Rolling with it – Melody Jorgensen
Melody has created an amazing piece of work featuring a Vietnamese bakery owner in Footscray as she speaks about the booming Bahn Mi culture, including the way the dish is made, its cultural significance, and its importance. I was intrigued to watch Melody’s final artefact as I saw it at the rough-cut stage and was keen to see the changes she made.
The colour grade throughout the piece is really beautiful, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere similar to the Bahn Mi shop by intensifying the levels of the yellows within the piece. From class, I know that the shot of the street at the two-minute mark had a white sky, not blue, but Melody has seamlessly masked this, creating the illusion of a bright sunny day.
Melody has made great use of Bill Nichols’ observational mode of filming, making the audience feel as though they are really immersed in Footscray and the Bahn Mi shop. This is particularly evident in the scene where the Bahn Mi is being made, as well as other shots taken within the shop where customers are entering the shop and ordering food. She has used a selection of different shots; wides, mids, and close-ups as well as different lengths of shots to create a diverse piece of work.
Collecting Memories – Mira Downie
Mira’s piece ‘Collecting Memories’ is a beautiful tribute to the world pre-digital cameras and the importance of taking photos to help make a memory last forever.
I thought that the soundtrack within Mira’s work was done really well; the opening sound of the film being rolled really sets up the film. There are small snippets of different sounds throughout the entire piece, such as goats making noise, the lawnmower running, film slides being changed over, and a light humming noise in the background of some of the interviews. All of these elements added a lot of texture to the piece and subconsciously made it more interesting when watching. The film montage was paired nicely with some faint, uplifting music.
Name of Studio: Directing Performance
Name of Work: Michael Bay VS The Transformers.
James Houghton’s piece “Michael Bay VS The Transformers” was a very well-captured scene that depicts a conversation between director Michale Bay and Steven Speilberg in regards to Michael’s contribution to a fourth Transformer film. The acting of both actors was believable, and the scene was well-paced. I think one key idea that finished media work communicated is the importance of consistency in camera angles and framing of actors. This scene does this very well by remaining at the same eye level and framing when both actors are standing facing each other and having a conversation. The scene also doesn’t ever break the 180-degree rule, ensuring audiences do not get confused about the set-up between actors. At the end of the scene, there is a zoom-out, giving audiences a larger perspective, which is a nice touch.
Another key idea I think the piece communicated is allowing the scene to take its time and not feel rushed. This is due to the cuts between actors within the scene. James has thought out when to cut between actors; he doesn’t simply put the camera on the person talking the entire time; he films this actor for some time and then strategically cuts to the other actor to allow the audience to see his reaction before he starts his line. This makes the film feel more professional and adds more of an exciting element to the viewing experience.