Natalie Aarons Blog

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Concept Report Written

Tara Rodgers: Toward a Feminist Historiography of Electronic Music Chapter 39

Natalie Aarons s3601713

A) Summary of the reading

The chapter in summary explores the concept of sexism in the electronic music industry. Tara Rodgers the author of the chapter highlights the issues of sexism through delving first into the history of electronic music and then considers where the industry lies presently in regards to feminism and how women are responded to within the electronic music industry.

In the first section of the chapter Rodgers addresses the history of electronic music first by conceptualising the notion and recognising that music is a representation of the time and era it is made. Further, that there is commonly a political influence that determines or undermines how or what type of music is produced. In her text Rodger’s refers to The Cold War remarking that “During the Cold War, electronic sounds became firmly lodged in the public imagination, especially in association with space age and atomic research”, this was because in the 20th Century a competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for spaceflight capability became a spotlight for most of the worlds politics.  Rodger’s further went on to explain that “space age pop music featured racially exorcized portrayals of women on album covers and used electronic sounds to signify the allure and anxieties of space exploration”. Highlighting that this industry used gender to stereotype and categorise, in particular this was aimed at women.

Moreover, Rodgers highlights the hyper sexualisation of women artist in the music industry too. Clara Rockmore’s Recital at the Town Hall in New York in the year 1934, is a prime example of this. The Washington Post wrote a commentary on her performance writing that “her right hands reach forward towards, but stops short of the vertical rod. In doing so, she has penetrated the area of sound”, this implies that Rockmore “encroached on a phallic domain”. The way she was spoken about was sexualised and made her seem like she wasn’t playing an instrument but that she was performing something innately sexual. Clara Rockmore’s recital and commentary by the Post is the very essence of sexism in the industry because of the way women were spoken about within the industry.

The text also addressed gender and technology in discourses of sound reproduction. This portion of the chapter discusses sound reproduction and the concept of male creation. Looking more closely at the concept of male creation, and what that means for the music industry. “male claims to creation”, are stories of male birth that cover up a dependance on women. Rodger’s uses the example of Fender Electric Guitars “in the Mid twentieth century, the distinctive, prized tone of fender electric guitar relied on the labouring hands of hispanic women”, despite the central role of these workers they were never praised for their work it was Leo Fender himself that was.

B) Where does the text situate itself in the study of sound and what is its significance?

If sound has a direct correlation to time, place and politics then this text situates itself within the political side of the sound study. Music is influenced by the society it is made in, it makes sense because people within society with all of their societal codes of behaviour are the ones producing the music. This text deals with the issues of gendered inequalities in the music industry, in particular this article explores sexism in the electronic music sector and aims to make a point for feminism within this male dominated platform of music. Sexism in the electronic music industry or the entire music industry for that matter is of great significance as it reflects on the way society is constructed today in every facet of life. Music is a way of connecting people together and a way to embrace the world or connect to the worlds larger issues. Sexism in the music industry still exists today as well as it does in many other areas of life. That is why sexism in the music industry is a significant part of the sound study because it allows an understanding of the way society values women and men and the way that they are regarded. Without addressing sexism in the study of sound, a person wouldn’t really understand how through history the music industry has been formed. The article elaborates largely on the history of sexism within this industry and even makes a point for it still being an influence in the modern industry too. At the crux of it, music is a sort of microcosm of human society, It reflects the goings on of the world through sound. As if you weren’t able to physically see the world and you could only hear it through music you could understand a lot about the way our world functions.

C) How did this reading add/change your understanding on the given concept?

This reading added to my knowledge of the music industry’s history in regards to feminism and how feminism has evolved throughout it. Most importantly the strides that still need to be taken to make the industry a more diverse space for gender equality. To my understanding I previously thought that the rise of feminism within social culture these last decades, meant that the music industry was a place of creation and expression that would have been at the forefront of a diverse culture shift towards feminism. Finding out that only one in ten Dj’s today are female has changed my previous thoughts on the concept and has changed my understanding completely. In the text Tara Rodgers highlights “Dj Culture’s as distinctly masculine” and continues to point out that the industry of electronic music has not vastly shifted, women have “not made significant contributions to these fields, to the extent that men have”. This tells me that this industry is still largely male dominate, when I previously considered it to be a place where women were creating the same amount of music.

