Starting my own principle photography/experimental shooting this weekend. The main objective of this is to produce footage for editing to discover what is feasible and what isn't, but also to create material for my pilot/trailer. Initial equipment includes the Panasonic HMD HC and S10 HD video cameras, a tripod and a figrig. The main objectives are to experiment with how a TV lights a room as the sole source of illumination. I also aim to explore how the figrig allows me to use the space, possibly experimenting with zooming into the screen itself. These questions of feasibility are key, since they determine whether my project is viable in it's current form, both from a plot and practical standpoint.
In examining TV for self-referential-ism I found plenty of examples to use. For instance the show Community interested me, it's built around a TV-friendly mix of characters from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds. One of the characters, Abed, is an active filmmaker with an undiagnosed form of Asbergers. He consumes vast amounts of TV and reproduces it both in his own works and in day to day life, understanding everyday life through the framework of television, to the point where he often considers himself a viewer instead of a participant, a substitute for the audience. This perspective on the creator/consumer character as a mimic to an absurd degree for comedic effect is an interesting commentary both on the creators both of this show and indeed of television at large.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Blog 3.5- Ideas and examples
With recontextualisation of footage potentially being key to my project I thought I'd include some examples of materials where this is done well. They're mostly short internet videos and comedy-orientated but still relevant I think-
I've made progress in ripping DVD's in a high def format, which can now be used for more conceptual editing attempts.. I've also reduced the audio tracks from 4-6 to just normal stereo.
I also took ideas from Mike Dawson's analysis of the first 10 minutes of the 2005 film Serenity, in which an expositionary video is revealed as a classroom which is in turn a dream, which is a security recording. It sounds convoluted but until you actually think about the structure it seems natural and reveals a great deal of the overall backstory for the film in a short period. Whilst I'm probably not using it as an overall plot there is thematic significance that I can reveal by my choices at each stage.
http://www.leftfieldcinema.com/analysis-the-first-ten-minutes-of-serenity
I've made progress in ripping DVD's in a high def format, which can now be used for more conceptual editing attempts.. I've also reduced the audio tracks from 4-6 to just normal stereo.
I also took ideas from Mike Dawson's analysis of the first 10 minutes of the 2005 film Serenity, in which an expositionary video is revealed as a classroom which is in turn a dream, which is a security recording. It sounds convoluted but until you actually think about the structure it seems natural and reveals a great deal of the overall backstory for the film in a short period. Whilst I'm probably not using it as an overall plot there is thematic significance that I can reveal by my choices at each stage.
http://www.leftfieldcinema.com/analysis-the-first-ten-minutes-of-serenity
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Blog 3
I've started using DivX DVD ripper Platinum trial version to start compiling my found footage directly into MOV format. This program allows me to rip a greater range of DVD's in high quality but only 5 minutes at a time. Fortunately that's all I require in this case.
I've yet to find a suitable solution to my problem of choosing a structure for my piece. For future reference I'll call them Idea A and Idea B. To recap.
A explores the potential rabbit-hole nature of screen media, following the gaze of TV characters and exploring their own media. The aim is to create a chain of people watching people watching people, structured as a scientific experiment (two attempts and one successful loop back on onto the experimenter themselves who is videoing their attempt). I like the structure of using the initial subject as someone attempting to explore this environment, the main issue is attempting to expand this into something that will engage the audience. I've thought about using a voice over diary, maybe the subject takes a pill and this triggers the experiences, and we use the gps between trips into the screen to explore his thoughts on the idea. A pill is useful, the reason the science is neglected in a film like Inception is that whilst it needs to be acknowledged all the audience really needs is an excuse to buy to concept. That's what I'm after. The main test of this idea at the moment is testing footage to see if it will coherently edit together. This is what I'm attempting to do in the next couple of days.
B examines interaction through screen media and shared cultural uses. So using shared films to link people in different locations but then following other links like facebook on smartphones, online use of games, twitter, TV shows etc to create a loop back to the originator. This project could contrast relationships with the same media between different users. This would use much less found footage and could cinematically be quite interesting creating contrasting environments but making them look like a part of the same film. The mechanic of zooming in on each screen and then zooming out to reveal the new location could be very interesting as well, but requires some tests. Of course some distortion of the screen as it's zoomed in on could be useful, illustrating difference from person to person even in the nature of the screen itself. Again, I need to find some narrative through-line that engages the actual audience.
My research so far has been focused on Norman K Denzin's The Cinematic Society. The principle's I'm hoping to explore are the types of gaze screen media creates and the nature of the audiences gaze. Firstly, the three gazes- The audience at the screen, the camera at the subjects and the characters at each other. I'm unsure about the gaze between characters, but linking and differentiating the gaze of the audience and camera is inherent to both my prospective ideas. The other aspect Denzin highlights is the nature of the gaze, violent, political, sexual and personal. The complexity of these ideas may be an aspect I can link in since I'm essentially watching people watching.
I've yet to find a suitable solution to my problem of choosing a structure for my piece. For future reference I'll call them Idea A and Idea B. To recap.
A explores the potential rabbit-hole nature of screen media, following the gaze of TV characters and exploring their own media. The aim is to create a chain of people watching people watching people, structured as a scientific experiment (two attempts and one successful loop back on onto the experimenter themselves who is videoing their attempt). I like the structure of using the initial subject as someone attempting to explore this environment, the main issue is attempting to expand this into something that will engage the audience. I've thought about using a voice over diary, maybe the subject takes a pill and this triggers the experiences, and we use the gps between trips into the screen to explore his thoughts on the idea. A pill is useful, the reason the science is neglected in a film like Inception is that whilst it needs to be acknowledged all the audience really needs is an excuse to buy to concept. That's what I'm after. The main test of this idea at the moment is testing footage to see if it will coherently edit together. This is what I'm attempting to do in the next couple of days.
