Summer soon summer soon summer soon

Dance Video - Post Production

Here's the thing - I am not a good editor. There are numerous things in this industry that I think I am good at, but editing - seeing what looks good with what, colour correction, sound editing, etc. - is just not one of them. So for this project I figured, its time I actively bring on an editor, so that we can properly put together this project. So that's what I did. Originally I had to talked to Rufaro about editing together, but on the day we decided to start I had already edited sound with Nina, so we decided to carry on with the video too. Rufaro was okay with this, and agreed to be credited as Camera Operator, while Nina would be Sound & Edit. 

For the sound we first discussed what I had in mind, and what she figured would look good with the edit she had in mind. We started piecing together something we thought would give a nice rhythm to it, and create an interesting piece to edit to. The background sound gives it a nice atmosphere, and creates tension and works really well with for an example slowed down clips. The beat we put in with the guitar creates a pattern that we could edit to, and musical beats that would sound good with visual cuts. We also decided to add heartbeats to make it more intimate and to help with the beat, but as we didn't want this to be the main focus, we lowered the audio gain on it, and slowed it down so that it would only we barely visible. This was also done so that you might not even think about it being there, a listener might just accept it as their own heart beat. We also added a rain effect, as we didn't want to record anything during the shoot. Also, because it is an added sound we could control how much there is, and how the rain increases until the point were the dancer breaks. 

As for the edit we faced a couple of problems. We quickly realised that we should have filmed more, possibly extended the shoot until the day after. Even though we felt like we didn't have enough material we still managed to put together a rough cut that day. It had the general tone of the project, but was missing something to make it feel more complete as a video, but also as a narrative. We decided to leave it for that day and look at it with rested eyes the day after. 

We started the next day of editing by looking over the areas of the video that we didn't especially like, and that we wanted to change. We then played around with the clips to find out how they might fit together better. At times it felt like a puzzle, where we just had to find the right pieces for it to become complete. I decided I wanted to slow down the beginning quite a bit, to better see the crescendo into the middle of the video, and also to get a complete visual of what the dance is supposed to look like. That way it would be easier to understand how the water is interrupting the dancer, and how she has to change her routine. 

As for colour correction we started by all over lowering the highlights, and making her skin less bright. There were also multiple shots where the background is glistening because of the water - we tried our best to make up for that in the correction, but it only worked to a certain degree. If I could I would probably in the future make sure that the background is far enough away so that it doesn't get wet. We also added a 25-30% saturation in the beginning and all the way towards the breakdown to symbolise how the dancer is just mindlessly repeating the same routine, and only gains more colour and saturation towards the end when she finally accepts the water, and dances with it. 

I all in all like the edit, although I wish we had more material to work with. I would also have liked to use a better camera so that we could capture her movements and the water even better. But Nina did an outstanding job with both the sound and the visuals, and I can't thank her enough for working with me. 

-TJ

Creative commons:

I Am Running a Marathon with Thousands of Other Highly av Chris Zabriskie er lisensiert under en Creative Commons Attribution-lisens (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Kilde: http://chriszabriskie.com/honor/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Eastminster av Kevin MacLeod er lisensiert under en Creative Commons Attribution-lisens (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Kilde: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100719

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

The best crew in the world made it efficient, fun, and an amazing directorial debut all together

Dance Video - Production

After Pre Production was over and done with I felt like the world had been lifted off my shoulders, and that I could finally breathe again. I genuienly looked forward to the shoot, and I was excited to see how I would do as director. As I've stated in my learning agreement I wish to become a director or dop in the future, and I really want to hone and try out my skills more during 3rd year. In many ways this project was my first attempt at just that. In the weeks leading up to the shoot I had felt the stress of producing, and although I managed to complete that too, I dont think that is the right position for me. The parts of pre production that I really enjoyed were the meetings with my dancer, where I got to actually direct, and create the cinematography for the project. Now that everything was in place I was ready to start my first shoot day. 

