EXPERIMENTAL SOUND RECORDING: Feeling Material

BRIEF 

Taking one of the artworks provided; interpret, record, edit and mix an experimental design
consisting of only sound. The piece should last between 1 and 2 minutes in duration and
implement experimental techniques of audio production as explored during this unit.

The sound design could consider an exploration of:

• A Journey
• A Narrative
• Space and/or Place
• A Passage of Time

The design should consider the possibility sound has to communicate ideas, distort
realities and affect the interpretation of visuals. You should utilise skills acquired in the
operation of recording equipment and Adobe Audition audio editing software to produce a
complete experimental sound design. The final sound should be submitted as a Quicktime
(.mov) file with a visual of the interpreted image. The audio on the file should adhere to the
following standards:

• 48 kHz Sample Rate
• 24 Bit Depth Resolution
• Mixed to -10 dBfs

PROJECT HAND-IN: 10AM, 21st MARCH 2014

Feeling Material xiv - Antony Gormley 

Feeling Material xiv by Antony Gormley is a sculptured piece designated to me for this task.  

While researching the piece I found out that "Feeling Material" is a series of sculptures created from 2003 till 2008. The sculpture I have been chosen to create my sound design around is the 14/40 from the series. 

This is what Antony Gormley had to say about the series.

"The FEELING MATERIAL works started with an attempt to describe the space of the body using a matrix formed of rings. I then realise that I could create this like a drawing; an unending spiralling line that spins a web around the body, orbiting close to the skin and then spiralling out into space: and energy zone. I now try to use the least material necessary to delineate a suspended open matrix."

http://www.antonygormley.com/sculpture/item-view/id/226

WHAT I SEE AND THINK

When I first saw this photo of the sculpture, it looked painful, and reminded me of the a Saw scene "Razor wire trap" which is not the most appealing scene but that is what it genuinely reminded me of. 

After looking at the series "Feeling Material" I understood what Anthony Gormley was saying about his work, but in my eyes I see something completely different. I see someones own galaxy, which is the pieces of metal spiralling around them.

Spiralling Galaxy

Other sounds that come into mind when looking at the sculpture;

BUZZING

The spirals that swirl around the man brings a buzzing sound to mind when looking at the piece. 

It is almost like he has loads of flies/bees/wasps flying around him.  

WHOOSHING

Another sound that comes into mind is a whooshing noise.

REFLECTIONS: Photography. Approaching an idea

REENACTMENT IDEA 4

After brainstorming a few ideas yesterday, I decided that I am going to approach my reenactment idea, and I started by reviewing a bunch of old photos I have.

Old photos. there must be at least over 50 photos here. 

After walking through memory lane I put aside a variety of photos that I could use for this assignment. So far this is what I have, and after speaking to family they are going to try send me more old photos in which I could use for this project.

Photos I could possibly use. 

Over the next few weeks I will be approaching this idea, as well as experimenting with the other ideas that I have come across, and see which photo is best suited to be presented.

Over the next few weeks I will also be researching on presentation for my photo series, and experimenting with different textual components for this assignment.

REFLECTIONS: 5 Still Photography Ideas

After doing some more research in search for inspirational I decided to create a mind map of idea's from photo's that have inspired me the most.

IDEA 1 

One of the first idea's I thought of approaching, was inspired from my previous research shown in my earlier posts from Steve Pyke's "Acts of Memory", and it consists of producing a collage of everything that brings back memory. These photos could range from objects to faces.

Steve Pyke's - Acts of Memory 

IDEA 2 

Another Idea that was also inspired by Tom Hussey, Shown in my earlier posts, was to use reflections in order to represent a moment in life for the subject.

Tom Hussey - A Mirrored Memory 

IDEA 3 

This idea was inspired by a picture I had seen on Classy Issue. It followed the concept of something being abandoned, that something being a place where a memory/moment was created, and within the photo we will be able to see that there once was a presence there.

Unknown Photographer - Taken from Classy Issue. 

IDEA 4 

This idea was one of my favourites, as it is something that I find humorous, and would be interesting to create. I was inspired by photos that I had seen on Facebook, as well as other websites, and it consists of reenacting childhood moments.

http://www.heavy.com/comedy/2013/06/20-awesome-childhood-photo-troll-reenactments-fathers-day/13/ 

Overall I am going to experiment with all these different ideas, adding textual components to each photo, and seeing which idea is most appealing to create. I will then create a series of photos consisting of 5 still images.

