SKETCH #3
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/jasmingould/2025/03/22/a-kid-in-cape-patterson-assignment-1/
SKETCH #2
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/jasmingould/2025/03/22/tony-the-fly-assignment-1/
ASSINGMENT 1 LINKS
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A kid in Cape Patterson- Assignment 1
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REFLECTION TRANSCRIPT
For our sketch in week three we were tasked with interviewing a classmate. I have been in the role of interviewer before in previous studios, so I felt quite comfortable. However, previously I have already known the story I want from someone. So, to have the interviewee decide on what story to tell me was challenging. This meant I had to create interview questions whilst trying to envision the angle or overarching tone of the piece.
During the pre-interview stage I was able to listen without pressure and Niamh was able to tell her story in the way that she felt best. Recording the interview didn’t go as smoothly. It felt quite awkward for both Niamh and I to record within school grounds and often spoke over the top of each other. From this I’ve learnt to make sure the person you are recording is completely finished what they’re saying. Even holding silence for 5 seconds too long might be useful in the future.
When I started editing the audio I decided to cut out my questions and build it around Niamh’s answers only. I found my questions weren’t that useful in guiding the story and if anything, they got in the way. If I could do this process again, I would record the pre interview and listen to it a few times and decide how I wanted this story to be told. Then when I wrote my interview questions, I could guide it a bit more.
This activity has imbued in me a new respect for interviewers and their ability to know when to ask questions and when to respond. For example, Louis Theroux’s podcast. He would obviously have questions to jump off of, but he can also build on what the person is saying. I also know now how easily one could take the interviewees responses and manipulate them to mean something completely different. I’ll definitely be a bit more sceptical.
REFERENCES
Windy Beach Waves.wav by uagadugu — https://freesound.org/s/199283/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Kids Voices with Natural Reverb by Cornwallis89 — https://freesound.org/s/244593/ — License: Creative Commons 0
10 Minutes Past by <a href=”https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/307698″>Blue Dot Sessions</a>
Tony The Fly- assignment 1
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REFLECTION TRANSCRIPT
This week we listened to three different audio pieces, focussing on the different styles of narration utilized by the makers. I would say I am most familiar with multiple narrators, as I tend to listen to podcasts with a more conversational tone. However, my biggest gripe with this style is that often, the two hosts sound too similar. This was definitely the case with Alex and PJ from Reply all. Despite the few moments of confusion, I found it very entertaining and kept my attention practically the whole time. Unfortunately, during the non-narrated podcast, ‘Sex Worker Diaries’ I struggled to stay actively listening. I believe this wouldn’t be the case if I had more background information or context for each of the speakers. Sarah Koenig’s podcast, Serial was definitely my favourite as I felt like she was speaking straight to me, and it was clear and easy to follow. For these reasons I chose to create my sketch around a single Narrator, Tony the Fly.
Tony is a fictional character, talking directly to the audience about his ‘long’ life in New York city. Similar to Koenig’s audio piece ‘Serial’, my piece creates a sense of intimacy between the listener and narrator. The casual language and tone of my piece reminds me of a conversation between two friends. It was designed to feel like you were there with tony on the bustling streets, having a chat with him, not just a fly on the wall.
I am quite excited by the concept of this piece. And I think it has legs for something more polished to come out of it in the future. I would love to create an animation around it and turn it into a short film of sorts. However, the first thing I would change is the voice. Unfortunately for me I did not think I was suitable to voice over this sketch as I am not an American middle-aged man, and I am terrible at accents. So, I decided to try my luck with AI. I used Eleven Labs text to voice generator. This had its limitations, for one, there was no Italian mob boss voice. This was my first big hurdle. In the future I would love to hire a voice actor for this kind of audio narrative. I also think I can improve majorly with my editing and mixing skills, and I look forward to building these as the semester progresses.
