Saturday, April 19, 2008
Production Strategy
Since I got the idea to use the strategy of filming spaces that make one feel enclosed I ‘m going to try and find some playgrounds within my drift area that have tube slides. Also I know I saw a tunnel on one of my drifts so I plan on going there to have some fun with this drift strategy. This site with the tunnel is highly promising because there is a lot that I can do with it. It’s absolutely beautiful and is long, dark and enclosed and will make some interesting shots when the sun is out. Maybe I can play with whole “light at the end of the tunnel” phrase. I plan on limiting my image capturing strategies to this motif so it might take a while to find a lot of different footage of enclosed spaces and a variety of playgrounds. However I think it will be worth it for the video sequence I’m already imagining putting together.
As for the sounds, it’s going to be difficult to strategize how I will limit my capturing strategies since I pretty much walked the city to find them. If I’m lucky however and come across a lot of good sounds to record then my strategy will be to record sounds that will amplify the enclosed footage. Also I might try to collect some abstract sounds so I can play around and decide what I like best with my footage.
Ten Questions
1) What was the most video/sound appealing place(s) that I went to on my first two drifts?
2) Do I know of any visually interesting places I decided not to film in my first drifts?
3) Am I trying to focus on nature or man-made objects?
4) Did I like my material better recorded at night or in the day?
5) Are there any interesting buildings in the area?
6) Where were most of my sounds gathered in the city or the suburban area?
7) Am I trying to use a similar camera technique in this drift as the last ones?
8) Are there any parks or playgrounds that I saw on my first two drifts?
9) What was the most beautiful site within my drift area?
What was the most hideous site of my drift area?Drift Assessment 4
My favorite recollection from my drifts was finding this beautiful staircase in the sun that I used in my piece. I just stumbled upon it while walking near the dorms I was living in and became really stunned. This was honestly one of my first experiences making movies and finding that location made it really exciting. I had a lot of fun making my own soundtrack out loud as I filmed shakily walking down these stairs to capture them. Once again I’m sure I looked pretty crazy because of it as well.
Drift Assessment 3
One surprise that I definitely had during my drift experience would have to be fascination that I had gained with nature. It’s hard to explain, but when you’re walking for hours at a time looking for sounds and images to capture; you become completely conscious of your senses. I remember that on my first drift when it was quite difficult to find sounds for at least an hour or so I was completely shocked at the viscous natural energy that was coming from the world. Without a warm roof over my head in a time period that I would most definitely normally not be outside; I felt like an animal scrounging for food in terrible weather. Only I was scrounging for sounds and footage to shoot which had me observing the tiniest details and listening as hard as I could for the right direction to walk.
Another surprise that I had when doing my drifts would have to be the fact that many people were extremely cordial in helping me out with my project. Although I looked like a crazy person most of the time that I was out there holding my microphones in the pouring snow; every single person that I asked to record permitted me. I came up to a couple workers who were grinding salt and shoveling and they were more than willing to allow me to do my recordings. Also I even went inside a store and told them that I was looking to record some sounds. Here one of the workers even offered to allow me to record him juggling some pins. They didn’t hassle me or try to sell me anything and these drifts honestly offered me a more optimistic view of people in general.
Finally the third surprise I had on my drifts was how my images looked when I finally had them uploaded. I wasn’t very happy with the work that I had recorded and felt extremely amateurish since I was working with a simple digital camera. When I got back however I was really impressed with the quality of video that the camera was able to capture and also how effective the movements I created were.
Drift Assessment 2
Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 and/or 2 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
In drift 2 I felt unusually peaceful at this one point when I was walking next to what I believe is called the Milwaukee River. I walked alongside the river and followed the direction the tide was going. I must have walked for a good three city blocks without filming anything just studying the presence of some divine “mover” of the water. It was so early in the morning and there was nobody down there but myself and I just really felt like I had no worries during that time. It was almost like the river was somehow my friend leading me towards serenity.
Another event in drift to that put me at ease was when I was filming this long shot of a tree. I started filming from the bottom up of the tree and slowly covered its entire physical presence. As I filmed slowly raising the camera to study the tree, its beauty melted my heart and I just felt really tranquil and surrendered to its presence. Overall Drift 2 just brought me to a point where I felt one with nature.
Drift Assessment 1
1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1 or 2. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One situation that really aggravated me on my drifts 1 blog would have had to been the weather. Due to the fact that I had procrastinated on going on my first drift; I was forced to go out on one of the coldest, dreariest, windiest days of my life. I trekked through rain, sleet, and snow all the while getting my socks completely soaked. The wind was a giant obstacle and no matter the strength of my mic-covers a slight rustling can be heard on just about everyone of my tracks. When I returned home I couldn’t feel my hands, my feet were basically frozen from the water that seeped through my shoes and I was ready to kill anyone who messed with me. It was by far one of the most aggravating experiences in my college education.
Another situation that really stressed me out on my drift one experience was the fact that good sounds were extremely hard to come by. I must have walked an hour and a half before I was able to record something other than that of a passing car. It was extremely difficult for me to find sounds that I thought were reasonable enough to post and took me a lot time walking in that dreaded cold to come by. Drift 2 was quite pleasurable compared to that of Drift 1.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)