—PROPOSAL for Final film—

The ideas was based on all the observations that talked about the dance lab.

Since this observation, was when I really feel being apart with the crew now – I lifted my hand on the silver door handle, and pulled out the door. There was, Bill, Ryan, Jessie etc. a group of people including some of my friends were practicing an up-coming performance that I have never heard of. Every movement were delicate, deliberate and precise, they looked so professional with their eyes looking straight into the mirror. This must not to be their first practice, ‘what is this performance for?’ I looked around but no one seemed to have a second to answer and no one did even look at me. I sat on a chair nearby trying to get involve their practice for 20 minutes, but I still feel apart from them because I knew nothing… 

The main idea for this project was based on my experience, observation and feelings in a dance studio. By reading over and over the observations about the dance lab, I found it is very surprisingly when we notice that how fast someone can feel being left out in a short period of time. Especially this is a place that you believe to be the most familiar place in Melbourne, but it actually ended up to be the place you don’t belong to. The desperate I really wanted to show through the flash back of the main character’s memory on the time she first came into the studio, I used to be in the centre of the place, I knew everyone who came in the door and everyone used to be close to each other.

The sense of isolation will be emphasized and showing on the character’s face, there will be a big part of facial expression close-up shot to re-enforce the emotions that she feels in every moment. As I was still concerned with the actual settings, alignment and if I should do my film as a frictional film or a documentary. I tried to film during the mid-semester break, I set up the camera when there were lots of people in order to see if people will be aware of the camera rolling. The result was to set a big camera rolling in the limited space was very distracted, people to have the final decision, I did practice to shoot some footage during the mid-semester break, I was targeted to test:

1. Where to set the camera in a limited space
2. If the space is possible to film or its to small to include everything
3. To keep it as a documentary or to film in like a fictional film
4. What color tone would it work deliberately?
5. Should I shoot in a third person perspective or in a 1st person perspective (having the camera frame to be the character’s eyes)>
6. Do I need to get someone to act out or just leave it as it is originally?

After the testing, I found it was very challenging to keep it as a documentary – to have the camera rolling all the time in the space and does not give an control on the actual situation, because there were to many thing going on in that little area, if I don’t inform people that the camera is rolling they will not be careful with it. Although if I do, people might become aware to lens and that might not be able to let me capture the most realistc situation that happens in the studio.

I did also tried to use black & white filter to press the messiness down, however, according to all the noise going at the back and people who rushes in and out. There would not be much to be change unless I really get control of this situation – to cast people to act out the scene. What I do want to keep in the finished project was the environment noise, the music playing all the time, sounds of footsteps and the crowded. So I am considering not to add background music if I can get everything in control. Isolation, loneliness will be the main concept that connect the whole film, to highlight the reason of the character has been isolated so much, I will include flash backs in some close up shoots, she remembers the moments when she first came to the studio. There will be no dialogue other than people speaking in the background, the emotion on the character’s face and her feelings are the most important elements that need to be emphasize in this film.

Inspiration: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Jrbathb3A

This is a new music video that released recently, and I was quite inspired by the way the director presents Korean life. Lyrics were about, everyone live in Seoul seemed to be so busy with their own business, they have no spare time to look at things or people around them and they have no time to understand the people around them neither. I have seen several music videos that are target to represent people in Seoul (capital of Korea)’s life, they have used people’s facial expression or their daily life. Most parts in this music video were the camera tracking people’s feet walking to different places, it seemed like an introduction of Seoul tour, but it is actually showing more of the bustling and fulfilled life in Seoul.

In addition, as I have mentioned in early reflections, when different person read the same story or just look at an image, they will have different understanding to it. It might vary by the person’s experienced, culture background, religious, interests or knowledge. I am very interested in music videos from Japan, Korea and Taiwan, each music video has not only matches the style of song but also matches the singer’s image/characteristic. I love the play of the colour tones, the manipulation of different shots and the implication behind the shots.

Conclusion:

By looking at different movies about dance and shoot in a dance studio, everything was so carefully prepared and arranged, such as the space that needs to be in the frame, the costume/ accessories on the characters, the lighting whether to be the natural lighting or illumination lights. I think my project will be quite a lot to prepare and set up, so I better to get start as early as possible.