D) What is something you found important or intriguing about the reading and its relation to media making?

The reading makes a point for politics, time and era to being a major influence on the creative side of what is produced in the music industry. This was intriguing to me, although I already assumed that world issues would have an impact on what people put out into the world creatively, I didn’t quite grasp the enormity of its influence. For example Childish Gambino’s 2018 hit ‘This is America’, is a song and music video laden with metaphors about race and gun violence in America. Gun violence in America has been a large conversation and issue for the United States for years, with hundreds of mass shootings a year it’s no wonder this topic made its way into the music industry. The central massage of this song and music video is about guns and violence in America, it points out the fact that comity deals with theses issues and consumes them as a part of entertainment on one side and on the other that it as apart of a larger conversation bot in America and around the world. The music video is full of many juxtapositions that exemplify this notion. This is a prime example of the way social issues, world issues and politics of our time and era have made influence in the media making of out time. The reading put forth the notion that that was a large part of the creative influence within the industry.

E) How could this inform your practice when creating audio/visual works?

Understating sexism in the electronic music industry creates a space where creatively producing work is more informed. Exploring the history of this industry and knowing how it is run today allows creative practice to be a reflection of my own views regarding sexism in the music industry. Being informed about sexism In history allows for change. Being able to creatively produce knowing that there has been and continues to be a level of sexism within the industry allows me to explore or harness my own views and make a point for feminism through my own works.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ru2cTjl540FFu81IsY5GBQpljobLEvg6

Previous to the class Sonic Materialities I had little sound or sound manipulation experience.  Throughout my degree I have continuously struggled with the concept of sound and effectively implementing it into my other various projects throughout the course. Taking the sonic materialities studio will hopefully allow me to hone in on skills I am yet to develop and create a safe place for me to understand how to use sound. 

The assignment was to create and produce an audio collage or a soundscape. What better way to begin this challenge other than learning a bit about the history, of soundscape and how sound works. Pierre Schaeffer is understood as one of leading professionals and composers that created the what is referred to as today as a soundscape. In 1948 Schaeffer produced the piece ‘Etude aux chemins de fer’,  this music concrete was a combination of train sounds. For the assignment audio collage I took the idea of taking ordinary sounds like tapping away at a bin and creating a soundscape, exploring the idea that everyday surroundings are possibly something musical.

The elements I chose to work with during this project were items around RMIT university. I chose to use a bin and a board as my entire sound piece and tap or scratch on these items to create different sounds. Taking into account Michel Chion’s 3 modes of listening I was able first casually listen to the objects I was using and recognise that the sounds origin. Through editing on audition i was able to make these sounds into a soundscape. As i am very new to the whole sound thing i decided the most editing i was going to do was to cut and control where i placed each sound piece. I was able to loop some of my sounds to create a form of a song. 

during editing i found it really difficult to navigate the software, i gave up a few times even after watching and rewatching youtube tutorials on how to use it. Out of everything i have encountered during my degree this subject has definitely been the most complex so far. I have realised during this process that sound and editing in general is extremely hard for me to grasp. I plan to focus on it more in the hopes of getting more confident with the whole thing.

Im hoping that throughout this subject i am able to develop more skills, i feel at them moment that i have a lot of work to do especially in audition and learning how to navigate using all of the softwares tools.

The screenshot above is during the editing process of the soundscape.

Being introduced to the notion of sound was what this class was about. We spoke about how much we each individually know about sound and what we wanted to get out of the class.

for me I wanted to harness my sound and audio skills especially using the audition program because i have little to no with it before during my degree. For me this is the missing element to my skill set and something i want to get a good grasp on by the end of this semester.

sound is something we don’t think about so much because we use our sight first and foremost to decipher our surroundings. Thus this course will be interesting as i will be able to explore the concept of sound more.

I have set my goals:

• be able to use the tools on Audition
• be able to use microphones
• be able to be a creative with sound and feel confident with what i produce in this class

These are the script drafts for our second script: not the script I speak about in the reflection.

No-nut November Draft

No-Nut November Final Draft

The development of the sketch came from brainstorming different ideas that would make a fun sketch whilst also being a message or making a point for feminism.