We started building the set around 7:30, so that we would finish in time for the first shot. Nina and I started building the party tent, and covering the sides in the black cloth I had bought during pre production. This all took longer than we thought, and by the time we had set up camera we were already a little behind schedule. Rufaro was my camera operator and sat up the slider and camera with help from myself and Nina. By the time Gabby had warmed up, my first aider (Anna Woods) had showed up, and I had also made sure of that the campus security guard was available. (We exchanged phone numbers in case of emergency) 

We then started filming. We were quite lucky because it was a fairly warm night, but also the crew remained positive, and encouraging. We did the first take, and had coffee, a towel, and a warm jacket ready for Gabby immediately, so that she wouldn't freeze while Rufaro and I set up the next take. Gabby and I also did some exercises, like running on the spot, and star jumps to keep her warm, and to keep the spirits up. We carried on with this routine for the entire shoot, as in we would do a take, and then we would fuel up on towels, coffee (or tea), snacks, and warmth, and then we would commence the next take. I would say that this worked really well, and although we went half an hour over time, the crew remained positive and set on completing the shoot. We cleaned up as a team making sure that everything was packed properly and the lights had cooled down first. We also made sure that we didn't leave any litter. We didn't have time to take the set down, so we pushed it against the wall, and marked up the path next to it, to show people that they could just walk around it. We also tied it down to make sure that it wouldn't blow away over night. Nina and I then packed down the rest of the set the next morning, and that was that. 

All in all I feel like I did well as a director. I feel like I was able to keep everyones spirits up, and made it into a fun shoot, rather than a chore. The crew was extraordinary to work with and they all put 110% into the project, so I thank them all from the bottom of my heart for giving me their evening, even Logan (BTS) and Anna (First Aid) stayed for the entire thing, and remained positive and focused. This was an amazing experience, and I am now more hungry than ever to pursue directing. 



Also a massive thanks to the crew for making this a successful shoot. Rufaro did an amazing job on camera, and it was really good working with you. Nina was constently ready with anything we needed, be it snacks, coffee, something warm to drink or good advice. You were absolutely amazing! Also huge thanks to Anna for being there in case we did a boo boo, and thanks to Logan for taking all these pictures!



-TJ

A lot of running around University

 Dance Video - Pre Production

I was at a point where the idea for my project was complete, and I had to start the actual work on it. Like I've said multiple times already in previous post, I knew that finding a location was going to be my biggest problem - as my shoot required quite a specific set of needs. (Water outlet, electricity, a way for the water to run off, and enough space to make the set.) With this complication I also had to make a massive risk assessment to make sure that the electricity didn't touch the water, the dancer didn't get ill or cold, etc. I knew that the pre production that was ahead of me would be extensive, and difficult. 

I sent out multiple emails to places I thought might be able to host my shoot, including public pools, car washes, and fire stations. I also emailed Surrey County Council and Surrey Film Office for help, and in case I needed additional permits. Sadly none of these hailed fruitful as they were either too expensive, or not able to host at all. So for now I still didn't have a location although I still had to keep working on the rest of my production pack. I kept emailing similar places, and I also kept this one area in mind outside my house in the back of my mind as a backup, should I not be able to find anything. 

I carried on planning my shoot, and my production by setting the 4th - 6th of April as my potential shoot days. This way I would be able to finish my production before Easter, and get a head start on editing, as I would not have that much time before hand in after Easter break was over. I also started looking into my budget and what I would need to aquire for the shoot around this time, and I ordered different materials such as a hose, sprinkler, and cloth for the set. At the same time as I was working on this I also had regular meetings with my dancer. I was very lucky to find a dancer fairly quickly, as I posted on the students facebook page and got a reply within the hour. Gabby Ellison, which is her name, is an aquaintance of me, and I really think this was benefical to the project as we could very comfortably explore and shape the chereography together. Within our two first meeting we had the routine finished, and we had agreed upon how the dance would transform throughout the video. She showed great enthusiasm for the project, and loved the idea behind the narrative, as well as the message I was trying to send. We also stayed in touch outside of meetings by sending each other videos of different dances as to contribute any inspiration we could find. I tried my best to keep her updates on any dates that changed during pre production, as well as how the set would look, and how we would take care of her safety. This was my first time directing a dancer, and I was at first very insecure about what to do, but I figured that she probably felt insecure too, so I therefore decided that she would never dance alone during practice, except when looking over the final routine. I always did the moves with her, and we warmed up and stretched together as well. I think this made the whole practice feel less strict, and more fun. 

