Research question:

How do you capture the atmosphere of a place?

Statement:

For my investigation, I wanted to explore the connection between space and mood, specifically how places (or non-places) can have different atmospheres. 

I was inspired by extracts from Patricio Guzmán’s documentary Nostalgia for the Light, as well as the closing sequence from the season one finale of Lena Dunham’s Girls. I admired how each of these works were able to use music or dialogue, in conjunction with creative and incredibly beautiful shots, to create distinctive moods. 

Initially, my main focus was on cinematography; to create aesthetically pleasing shots and colour grades so that the visuals were the standout aspect of the videos. However, as I started shooting and editing, I began to experiment with audio as well, delving into voiceovers, music and soundscapes. 

For my original proposal, I planned to location scout around the city and find one suitable place to shoot all my exercises. I would film there at three different times of the day to see how the place changed. However, after doing test shoots at various spots around the CBD, I found that all the public locations I looked at were too busy and cluttered, making it hard to create the aesthetic visions I had. 

Instead, I have created a series of short exercises that aim to capture the essence of a place at the particular moment I shot at. I started with two basic ideas of capturing my home during the day, because it’s somewhere I’m familiar with, and a street intersection at night because I am fascinated with how a place can change to become so much more ambient at night. 

For my Home video, I set out to film objects and views in my house that make it unique and special, with a focus on creative angles and framing. In post production, I intended to create a soundscape of the native sounds I hear at home, for example birds chirping and the clock ticking in the living room. After discussion and feedback, a refined version added a voiceover narration which I felt enhanced the piece. For the night video, I wanted to capture a nostalgic, soft and romanticised feel with an atmospheric piano soundtrack. To do this, I shot a lot of bokeh effects with streetlights and colour graded the clips with soft colour palettes.

Through my investigations and trial and error in post production, the main takeaway I had was how sound can completely transform a piece of video. Although the visual is important, it was the addition of soundscapes and music that emphasised the mood of the exercises I created.

Screener:

Screener Final from Jessica Xiao on Vimeo.

Videos:

Night: Final from Jessica Xiao on Vimeo.

Home Version 2 from Jessica Xiao on Vimeo.