Week 4 (Thursday the 23^rd of March)

As week four comes to a close project brief twos deadline draws near. This project included creating a short fashion film. My group for this project included Emily, Lisa, Kasia and myself. I know, personally I wanted to create a certain vibe and tone. I’m extremely into experimental film as well as atmospheric and mood enhancing cinematography. For this project, all four of us decided to film in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy- as it’s a location that has a lot of character and fashion.

 I brought my Panasonic LUMIX GH4 to film with and set it on an ISO of around 400 with a f-stop of 2.8 and a shutter speed of 1/1000, I also made the tonal quality look less vibrant and more cinematographic to create a certain high-fashion flare. I intentionally chose to go in and out of focus whilst filming as an experimental stunt to enhance the viewer’s perspective. My aim is always to play around with the camera and create something new and different that appeals to myself as well as making an audience question the artist choice. I film with meaning and emotion and I like to put that into practice.

It was fun working with a team that had a similar image in mind, it meant that compromising and working together was easy and everyone seemed to understand each other. This is an important aspect especially for me; as I’m a student who is interested in experimental film it’s always nice to have a team support my artistic choices and allow me to be creative. I also supported the idea that each of us make our own version of the edit- this meant that we all could have a practice creating a rush and messing around with the material. I know when I film I have very strong direction and I would say cinematography is one of the main aspects of film I enjoy. I really want to create a full experimental piece sometimes In the future and I never saw fashion as a place to do so until now. It was interesting to hear in Week 3 a speaker come in from the fashion industry and talk to us about his work, I know now it’s definitely an area I want to dance and roam within and hope throughout this studio I am able to.

There wasn’t anything difficult about this assessment I’d say the only thing I find ‘hard’ is re-editing and replaying footage over and over again. Although I will say when I get bored of a project I generally pack it away and come back to it when I’m in a better mind state of course this doesn’t take into account deadlines so if there’s a deadline for a project it means you have to work on it even when you’re sick of seeing the same footage on repeat. I understand this is the industry and it’s also what makes it so fun- working and testing your limits under pressure.  I  have a very artistic style that comes to me in waves, when I have an idea I like to stay true to it so it will be interesting how I evolve in a commercial sense If I need to and if i’m able to keep my style. I find this studio has given me a lot of motivation to pursue my own ideas and I question why I haven’t done so before, I really have a passion in filming and I’m looking forward to learning more from the industry professionals who visit us during our studio. Hopefully in the future I can write and direct in my spare time and create a portfolio, fashion and music video with a very dark, moody atmosphere are what I’m most attracted to but I don’t want to close any doors as I’m always open to boost my creativity in a range of directions.

Week 3 (Thursday the 16-17th of March)

Our focus this class was learning about filming techniques, this involved experimenting with the camera and learning it’s settings- a game of trial and error. I’ve already done a lot of filming in my Diploma of Screen and Media so I knew how to use both RMIT’s cameras and the one I want to film with, my Panasonic Lumix GH4. This make the class breezy and relaxing.

Our group Emily, Lisa, Kasia and myself decided we didn’t want to use the footage from the tutorial for our project so scheduled a time to meet outside of the studio so we’d be able to do some more filming- preferably in a more exciting location. We set to meet up in Brunswick street as there is a very certain ‘style’ and feel that emulates from that location. The goal is to create a video for our project that is fun, vibrant and reflects a very ‘chick’ street fashion. I’ll be set to bring my Panasonic whilst Emily is also bringing a camera. Although I am bringing a Video Rode Mic we probably won’t end up using it as the video will be overlayed with music and no audio will be needed. I do know from experience it’s always better to over prepare then under prepare.

Week 2 (Wednesday the 8th of March)

Different aspects of ‘Fashion’ and fashion on screen.

Drive (2011) Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling ‘Drivers Costume Design’

I enjoyed this film for a number of reasons, mood lighting, chiaroscuro, neon noir and the costume design of the main character ‘Driver’. This shot from the film represents a whole mood that is incorporated by the toothpick the character is holding and the driving gloves he is wearing. There is a ‘sleekness’ to the photo that provokes an ‘edged’ mood that lingers with the audience.

Mamie Eisenhower
I like this photo due to it’s ‘retro’ qualities and how the back-lit reflects the color Eisenhower is wearing, the photo melds together and represents a piece of history when fashion in politics and those on the world stage created iconic looks. Eisenhower also represents a shift in how women should be represented, feminine and delicate. This denotes that fashion is cultural- it changes consistently based upon the views and values of a society and their influence by the media.

‘Sophia’ Grace Loves Lace
Grace Loves Lace is a brand that specialists in alternative (bohemian) wedding dresses, and this many of the clients end their special day with naturalistic photographs that are very mood dependent. They tend to evoke an emotion rather than an actual event. I really enjoy how the fashion element within this photo works together with the mood that’s evoked to present this very sensual atmosphere. I also like the black and white filter effect that makes the image seem very ‘whole’ and complete.

Sisters of Nature
Pastel colors and a matching color pallet is something I always find appealing, the colors in this photo of the lace gowns against the backdrop of the blue wall emit a feeling of ‘retro’ and ‘style’. I also really enjoy the lace pieces and am a big face of lace itself.

Festival Fashion, Rainbow Serpent
I’ve always found the self expressive and distinct, the idiosyncratic designs that come out of these outdoor bush festivals really evokes a sense of freedom coming from a youthful generation. I believe in certain cases it tries to incorporate the fact that body is only one factor in our lives and that the mind is just as important. The unconventional fashions you find here really mimic what it is like to change your perception weather it be sober or through alternative means.