REFLECTIONS: Photography inspiration

Most mornings I like to go check out a Tumblr blog "Classy Issue" in which they they bombard with photography, music and more. Check it out: http://theclassyissue.com/

I follow this blog because I always find something that inspires me...

REFLECTIONS: The Recovery, Job Roles

JOB ROLES 

We have been communicating effectively through a closed Facebook group, and one of our most recent posts was about job roles in which we established at a group meeting.

Andre Tomlin - Director/Cinematographer 

Overseeing the creative aspects of the film, which includes controlling the content and flow of the film's plot, directing the performances of Actors, organizing and selecting the locations in which the film will be shot, and managing technical details such as the positioning of cameras, the use of lighting. making decisions on lighting and framing of shots

Diallo Williams - Camera Operator/Editor
Supporting the Director by accurately carrying out instructions regarding shot composition and development. Physically operating the camera and maintaining composition and camera angles throughout a given scene or shot and collaborating with, actors and crew to make technical and creative decisions. As well as working in post production with assembling the various shots for the film.

Ulysses Almeida - Sound Designer/ Editor

Required to operate and maintain the technical equipment used to record, creatively selecting and assembling sound recordings in preparation for the final sound mixing. Artistically can create and experiment difference ways in which sound can be utilized and executed for the film. Also managing the recording of all sound on set or on location as well as mixing, editing and enhancing of pre-recorded audio

Chloe Wilson - Producer

Have overall control on every aspect of a film's production, bringing together and approving the selection of the whole production team. Ensure everyone is doing their down and working towards the schedule. The main responsibility for the producer is to oversee the different stages of production such as

Development - Story Board/locations
Pre-production - production schedule
Production - Responsible for the day-to-day smooth operation of the production team.

Dogan Barak - Actor/Visual FX Editor

Actor - Communicating a character and he's situations to an audience through speech, body language and movement, interpreting the work of the writer under the instruction and support of a director.

Visual FX Editor - Working in post production with assembling the various shots and visual effects for the film. I will be using motion tracking and text composition to finalise the film. 

REFLECTIONS: The Recovery: A look into typography

A Brief History Of Title Design/Typography

Typography is something that is important within our film idea "The Recovery" as it is based around using sound and typography to spark memories for our main character, 

I have been looking into different types of typography used within film. Two websites that I had found most interesting, and that show a wide variety of typography used throughout. 

http://www.linotype.com/6982/oscarawardedmoviefonts2013.html 

http://www.tumblr.com/search/typography

A History Of Title Sequences 

Film titles can be great fun. In them we see the bond between the art of filmmaking and graphic design — and perhaps visual culture as a whole. They have always served a greater purpose than themselves: to move the overarching story forward.

-Julia May for Smashing 

The Art Of Film Title Design 

After reading an article from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/04/the-art-of-the-film-title-throughout-cinema-history/, it inspired me, and helped me understand the relationship between art and filmmaking. In my eyes that is what typography is. The art in filmmaking. 

The article references typography/titles within silent films to the digital era. showing great example of work. One that I had found interesting and most likely to be my favourite is Maurice Binder's work with 14 James Bond films including the first film "Dr. No". 

List of useful website for typography

• http://www.linotype.com/2255/moviefonts.html. 
• http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/04/the-art-of-the-film-title-throughout-cinema-history/

(More to be added

REFLECTIONS: TREATMENT

THEMES: SONDER, bizarre, realisation, memory, everyday lives, journey, routines, worries, craziness, friends, ambitions, relationships, problems, encounters, moments, drama.

SYNOPSIS

We will be taken through this journey of memories and sonder as we encounter the lives of others around us, as they also have memories that are being and have been created. Memories that are as similar to our own but yet not everyone perceives this. We will go through this 5 - 10 minute POV journey that will outline our everyday lives by meeting the various amount of people around us, because in reality we meet and see all sorts of people, and so it is up to each crazy and vivid encounter throughout this film to help the audience sonder. 

I bring to you a basic concept, structure and style for a fact based film. This treatment does not include a story for my film as this is something I would want to work on with my team. I want everyone to participant within creating all these crazy and vivid encounters that will feature in this film. 