I tried uploading the video we took of the finished routine after our second meeting, but for some reason neither blogger or youtube was able to upload it even though it is a .mov file. Anyway, here are two screenshots I took of the video. During our third meeting we went on to work with water, and how the water would change her movement, but I don't have any visuals of that.

 

I also discussed costume with Gabby, and what we thought would fit the film. We both agreed that we wanted it to be inspired by marital arts and yoga, as well as still being flexible enough to move comfortably in.  

I was also working on the rest of my production pack even though my location had still not be procured. In the synopsis and treatment I pretty  much just summed up what I have written in my previous blog post about the project. In cast and crew I made sure that I would have enough people on location to help with filming, lighting, and taking care of the dancer. 

For equipment I kept it fairly simple. I wanted the GH4 so that I could shoot in 50fps to properly catch the water, and film better at night. The lighting was very basic as well, as I wanted all the attention to be on the dancer. I also made sure that I already had sandbags so that the lights would be secure. I also chose to have a slider for my shoot, as I wanted to explore shots with only slight panning, this was just so that I would have more options to choose from during the edit.

The Location Drama

It was now a week before the shoot, and I had given up on finding a location. I therefore decided to go with my backup although it wasn't the best at all. I did my risk assessment accordingly, and hoped that it would be enough. I went to my final tutorial with Rosie, and she immidietly says the she doesn't think she would be comfortable with me filming there, as there were certain aspects of it that were unsure, and could be unsafe. We start brainstroming where I could shoot, and if I possibly could shoot on campus, as this would make it safer, and easier to transport equipment. She makes a couple of calls and we discover that there is one spot that matches all my requirements. This started my most efficient, stressful, and productive week of my entire life. If I were ever to film on campus with electricity and water I would need to be signed off by Health and Saftey, the Campus Location Manager, and my Course Leader. This included having a risk assessment of massive proportions, a set that has been constructed safely, ladder training, and First Aid perosonell on site in case something goes wrong. I had multiple meeting with Julia Critcher about the set and how I would make sure it was safe in every way possible. I had multiple meetings with Tipu and Emma from Healthy and Safety to make sure that all my materials, equipment, and risk assessment would be safe for actors and crew. And I had countless meeting with Rosie to update her on how I was doing. I kept updating and adding to my risk assessment to make sure that everyone was fit, and in the end everyone signed off on it and I was ready to go.

This was the biggest production I had ever done, and it was my first time producing, so everything took its time, but I think I did an alright job in the end, and I am very happy with how I pulled together and managed to pull it off. 

-TJ

 Task 4

Task 4:

We had a lot of trouble with the printer in r19, but we still went through all the required steps that we learned from Beytan. 

Before coming to my slot in r19 I had already edited my two pictures to what I wanted them to look like for task 1 and 3. (In the end I chose a different picture for task 3, but at the time of printing this was still gonna be my choice.) I had edited them and saved them as TIF files, because TIF is supposed to offer the best quality when printing. 

When arriving we had already heard about some trouble with the printer, and some other groups not being able to print like they wanted. Still, after turning on the iMac and the Eizo, we continued to check that the colour space on the Eizo matched the colour space on the iMac. When customising the colours, we used a white paper to check the white on the screen with the white in real life. After getting the colours on the two screens synced, we turned off the house lights in the room, as those could interfere with the colour we see on screen. 

