As the dial of the speaker turns, angular jangly noise shakes my ear drums. All that is audible is distortion.
2nd moment: A confused Goose
Silhouette of a Goose appears in the distance; turning to the right, left & right again. Eventually focusing its gaze on me and screeching inexhaustibly.
3rd moment: Broken Fingernail
Two weeks later my broken fingernail has almost hailed but a faint bluish residue lingers between the nail and the skin.
When writing the three moments it provided an opportunity to write a narrative of disjointed actions and moments that seemed unusual & unexpected. It helped to clarify the importance and attention to mental visual images, as they eventually will determine the viewer’s reaction and interest.
The exercise of writing that preceded the ten things was somehow more important than the intention was when assigned. The interesting aspect was it opened up the stream of thought with minimal restraints. Although it was meant to distract, it also provided expansive questions from which the ten-things emerged.
The ten-things themselves appeared to mostly involve so called ‘big, expansive’ ideas/questions. But only a few that were listed came to represent things that felt unknown or mysterious and truly objects/subjects of fascinations that captured the essence of the ‘bigger’ question and provided a way for them to be discussed. They also seemed to related to small moments or things. For instance, a small childs hands & its gestures, or description of light.
The idea for this particular project had come from a question that I had raised a year or so ago inorder to comprehend the essence of sight and vision. I hadn’t given it as much thought I think the question deserves and although I based my project around the concept, it still deserves further attention for my part.
The intention was to create an audio/visual environment piece, which would work as research,experiment or investigation in trying to answer the above question. By creating a highly abstract and textural work it lets one try to find their way into the work. A game of “guessing the visual” so to say. While the organic visuals serves as an invitation into the graphical aspect of the work it also stands as a mysterious entity to be discovered. Proposing to the viewer, the familiarity of sight merged in the discovery with sets of fresh eyes or in an unfamiliar setting.
Below are a couple of other variations that weren’t carried through till the end due to time constraints.
Through the reserach project I wanted to learn some basic functions in Soundtrack Pro but most importantly get comfortable editing my audio for my project in Soundtrack Pro – subsequently in other audio editing software – rather than Final Cut Pro.
By playing around with the controls to the filters and settings one quickly understands their capabilities but I would recommend in reading up on some of the general terminologies and concept related to audio & sound to fully take advantage of the software in a more complex and flexible manner. But then again it also crucial to play around with the software to get a better understanding of its layout.
I learned through creating a soundtrack for another project by collecting various pieces of sound effects, music, dialogue & mixing them together. Here is the clips I started out with (these clips had to be cut from long tracks and also some minor adjustments were made before working with them in Soundtrack Pro).
I found a few resource that were helpful but in general the available documentation was low compared to Final Cut Pro or other well known software. The reason being that it is a complimentary program to Final Cut package rather than the flagship product of it.
The tutorials on Lynda.com and VTC.com give a comprehensive overview of the software’s capability but they can become dull and monotone especially some of the first lessons about the layout and the instructors. Apple provides some very general/basic tutorials for the Final Cut Pro package and the section on Soundtrack Pro is good to get a very quick introduction to the program and feel comfortable in it. Similar to Apple’s tutorials there is digitalmediatraining.com, which provide quick tips & tricks but lacks in quantity.
A very good online resource for Final Cut Pro has been Ken Stone’s website and also provides good instructions of using Soundtrack Pro. The reason being that it provides instructions that integrate other programs and helps in understand the relationship between each program. The layout and design might not be much to look at but the information makes a credible and helpful resource.
For general audio based tutorial, without being directed to one specific product, I would recommend Audiotuts.com
“Based on novels by author Jeff Lindsay, Dexter follows the life of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a charismatic blood spatter analyst who works in the forensics at the Miami Metro Police Department. On the outside, Dexter seems like the perfect guy — he has a sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), that adores him and a steady girlfriend, Rita (Julie Benz), with two kids that look up to him. However, what they don’t know is that Dexter moonlights as a serial killer, only he isn’t your typical killer. Basing his life on the teachings of his foster father, Dexter only kills people who truly deserve it: he ensures that those who got away with horrible crimes will never kill again. “
One part of project one was to critique another project from class, since we didn’t get to see any group’s project in class it was agreed upon to find a piece of video and critique the first minute of the clip. We choose to direct our critique/overview to the first minute of the intro for the HBO show named Dexter.
Editing/Transition: The editing of the video is carefully thought out and very interesting. Every transition is planned. The video uses circles as a transition device to connect the different cuts (at 0:25, 0:32, 0:41, 0:49, 0:54). The circle shapes appear again and again through out the video, sometimes as the sink, than to a drop of blood, than to something else. The circle becomes a visual element that unites the video together. It is actually using the same technique as we did in Ex 2.
Another special technique that is used in the video is the jerky cuts. The jerky movement of the camera at certain times of the clip indicates that the protagonist is a little offbeat, peculiar, may even be mentally unstable. The jerky cuts (e.g. at 0:03, 0:24) are also used as a signal of bloodshed.
