A1:

There are quite a few different audio layers at work within this sequence, primarily these consist of dialogue from the interviewee, songs and backing tracks, a variety of sound FX and voiceover. Each different layers has different functions which when combined generate a sound scape which guides the viewer shaping the tone and message of the sequence. The voice of the interviewee is used as we establish the journalist as the main participant as well as the authority of other interviewees; it is the most consistent sound that is used to guide the viewer as she unveils the inaccuracies of minor details in the story. Songs and backing tracks are used to establish and reinforce tone of each smaller sequence. There are two main songs; the song in the intro establishes a definitive tone which is quickly squandered by the introduction of the journalist, the second track which occurs in the later portion of the sequence is a more up beat combination of string instruments that supports the pace and movement of the documentary as they begin quickly disproving each element of the book. The voice over fills the gaps, serving to either read portions of the book or inform the viewer as to the logic of the documentary maker setting up the next shot in which the journalist investigates each element. The sound FX are an interesting touch in that there is a large variety of everything from keyboard tapping to chiming and camera snaps, each being used to emphasizes the action within the scene or a transition. I think the combined layering effect of these audio elements is a sound which firmly but quickly guides the viewer through the journalists investigates with sound effects overtly notifying the audience at key moments.

A2:

Four new key shortcuts and functions

1: Snap – S

the ability to toggle snap  on and off can help make the fine cut process more efficient.

2: Paste attributes – opt+cmd+V

this shortcut could prove helpful when pasting particular attributes(colour grades, etc) onto multiple clips.

3: Speed/Duration – Cmd+R

a useful tool for creating timelapses/ modifying the speed of certain clips

4:Add Marker – M

helpful when needing to mark specific points in clips for further use/notice

A3:

A few features that intrigued me from this short film were minaly elements of the cinematography and also the themes in which they convey. One of the most interesting elements of the cinematography was perhaps the layering and depth of space most if not all of the shots utilized. Most shots occurred in a busy urban landscape yet the size of the frame and motivated camera movement picks out a subject from within the crowd honing focus in on them rather than the chaos that surrounds them. Complementing this is the shot size and distance from the subject, mostly consisting of close up and medium shots these elements create interplay of depth between the subject, foreground and background. Between the subject and the flashing shapes of the cars that pass through the frame, the shot construction appears to make the cars into more abstract shapes. One example of this is my favourite shot within the film from 0:26 – 0:32 the camera focuses on a lady attempting to cross the street with cars running both in front and behind her, for a brief instant a bus runs in front of the camera and we can see through its windows the reflections of another car as well as the lady. The result abstracts the image in the reflection and provides an great of example of the filmmakers experimentation of planes of vision and focus.

The films cinematography is shot to reinforce the thematic concerns of the film. As the name of the title ‘The distant gaze’ is shot from a long distance onlooking public interactions with a kind of voyeuristic nature. Some consistent themes that I picked up were children, pets, feet, hands, facial interactions and emotion. The voiceover at the start sets a poetic overtone as the music matches the pace of the film. The structure I think s reinforced through the shot of the man talking to the woman within the crowd, This structure the film as it I seemingly the only shot which the viewer is returned to in the film.

A4:

From reading – The art of documentary by Megan Cunningham

The first point interests me not because it is completely new concept but because the way in which Haskell Wexler described his idea of filming reality. Wexler states that once images are recorded by a medium they cease to be reality and that the simple selective process of deciding what to frame negates any form of reality, the image then become the filmmakers reality and by doing so may not represent the truth. Perhaps it is naive of me but before reading this I had known the process of filming was inherently selecting a certain perspective or reality but I had not always tied that directly to the filmmaker. Nevertheless I still think this concept is interesting especially when applied to particular situations for instance in a film with multiple directors/ camera men whose ‘reality’ is it? Can you in some cases say that the film is a result of a shared or collaborative reality etc.

Another section from this reading that interested me was where she asked Wexler about creative conflict and how she deals with it. From her answer is seems that her decision is to push the director to define what they are looking for, she then goes onto say that directors can also give contradictory direction.  It seems the methods Hexler suggests center on poor planning and vague or contradictory direction. I think we can utilize this in our production by putting more emphasis on pre production and making sure whoever is directing as a strong concept of the direction they wish to take the film in as well as being able to define that direction and communicate it effectively to the rest of the crew.