Paste the link here from your version of the abstract editing exercise.  Then reflect on the whole process – Consider: the quality and usability of your recordings; the effect of layering and juxtaposition of both the audio and the video and; the things you learnt from working with this kind of audio and video.

https://vimeo.com/103489040

I really liked a few of the audio tracks we recorded, such as of the lone basketballer shooting hoops in the courtyard.  The quality of the recordings were good, however, many of the tracks were indistinguishable chatter and noise, seemingly without a target subject, such as our attempt to record the sounds of RMIT’s cafeteria.  The sounds would work for atmos, but more direct sounds for this exercise would have been more suited.  The video task was insightful, and we experimented a little from traditional shots.  I really liked the overexposure from sunlight streaming through the lens, and while this may look awful in a drama film, for documentary purposes, the experimentation pays off, and we kept the iris settings as such throughout our shots, giving the film an apparently blue hue.

In terms of the editing, it was interesting to reinvent and re-purpose random material and add the non-digetic sounds to unrelated images.  I think layering the sounds could have worked better, rather than the abrupt cuts I chose, but overall, it was an interesting exercise and one to definitely take into account before producing our major documentary assessment.

Select from one of the readings and briefly describe two points that you have taken from it. Points that excite you, something that was completely new to you. 

I found the article Documentary Storytelling by Bernard Curran very interesting and insightful into the world of documentary filmmaking.  Here are two points I took away from it:

• It was interesting to learn how, as is often the case with documentary filmmakers, the story is “found” or realised and refined after planning and pre-production.  Curran explains that this is not to say that “a film maker has simply shot material without any story in mind, but that he or she alters the story’s focus or, more likely, its structure during production and post-production”.  This method however, for American documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, necessitates a high shooting ratio and a lengthy editing period; time we will not have, but it’s important that we don’t restrict ourselves in the footage that we have only planned on taking, by serendipitously shooting footage that pleases and appeals to us.
• There are a large range of factors to consider in order to make a successful documentary.  From a target audience, to the film’s relevance, and what has already been explored in previous documentary projects.  However, one of the most important aspects is the film’s hook.  How will audiences become interested in the film’s subject in the first place?  “The essence of the story and its characters, encapsulating the drama that’s about to unfold” must be established from early on in the piece, Curran writes.  Commonly, the hook involves a conflict of interest between two or more of the film’s subjects.

In the lecture we screened a short film called ‘End of the Line’ – the film shot in Broken Hill. 

Please describe in 300 words or less if you think they achieved what they set out to do.  You may not remember much detail, if so, it could be helpful to talk about your first impressions, after all this is what most of us are left with after one viewing.  Feel free to write to any categories you wish (eg. story, choice of participants, sound, camera, editing, etc.). 

Listen to the audio you recorded in Tute #1.  Write a paragraph or two about your recording from a technical and/or “poetic” perspective.  Consider:

What these sounds evoke for you.  What associations they have. 

Do any of your recordings suggest images?  What might they be?  

Do any of your recordings suggest the possibility of other recordings?

I particularly enjoy the sound we recorded in the Week 1 Audio Task of the solo basketball player shooting hoops.  To me, the sound could be used to demonstrate the drive and determination of this person to better themselves at the sport, their dedication emphasised by clearly being the only person on court, heard by the atmospheric silences between the bouncing of the ball, the spring off the backboard, and the shuffling of feet as he runs to retrieve the ball.

Listen to the first 10 minutes of Glenn Gould’s radio documentary, “The Idea of North”.  The idea of North 10min.wav or Files are here (experimenting with different sizes and file types) If possible, use headphones.  Record your impressions in a paragraph or two.

I didn’t warm to Glenn Gould’s 1967 radio documentary “The Idea of North”.  Of course, with little background knowledge about the creation of the piece, I found it hard to follow, and despite further research, the documentary still did not resonate with me.  I found the first three minutes of the documentary to contian little purpose, beginning with seemingly all of the interviewees edited together in an almost senseless cacophony, and found it particularly hard to focus on any particular voice.  Despite this profound effect, which may have been of outstanding use for a documentary of another subject, I found its use here completely nonsensical, irrelevant and confusing.

I found that even when the piece was formally introduced by the narrator (I think), the subject, or at least the piece’s motive, was still unclear, as well as who the people talking were and why they were being interviewed.  Perhaps I’ve overlooked some important defining details, or possibly the piece’s style is sufficiently dated, but I really didn’t connect to ‘The Idea of North’, or at least, its first ten minutes.

In this week’s lecture, scenes from Scott Ruo’s ‘Four Images’, Brian Hill’s ‘Drinking for England’ and Chantal Akerman’s ‘D’Est’ were screened.  Choose one of these, and consider, in a single paragraph, what might have intrigued, interested, displeased or repelled you.

I found Brian Hill’s ‘Drinking for England’ rather amusing, the poetic rhythm of the rhyming couplets used throughout not only extremely clever, but also applicable to the documentary’s substance on drinking, and gave the film quite an ‘intoxicated’ feel.  The film, not only in the title, but in the cinematography, was incredibly English, and I absolutely loved the look of the British bars, characters, accents, and humour.  Despite all this, the film’s subject matter is incredibly serious, and is a film I would like to watch in full soon.