Together we came up with some great smaller ideas, some of them were really good initially but lacked the meatiness of a great sketch because we couldn’t quite get the story to unfold. We did have one solid sketch idea, the premise of it was to make feminism a horror movie. The sketch would be set in the 1950s where the notion of modern day feminism (modern day 2019), would be a shock to the system for anyone in the 1950s let alone a man who couldn’t understand what feminism even was, he would be terrified of it. The notions of a women resembling a man and doing the things that he did would be the horror of the film. Throughout the development of this idea, Daisy the female character in this sketch was ‘born’ and would play the transforming role in the sketch. She would begin in as a women of her time period  frightened of the notion of feminism too, however she would faint and be transported to a modernised world where she experiences feminism as a good thing. Her character upon waking up in the 1950s would have changed entirely and made her feminist. This character arc would push the male character John (her boyfriend) to faint as the ketch conclusion.  The ending would showcase the complete1 role reversal of the two characters.Daisy’s vision of a feminist world makes her stronger and as a result of this John is weakened and made more feminine.

Together Georgia and I wrote the first draft of this script over various FaceTime sessions. We were so excited about the idea of this script and we were able to smash out the first draft quickly as we worked together really well, I found that our humour was somewhat similar and we were both good with communication when it came to being respectful of each others creative ideas. I have to admit that without Georgia I wouldn’t have been able to complete this assignment, she has been at the forefront of getting things done and been such a reliable person to work with, I am so grateful to have been paired up with such a smart person and I don’t think we would have gotten the results or incredible ideas without her input.

The first draft feedback I found to be a valuable experience that helped redevelop the script in a positive way. From the feedback we understood that our script was more of a short story and needed to jump right into the premise and stay on the premise. What I mean about this is that the Sketch was predominately about feminism being a horror movie, however with the vision that Daisy has transporting her to all these different places and locations the sketch became too long and sort of lost its humour along with it. We understood that the ending needed to have more of a bang element, either a good solid twist or one liner. With that we understood that honing in on the beginning and extending it would make the premise more pronounced. Creating a conversation between the two characters regarding what they had watched ‘the feminist horror’ would create content and make the sketch meatier in both humour and in relation to the theme feminism rather than jumping into Daisy’s vision which made the sketch to long.

When redeveloping our final script we chopped and changed to incorporate the feedback we had received. We took away the vision, we extended their conversation making it more about their reactions to feminism as a horror story which was the premise. We extended the fist bit adding in imagery that showcased feminism in the horror of it all instead of just using words. At the very end we used a punch line that we thought women wood resinate Wirth and find humour in to create our finishing off joke. We were able to create a sketch that held its premise wasn’t too lengthy, had meatier jokes and was able to get a message about feminism across.

Specifically we used exaggeration in our language and exaggerated gender stereotypes to enhance and develop the comedy itself. Ferguson offers the idea that exaggeration (Ferguson, 2010) is used as a device in comedy to accentuate certain ideas or create absurdities that the viewers will recognise as funny. Further I was watching a Buzzfeed video (If Women’s Roles In Movies Were Played By Men, Buzzfeed 2014) that replaced female characters with male characters in famous films. This showed me the value in role reversal as a technique for our sketch.

The sketch we developed focused specifically on gender roles prominent in the 1950s as well as in 2019. Through the concept of flipping gender roles or even exaggerating gender roles the sketch was able to make a point for feminism. Using gender roles as well as time period and showing the difference between the 1950s to our modern day and age we were able to create something that showcased the positives of what feminism has done for women. Through humour we were able to address these themes in a way that addressed feminism and the issues that women faced in the past. Our script taps into the psyche of a man and a women in the 1950s as well as showing truisms of what feminism was both then and now. Our ending for the script allows the audience t understand that although Daisy’s character was conditioned by her time and place she was no different to the women of today her line about holding in her fart allows us as an audience and me as a women too to resinate with her character and understand her on a feminist level.

