EXPERIMENTAL FILM

CONTEMPORARY FILM - TRUMP

The purpose of this short film is to touch down on the situation thats been happening over across the atlantic and the recent protests against America's 45th President Donald Trump. Considering Trump is the most talked about issue of late with his new foreign and domestic policies, I wanted to comment visually by merging the protesters against the voice of Trump. Personally I liked the contrast this film created with what we see on the news and how American society depicts him. In my short video those who stand against Trump, silenced by the overwhelming voice which is ironic as Trump being the leader and spokesmen for his country is meant to be singular voice speaking on behalf of his people to the world. 

The image below is my own propaganda pieces made to accompany the short contemporary film about the conflict today with Donald Trump. I used the Statue of Liberty because it signifies freedom and felt this was a interesting contrast to play upon. To complete the propaganda piece I added elements of trump to symbolise control over freedom which relates back to his immigration bans and Mexican wall policies. 

AVALANCHE SOUND EXERCISE

SOUND WORKSHOP III



As part of our continuation of our sound workshops we were tasked to create a multi mix track of sounds that resembled the noises of an avalanche, provided as an image for us. I used a collection of wind, footsteps and loud cracking sounds to create my piece and within  Adobe Audition I was able to lower the pitch and create effects, which helped immensely to getting the sounds right to the image of the avalanche.

Sound Exercise 

MATERIALISM

This week we were tasked to create another short video as part of our weekly assignment. The theme for this was materialism.

Drawing inspiration from one or more of the video artists we have explored, create a short one to two minute work (or work in progress) referencing the materiality of the digital (as opposed to analogue film). 

This could be the internet, social media, apps, gaming or digital technology of any kind You might want to explore how images can be manipulated through using premier pro software for example. Think about making something that might play as a loop ie playing over and over again. 

MATERIALISM

The inspiration for my short film was the idea that society revolves around currency to survive. But that we survive only to continue earning currency. How we do this in this era is through technological means such as online banking, ATM's, Paypal etc.. this is emphasised by the computerised voice over.

TIME - Experimental Media

Time - Short Film

We were given a the theme of Time and allowed creative control to explore the theme in whatever way we wanted. At the end of the project we had to produce a short film. My first idea was to create a time lapse of my own personal photographs from Birth to the present day, this would show the idea of change and growth over time. However I decided to explore something more symbolic and suggestive, similar to the work of Bill Viola.

This new approach did require much more planning, and a larger crew to capture all of the shots that I wanted. It also required strict safety precautions due to the use of fire.

Finished Film

I wanted to show a measure of time, and how it consumes. I feel that I successfully showed this by using the fire and showing how it consumes the rope that it is lit upon. The rope was positioned around to represent a clock, further placing emphasis of time. If I was to create this project again, I would have made the clock much more clear and detailed. 

SOUND WORKSHOP II

SOUND SYNCING WITH MOVING IMAGE







Today's workshop was to teach us about being able to use Adobe audition to synchronise sounds to accompany films and the various sounds and sound effects we could use in order to achieve an effective and accurate result.

Adobe Audition Interface

Sound editing was done in Adobe Audition, which was then exported into Adobe Premiere to synchronise against the animation below. Overall I found this project fun and would definitely like to explore the production, editing and synchronisation of sound in my future films.

Adobe Premiere Interface

Finished Film

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adobe Audition logo:

https://blogs.adobe.com/creativecloud/files/2017/01/audition_cc_logo_no_shadow_1024.png

Adobe premier logo:

http://cdn.videoguys.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p/r/premiere-pro-logo_2.jpg

TJ SCOTT

SILHOUETTE PHOTOGRAPHY

T J SCOTT

http://www.tjscottpictures.com 

T J Scott is a renowned film and television director and producer. He is also known for his screenwriting and photography. The 30 years that he has spent working in the film industry has earned him various awards for a variety of tv programmes, such as Orphan Black and Gotham. However despite his success in film and television I want to focus more on his photography.

The Idea of looking at silhouette photography came to me after the second workshop that we had on Tuesday 24th January 2017. The workshop was based on creating a well lit scene, with the use of different lighting sources and techniques to add dramatic movie appeal. One of the issues we faced was how to get rid of the casting shadows that spilled into the background of our scenes. These shadows often caused much frustration to me. But through this workshop I realised the usefulness of shadows and how they could be used to create an dramatic and effective portrait in photography.

What I like about his pieces, and something that I try to interpretation in my own work, is his reflections of ourselves. The shadows we cast are symbolising perhaps our desires or an alternative to reality and are suggestive of where we'd rather be or be going. I would suggest this because the layout of his pieces seem to explore a sense of fiction alongside his subjects that are coated in black shadow. The shadow itself could portray his subjects craving to be basked in the light or are maybe a reflection of society and personal motives. Especially as the background is lit with warm colours and tinges of subtle orange to give it a comforting feeling.

Whats I also find interesting about his photography is how they seem to be created to be looking in a specific direction. This implies to me that a lot of his subjects appear to be on the precipice of making a long journey onwards, which could be an emphasis on decision and the choices we make that are setting us on a path within our own lives.

My response

My response was to create a similar piece using the sunrise as my light source. I chose to do the shoot at this particular time at sunrise because the light gave off a faint glow, which applied a luminescent effect to my photographs. The glow rising from the background also creates symbolism of new hopes, fresh start and that a new day coming. What I like about these images in terms of underlying meaning and my exploration of symbolism, is how the night is darker just before the dawn, and that both of these concepts can be seen in the photograph.

The image above was more experimental than the rest of my chosen pieces. I thought that it complimented T J Scotts work, as it shows lines heading towards a direction - the sunrise. Which in turn gives off a warm and pleasant feeling, that a new day is coming over in that direction.

