In this investigation I really tried to feature the audio and to form a rhythm and mood before adding any images. I wanted to practice weaving together the audio I had gathered to create a story or motif without visuals. The Poem ‘Prayer for my Daughter’ is really suitable and effective with my material and reflective of Penelope’s vulnerability and beauty. Rather than overlaying entire recounts of Penelope’s memories, through cutting up the audio I found that it works most effectively, to separate her voice and create little vignettes or motifs. Because her piano playing is so evocative, I almost feel like a whole recount of hers is overkill. It’s a fine balance but I think depending on what I want to portray about her, I will have different amounts of each element.
Also I wanted to use footage to speak for her rather than have her voice tell the audience what I want them to know. I’d rather practice the techniques of offering an image or an essence of something I believe to be true and representative of the subject and allow the audience to make up in their own mind, whether or not it’s effective for them.
This clip was also an investigation into the use of text on screen; what can happen when I don’t put an image in but allow the audio to speak with a black screen. Because of the style of my piece and the fact that it is fairly abstract sometimes, I can experiment with these gaps and it doesn’t look that weird. Also the text on screen, the segments of the poem I am using, speaks for the absent images and connects the chosen images together.
I chose the images, and I have gathered a lot of outside footage of locations and flora just because I find it beautiful, that spoke something to me of what I was feeling about the poem as I was listening to it. The images, I thought, were going to have to be in a certain order to tell some kind of story, but Paul’s suggestion to allow text on screen to offer something was really helpful. The text navigates the audience through an experience and the images support that. I found that really cool and then I realised I didn’t need to use as many images throughout. It was nice allowing the black screen to speak and give the piece space and breath. It felt less cluttered and actually more reflective of Penelope’s personality. Moments of sporadic energy or inspiration followed by private reservation and internal observation. I find this is how Penelope is socially which I feel came through slightly in this clip.
When I recorded the poem, I had to direct myself to make sure my tone was the right pace and volume. It took 4 or 5 takes to get it right and after that I cut it beat by beat and layered it with the music, listening for the Piano’s ebbs and flows. I really enjoyed this process and I was able weave the audio tracks together at a certain pace.
I still feel the quality of some of my footage is holding something back when I edit it together and watch it. Sometimes it works that it is the quality it is and other times it doesn’t. I have booked a space in a Church with a piano for Thursday and Penelope and I will shoot some last footage together and some new music. I did experiment with colour grading in this clip to see what elements of the image I could bring out and I feel like this added something to the piece especially when I was able to bring out the red paint in the bench image. Also the quality of the audio especially the talking is something I would like to revisit with different equipment. I’m thinking of asking my friend Dan who is really into sound in this course, if he would be interested in mixing the track for me after assessments. This project is something I would like to keep working on and improving.
I’m looking forward to my next investigation x