Task 3:

From workshop 3 

Studio: Lighting the portrait in the style of chiaroscuro art technique (Rembrandt vs. Caravaggio) 

Assessment Task:

Produce three studio portraits, two using the chiaroscuro lighting techniques demonstrated in the workshop (i.e. one Rembrandt and one Caravaggio) and one in the lighting technique of your own choice. All 3 images must be captured in RAW format and mastered as a Smart Object in TIF or PSD file format as outlined in workshop one). Use the techniques demonstrated in the portrait workshop to consider the quality, quantity and direction of light in relation to the subjects pose and this influences the composition of the portrait (e.g. broad and narrow light direction, subject pose and space around the subject and camera and lens settings.)

Caravaggio:

In my Caravaggio style image I took the soft box off the light to create an even starker contrast between the light and dark. I also asked my model to sit slight forward as to seem more imposing to the viewer. I did this to create a darker posture, that might make the viewer feel threatened, as was often wanted from the religious imagery Caravaggio used to paint.

Rembrandt:

For my rendition of Rembrandt I decided to add a little something. When lighting the scene I put one light to shine from the models right at a strength of 3, and another light to the left of the model, with a strength of 1. The secondary light had no flash, and was simply to give the broad side of the face a little light, while the narrow was illuminated and we had the triangle on his left cheek. I asked him to turn 90 degrees, turn his head back 45, and then his eyes towards me to create a dramatic and mysterious effect. I used soft boxes on both lights to create a soft, and smooth image, even though the contrasts between light and dark are very clear. 

Own style:

For my own style I wanted to create something that I felt like the two other styles were missing, although they were hugely inspirational. I put the light behind the model and shone it towards their back and side to create a silhouette of sorts. I didn't want the light to be too strong, as I wanted the silhouette to be nostalgic and dramatic. I discovered in my attempt to recreate Caravaggio and Rembrandt that I always look for facial structure when taking pictures, and that I use the light to better see it in images. For my style I wanted to elevate the cheekbones my model had, and also the outline of his biceps, to compliment his figure. I think it worked out very well. 

TJ

Task 1: 

From workshop One. Exploring and editing the RAW file using the non-destructive Adobe camera raw "Smart object" in Photoshop. 

Assessment Task Capture 5 different images from environments with different light sources (e.g. studio lighting, electronic flash, tungsten (bulb), daylight, mixed light-sources, etc.) using the RAW format from a Digital SLR camera. Process, correct and adjust the images using the appropriate workflow in Adobe Photoshop CC.

For this assignment I decided to first do the mixed light-sources picture, and I decided to shoot at night to better show the different light. I had the idea to use traffic light for my light source, and then also have a secondary one. At one point I also considered adding a third light source by waiting for a car to pass by, and catch its head lights, but after experimenting with this effect at a different location I decided not to use it. 

I played around with the blacks, whites, and shadows a bit to make more of the picture show, and save some of the information in the sky and the bushes behind my model.

The final image I chose to use for my two lighting sources is the one you see in the Camera Raw screen shot further up. 

I love the composition between red and green, good and bad, light and dark. With the the added prop of the cigarette and lighter it creates an aesthetic that I am really please with. When editing this I decided to play around with the following settings to bring more depth to her face, and also burn less of the white in flame. Her hair has more texture because I lowered shadows and contrast, while I slightly increased blacks. The duality of the image looks great and I'm really pleased with it. I did play around with some different setting as well, and I also removed the adobe presets. 

Pic 2:- Daylight

I took these pictures outside around midday so that the sun was above us shining down. On the first I stood right in front of the model with now obstruction, while on the second I stood behind the kitchen door, so that there was glass between us. I really like this because it gives it almost like a dreamy soft light filter. When it came to the edit I had to adjust the highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks all down to compensate for the strong sunlight. If you look at the original file you'll see that it is a little bit over exposed even though my ISO was set to 100. 