In this image I experimented with shapes and lines. The contrast between the dark night and the brightness of the day can be clearly seen. The glow of the approaching Sunrise runs along the middle line separating the dark and light. 

The subject appears to be looking toward the sunrise and also into the sky. Suggesting a state of wonderment, and thoughtful pondering potentially leading to decisions and chasing a path to take.

BIBLIOGRAPHY


-T J Scott website:

http://www.tjscottpictures.com


-T J Scott self portrait:

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/hercxena/images/6/6c/TJ_Scott.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160115122942


- Man with the guitar:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g6WMoMCjg4M/maxresdefault.jpg


- Dancing woman in the sunlight:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4138/4760403077_540f160487_b.jpg


- The dancer and musician together:

http://www.mmagazin.sk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/4.jpg


- Girl walking off towards the sun:

http://www.cuded.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/20110430_13_she_takes_her_shoes_off_to_dance_wide600_425.jpg


- Boys on bikes:


http://hotpenguin.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/silhouettes16.jpg


- Two boys on a bicycle:

http://webneel.com/daily/sites/default/files/images/daily/07-2013/24-best-silhouette-photography.jpg


- Swinging party:

http://9bytz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/TJ-Scott-Silhouette-Photography-1.jpg


-Boy alone staring at the sunset:


http://weezbo.com/images/2014/01/1388936170_4-640x429.jpg

LIGHTING WORKSHOP II

LIGHTING WORKSHOP II

A SHOWREEL OF GELS AND LIGHTING 

Overall I'm pleased with the set ups created in this workshop and so decided to make a short showreel of some of the shots we managed to achieve in this lighting workshop. Working as a team of 6 or more we managed to execute a 3 point lighting technique using a complicated set up involving back lights, fill lights and key lights, filters and other textures to break up unwanted shadows. Doing so we managed to get a desired affect using these useful techniques.

BIBLIOGRAPHY


- Music by:

http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/new-dawn

SOUND WORKSHOP I

This was the first workshop of the new term that we explored the use of sound. During this we were taught the various techniques that could be used to produce a good sound for our visual pieces and the equipment used. We had access to a variety of different microphones and were taught a few different set ups. Specifically, we were taught about polar patterns and shown how to set the Mic up to record for live music.




In our workshop we primarily had Ben play the guitar and Donna record vocals but also explored other sounds using different vocalists and guitars.




Polar Patterns Explored

Each contemporary microphone used in sound today has a specific Polar Pattern. The basis of a Polar Pattern is in which direction a microphone picks up sound. It is the sensitivity of a microphones ability to pick up sounds coming from different angles towards its centre.

Cardioid Polar Pattern
A commonly used directional polar pattern, an example of this used in practice would be in the microphone held by a Vocalist when performing on stage. It is often used to pick up only one sound source and is not as sensitive to sounds around this main source, at its sides or rear.

Super-cardioid/Hyper-cardioid Polar Pattern
This is a variation on the classic Cardioid shape but have a tighter and more narrow directionality at the front. Most commonly used in Shot Gun Mics or on Cameras. This Polar Pattern will pickup some sound from its rear. This is good for isolating sound and focusing on one source.

Omni-directional Polar Pattern
Microphones with this Polar Pattern pickup sound sources from every directions which makes them useful for moving subjects, ambience or sound that is not easily controlled. Most often used in Lavalier Mic's. These microphones are flexible but are the nosiest.

Figure of Eight (Bidirectional) 
These Microphones pick up sound sources from the front and the rear but block out sound from the sides. They are most often used in interviews where the Mic needs to pick up two audio sources.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Source: http://www.rode.com/blog/all/what-are-a-microphones-polar-patterns

LIGHTING WORKSHOP I

Lighting has always been very visually powerful and has been consistently used through film, even in paintings. Lighting creates the mood setting emotions in place and creating a unique style, what we mostly use it for is for storytelling because like words and music it has its own language we can interpret. 

the objectives for this workshop were for us to be able to understand, set and operate lights to industry standards. Operate and identify the variety of light diffusions, gels and filters. 

Above is a hybrid temperature chart showing the colour temperatures that most professionals in the industry have come across frequently.

Three point lighting was used in our layouts in order to create a professional standard well lit scene. We began at first using the open light to cast shadows in order for us to determine where the next light source should be placed to counter the shadow making, the best way we did this was trying to distance our subjects away from the wall as much as possible. This ensured our background wasn't going to be in focus and preventing any shadows. Further on we began exploring the different ways we could harness the light through diffusion, using gels and filters we could soften the lights for a gentle glow or even make the light change colour through coloured gels. This created subtle differences with some filters and in others created a vastly different style of shooting. I myself was particularly fond of the gels, this is because they had a dramatic change on the subjects themselves and seemed to amplify their emotions which was really interesting to see, from the perspective of a camera's eyes. However in future I would like to use a similar method using the lights with as little coloured filters as possible, this could help me understand the language of effective lighting a bit more with a bit less enhancement to the lights itself. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Colour chart:

http://lowel.tiffen.com/edu/images/colortemp/colortemp.jpg

PHOTOSHOP EDIT II

PHOTOSHOP EDIT II


I wanted to begin creating a visually powerful photo and with reflective feedback from peers and tutors I put aside my previous edits and explored a new concept.

This piece represents current affairs being dealt with in the past five years or so. This is a subject that removes me from my comfort zone and has me taking a risk with my creativity. Generally I have always been more interested in the themes of fictional, but I took this piece in a more realistic direction whilst still maintaining hints of fictional symbolism to invoke an underlying message.

I am happy with the results and would like to continue to explore more realistic and current themes in my work. I feel that art, in whatever form, connects more to its audience when the audience can relate to it in their own lives in someway. Such as with this piece and its connections to war, loss and the violent world we are living in.