The story will follow only one character and their encounters through one day. There would limited amount of dialogue coming from this main character as I want the audience to feel as if they are the main character and they are embarking on this journey themselves. This also leaves the story telling to the "passing by" characters, and this main character (POV) is just observing the drama that these "extra" characters are experiencing in this short moment/encounter.

INTENTION

What I hope to achieve with this film is to give the audience that realisation feeling that I'm sure many of you have had. It's poignant, relieving and thought provoking. 

I want people to SONDER. 

n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

P.O.V footage has existed since the first cameras were mounted in early airplanes and cars, anywhere a film's creator intended to take viewers inside the action with the psychological purpose of giving thee viewers a feel of "what he or she is going through", he or she being a participant in the subject matter. 

The audience sees events through the leading actor's eyes, as if they where experiencing the events themselves. 

STRUCTURE AND STYLE

the film will consist of an open structure that will hopefully allow the audience to make sense of what is going on for themselves.  

"Slackers" a film directed by Richard Linklater is a perfect example of the style and structure that I want my film to have. Slackers does not rely on almost any form of narrative, being rather its own mass of life. The film follows an individual around for a period of time until it has had enough of them, and then moves on to some one else.

The encounters featured within the film Slackers are the encounters that I want this film to have. 

Here is some more examples of some great P.O.V shots that i think work well: 

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2011/05/08/tune-for-two/

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/12/16/dark-times/

CASTING

www.starnow.com

we will need a various amount of characters, depending on the overall story, and using starnow will allow us to find and audition actors that will fit the roles of the characters in this film.  

Actors will not be paid a wage, as this is a student project, and we will have to offer expenses including food to all actors that participate. When searching for actors we will have to be reliant on actors that are not too far from our shooting location, as we do not want to pay large travel fees. This will allow us to keep costs to a minimum.

POV SHOT

Because the film contains a POV shot throughout the whole film, we will need a helmet rig in order to achieve this, and the best way to do so is by creating a helmet rig ourselves.

This will increase the budget by a bit but it is something worth having as the helmet rig will come handy for future references.

TECHNICAL VIEWS 

There is a certain weakness when filming P.O.V shots as it could look and make the audience feel uncomfortable throughout the whole way through, this is not my intention, and ways to overcome this uncomfortable feel for the audience is to produce several experimental shots. This will allow us to find further any weaknesses and strengths that we can work with and around.

A helmet rig is definite to use for this film as it will allow us to produce a more reliable and comfortable P.O.V shot throughout.   

REFLECTIONS: Video Research

Over the past few weeks I have been looking into fact based film in order to inspire me for this unit. I have mostly been looking into fact based films that use an experimental approach, and not something that has a formal narrative structure.

For example: Here is a fact based film by a Danish poet and film director Jørgen Leth who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary film making.

THE PERFECT HUMAN 

Another experimental film I found interesting by the Danish director was "66 scenes from America" 

Here is a scene featuring artist Andy Warhol eating a hamburger.

Watching these videos by Jørgen Leth really gave me a great understanding on experimental approach within a fact based film. 

While doing research for my 5 photography still images I was inspired by the word "Sonder", its an interesting word that sounds good when said, and so I thought it would be great to look more into depth about it.

I'm sure you have read a bit about the word Sonder on my previous post for my five photography still research.

questions that went through my head when looking into this word is whether it could be considered as a real word and could I relate "sonder" into an experimental fact base film. 

After reading an article called THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE WORD SONDER it help me come to the terms on what a real word is, and that Sonder is a real word that is neologism. 

Another piece that I was inspired by its technical camera work was Kanye West's All Falls Down Music video. It features a POV shot throughout a majority of the video.

I think it would be a great idea if I used this technique for most of my film as it will allow the audience to really feel the character, see what the character sees, and help me relate sonder into my film.

Getting the POV shot for my fact based film will require hard work and some DIY. I have been looking online at different methods used and the one that intrigued me the most was a POV helmet.

When researching memory within film I had found out that scientists have filmed memories being created for the first time ever, in which you can see from the video above.