Comedy is used in the script as a way to express our intended feminist message that, women then (the 1950s) and now in our modern age were not all that different and that we as a collective want the same things. By showing that feminism is a ‘ horror movie’ in the script we have been able to play on the notion that feminism is a huge wave of change and that it’s scary for the people ‘men’ it takes something away from. I think through comedy we have brushed on a topic that mostly society tries not to talk about and that is what happens to men if women can do all the same things just as well… No longer do we need men to pay the bills, do the handy work, run a country or even to an extent make families. I think through this sketch we touch on two ideas: one that women have really always wanted the same things, that is their own sense of self, power, independence and worth. Secondly, that men are afraid of this equality that it might be shockingly taking something away from them and that once it is gone what are they left with? The intended feminist message of the script is to showcase these two ideas and emphasise their impact on society through comedy as comedy is easy to digest when it grapples with such heavy worldly issues.

Ferguson, T. (2013). The cheeky monkey. Strawberry Hills, N.S.W.: Currency Press, p.9.

Buzzfeed Celeb, (2014). If Women’s Roles In Movies Were Played By Men. Youtube.

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late night television show, famous for its comedic sketches which often relate contemporary culture and politics to its parodies. Interestingly these sketch comedies shed light on issues or make a point for social change, equality or justice.

SNLs sketch Hermione’s Growth Spurt is a five minute parody of Harry Potter, it follows the return of Hogwarts students Harry, Ron and Hermione after summer break. Hermione (played by Lindsey Lohan) is naive to her physical changes over the summer as she has undergone a “growth spurt”. Hermione doesn’t notice any difference to herself, however the male students, can’t help but notice and react to her change to the point of distraction. The Sketch uses comedy to present themes such as gender stereotypes and more precisely males behaviour in regards to how they react to women and their sexuality. By applying specific principles of comedy in conjunction with filmmaking codes and conventions, the sketch is effective in not only entertainment value but also shedding light on particular social issues, inequalities and injustices. Mary O’Hara a journalist who specialises in comedy said “humour is a form of psychological processing, a coping mechanism that helps people to deal with complex and contradictory messages” she highlights that comedy is used to address issues in a way in which it is easier to understand or easier to be told.

Comedy theorist Tim Ferguson developed specific examples and principles that work to understand and aid the creation of comedy.  By examining the Sketch Hermione’s Growth Spurt, certain devices and techniques that Ferguson offers in his writings (Ferguson, 2010) can be found. These principles are used alongside filmmaking codes and conventions such as costume design, mise-en-scene, acting, camera angles and setting in order to manifest the parody.

Ferguson offers the idea that exaggeration is used as a device in comedy to accentuate certain ideas or create absurdities that the viewers will recognise as funny. The Sketch Hermione’s Growth Spurt uses this tool to create comedy. The sketch exaggerates (Ferguson, 2010) elements such as costume design: the costume for the character Hermione is made to emphasise her ‘newly grown’ breasts, exposing them enough to highlight or exaggerate her cleavage. Furthermore the rest of Hermione’s costume is tight and short exposing lots of skin. This costume design choice was put in place to exaggerate and ploy to the idea of promiscuity and is used to sexualise an otherwise un-sexual character. Furthermore, acting is used to exaggerate or point out the obviously without overtly saying it in the sketch. The male characters use exaggeration in their acting through boisterous body language ,extreme facial expressions as well as specific tone and pitch in their voices in order to obviously react to Hermione’s physical appearance in a way that the audience will pick up on her ‘growth spurt’ without overtly alluding to her physical change. Moreover, the acting of Hermione’s character is also used as an exaggeration in the sketch as she uses her positioning to accentuate her breasts continuously throughout the performance. For example, The way Hermione ‘casts spells’ is also designed to exaggerate her breasts, her movements throughout the sketch are always to emphasise them through squeezing her breast together or pushing them out by arching her back. Another example of Hermione’s exaggeration in acting is using props to accentuate her breasts too, in the part of the sketch where the character lifts the magnified glass to her chest in order to enlarge her breasts the audience is ployed to find humour in it . Camera angels are also used to help exaggerate certain points in the sketch too, for example on camera shots of Hermione the camera is always using close ups to be inclusive of her breasts and not too much else.

Ferguson also offers the idea of nonsense scenarios, the idea that applying “faulty logic to known absolutes and truisms”, will create humour because audiences will understand their “absurdities”. (Ferguson, 2010). The original Harry Potter series both in the films and the novels has as unique landscape, the setting in the sketch is still true to the original, however is add laughter backing tracks and the change of costume design to create humour. These are considered absurd by the viewer as they don’t conform with the original. The sketch plays with the original style so much but in a. Way that still reflects the norm of what audiences know, thus creating humour from this parody form of what they originally recognise.