In 200 words or less please outline your goals, desires – what you want to get out of this semester. You will review this later in the course. Many will rethink this dramatically by the end of the course – this is a good thing.

As with Film-TV 1, I wish to continue to expand my filmmaking knowledge exponentially with its follow up this semester.  I’m looking extremely forward to creating a documentary, and would like to employ much more artistic and creative expressions than that of the narrative film in the previous semester.  Although undetermined as to the subject of documentary I will be involved in creating, it appears that although there will perhaps be much more planning be done before the shoot, the shoot itself should be completed much more efficiently; an area I’d like to improve upon for this second film.  As director in the previous project, I learned much from the experience, and is a role I would be happy to take on once more, however, it could potentially be more beneficial for myself to work more with the technical equipment on camera or audio, to further expand my knowledge with the process.  I’d also like to take a more hands-on role throughout the editing process, having gained some confidence tweaking our last project.

Week 1 Response:

“For this semester of Film and TV 1, I would simply like to gain experience undertaking and attempting multiple roles of the many that are required to produce a (short) film.  It may sound like a basic and uninspired goal to some, however for me, filmmaking is a very new prospect and one I never thought I would be trialling even after enrolling in RMIT’s media course.  I very much feel as though this subject could be a highly influential deciding factor on my future career, and will not hold back when given the responsibility to accomplish set tasks.  I would gladly accept any job given to me, but would particularly relish any opportunity to either write our short film’s screenplay, or even to be handed the seemingly high pressure task of directing; both roles of which I feel I would be capable of tackling.”

Film and TV 1 definitely lived up to the hype that precedes it and my expectations for the subject were constantly lived up to and exceeded.  Though at the beginning of the semester, while I was secretly looking forward to the possibility of the role as director of a short film, I didn’t necessarily feel like I would be the best candidate for the job at all, group members pertaining, as I had zero previous experience as to what the task particularly encompassed, though it was a challenge I would be willing to accept.  As the cards fell, I did end up directing, and is an experience I have no regrets over, even from the mistakes I made and learned from.  It is a role I would definitely like to take on again in the near future, whether for a Film/TV 2 project, or beyond.

While guidance for both pre- and production was excellent, in both the lectures and tutorials, I felt a little like a fish-out-of-water during post-production, being relativelyunfamiliar with most types of editing software, even after attending the extra editing tutorials, which at times still seemed too advanced for myself – I felt like I was missing the in-between steps.  Here, I do feel like I could have tried to help myself further throughout this process, via instruction manuals and YouTube tutorials etc., but skimmed over a lot of it, due to our group having one particularly competent editor, and I feel like I could have put in some more time and physical help in accomplishing our final product.  When she left to go overseas however, I do feel like I sufficiently stepped up to fill her role to put the finishing touches on the film.  Tutors Robin and Paul were always on hand to offer helpful advice, and easy to contact via email outside of class times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this semester of Film and TV 1, and hope to learn as much as I have over the past six months in Film and TV 2.

A Love Lost

I found ‘A Love Lost’ a refreshing subject amidst the many other comedic and dramatic films of the night, and therefore, even regardless of its excellent quality, it would have been memorable.  A story of a man who in recent years has tragically lost his wife, I feel was a bold decision, but reaped the rewards of telling a more unique story.  I found the film quite emotional, which was obviously its intent, and is a credit to all involved.  It was well cast, and very cleverly displayed the passing of time effectively, by changing as little as the man’s facial hair.  Framing of shots both static and in motion was excellent, and the various lighting, such as the candlelit dinner worked to stunning effect.  A fantastic short film, with a heartfelt message.

Pranking Frank

I feel that ‘Pranking Frank’ was the best executed comedy of the night, and set the tone of the film very early in the piece, wasting no time in revealing Frank’s mischievous craze of prank-calling, though he is not very convincing at it, until he accidentally meets another veteran prankster.  Again, the framing of shots was excellent, and stood out due to the fantastic performance of the casting choices.  I found the film a little jarring at the conclusion; I’m not sure whether this was from an acting perspective or perhaps tweaking of the script was required to more clearly demonstrate the character’s motives, but that’s being picky.  A well structured film, with good value for laughs.

The Hole

The stylistic choices of ‘The Hole’, such as the use of the almost silent, slapstick comedy, combined with the black and white picture worked perfectly.  The male actor in particular almost looks like he’s taken from that mimicked time period.  The costumes and setting of the beach and restaurant even looked incredibly European.  Again a short film with an uncomplicated plot provided a personal highlight, and although it was a ‘comedy’, it didn’t rely on its jokes to be a good film in itself.

It’s hard for me to know which keyboard shortcuts are the best when using Adobe Premiere, as I’ve had very little experience in editing video with any type of software, let alone Adobe Premiere in particular.  Regardless, these are the shortcuts I feel could be useful and time-saving:

Go to Previous Edit Point – Up

Go to Next Edit Point – Down

Render Effects in Work Area – Return

Add Edit – Cmd+K

Snap – S

Mark In – I

Mark Out – O

Save – Cmd+S