My aim throughout this studio is to work upon my cinematography and narrative plot-lines. I take a strong interest in mood lighting and really want to work on mise-en-scene to create a specific thought out disposition. I’m inspired by directors who have character flares that are demonstrated all throughout their work, such as Wes Anderson with a prominent pastel colour pallet and Damien Chazelle with dim lighting, chiaroscuro and neon noir (inserted below). I also believe I need to work more on creating clean cut audio but this can be done by planning and finding better soundproof studios to record overlays, preparation in that area is key.

I am indeed hoping to enjoy this studio, I take an interest in the creative and fashion is a big category that edges on innovation- I’m hoping we are able to work with individuals who already have passion incorporated into their everyday lives. What I want to gain from this studio is obviously as much experience as possible; be it practical or theoretical I’m hoping to lengthen my knowledge in all areas of study. I hope this class stays bright, bubbly and inquisitive and throughout the semester becomes a hub for critical thought and feedback and I love good critical feedback that helps drive my work into a better form.

Week 1 (Thursday the 2nd of March)

The first week was an introduction into the studio with our semester studio lecturer and guide ‘Christina Heristanidis’. She gave us the low down on what the studio was about as well as initiating ice breakers in order for all the students to understand and acknowledge each other better. It is always hard to write a critical reflection when you’ve only had one class so far but I will say that the first class touched on quite a lot of aspects that would be covered throughout the semester course. This includes the major assessment that is a short film based around the theme of fashion, and in particular a fashion designer and their story. I’m most excited to start examining my own cinematography within this course to make it more contemporary and incorporate a new level of mood lighting I have been working upon.

We had a very short activity during our first class that was based around taking photographs of objects and visuals that ‘weren’t’ fashion. I decided to take photos of the shadows the clothes on display made within the RMIT Design showcase. I thought this would be ‘ironic’ as the shadows themselves aren’t fashion but a mere reflection of something that could be. I also like the mood they reflected which was somber and evocative.

Capturing Creativity is a studio that delves into the production of artistry. A summary of this semester reflects on the process of meeting, discussing and collaborating with local Australian Artists who have exhibitions and works within the contemporary art scene. The process of creating our short documentaries began by meeting and discussing ideas with our artists. My artist was Justine Khamara her current exhibition was ‘Stratum’ on at ArtOne mere days from being allocated her name. Of course, this meant that I had to jump into action straight away from receiving her contact details. My first instinct was to ring her up and gain as much biographical knowledge on her as possible so I could paint my own portrait of her lifestyle and art and choose a direction in which to take my documentary. After our initial talk, I created a simple production calendar and timeline in which I aimed to accomplish everything.

As my first shoot was within a short time period I decided to use and equip myself with my own equipment to make the process not only easier but more moveable with just one individual- myself. It really didn’t take long to film Justines hanging, I knew exactly what I wanted to film and how I wanted to portray the art. Her art was minimalistic so I recognized the footage of it would be quite simple, very black and white which is the two shades most predominate within the film. I used this to my advantage and really thought about the stylization of how I would be editing what I was filming whilst filming. My Panasonic LUMIX GH4 was a good choice to use the quality came our amazing and I wasn’t lugging around heavy luggage all day by myself.

Once the filming of the hanging was completed the second part of the filming was more complicated, it included filming Justine for an interview. I wanted to film her in one of RMIT’s studio rooms so that the canvas would be as neutral as possible but many of the studios were hard or unable to be booked. In this instance with the help of my tutor Louise Turley I was able to book a room within Building 9 at RMIT and set the room up accordingly with how I would like it to be. The crew only consisted of Stephonie Yeoh and myself which all in all was more than enough, I was good to have Steph there as she helped carry equipment from Building 8 which was down Bowen street and quite heavy. I loaned out an LED lighting kit and Zoom mic but when I got to the stages of setting up the Microphone I realised the tech desk had forgot to book it in and loan it out to me, as Justine was already arriving I used my Video Pro Road Microphone instead and I believe the audio still came out quite well. In fact, the hardest challenge was editing Justines narration as it wasn’t as fluid as one would have hoped and getting audio that was both descriptive and paced was the main challenge.

If I’m too reflect less on of the physical process and more on the mental learning I found this studio to be really enjoyable, I like how the pace was- It was very independent and we weren’t tied down to doing a particular thing as I could see and note in other studios. It also gave many students the ability to work on their own individual projects placing us in the position of the producer and director. It was also so pleasurable learning about different people’s artistry and many of the local galleries within Melbourne’s scene. I especially liked our trip to Gertrude Contemporary, I hadn’t visited too many contemporary art galleries beforehand but they were definitely something I enjoyed especially after being to MONA in Tasmania (one of the reasons for my interest in this studio). The way students thought was also a positive aspect, there was a lot of debate and discussion (especially on the meaning behind many pieces within contemporary art). It was good to see people passions when working upon their projects. I crewed on Katrina’s shoot which was different, it was interesting to see how her artist had evolved in regards to my own. He was very different especially within his views and values and had a precise way he wanted to be represented which was different from Justine who did not mind and wanted to me to choose my own form and take initiative.

Overall this studio has taught me a lot about my own creativity, It will be sad to have it officially come to an end but I now know what I really enjoy about film making. I enjoy documentary- telling individuals stories, especially editing them and piecing together a narrative. I also really enjoy watching originality form and ideas become reality. I hope in the future that I am able to continue working on projects that have a high form of originality.

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