B examines interaction through screen media and shared cultural uses. So using shared films to link people in different locations but then following other links like facebook on smartphones, online use of games, twitter, TV shows etc to create a loop back to the originator. This project could contrast relationships with the same media between different users. This would use much less found footage and could cinematically be quite interesting creating contrasting environments but making them look like a part of the same film. The mechanic of zooming in on each screen and then zooming out to reveal the new location could be very interesting as well, but requires some tests. Of course some distortion of the screen as it's zoomed in on could be useful, illustrating difference from person to person even in the nature of the screen itself. Again, I need to find some narrative through-line that engages the actual audience.
My research so far has been focused on Norman K Denzin's The Cinematic Society. The principle's I'm hoping to explore are the types of gaze screen media creates and the nature of the audiences gaze. Firstly, the three gazes- The audience at the screen, the camera at the subjects and the characters at each other. I'm unsure about the gaze between characters, but linking and differentiating the gaze of the audience and camera is inherent to both my prospective ideas. The other aspect Denzin highlights is the nature of the gaze, violent, political, sexual and personal. The complexity of these ideas may be an aspect I can link in since I'm essentially watching people watching.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Blog 2
Action plan going forward-
-Storyboard plan going forward
-Sound test (picture within show)
-Post production image test
-Identify timecodes for ripping/editing
-ID ripping method & confirm working practice
-Research Theoretical context
I'm currently examining the potential narratives going forward with a view to creating my initial storyboards, or at least some samples for the test video. Currently my idea is moving towards examining shared screen cultures, both within fictional characters and in the actual audience, so we might see persons from a TV show and an actual audience watching the same material and understanding the same references. So this might be less about a direct linear loop and more about people's interactions around TV shows, comparing and contrasting and seeing how different people explore these shows. My framing device is still likely to be a youtube video of someone videoing themselves watching TV, but now I'm thinking of exploring shared cultures looping out from this person, show someone else watching the same show in a different place and then maybe have them typing and responding to each other and others through message boards and texts. If I can develop a storyboard even examining the first few minutes it would be ideal. It might be about the framing character becoming more than just that, being the epicentre of us exploring this concept as we see potential emotional consequences or positives of living only through screen culture. It's a diverse world to explore, perhaps more so than many people realize but in terms of real world interaction it does create limits. There is also the question of how to make text on screen interesting, perhaps using text noises and then close-up responses of the phone as messages are read and responses are generated. I'd also aim to utilize a more complex depiction of that aspect, so inclusive of facebook and twitter as well. The aim is to get the audience to recognize from their own experience how diverse our everyday use of these technologies is.
The intermingling of fictional and factual shows, news reports, sport, video games, internet, mobiles provides a wide base for exploration beyond just TV shows, I could explore people for instance responding as though playing a beat-em-up game on a console and using controllers but the actual footage they're watching is from a sitcom and their responses, usually to punches or wins, would instead be to verbal interactions.
Perhaps those additional layers will be the way this interaction is dictated, instead of screens within screens and recontextualising footage I could create narratives around these different players as long as I can create dynamic ways of representing each screen format. I plan to create some storyboard ideas surrounding both potential approaches, that way if the screen format issues of using multiple additional programs in conjunction with each other I have an idea with a similar basis to fall back on.
-Storyboard plan going forward
-Sound test (picture within show)
-Post production image test
-Identify timecodes for ripping/editing
-ID ripping method & confirm working practice
-Research Theoretical context
I'm currently examining the potential narratives going forward with a view to creating my initial storyboards, or at least some samples for the test video. Currently my idea is moving towards examining shared screen cultures, both within fictional characters and in the actual audience, so we might see persons from a TV show and an actual audience watching the same material and understanding the same references. So this might be less about a direct linear loop and more about people's interactions around TV shows, comparing and contrasting and seeing how different people explore these shows. My framing device is still likely to be a youtube video of someone videoing themselves watching TV, but now I'm thinking of exploring shared cultures looping out from this person, show someone else watching the same show in a different place and then maybe have them typing and responding to each other and others through message boards and texts. If I can develop a storyboard even examining the first few minutes it would be ideal. It might be about the framing character becoming more than just that, being the epicentre of us exploring this concept as we see potential emotional consequences or positives of living only through screen culture. It's a diverse world to explore, perhaps more so than many people realize but in terms of real world interaction it does create limits. There is also the question of how to make text on screen interesting, perhaps using text noises and then close-up responses of the phone as messages are read and responses are generated. I'd also aim to utilize a more complex depiction of that aspect, so inclusive of facebook and twitter as well. The aim is to get the audience to recognize from their own experience how diverse our everyday use of these technologies is.
The intermingling of fictional and factual shows, news reports, sport, video games, internet, mobiles provides a wide base for exploration beyond just TV shows, I could explore people for instance responding as though playing a beat-em-up game on a console and using controllers but the actual footage they're watching is from a sitcom and their responses, usually to punches or wins, would instead be to verbal interactions.
Perhaps those additional layers will be the way this interaction is dictated, instead of screens within screens and recontextualising footage I could create narratives around these different players as long as I can create dynamic ways of representing each screen format. I plan to create some storyboard ideas surrounding both potential approaches, that way if the screen format issues of using multiple additional programs in conjunction with each other I have an idea with a similar basis to fall back on.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)