REFERENCE LIST FOR Tony The Fly
Young man clearing throat by magicjoshua — https://freesound.org/s/704174/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Man Coughing by ckvoiceover — https://freesound.org/s/401334/ — License: Creative Commons 0
wasp_buzzing_around.wav by KevinHilt — https://freesound.org/s/392458/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Fly buzzing OWI.wav by nayahnaidoo — https://freesound.org/s/656042/ — License: Creative Commons 0
audi a4 b8 20tdi foley windscreen wiper medium speed dry stereom10.wav by Soundholder — https://freesound.org/s/425395/ — License: Attribution 3.0
Mosquitos.wav by mmutua — https://freesound.org/s/542163/ — License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
Baby Crying Slowly PE144001 by gumballworld — https://freesound.org/s/398552/ — License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
babycry1.flac by n2p5 — https://freesound.org/s/28100/ — License: Attribution 4.0
Wolf Whistle.wav by deleted_user_4389770 — https://freesound.org/s/241258/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Splat1.wav by Shakedown_M — https://freesound.org/s/685205/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Car Speeding By Left to Right in Stereo by deleted_user_7146007 — https://freesound.org/s/383424/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Lighter Smoke.wav by Romeo_Kaleikau — https://freesound.org/s/622700/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Cigarette Drag by Storm_Crow — https://freesound.org/s/790482/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Car Horn_Irritated driver stuck in traffic.wav by wanaki — https://freesound.org/s/569613/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Fly buzz 1.wav by TeamEnFil — https://freesound.org/s/693933/ — License: Attribution 4.0
Police Siren and Sounds of City Train by sebnx — https://freesound.org/s/536172/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Improvisation on Major Scale – Saxophone (2) by emirdemirel — https://freesound.org/s/424916/ — License: Attribution 4.0
AMB_Int_Restaurant_Pizzeria_001.wav by conleec — https://freesound.org/s/149443/ — License: Creative Commons 0
Simulated seaweed slap B.wav by Timbre — https://freesound.org/s/98191/ — License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
A4: Submission
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Blog Post #4
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1 x blog post considering the final artefact (500 words). Imagine you are going to keep working on that media piece (e.g. to screen it somewhere else like a festival, or develop it into a different kind of work, and so on) – what would be the core things you would want to improve and extend and why?
- I would love to extend the length of the film. I really wanted to reach 5 minutes but unfortunately with animation I just didn’t have enough time. I would love to keep working on this however I don’t think I have enough interview content to go off. Perhaps if it gets to the new year and I have
- Some animation scenes are not to the same standard as others. I would love to put in as much time and energy into each one.
- It would have been great foresight to put out feelers for a composer early in the process.
Blog Post #3
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1 x blog post reflecting on representing the real world as part of a nonfiction media practice (500 words). Throughout semester, we’ve talked a little about Bill Nichols’ ‘Modes of Documentary’. How might aspect(s) of your work be described using Bill Nichols’ MODES? HINT – there may be more than one mode within your work!
I will be honest, my work really only falls under the performative mode of Bill Nichols’ ‘Modes of Documentary’.
Blog Post #1
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Working with a living, breathing, human participant (AKA a real person) in comparison to a character portrayed by an actor was a new experience for me. Whilst I was excited to interview my friends I got somewhat frustrated when they didn’t follow the script I had in my head. haha. Creating a documentary has been an eye opening experience in that I see now that it is hard to plan what your film is going to look like before the interviews. What I thought I would get was something vastly different to what I actually received. I have learnt that you must be flexible because real people are unpredictable.
If I were to complete a similar project in the future I don’t know if I would change much. I will admit, I did take the easier route by interviewing friends. Perhaps if I talked to a stranger, my sentiment would be different. Boynton (2016) said ‘love the people that you film’. I couldn’t have hated them if I tried. I do agree that to investigate a part of someone’s life you must love what they do. I also agree that, for the most part, people deserve empathy and compassion… unless you’re making a documentary about Taylor Swift or Hitler.
Within my ethics charter I quoted another student, Lauren Smith (2023), ‘if the person really hates a certain part of the film strongly consider deleting/re-filming it’. Although I agree with this statement quite strongly, I have to be honest. The though of deleting or re-animating a part of my film pains me. Not because I’m very attached to all of it, just because each shot took so much time. However, if you are not willing to do this, you shouldn’t create documentaries in the first place.
I so wisely said at the beginning of this course that we must ‘Avoid pressuring the person into saying anything they may not have said usually’ (Gould, 2023). whilst I did not force anyone to say anything outright, I may have manipulated some of the discussions towards the end. Im not sure if this is bad or not. And I’m not sure of the ethical standing it has. I do know that I would make a killer producer for a trashy reality show. you know, the people behind the camera who manipulate the contestants into saying what they want them to say?