Through the sketch Hermione’s Growth Spurt gender stereotypes are addressed and make a point for social change. the sketch uses comedy to bring awareness to gender roles on an exaggerated level. By accentuating the Hermione’s breasts audiences witness how the male characters react and treat Hermione. Throughout the narrative, Hermione is seriously attempting to stop Harry from being attacked by Lord Voldemort. However, she is not listened to by the male characters because they are distracted. With consistence innuendos throughout the sketch and objectifications of Hermione audiences learn two things. One, that women aren’t heard but are only there for their appearance and sexual value, and two that men are nothing more than slaves to their sexual urges. This is addressed comedically through funny facial expressions, stammering voices, sexual innuendos and Hermione’s obliviousness to her growth spurt. The Sketch uses comedy to highlight social issues that permeate society, it takes a real life situation of a teenage girl going through puberty and exaggerates it.

This sketch is able to bring awareness to the theme of gender stereotypes and gender roles in society. The sketch presents them in a way that makes them easier to digest, through comedic relief audiences can understand that the main incentive or intended message of this sketch was to challenge the ideas society has about the role of teenage girls and boys when faced with the notion of sexuality and puberty.

References:

Ferguson, T. (2013). The cheeky monkey. Strawberry Hills, N.S.W.: Currency Press, p.9.

Mary O’Hara (2016), How Comedy Makes us Better People. BBC Future.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160829-how-laughter-makes-us-better-people

Pre Production:

https://www.mediafactory.org.au/natalie-aarons/2018/10/19/pre-production-assignment-4-part-1/

Production:

https://www.mediafactory.org.au/natalie-aarons/2018/10/19/production-assignment-4-part-1/

Reflection:

https://www.mediafactory.org.au/natalie-aarons/2018/10/25/reflection-assignment-4-part-1/

What did i take away from this studio?

Small Things was actually my first choice for studios this semester what intrigued me was the idea of putting small ideas into action and that was what interested me in the class all together. Before this studio i didn’t really have a grasp of the whole editing thing, was constantly hoping for the best and not really knowing how to use the correct software to edit, premiere pro that is. However, after completing this studio I have enhanced my skill set in the editing suite, i am able to navigate the software and use it in a much more professional way and my confidence has definitely grown with it. The most fantastic thing about the studio was that every class were learnt how to use different equipment properly how to set it up to put it away and how to use its functions to serve our purpose (for example, white balance and focusing). I had an idea of what the studio might be like before it commenced but i was pleasantly surprised that i got so much out of it, i learnt so many new skills that i will take away wiht me for life and that is an incredible outcome for someone who was using Imovie beforehand. Small things worked perfectly as it was easy to tackle small projects and hone in on my skills instead of being overwhelmed with a huge task and not developing my skills well incase the big task would have taken away from getting to know how to learn small functions. i think i would have never have been so successful in my learning had it been one massive film we were shooting the entire time. The course has shown me how meticulous and detailed everything is when it comes to production and didn’t like matching up the wild lines to the film footage was something i learnt within this course and something i never would have thought about previous, its effect was miraculous and so big on any project.  What was also beautiful about this course was the idea of making perfect shots and not to shoot the shit out of something, to take the time to focus and get everything perfect so that time wasn’t wasted later. Teaching me patience and attention to detail. I feel like I have acquired so many skills, i am so much more organised in my post production now because of this course. its been an incredible opportunity to learn and develop this skill set.

Working in a team:

This assignment was such an experience learning to work well in a team was a component. we had our challenges when it came to communicating all the time as we all had so many commitments. So for example picking a time to shoot took a bit of time to organise so that it was a good time for everyone. Obviously everyone is different and has different personalities these sometimes clash or work well together, i’m lucky i was laced in a very cooperative group who wanted the best for everyone and for everyone to be heard and have a say. what i found is that it was easy to speak up and put froth my own creative ideas that were taken on for everyone in a group. We all learnt how to cooperate with each other through this journey, we learnt how to be flexible and understanding of each others needs whilst working together to get the project done. This group was lovely and there were no significant issues. It was hard to always be on the ball when it came to our online discussions, or to reorganise the reshoot was also difficult based on everyones availability and due to the lack of availability for one of the actors that created stress for the group.

reflection:

the aims of the production we had as a group:

As students we wanted to hone in on all the skills we were learning in the studio and implement them in our project like the audio and the function wiht the camera. This project was the time in the studio where we were really given the go to be creative and do something freely. Thus our aim was to take the skills and constraints we had previously in the class and do something special with them in our own terms.

