M&J - Installation set design and Technical aspects

At another group meeting that took place today we had discussed and planned our installation further. We looked into the set design of the installation and the technical aspects of the installation.

We aim to build a set that would isolate the audience from everyone else. Placing them in a small surrounded area. The area will have four different doors that would allow access to the space. Depending on which door you choose to walk through will depend on which sound piece/environment you will get.

If you walk through;

Door 1: you will trigger a sound piece of a mountain environment.

Door 2: you will trigger a sound piece of a outdoor field/grasslands environment

Door 3: you will trigger a sound piece of a City environment

Door 4: you will trigger a sound piece of a volcano environment

Triggering the sound piece

The sound will be triggered when a door is opened. There is two possible ways we could do this.

The first being through a motion sensor. As seen below in the diagram. The motion sensor would be placed at the top of the door, while the other half of the sensor will be placed beside it on the structured wall, and when a member of the audience walks through one of the doors the motion sensor will trigger the sound piece.

The second possible trigger would be to have a button trigger. As seen in the diagram below. The button trigger would be placed on the side, near the door of the structured wall, and when the audience opens one of the doors the door would push down on the button trigger. This would trigger the sound piece. The only problem we thought we would encounter with this specific technique is the audience not fully opening the door causing the sound piece not to play. But this all depends on the size (Measurements) of the overall space, as if we have a smaller area this method could work whereas a larger area we would be better off with a motion sensor.

Equipment needed:

For the set:

• mdf board or osb board for the main structure x4 (Measurements will be prepared once we know the size of the space we have available to us)
• Speakers x4
• LED or Bulbed lights x10 (2 lights per colour, all depending on the size and power of the light)
• Doors x4
• Trigger x 4 (Either motion or button)
• Standard building equipment (Drill, screws, door hinges etc)  

For the sound

• Marantz recorder
• Boom pole
• Pro Tools software for the editing

M&J - A new approach to Maps and Journeys...AGAIN. A four door installation.

The first group meeting took place the other day at the library. Diallo, Sahir and I tried to solve a problem and tried to get the concept of the £20 note into a more experimental approach, as the story to the concept was gravitating more towards a narrative. Even though that was the approach I wanted to take, I thought an experimental approach would ruin the film, and instead we decided to take a completely different approach and go with a idea that Sahir had in mind.

Here is the concept of Sahir's idea and he's inspiration;

ScreenShot taken from Sahir's blog (http://sahirrahmandfsablogyear2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/innovation-and-interference.html)

In another group meeting that took place today. We had discussed the concept and how we could present the sound piece. After a brainstormed discussion we had come up with the idea to present the sound piece a an installation.

we will incorporate the idea of journeying through different climates and environments through the use of sound. This will give the audience an immersive experience in which they will imagine and interpret which environment they are hearing.

The installation piece will include a small, boxed room which has four doors on four walls and four speakers inside the room. Once a door is opened, this will trigger the sound of a location (Snowy Mountain, Outdoor field, Volcano and City environment), and each door will be assigned a specific environment with its matching sound piece. In addition, a specific coloured light will shine whilst the sound is playing, reflecting on the different environments etc, snowy mountain will incorporate a cool, blue colour. This will allow the audience a sense of interactivity, as they have to open each door and figure out what location is behind it.

Here is the four different environments and a rough detail of the sounds we will be capturing. 

Screenshot taken from our presentation we had prepared

M&J - Research and Inspiration

The idea came when I was having a conversation with a few mates. We had been talking about work and problems we face in our society, in regards to my spoken word piece, and the thought of money being a main issue that has to some extant ruined our society. For some random reason a video I had seen last year came into the conversation, so I decided to put it on as it was a good inspirational video, and here it is: http://vimeo.com/12497654

After watching the video I thought it would be a good idea to come up with something similar through the concept of copy, combine and transform that I saw in a 4 part series 'Everything is a remix' - http://everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jeCEtGwuk0 - This is a video that gave me some inspiration to go ahead with the idea. It's the perspective that Bob Marley thinks about money and being rich. It was inspiring to watch because I know to some extant money is everything to a lot of people, and because of that it has defined the word wealthy and rich in a negative way. Contrasting people who have a lot of money to people who have little or no money.

Money should not be a necessity 

M&J - A new approach

So after a few days of trying to further develop my idea. I run into a few problems which changed my perspective of this specific piece. The spokenword artist was having trouble trying to relate and place the piece together, so after brainstorming to get around the problem we encountered a completely different idea that would work with the brief.

I have now completely scrapped the idea of this dystopian world. I have undertaken an idea that would have an easier approach to filming, as I am working within a small group, and have a big cinematic and meaningful impact to the audience.

Possible title: Noted

 Synopsis

A message documentary following the life of a £20 bank note and narrated by the £20 note’s perspective. We are taken on a cinematic journey, as the note travels from person to person, and despite its socially conscious message it has a resolute narrative.

The message I’m trying to portray

• ●  To show both good and bad motives money has on us
  
• ●  How as humans we’re more concerned about wanting rather than being
  
• ●  To show how far one note can actually travel
  
• ●  How we all as individuals spend/need money
  
  
  
• How I plan to portray the message
• 
  
• ●  Through cinematic visuals
  
• ●  Socially conscious messages placed within the Mise en scene
  
• ●  A voiceover from the notes perspective.
  

Themes

• ●  Motivation
  
• ●  subtle and wry humour
  
• ●  Sadness
  
• ●  Mythical
  

Overall I want the story to characterise the bank note as if it is human, through the means of a voiceover that will represent the notes perspective, and the journey it goes on should create awareness of the message I'm trying to send to the audience. 

M&J - Spoken Word. A narrated video performance

I've been trying to develop the idea further, as I wanted to try write the spoken word piece myself, and I have been stuck in doing so as there is quite a broad amount of subjects to write about.

So I have been brainstorming, in which I have come up with a couple of different approaches, and also been talking to a few writers that could hopefully help develop the spoken word further.

First Approach

This would be to have one writer to write and narrate the whole video "Journey" performance using the variety of subjects he has to talk about. He can then use the subjects that could relate more closely to each other in order to maintain sense within the video and the spoken word piece.

Second Approach 

This would be to have a variety of writers in order to write the spoken word piece. As there is a broad amount of subjects, I thought it would be easier to have several writers write about a subject each or a couple of subjects each. The writers when narrating the piece would drift in and out of the video once they begin and finish there spoken word.

Third Approach 

This approach would be to narrow down the broad amount of subjects featured, and use the subjects in one overall theme of Life and Death. The journey we take within our time and the experiences we have. Those experiences will be the broad amount of subjects mentioned previously, and would consist within a narrative form. Within this approach it wouldn't matter whether or not there is one writer writing the spoken word or a variety.

Overall I have been trying to narrow down the approached before I start development. The first approach is something that I have taken out of the picture, due to the fact it would be a difficult task for the writer. I am slightly leaning towards the second approach at the moment, as I like the whole idea of having a variety of writers/artists undertaking this journey to deliver the message I want to put out there. This is something I will be thinking about before further development.