudley Archives and was shown different ways to research into past documents about Dudley Zoo and Tectons, such as newspapers, books and architectural drawings.

Special Adoption Pack

Within the adoption pack I will create a certificate, photos and a soft toy for the bear ravine Tecton.
 

Special adoption pack Certificate

I used Adobe Photoshop to create the certificate.

 

Special adoption pack Photos

I have included a picture of Lunetkin himself, a photo of the bear ravine in the 1930s and the architectural drawing of the enclosure. Along with some photos of the structure today, which I took on my visit.

 

Special adoption pack soft toy

Within the WWF adoption pack they give away a soft toy of the animal. As I thought creating a building as a soft toy was going to be hard, I chose to just create a soft toy pillow with an image of Lunetkin on, even though it will took quite tacky and a random gift to receive, this is where the humour will come from.

I created the soft toy using plain cream material, polystyrene balls and photo transfer paper.

 

Logo

I wanted to keep the logo simple, and similar to the WWF logo. I used semi circles to resemble the curvatures of Lubetkins style.

From adapting the WWF name, I called this campaign World Tecton Fund (WTF), but this also has humour in itself being the txt talk of ‘What the fuck’, this fits greatly to trying to create a parody.

 

My Story Board

Using some still images I took when I first visited the zoo, I will create a story board for my video.

I have used the same music used in the WWF advert, as I feel it is a strong piece that creates the emotion of pity and sympathy which is what I want the audience to feel  toward the Tecton buildings.

Dogs Trust Advert

In the advert they portray the dogs as if they are humans, like talking in 1^st person. I feel using this technique connects the audience more and creates humour. Therefor I want to give the Tectons some human characteristics, for example a name “Ben”.

Adopt a Polar Bear Breakdown

To aid me with the breakdown of the WWF advert and with my filming, I used the website ‘Media know All’ to get a knowledge of the different camera angles and movements.

(Camera Angles, Media Know All, Website, Viewed 16/10/2012. http://www.mediaknowall.com/camangles.html)

WWF Adopt a Polar Bear

I feel the style of this advert is best suited to parody, as it has already got the elements set to create humour which I will play on e.g. special adoption pack.

I will deconstruct this video to get knowledge of everything included e.g. type of shots, transitions, timings and audio.

Campaigning

Below are different campaign groups that I am interested in looking at.

WWF - http://www.wwf.org.uk/ or https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-a-polar-bear?gclid=CKeAu_7zhbMCFebLtAodUXQArg&pc=ALD004001  (WWF, Website, Viewed 15/10/2012.) (Adopt a Polar bear, WWF, Website, Viewed 15/10/2012.)

World Wildlife Fund is an international non-governmental organization that works on issues concerning the conservation, research and restoration of the environment.  WWF was founded in 1961.

Green Pease UK - http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/ (Green Pease UK,Website, Viewed 15/10/2012.) 

Green Pease is an independent global campaigning organisation, which aims to protect and conserve the environment and promote peace. The trust was founded in 1982.

PETA UK- http://www.peta.org.uk/ (PETA UK, Websirte, Viewed 15/10/2012.)

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) foundation is a UK-based charity dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. Formed in 1993.

UNICEF- http://www.unicef.org.uk/UNICEFs-Work/What-we-do/Our-campaigns/ (Our Campaigns, UNICEF, Website, Viewed 15/10/2012.)

UNICEF UK is a registered charity raising funds and awareness to support UNICEF's work to protect child rights worldwide. Established in 1956.

Inital Film Idea

From the thought of animal campaigns, I came up with the idea of creating a campaign advert to help save the Tecton Buildings, using a similar style to which the WWF use.  

However the video I will create will have subtle humour as it being a parody, but will still have the underlining serious element.

But first I will look into other types of campaign groups and their style of advertising.

In the News

Dudley zoo: save the Tectons
The Thirties building of Dudley Zoo are suddenly attracting attention- beacuse they have been listed as endangered in the World Monument Fund.

Article from The Telegraph.

(The Telegraph, Website, Viewed 10/10/2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/columnists/sophie-campbell/6554794/Dudley-Zoo-Save-the-Tectons-architecture.html)

Worldwide plea over Dudley Zoo buildings
Dudley castle was founded shortly after Norman Conquest of 1066, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book, yet it is the Tecton modernist architecture of the surrounding zoo that preservation groups are trying to save.

Article from BBC

(BBC,Website, Viewed 10/10/2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2009/10/07/_feature.shtml

Article from BBC )

  

From looking at these articles in the news, the words used (highlighted in red) reminded me of the endangered animal campaigns that are constantly advertised on T.V, for example the WWF adopt a snow leopard commercial.

Adobe Premiere Pro Workshop

within this workshop i began to make the 1min practice video.

 

First Visit to the Zoo

To get more research into the Tecton architecture, I visited Dudley Zoo. The main focus was on the bear ravine which is currently unused and in a bad state due to being negated.

Also this was a chance to practice using video. From the footage I gathered I used Adobe Premiere to edit and create a 1min practice film.

Dudley Zoo Tectons

Below are some facts about Dudley Zoo and their Tecton enclosures:

·         Dudley Zoo first opened on May 18, 1937.

·         A reported 250,000 people attempted to visit the day it opened.

·          The preservation group The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has declared Dudley Zoos architecture an endangered heritage site.

·         The Zoo’s 12 animal display houses were the largest collection of Tecton buildings in the world.

·         Structures include: Tropical Birdhouse, Bear Ravine, Polar Bear Complex, Kiosks 1 and 2, Sealion Pool, Moat Cafe, Safari Cafe, Reptiliary, Elephant House, Zoo Entrance and Queen Mary Restaurant.

·         The Designs was structurally daring and made use of a new material, pre-stressed concrete. Reinforced with steel rods inserted under tensions, the concrete could be bent into curves and forms impossible to achieve with other materials.

·         Lines were kept simple, and standardised free-curved forms were used.

·         The Tectons show imaginative use of the land and provide a unique development that complements the natural contours and quarried areas of the site.

(Tectons,Dudley Zoo, Website, Viewed 2/10/2012.http://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/around-dzg/tectons)

(BBC,Website, Viewed 10/10/2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2009/10/07/_feature.shtml

Article from BBC )

Tectons

Russian-born Berthold Lubetkin (1901-1990) was one of the European émigrés who championed modernism in mid-20th century Britain and whose built projects include the Highpoint housing complex, London Zoo penguin pool and Finsbury Health Centre.

Lubetkin joined forces with a group of these young architects including Skinner and Lasdun, with Godfrey Samuel and Lindsay Drake, to form a group named Tecton. The first Tecton commission was a Gorilla House at London Zoo in Regent’s Park.

(Design Museum, Website, Viewed 02/10/2012- http://designmuseum.org/design/berthold-lubetkin)