Again, by rough I mean so rough you could slice your fingers off with a single touch. Our Premiere timeline, while comprehensive, was fragmented and broken into a bunch of random clips of both audio and video. We finally reached a point where our ideas all found a central converging point and the script seems nearing its final stages; everything just rests on the matter of choosing what to split for each essay.
After Effects has been summoned for the video and I’m going to make the effort to learn a few quick little tips and tricks to spice up what Rachel described as a ‘slideshow’. Wish me luck.
By rough cut, I mean really rough cut; so rough that it doesn’t exist at this point. My group has been through a plenitude of re-hauls in direction, from social media to audiences and back and it seems like we’ll never find a nice topic to settle on. At this point, we’ve a rough draft of a script with parts floating around in all different directions.
We had complications with one of group members (who was on narration) during the past few days which set us back a week but we can and will rebuild. Audition is a feisty beast that can be tamed.
Brian set us in motion with a few tips on the texture of the essay, recommending we head down to the ACMI site and catch some ‘on-the-fly’ audio. And so we did. And what a journey it was. The other members of my group had never been so it was an enlightening experience for them personally (I hope/I guess) and for us as a group, which may sprout newer, more creative ideas in the future. Bring on week 12.
I love everything about this but the onscreen text: the fonts, the full stop at the end of your name at the title, and the positioning of the band member’s names and titles make me angry but it’s only because I love that you that I feel I can say this. The backing music (which even comes from the band) fits nicely and is set the right level. Shots which include the lead singing directly into the camera (and in the recording studio?? as a whole) work excellently to fit the tone of the video. Achieves a very professional look, thanks to the lighting and framing of the central interview. Cool.
Probably the best use of found footage in the class. Backing music is maybe a touch too loud and the interviewee maybe repeats herself towards the end (surrounding stage fright), but makes up for it in that she expands on her previous points and that it isn’t simple repetition. Framing and lighting are excellent and it flows really well.
I like how you broke the rules and shot in a car, very ambitious. The second (side) angle on the main interview is probably my only criticism, but makes up for it with a nice little green garden. Central message is awesome. I totally agree. Love the muuuuuuusic, and that it juggled the interview with a day in the life of.
I hate how you exposed your sister for only studying 7/8 subjects at school but I appreciate that you spent like 7/8 hours on editing this (at least in one session). The brief little flashes of light on your interviewee’s face totally elevates your interview to celestial levels (see: the ending of To The Wonder). Music also helps with this. Switching of frames between sections of the interview also is a nice refresher and keeps the content feeling new. Shoutout to bensound.com.
What is the ‘controlling idea’ (Robert McKee) of your portrait?
That life is just a series of interwoven moments, that you can be whatever you want to be whenever you want to be, but when that opportunity arises, don’t let it slip. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”, etc, etc.
How is your portrait film structured?
The portrait moves back and forth between new and found footage, using the found to illustrate the content of Graeme’s narration. He briefly details some of his experiences in life, from Bendigo to Alice Springs, and is structured around his general life in the first half, and switches to stories of experiences he has had–and in turn deconstructs in some ways his creative process through touching on those who inspired him.
What do you want your audience to make of your interviewee?
To be able to empathise with him, to marvel in his life’s work and take inspiration from his achievements and stories; never let an opportunity pass by.
How is your portrait being narrated?
Graeme provides a voiceover narration consistently through the entire portrait, and found footage acts to enhance the sentences being spoken.
What role will the ‘found footage’ play in your portrait?
Found footage plays a dominant role in my portrait. I opted to using this approach to allow the project a broader sense of creativity, representations through abstract visual cues and more literal imagery.
Does your portrait have a dramatic turning point?
If anything, the dramatic turning point occurs when the portrait switches to his storytelling, when he speaks of Alan(?) and his impact on his own life. From here, it gain momentum and builds to the climax.
When does this turning point occur in your portrait and why?
Refer to above question.
How does your portrait gather and maintain momentum?
Momentum comes from the constant narration, almost every second of the video has something being spoken, new information being offered, which builds to the finale; the supposed dramatic turning point.
Where will your portrait’s dramatic tension come from?
Refer to above question.
Does the portrait have a climax and/or resolution?
Refer to above question; the portrait builds to a finale of expression, in which advice is warmly given. In the final moments, as the music begins to drift off and the topic of conversation becomes sincere and expressive and he urges people to seize the moments they’re given.