By adjust the shadows and highlights I gave her hair more texture, as well as making her make up and facial features more visible. Her left shoulder is also less burnt out, as well as her roots. I played around with a couple of different white balance presets here, and among my favourite were Flash and Daylight. I also tried doing a custom white balance by using her shirt and the window frame in the background. Both the Flash and the custom tool added a bit of a tint that I did not think suited the image, so I ended up going with the Daylight setting. 

Pic 3:- Tungsten

This picture was taken in my kitchen fairly late one day, so that the main light source was the tungsten light in the ceiling. As you can see it gave the image quite a warm, yellow tint. To change this I decided to play around with the setting and bring the yellow down to a more natural colour. I decided to contradict the original feel of the image to fit the imagery better - dead flowers. I feel like my end result was a good rendition of cold, and hard realities. 

Pic 4:- Flash

For this one I decided to do something a bit different. I did try some edits where I changed the setting so that I could see what was in the back, and I got amazing amounts of info back from the darkness. You can see my settings in the file I included in my hand in. I decided in the end to go a different way though - not having used black and white on any of the other pictures, I felt like it felt very right here. Considering flash photography creates very high contrast images, using black and white creates a great grey spectrum. This shows us a lot of detail in her face, while completely removing the distractions of the background. 

Pic 5:- Shade

With this one I struggled. I went out looking for shadows that were very clear and diagonal stripes, to create a partition between the light and dark, but alas, I could never find it. This was sadly a last minute picture. In a way I was able to create the difference I wanted to show the shade, and through editing I managed to make the shade more visible, turning the light into an almost glow or aura. 

TJ

"My most challenging project yet"

 Dance Video Idea

Consider this my treatment pitch. Going off my previous research post I have combined multiple of my ideas into one final one. My dance video will be a 1+ minutes long, and will consist of a minimalistic dance with smooth and fluid movements that correspond with the raining of the water. It will be filmed with a black background and a spotlight on the dancer, I only want the dancer and the water to be in focus. I really like how Bill Violas work almost feels sentimental and nostalgic, so I want to try to create that atmosphere with the low light, and black background. As for the sound I want it to be as little of it as possible, almost nothing at all. The little I want to have will be very experimental and abstract, and will serve the purpose of helping the atmosphere. As far as my crew goes I have 2 or 3 people who have said they would like to help me, but I have not assigned any roles as of yet, because I think we will have to a bit of everything. I want to work very closely with the dancer, and develop the choreography while filming, with maybe only one or two rehearsals before. I have some shots in mind, e.g. a static wide shot and some static close ups, but other than that I want to feel what seems natural to capture with the dancer, the same way I want the dancer to tell me what movements would feel natural for the video and setting. 

The biggest problem I'm facing moving into pre production is location. I of course also have to be really careful with my use of water in combination with the spotlight, but I feel like that can be easily protected through my risk assessment, and careful set building. As I mentioned in the previous blog post, the location will be my biggest problem as I will need somewhere with enough space for the project, and a place for the water to run off. I am currently still looking for affordable places to do this, and I am also considering doing it outside (something which would solve my water problem, but might create new ones like weather, and lighting.) 

In my risk assessment I will discuss everything from taking care of the dancer, to health and safety when it comes to studio or outside shooting. 

TJ

"Does the camera dance too?"

Dance Video - Innovation and Interference 2017

For this project we are tasked with creating a dance video, where we learn a greater understanding of the relationship between the choreography, the dancer, and the camera. We can create whatever sound we want, and be as experimental as appropriate - and I'm assuming that this means we can go nuts as long as we still fill the brief of the unit. We will explore rhythm, beat, dance, sound, and choreography throughout this project and if successful we will incorporate all of this in the finished video. 

I think the biggest challenge for me will be how to capture the choreography and scene with the camera to best show the extent of the performance. I also struggled during the editing process of last years dance video, so I also think that will be a challenge - I might have to ask for help from some of my course mates to crew and edit. But as far as the brief I don't I will have any problem with creating this. I already have multiple inspirations I want to look at and incorporate. 

