Media 1 (2016)

Above is the final product of my Capturing Creativity studio interview, In my next post i’ll be reflecting on everything I’ve had to complete and create in order to get to this final product. I feel proud of my work but I always believe there can be improvements consistently happening. Thanks to  Stephenie Yeoh, various studio peers and tutor Louise Turley.

PROCESS –> HANGING –> INTERVIEW

Week 9 focused on presenting an in depth analysis on what we aimed to achieve and film with our artists- this includes the overall tone, production elements, pace and other aspects of production we should be or should have planned for. My presentation went well as I knew exactly the tone of piece I wanted to and was now heading to create.

In class I showed the first half of my piece in a rough cut format for feedback- the most noted advice was to capture footage of Justine working in her studio to add to the ‘in depth’ look of how she creates her art. Originally I thought I wouldn’t be able to get this as I wasn’t sure how she would feel me filming her studio which was inside her home but after contacting her to arrange a possible time everything fell into place and I was able to capture really interesting shots of her working on possible future projects.
These overlays will definitely help change the tone of the piece for the second half of the documentary and It will be nice to pair them with the audio previously captured. Overall this week was quite relaxed and now that I have all the footage I need I will be dedicating time to edit everyday so that I’m able to produce a quality piece for presentation and for Justine so she will be able to use it.

So far I’ve filmed one set of overlays, these were shots from Justine Khamaras exhibition hanging at the Arc One gallery, most of the footage displays her thinking about where she will place each individual piece so that they all connect together. The setting of the gallery is quite minimalist and this goes together with the art which contains a large amount of linear black and white lines. For the actually interview I have booked out a Zoom microphone from AV loans and have also asked for a fill light (which I am hoping to hear back from them on Monday the 12th to get a confirmation).

I will be shooting on the 14th of September which is a Wednesday, I little nervous because I have yet to secure a booking for a room and want to be as professional as possible for Justine’s sake. She’s been quite busy so I am also working within a time limit and schedule which I need to keep as condensed as possible, In regards to crew I will have Stephanie Yeoh to help me out on audio which I am so thankful for (of course in return I have lent my time to her for; if and when she needs it).

Apart from having not booked a room the rest of the filming has been planned I know what questions I will be asking Justine but would also really like to get more footage of her, In case I do not I have asked her to bring along any electronic media and prints she has on a USB that I would be able to use. This is so I have enough overlays whilst she is talking in order to keep a nice pace and the audience watching entertained. I feel confident with filming I’m a little nervous to how the whole day will do as Wednesday is a busy day and before shooting I have a class which Is quite far away and although it should end at roughly 2:30 and I don’t need to set up filming until 3 I do need to make sure it doesn’t run overtime. I’ve scheduled Justine to come in at 3:30pm and meet me outside building 9 which is where I will most likely have booked a room and even if not it’s nice to arrange meeting her so that I don’t have to send out any details at the last minute, she will though have to leave by 5pm which should give me roughly an hour to film with her which If I know exactly what I am doing should be enough.

Last week I was sick with Laryngitis, I really wasn’t able to speak much, I feel like I’ve been having bad luck with my health recently- I hope this doesn’t make me anxious by making me feel like I’m unprepared. I know that once I finish filming the interview editing is my strongest point, and If at the end of the day I really need more overlays I can take shots of VCA (where Justine went to study) and RMIT also just to pop in whilst she talks about her training, shots like that where I don’t need her present are definitely ones I will get to make sure I have enough footage of as I really like a fast-paced piece- that’s something I want to aim hard for.

This week, week 7 I finished planning when I would interview Justine (Wednesday the 14th from 3-5pm) this worked within her busy schedule and I was available within mine. My main worry was I still have not found a room to book within RMIT. Other than this I have booked a Zoom recorder and asked Stephanie to help out on Wednesday to use it. I feel quite anxious as I was sick with Laryngitis last week and missed a few more classes than I would have liked to. I was filled in by fellow students but really need to make the most of this week in order to catch up on information I have missed and to really make sure my 2-3 min presentation is ready and has a lot of detail. I do want to quality of my work to be at a certain standard which if it does not meet I will really not feel satisfied. This week meant finishing off the street art craft exercise which wasn’t too hard, I was missing some of the audio and video files from the transfer but managed to work around it.

Street Art Mini Documentary, Edited by Natasha Khan
Filmed by Tash, Dea, Stephanie, Lupin and Jenny

The most important issue and aspect I will need to take into account when I begin filming is the transportation of equipment, because of this I made the choice to use my Panasonic Lumix GH4 with an 18-25mm lens, I’ve used this camera many times before, both for volunteer and paid work I know it’s functions and settings quite well and it allows you to control almost all manual functions. I’ve also noted that I will be taking both a Video Rode Mic and a Zoom it’s always important I believe to have some sort of backed up audio just in case one of the two gathers an issue, in saying this I have also noted that the Zoom has a much better quality and manual control. Planning is working quite well, it hasn’t been too hard to plan how I’ll film Justines hanging as she has set a date and time where I am able to come.