This is experience was nothing short of disastrous; I’ve since learned I can’t perform formally in front of the camera, all my responses eventually drowning in a pit of informality, joke after joke. Like a mother on the phone, I subconsciously put on a voice (a weirdly exaggerated voice at that) which helps me in no way. This exercise also showed me that I have much to learn about documentary filmmaking, with the other members in my group having concise camera skills (I’m more of a ‘wing it’ kinda guy). The result is a gross mess of loud audio and nonsensical interview processes, but practice makes perfect (progress?) I guess. Don’t watch this (the thumbnail is stretched but I promise the actual video isn’t, I would never let that happen).
Problems, problems, problems: from the get go we were in deep, another group letting us in on the fact that they were told not to record in the library (“copyright”) so of course, we rebelled. Penelope and I commit treason against RMIT. On top of that, our recorded audio was quiet, partly my fault due to the fact that I knew my voice wasn’t coming through clearly but kept going along with it (don’t pretend like you voice is something you actually want to hear) but we didn’t let that stop us. At this point in time I’m as confused about the microphone settings as I was before we even discussed them in class (wind sock?). It has been a busy week (not in terms of work, I am so behind) in that I spent way too much time not doing what I should’ve been doing (reminiscent of my year 12 year), and too much time doing anything else. In turn, I delayed my learning about Adobe Audition until now, and in some ways I guess I regret it; I feel as if my audio file could’ve been cleaner, its ‘signal to noise ratio’ a little off in some parts, but 9+ minutes of dialogue is an effort to traverse your way through. I am a fairly quick learner when it comes to the likes of Adobe programs though, so I’m sure I won’t have too much trouble figuring out the intricacies of the software. The content of our interview is much more enjoyable than the presentation of our audio (poor quality audio is a pet peeve of mine, but I hope you can survive). Better luck next time.
Presentation is one of the things I fear most in the world. Slowly but surely the pillars of my self-confidence are building, largely thanks to my move to Melbourne (I think) and to some degree my growing faith in my ability to create and write. Oral presentations are my definite weak point, and while I don’t fret at the idea of screening something I created it’s not something I am particularly keen on.
The audio in my assignment plays an enormous part of its overall intention and precision in editing, and (sorry Rachel) I think the volume was a little too low for my work to have any real impression, the omnipresent reverberated ticking of the clock and distorted conversation between my mum and sister seeming to pass over my classmates’ heads. Either that or it really did blow.
Wildly embarrassed by my attempt to incorporate photos in my project from the moment I imported them (the first 40 seconds flow so smoothly that I can help but feel insanely self-conscious at the final 20), I thought up a better way to add them literally 5 minutes before my screening but by then it was too late; my fate was sealed. Following that, the overly obnoxious onscreen ‘TICK TOCK’ acted to deepen the redness of my, at that point, already rosy cheeks. There were so many things I wanted to change after watching it with an audience that I’m surprised I didn’t notice them in the editing process. After having watched my video at least 20 times by the time I closed Premiere for the last time honestly thought I had perfected my idea, but seeing them come (briefly) to life on screen I couldn’t be more against the majority of my creative decisions. I’m glad my class gave me an awkwardly reserved clap. That’s all it’s worth. Always room for improvement.
As a part of our practical this week, the class was polled on the various social media platforms we use. The usual big names were listed (Facebook (in particular, Messenger), Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat) and the conversation delved into exploring the reasons why we have become so accustomed to using them. For many, Messenger was the preferential choice as opposed to Facebook, with reasons such as the app’s ease of use and the fact that it removes the ‘bullshit’ of the generic Facebook app (if your newsfeed isn’t 90% pictures of dogs then I can understand this claim). When questioned by Rachel as to why I use Instagram I stopped for a moment and shrugged. I couldn’t answer. “Something to do” offered one of my classmates. I suppose I don’t really have a proper answer; having Instagram in the circles I associated with in high school was just the norm. If you told someone you didn’t have Instagram, the usual response would more than likely be a puzzled “you don’t have Instagram????” The addictive nature of the majority of social networking sites is probably what keeps me going (plus, I love a little photography here and there (who doesn’t?)). I can confidently say I post more on Insta than I do Facebook (sharing has overwhelmed by fb timeline). I guess photos are cooler than words.
During these conversations, the focus drifted towards the phenomenon of Uber. If you know me, you’ll know since moving to Melbourne my catchphrase is very much “Uber is the future” and I will continue to stand by this claim until someone proves it otherwise. Much of this love for Uber came through friends who showed me the light (in this instance, the light represents the amount of money I have saved since signing up for the app), and so far all of my drivers have been respectful and easy going lads, but I had never given much thought to the other side of the argument. While I am sure Uber is safe (I wouldn’t allow myself to use it if I wasn’t completely convinced) the idea surrounding “getting into a car with a stranger” never fully struck me as a worthy justification, but it was interesting to see someone in class who stood by this opinion. For now I am sticking to my Uber catchphrase, a quick skim of the safety section of their website is good enough for me.