Sound for our film:

it was important for us to finds music that represented the characters well. For example the superhero to have string loud music that accompanied the character while they were onscreen. What was also important was finding a a siren alarm to accompany the footage at the beginning. We found this naturally whilst out and about filming we were able to grab audio of a siren but also found an artificial siren to enhance the original in post production editing.

Camera:

on the day of shooting we were experiment in the fact that we tried movement to enhance the effect of the superhero flying. We wanted the audience to feel like they were moving too, that they were following the superhero closely enough hat they might even be about to fly. we mostly used the tripod in shot to create stability and ensure professionalism. And with the help of Aarons and his steady hands we also managed to shoot a few things hand held to enhance movement and create a sense of POV when necessary. I guess with the camera we were trying hard to make it look sturdy but also experimental at that same time, trail and error to see what would work best and to have enough material to choose from in editing. We used the story board on the day of shooting in order to run smoothy with the camera, then we knew what types of shot to set up, close ups, wide shots, mid shots, POV shots, Over the shoulder shots. Its was all mapped out for us. when it came to lighting in regards to the camera we used the filters when necessary to create light balance, we also adjusted exposure, focus and white balance to get the perfect shot.

Lighting:

was easy to set up we didn’t need to use too much artificial light, only in the inside scenes we used two LED lights to create definition and atmosphere in the footage, shot. otherwise we were lucky to shoot on a bright sunny day and use natural light in out filming. We used the sun as high key lighting in our out doors scenes. We ere also able to enhance and change the lighting up using colour grading in the editing post production.

Editing:

when it came to editing it was a big task:

there were two shoot and that meant sifting through two different folders and making sure i was super organised with premiere so none of the files would be unfindable. through meticulous organisation i was able to keep on tip of where everything was. I was able to match up or sync the audio with the dialogue in the footage by using our log sheet i was able to match up the correct sound to the correct footage. A skill i had learnt previously within the class.

in the editing suite i was able to make my own narrative out of the footage we had all shot together it was interesting to see what everyone came up with individually but using the same material. Really saw everyone in our teams own individuality when it came to creativity even within the collaboration.

During the editing there was one shot i wanted to use twice: the one of the friend being shocked to see the superhero. originally this shot was meant to be placed when the superhero was entering the elevator, but it wanted to use it before hand as well so i flipped it so i could use it for both the elevator moment and when the friend first makes eye contact with the superhero.

Colour grading was a huge part of our editing process, we wanted the footage to be bright and colourful to match the outfit/ costume of the superhero. Thus we enhanced all of the colour so that its was very dramatic and colourfully bright,. Further Because red was the theme colour of the narrative i in the editing used the colour grading to enhance any red throughout the footage to be much brighter than ay other colour, using it to enhance the title, and making the colour in the film almost a character in itself.

i struggled putting the titles in on the footage, as it was a skill i hadn’t learnt yet but learnt by watching youtube tutorials during the editing process. Not only that the team i was with was amazing when i had questions for them about how to do something whilst editing that i didn’t understand how to do they were there to help me and were so helpful during that process, as editing was definitely not my string suite coming into the class.

as a reflection, this class was amazing i enhanced my skills and learnt new ones i will take away wiht me forever.

This the final product:

In this final cut I strung together all of the clips from the vast range of footage we had produced in our filming.

I paired these shots with sound either using pre-made sound affects such as a siren or music to fit and enhance the footage, adding to the narrative of the film. I also used the audio captured using wild lines to make sure any of the dialogue in the film was clear and strong and didn’t sound muffled like it in the footage captured.