To conclude, perhaps I am better off writing characters. They are much more predictable. however, what’s the point in school if you don’t try something new. Besides, I should probably save all my dialogue manipulating skills for channel 7… or maybe 9. Which ever broadcasts Survivor.
Blog Post #2
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Throughout my degree, more specifically within the media studios, there has been little opportunity to create something as a solo practitioner. Making something with a team is certainly easier in some ways but limits your scope as a creative (in my opinion). Only relying on yourself throughout every aspect of a short film pushes you to think holistically during the creative process. It also means that your idea must be strong enough. To clarify, you are not able to gain different perspectives from someone invested in the work. So, the idea must have enough flexibility and reach to culminate into a final work.
In order to be successful as a solo practitioner you are required to be dedicated to the final project. It makes life much harder if you are not passionate about what you are creating. As I said above, you can only rely on yourself to see the project through. So, in order to cross the finish line, one must manage their time adequately. This may be my biggest weakness when working on an assignment, both solo and in groups. I’d like to say I work best when under pressure but this isn’t 100% true. I definitely work fastest when under pressure. As I progress in my degree, I hope to further finesse my time management skills. Next time I work solo I hope I remember to be smart with my time. That way I can hopefully avoid some sleepless nights.
My strength lies in the concept stage. I am often overrun by ideas and get very excited when brainstorming a project. Through using animation and I was able to express my ideas in a seamless process. It was much easier than having an idea and wondering how to capture it through film. In this aspect working solo was very beneficial. I would’ve struggles to adequately explain what I wanted to another person if I was in a group.
To conclude, I excelled in the idea making stage and felt working solo was to my benefit during that process. I enjoyed working solo due to the ability to do basically whatever I wanted. I did not need to compromise or dull my aesthetic down at the behest of another person. Which I loved. I let myself down when it came to time management. However, I know I was very ambitious with my approach to the task. I did miss having someone else to riff ideas off of. My housemates fulfilled that role somewhat. Although they may not have understood exactly what I was trying to do. The Kmart knickers part may have threw them off. Overall, working solo was a great experience and I look forward to doing it again.
Final Artifact
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A Girls Best Friend is their Bedroom from Media Factory on Vimeo.
A Girl’s Best Friend is their Bedroom
Bedrooms, boys and burgers. Years have passed since monsters lived under the bed, yet a woman’s bedroom is still a place of fantasy. Dreams and secrets are unveiled as a group of young women talk about the four walls they live within. A Girl’s Best Friend is their Bedroom is a 4-minute documentary that gazes into the relationship between a non-man and their bedroom.
Featuring
Isabella Murray
Brooke Gagiero
Niamh Fox
A film by
Jasmin Gould
Music
‘Shimmering Object 3’
Composed by Opticaillusions www.freesound.org
‘Spray Bottle’
Composed by OwlStorm www.freesound.org
‘Pencil on Paper Scribble’
Composed by Toddcircle www.freesound.org
‘McDonalds’
Composed by Islabonita www.freesound.org
‘Heartbeat 2’
Composed by Newlocknew www.freesound.org
With thanks to
Sebastian Bertoli
Rohan Spong
Cameron Powell
Studio instructor
Rohan Spong
Created as part of
HEADS WON’T ROLL.
School of Media and Communication
RMIT University
2023
Assignment #1: WHEN THE WIND CHANGES
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Reflection
Taking inspiration from Frederick Wiseman’s observational filming style, I chose to include long, drawn-out takes to bookmark both ends of my work. This included my favourite shot no. 2 in which I included a man walking into the frame and out of it completely. Whilst I kept in the establishing shot of the long walkway up to the fountain, I believe it is not as strong as the following shot. I arranged the longer shots at the beginning and the end of the edit whilst utilising shorter shots in the middle. I did this in order to portray the change in wind from calm enough for a picnic to windy enough for a jumper. By having the shorter shots in succession I aimed to convey a sense of urgency and to change the mood of the piece. The rhythm of the edit says both that the garden is a scenic place filled with people and a space open to the elements.
If I had the opportunity to reshoot I would film more close-ups and would try to feel less awkward about filming people. Some of my favourite shots were those of the park-goers. I would also focus on my framing. Whilst most were straight, the areas they captured felt a bit unintentional.
During the editing, I struggled most with the sound mixing. I was a bit unsure about sound levels and struggled to make the transitions between audio seamless. I would love to continue practicing this and gain a theoretical understanding of sound levels as well.