At 0:03 seconds, the squashed mosquito on the arm transitions to the bloodied text on the screen with the splatter of a drop of blood. At this point, another take could have been that after squashing the mosquito the camera could have focused more on the detail of the dead mosquito rather than changing focus to the protagonist. Allowing for a smoother feeling/looking transitions to the audience.
The soaking of blood with tissue paper from razor cut goes into the cutting of the meat with parchment over top of it (0:32 – 0:35), indicating the previous shot. The thin line between prey and predator. The first cut of the meat seems like a dissection cut referring to the characters occupation.
Composition: The screen seems to be divided in a natural 1/3 grid (thirds) to create interest with the aspect ratio of the camera screen. Throughout the video, a shallow depth-of-field is used to emphasis the character’s intense concentration while performing banal tasks. With the composition of tight shots and shallow depth-of-field, those everyday actions appear too normal, creating tension between the actions and the way they are executed. (0:22, 0:43, 0:52, 0:57).
Visual: The people who made this video are very creative with the ways they are introducing the drama. Instead of simply telling the story, it uses lot of metaphors and symbolisms to subtly hint the background of the protagonist. For example, at 0:53, the splatter of ketchup symbolizes the strong presence of blood in the drama. The tension of grip at 0:57, shows the sinister/superior side of the character by portraying the hand as coming from the heavens, as being the dominating. The roasting/brewing of the coffee beans signifies the inner anger of the character (0:54 – 0:57). The exaggerated chewing actions from 0:57 – 1:00 is portraying the monstrous side of the protagonist.
Audio: The soundtrack of the video has a feeling of innocence and happiness, but it also sounds quite quirky and strange. On top of the strange soundtrack are perfectly synced sound effects. These sound effects are loud and crisp. It comes at the exact right moment to accentuate the action (usually sinister) on the screen. (0:05, 0:29, 0:39, 0:53)
Pacing/Rhythm: Throughout the video the pacing is slow, methodical and precise. The slow pace is very effective in reflecting the meticulous nature of the protagonist whose profession is a blood spatter analyst. Then there are fast/short bursts of speed like ‘snapping’, for instance at 0:05 and 0:53 seconds. Those sudden changes in rhythm reveal the character’s other profession, a serial killer.
Improvements: Overall, this is one of the best video that we have seen. If we have to change something, then maybe the video should have some parts that are less dark. Right now, every action seems to have double meaning. It may be good to have some shots that are completely untainted by the sinister side of the character. That could be done with different lighting, or lighter color. This could shows the good side of character, rather than focusing on his negative side.
Overview: The concept behind Counting till Inferno sequence is to present the juxtaposition between two opposing points. In an aesthetically that being fire and water, conceptual that being between moments that we experience on a daily basis and our tendencies to forget them quickly afterward; the memories being extinguished or burned out. For this reason some images of a rainy day were subtly superimposed into the sequence.
Audience & Context: There is no specific/targeted audience for this sequence but it’ll be taken more favourable by 18-24 years but also judged harshly by them since they have seen many instances where ‘glowing’ imagery has been created through CGI graphics. The sequence can be used ahead of an animation or short film which plays with the dichotomies of given subject matter dealing with the mind.
Key Message: In a graphical sense I want the audience to realize that to make something, often the most interesting and exciting way is to take part in the process outside the confinements of the computer.
Content Planning: For the project to occur certain things had to be planned ahead of time. These elements included finding of a suitable location, access to safety equipment for the people involved and the camera, purchasing of ignitable fluid which wasn’t too hazardous (lighter fluid for this instance), and cutting out of letters from paper if the concept doesn’t work. For the project the number sequences will be drawn with lighter fluid and lit with fire. The numbers will vary in size and most likely in position as well to create some dynamic movement with the structuring of the shots and not relying exclusively on the erratic nature of the flames.
INITIAL STORYBOARDS
These are my first ideas for the countdown reel but unfortunately I wasn’t able to shot neither of them.
1. Biking at Night with Flashlight
A combination of the idea between find numbers in the dark and picking up numbers while ridding a bike. The concept is that a person would be riding a bike in the night with a directional light in front of the bike, as he moves down the road his light falls on numbers that are placed in between the dashed dividing line of the road.
2. Fire Escape Run
The concept here is that an individual comes out of the tenth floor fire escape and seems eager to get down. The idea came from the conventional idea of going down in an elevator but using a different method. As the person hits the next floor, the number of that floor lights up, refering to how the numbers in an elevator light up when it reaches a certain floor.
Overview: The meaningful object I chose was the radio, more specifically the concept and idea of the radio. I wanted to connect the different frequencies of the radio signal to the fragmented and often absent context of my memories.
Audience: The preferred audience for this work would be those who are willing to question their own thoughts and memories. People who might be more interested in the conceptual than the visual or physical because memories trigger visuals/nostalgia of the past but without them being present at the moment, so it is the act of creating or recreating something that might or might not have existed.
Key Message: If there is a goal or message it would be realize how one remembers.
Content Planning: For the project to happen it required searching through public archives and/or found images, mostly moving images. Only a few shots had to be careful found, since the process was like the finish product for me – the idea of stumbling upon things without intention. The narration had to be recording in a quite room which was hard to find. The narration had to match the tone of the images and message, in the processing requiring a few takes to get something workable.