I also played around with colour grading for the film, to filter it. During pre- production as a tram we decided we wanted the film to be vibrant and colourful as in most superhero films the colours are more vibrant and artificial looking than in not superhero films. ITs almost like a signature filter for this sort of genre. So in the editing of my film i decided as the films predominant theme is red i would enhance the richness of the red in the footage.

through the various stages of editing this film together i was introduced to different things about how to use Premier Pro, there were things i wasn’t sure how to do or how to accomplish but through the use of online forums, youtube and the help of my amazing team i was able to learn and take on board new skills in the editing process. for example matching up audio and footage to make sure they link at the correct time was something i didn’t know how to accomplish but learnt during this process.

I hope you enjoy my final product

Production was shot within 2 days:

we attempted to get everything done one the first day but needed to reshoot some scenes for example we wanted to reshoot the scene withe character of the friend running up the stair case i think we didn’t frame the shot right and one of our crew members accidentally  made it into a crucial part, however due to scheduling we weren’t able to reshot that scene as planned. Further the scene wasn’t lit well either we forgot to use the orange filter to balance the colour and lighting- big mistake but as a team we learnt from it. However other scenes were reshot with the character of the super hero and the team were able to also grab more material to play around with in the editing of the film such as different options for making it look like the super hero is flying at the end. Whether that was shooting just the feet, of making it look like its a POV shot through filming it through the eye mask that the character was wearing as a prop (miseenscene).

through the reshoots the team were also able to grab more wild lines and recording atmos of different environments for the editing as well.

On the shooting day, we arrived at the location 3 hours early than the actors. We planed the order of what to film and where setting up the equipment as we went.  We rehearsed every shot before we even began so that we knew what we had to get done and didn’t waste any time. Organisation is key.We even practiced the light settings. the shoot ran pretty smoothly as we kept to plan getting everything done in what we thought was going to be on day of shooting. During the production is was in charge of lighting, set up, audio and the log sheet. We use two LED panel to use as the key light and fill light. We also use the bounce board at the outdoor scene in order to accentuate the sun light outside and make the most of the natural lighting.

here are some photos of we shot during production to capture the teams experience:

Pre Production began with getting into our groups and picking the script we wanted to work with all together. We decided t go with the script for the film : The Red Cape

the films plot was based on two characters, following the narrative that one was a duper hero planning to fly and the other a friend who thought that he couldn’t

Where to go to from here we put our heads together and worked through a checklist of things that needed to be done in order to produce, shoot and edit this film together. Firstly we had to make sure the script was in order: in our case the group wasn’t too happy with the ending and so as a team we discussed the best possible was to conclude the narrative and how we would be able to have a superhero ‘fly’ and have that come across on the screen without looking fake as challenging. We decided to film this through not actually showing the flying but simulating it through film the cape buoyant in the wind. Further we needed to find locations for where we wanted to shoot the narrative this meant going out and scouting the best spots and finding out if we could even use these places from the owners of these places, for example we had to find a car park location for the scene where the superhero takes flight, we chose one car park originally but the owner came back with permission only if we paid a large amount of money which we weren’t so willing to abide by. So the group conjured up the idea to use the RMIT car park on one of the days that it would be open.  We also had to fins actors which meant writing up a casting call (attached below) and scouting actors from friends to online platforms such as star now in order to find our talent. we also had to story board what we wanted the film to somewhat look like, so once the locations were found we set out to take photos of the shot sequences we would shoot on the day (attached below). There was more on our checklist of things to do: for example making sure we booked out the right equipment and had it at the right time of our shooting too. Pre Production was actually very fun and interesting, we had to ,plan meticulously in order to make sure we had all the necessary things together to make sure our production ran smoothly. It was a good test of organisational skills and collaboration working with different people and different ideas and making sure everyone was content with the final decisions. Here are some of the documents we put together during pre production:

Risk Management:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yrPPhVeRZFhKWtDuvcK0-8kEW7mqG_MC6qz8VGkn-WU/edit#gid=0

Pre-production:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HUD2-S_82dx_iQOwzkXmf9vn0ZNaerXOZ0NLisdbr6U/edit

Story Boarding :

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NpG8kKqu0Y6Tbhd2Rgd5uZOjGhHRmy5a47iRsbWAkQc/edit

Casting call sheet:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17uA1amlNt2Z02UhS7CmN32Da6wBhHLRUTYs2L9skp9M/edit