Analysis 3

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.

Bryan and I paired up for the recording of the visuals of this film. At that point of time we thought of working around the idea of “Loneliness & Stillness”. We went around school searching for inanimate objects that could depict the topic, however we felt really lost on what we could take cause we were given too much freedom to film. The quality of the recordings turn out fine, however the quality of the content wasn’t up to our standards. With the visuals running concurrently and having random sound recordings that I took alone in class, it wasn’t easy for me to combine the two together. I felt that the entire exercise was really messy as i didn’t had a solid plan to work with and i was just recording things at the top of my head. – like the toilet bowl flushing.

What i learnt from this is that, maybe the purpose of this film isn’t to have a solid plan but to be able to think quickly on our feet. Sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to, hence the only way to do it is to conquer it. (haha) Academic wise, sound is imperative when it comes to recording, without it, the film is nothing. With it, it evokes emotions and senses. When we have sound without visual, we tend to let our imagination run wild, with visuals, sometimes we are limited to an idea or a perception that we have once known. Also, working with videos like these can turn out rather abstract, it can mean anything.

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. (Please put a full stop when you return so we get a paragraph break. Makes it easier to read.)

In the readings of Leacock, R ( A search of the feeling of being there) , Leacock mentions about filming in general, on how “filming is searching and capturing the ingredients with which to make sequences” … “You are not getting the whole thing” … ” You are getting fragments”. I agree with Leacock as I feel that a documentary can somehow be a little tricky, just like the exercise that we did for our abstract cut. No matter how organized a pre production plan is done, the possibility of capturing something spontaneous is always critical. Sometimes it might be something that the common eye takes for granted or notice. And that might be a “sequence” that could have made the documentary a cut above the rest.

Also I’ve also learnt that a good documentary sometimes attempts to prove or disprove the validity of a certain point of view, or a certain phenomenon that is unknown to the public. It surprises, questions and challenges to audience on what has been filmed. It isn’t just about documenting on the events that have occurred, but a good documentary in my part, i feel, brings the world closer to each other by drawing connections.