The studio interview and her studio filming have yet to be locked in but I have put out dates where I hope she is available and once they are confirmed I will lock in a location and also hopefully a few crew members who will be able to help with audio. I think my main concerns linger with my confidence, I want to appear as professional as possible for Justine and to make sure I am in my best mindset when filming, I would rather overshoot on footage then undershoot for sure just so that I know when I’m editing I have a lot of choice to cut and manipulate everything I’ve shot in order to make the best piece.

I have an idea of the sort of tone I want, I’m quite interested in making a short biographical montage, this will ultimately have jump cuts from her hanging and studio overlays whilst she is talking to camera (eye line will be towards and interviewer but details on that have yet to be confirmed). I know editing is one of my strongest point so I am definitely not afraid for the post production, I have a monitor and laptop which would allow me to interchange between the two (which is really good for watching playbacks) and obviously having a larger screen will allow you to have a better outlook of what the piece would look like one a projector or at a screening. 

My pre-production research has been quite easy as Justine has given me a lot to work with and alongside that there is a lot of online content, I’m really thankful for that as it makes the process easier for me. Nothing isn’t ‘not working’ at the moment but as a I previously stated I really need to lock down rooms and studios for booking so that I am not left without a space to film in, this has me a little anxious as I’m generally one to plan in advanced but I’ve told myself I can’t really do much until my artists confirms when she’s available for filming.

Overall I’m ready for filming the hanging but will need to knuckle down in communication to make sure both studio shoots are ready within the following couple of weeks.

Lighting was the focus of Mondays class during Week 6, a demonstration on a three point set up was shown by Louise who gave us notes on how to match daylight (natural light) to studio lights as well as the different types of lighting there was (tungsten, LED, fluorescent, ect). Lighting is extremely important, it can add a dramatic effect or simply makes a subject appear clear and professional.

The most important reminder is for the crew (camera operator) to remember to white balance once they have set up. You also want to take into account if you would like a contrast between the studio lights in the foreground and the natural light in the background or if you would rather keep them similar and stick to a natural format (which would not include using the tungsten diffuses).

Wednesday was used as a reflection on our pitches, feedback was given by a professional who helped nail down any errors or sentences we may have left out that would ultimately make our pitches better and more likely to reach a higher level of standards.

My own pitch is coming along quite well, it has been easy to make contact with Justine which has made the process more enjoyable, we have now come to a point where I will soon need to reflect what I’ve learnt so far throughout this process which will be interesting, I feel as though I have planned quite a bit but still need to put in more effort to make sure everything goes to plan and that I am not left with only half a piece or a project that is below the standard that I would like.

Week five was again used to prompt practice by filming more for the street art vox pops, our group changed location to inside the RMIT cafeteria in order to create variation in the outcome of responses. Monday consisted more of a drill to nail in what we had learnt the previous week so that we would not forget it for the upcoming filming. It did make me change my mind for my audio source and I have now thought about hiring a proper mixer in order to gain the best possible audio. I believe I should book equipment soon as it will be tedious it items book out at the same time. Another focus is building a shooting schedule and planning for production for what I aim to shoot. A lot of class discussion centers around the ‘how‘ of what we will be shooting, I aim to use a Panasonic LUMIX GH4 (18-25mm wide lens) with both a VideoRodeMic and a separate Zoom. I also think I will shoot with 25fps and will be editing on Adobe Premier Pro CC. The first date I have locked in to shoot is Justine Khamaras hanging on the 29th of August which is approaching fast. There is not yet much time for reflection in this time of production unfortunately as much thought is going into pre-production and planning, I am however thinking about how what I will choose and how I choose to film will affect the overall outcome which I think is very important.

The week focused on Street Art Vox Pops as an introduction into film and editing with the RMIT equipment, this again meant being placed into groups to work the equipment. The Vox pops included having discussions with individuals on the street in order to gain their opinions on street art.

The question that our group reflected on in particular was weather street art was as valuable as the art placed within galleries. It was interesting to see the responses from subjects especially those who were less certain when speaking and those who had confidence.

We learnt that the type of response you will gain will be determined on how you approach an individual.
Tone is very important when asking someone to participate.
Meanwhile thoughts also lingered on our artists and our upcoming pitch, overall this week was quite laid back and more focused on us doing our own research for our documentaries.

Week 3 Studio classes focused upon the underappreciated artist as well as contemporary forms of art including street art.
It can be noted that many pieces of work we value now have only become noteworthy once the artist has passed away.
A famous painter mentioned was Van Gough, an example of why is because his work was not valued during his lifetime.
This was partly due to the fact his style was not recognised or appreciated, only once his demise did his pieces became renowned for their contemporary art form and later iconic. Our second class as a demonstration on the usage of camera and audio.
Cinematography was a key factor mentioned as well as lighting, mise-en-scene and shot sizes. We have been told by our tutor Louise Turley that we should be thinking ‘outside the box and our comfort zones’ when it comes to using new equipment. After all we are undertaking a Media course in order to learn new information as well as complete different types of challenges.
It was nice to have a refreshment on audio, most of what I had learnt from my Diploma came into play using RMIT’s cameras.
Notes would be to check the camera is on mic not line, also levels and finally playback audio before actually filming to make sure everything is working accordingly.