Here is a paragraph from the article that explains how memory is created by our brains:  Memories are made by messenger RNA (mRNA) that encode β-actin protein. These proteins are responsible for shaping and structuring cells in the neurons. As events unfold, β-actin protein is responsible for reshaping the neurons and creating a path, retracing the synaptic steps. Memory retention is delicate business, and it is possible for even a single molecule to determine whether or not the memory is stored. Any disruptions in the process can result in a lost memory. - See more at: http://www.iflscience.com/brain/watch-chemicals-turn-memories-first-time-has-ever-been-recorded#sthash.bygQrS4x.dpuf

Watching this video really was inspiring as our lives are defined by our memories. To me watching the process was like watching a journey. For example:

Its like being in an airplane and looking through the side windows. If you are flying over the city you would see a view like the one above, which looks similar to the footage of memory being created, and if you look carefully you can see car lights travelling on the roads.

Another piece I found inspirational was a film called Slackers directed by Richard Linklater. The film in a way relates to sonder because it follows various characters, and never staying with one character or conversation for more than a few minutes before picking up someone else in the scene and following them.

The encounters and conversations are random and bizarre that I would like to feature encounters like this in my fact based film.

TIME ART: TREATMENT

TIME ART (TREATMENT) 

OVERVIEW 

While exploring the theme of time I have been inspired to create and work on a piece that is situated within the concept of not having enough time. 

The idea first come into mind when I was reading an article called "NOT ENOUGH TIME? HOW TO STOP THE ILLUSION." (http://thinksimplenow.com/clarity/not-enough-time) The Author gives the audience 7 tips on how they could presumedly stop the illusion of not having enough time. 

After looking further into the concept I was also inspired by Albert Einstein's theory on the fabric of time (video's shown on time art: research and brainstorm post.) 

The reason I want to go ahead with the whole concept of not having enough time is because I believe it is a subject that is important in our society. whether you're late for work and cannot eat breakfast or simply woke up late. At some point every one feels like or hasn't got enough time and it can be a real hassle in some situations. 

The piece will represent the idea of not having enough time by creating a multiply screen visual piece of work consisting of 3x1min looped films that will be screened simultaneously on three separate HD screens. 

THE IDEA 

DESCRIPTION 

Title: Not Enough Time

The idea will be based on one man continuously running through the screens. As he runs through each screen time will freeze, and the surroundings around him will stop moving, apart from the man who will continue to run through the screen. As he or she exits the screen time will continue and his surroundings will unfreeze. 

the idea defeats the purpose of not having enough time because time has froze, and that gives him time, but he still continues to rush throughout the screen continuously. 

I want to approach this piece because it allows the audience to accumulate questions and actually think about time itself. Why is he running? Why has time froze? Why doesn't he have enough time? these are just a couple of examples that could be running through the audience's head. I want the audience to interpret this. 

VISUAL NOTES

TIME FREEZE 

I have looked into several tutorial videos through Lynda.com and videocopilot.net. 

After all the footage has been shot I will be using adobe after effects to use masks to create illusion and stimulate a frozen world around one person. 

(http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/time_freeze/)

CAMERA WORK 

Each screen will consist of the same long shot, with the help of a tripod to keep it sturdy, and a deep depth of field as this keeps the layout of the environment clear to the audience.  I will be using Panasonic HVX200 to film all footage.

LOCATION

Filming will be required during production. I have not yet decided on the location as it has been difficult to find a suitable filming location. I will require three different locations for the three different screens.

The location also determines on the surroundings around the man and the amount of cast that can be featured as passerby's

EQUIPMENT & SOFTWARE REQUIRED  

I will require the following equipment in order to complete the whole production of my work. 

• Panasonic HVX200 
• Tripod 
• Apple Mac 
• Adobe After Effects CS6 or CC 

SHOOTING DATES AND TIMES

I will only require one day for shooting and another extra day for re-shoots if needed. 

Dates                                                      Location                 Time   

Wednesday 26th February 14                   1                10.30am - 12pm 

                                                                 2                       1pm - 2pm

                                                                 3                  2.30pm - 3.30pm

Friday 28th February 14   -   Only if required all re-shoots would be schedule for this day. 

EDITING

Editing will be a long process after capturing all usable footage. I will be using Adobe After Effects to edit the piece, and to get the effects of a time freeze by using a rotoscoping method as seen in the tutorial above.

Pre-production will take place on the following dates: 

Dates

Thursday 27th February 14    -   Review of footage 

Saturday 29th February 14    -  Review and start of edit 

Wednesday 5th March 14     -  Edit

Thursday 6th March 14         -  Edit 

Saturday 10th March 14        - Final Edit