Project Brief 3’s task was to make a Video Portrait of someone. I decided to interview my friend Mark Malate (also known as Reiis), who is an up-and-coming Melbourne hip hop artist. There were many difficulties that I faced in this task that effected the overall quality of the film, but managed to capture Reiis as an artist and a performer through footage and overall flow.
The interview itself was very well constructed and suited the overall vibe of the video, as the natural lighting and background of the brick wall was very aesthetically pleasing but not distracting. Although, during the interview I faced one major quality-effecting difficulty: the audio. The audio recorder that I used did not have a cover on it to dull the wind, so the background noise has degraded the overall quality of the interview.
The stagnant footage of the interview verses the movement that is seen in the footage of the gigs works to show juxtaposing personalities of Reiis as an emotional artist and a engaging performer. Even though the two segments differ majorly, they still work to compliment each other aesthetically through their grunge-like vibe.
I was very unprepared with my location, as it was chosen last-minute by the interviewee. I was intending to film b-roll in the studio, but due to lack of lighting I was very unsuccessful. Thankfully I found alternatives and obtained permission to use footage from someone who has previously filmed Reiis at gigs.
As I didn’t have a variation of footage from gigs, I added in ‘pop-up’ screenshots of Reiis’ previous and upcoming gigs. The effect may seem slightly out of place, but it works on that aspect in ways of promotion and showing how much he has grown in the Melbourne hip hop scene. This is a very juvenile and millennial way of advertising, but works as it reflects Reiis perfectly as a young artist.
The film ends quite abruptly and seemingly awkwardly, though it has been done to create a ‘to be continued…‘ effect. Reiis ends the film talking about how his name had gotten out there, this is to show that this is only just the start of his career and there is much more to come from this Melbourne-born hip-hop artist.
During this process I really noticed the importance of a title sequence, and how putting in effort to create something of quality really changes the whole film. As it is the first impression that the audience gets of the film, it is important to do it well and creatively to set the tone of the film.
The creation of this film had many mishaps in regards to location, filming and dealing with people. This experience was very beneficial in developing my skills and being able to handle unexpected situations. I was able to solve my problems through thinking of alternative options (found footage). I believe that these mishaps have given me organisational skills that I never would have gotten if they hadn’t happened, benefitting me as a media practitioner.
Overall, the process of filming and collecting footage really tested my creativity in ways of showing Reiis as both an artist and performer. I worked through mishaps and found other resources to create a successful video portrait of juxtaposing personalities and attitudes.