Bill Viola 

Bill Viola is a visual artist from New York, who does a lot of work with the elements in his film. He creates almost miraculous visuals by manipulating time, and incorporating the elements in ways that makes the frame look almost religious at any point in the video. The one that especially caught my eye was a piece called "Tristans Ascension", in which water slowly rises up around a body. During the duration of the piece the water rising becomes more and more intense and the body even starts being pulled with it. I assume he used suspension cables to do this and then removed them in editing, but nonetheless, it makes for a stunning visual, with heavy religious undertones. I really want to use this effect of water and time manipulation in my dance video as I think the movements of the dance would look amazing with these kinds of effects.

 "Tristan's Ascension" by Bill Viola (2005)

 The challenges I would be facing with this idea are many, as it is a very complicated and craving project. I would have to find a dancer who would be comfortable with the water, and possibly getting cold and wet. In the risk assessment I would have to make sure that I will take care of my performer as far as this goes (Bring towels, food, and possibly something warm to drink, etc). I also have find a location where I could use a large amount of water with a safe way to dispose of it, maybe like a large warehouse or a garage. This is definitely an idea I want to incorporate in my final pitch, but I also have other ideas that I want to pursue. 

Stop Motion

The second concept idea that sprung to mind was stop motion. I am researching this idea more for my own interest as actually creating a dance video using stop motion would take weeks on end, and I might end up with something that doesn't even fit the brief. I have been interested in stop motion for a long time, but I haven't tried to create a full on stop motion project since creating a short film for my university application. It was just a silly video, that was meant to be a lot bigger and more developed, but I was only a crew of myself, and stop motion is really difficult.

I don't know who reviewed my application, 

but this was the end result of my little project.

I also had a look at the behind the scenes making of Wes Andersons "The Fantastic Mr. Fox", and that just confirmed my earlier suspicion that using stop motion for this project would be impossible. I do really want to use it for a future project though as I think it is a fascinating way of creating film. 

Minimalistic Dance

A still from the music video for Flume & Chet Faker's "Drop The Game"

 We all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to life, and although I agree that we should always try to strengthen our weaknesses, and try new things - I have to admit that creating choreography is a massive challenge for me. I have never done dance in my personal life, and I'm a very stiff person in general. So I want to make the dance as minimalistic and simple as possible - if anything I think that would be considered playing to my strengths, rather than hiding my weaknesses. While looking around for this on youtube I found this music video for Flume and Chet Faker's song Drop The Game. It features a man in his 20s dancing in the street, but instead of it looking like a overly planned routine, its rather a collection of casual movements that seamlessly fit the music. I think that these kinds of movements would look stunning if maybe combined with the water and time manipulation I explored in the Bill Viola section of this post. It would require that I have very close contact with my dancer, as I would have to work them to create the  dance as it has to look natural for them to perform it. 

 "Drop The Game" by Flume & Chet Faker (2013)

Martial Arts

The last idea I have researched and want to discuss in this post it martial arts, and how it can be used for this project. I have been a fan of kung fu films since I was very young, even though most of the film are very dramatic and over the top. But the choreography that goes into that kind of fight scenes must be incredibly dubious, and well thought out for it to look real. Now, I am not a martial artist, nor have I ever created a dance using martial arts, so of course this is a stretch, but I also think that if combine it with either of my other ideas I might be able to create something that will look absolutely beautiful. While writing this post a memory came to mind about something else I could use in combination with martial arts and Flumes style of dancing. It's a bit silly, but if translated to a real choreography I think it would look amazing. I am talking about the children's cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender that ran on Nickelodeon in the 2000s. It's a show about people who can control the elements through certain gestures and movements that correspond to the element they can use. For and example if you want to control water you need to have very fluid and soft movements, while if you want to throw rocks around it requires stomping and rough movements. 

This idea would also require that I have good contact with the dancer, as I need to make sure that they are comfortable with the style of dancing, and they believe it can be done. 

This is all the research I have done so far, and I will in my next post put together a pitch so that I can get started on pre-production as soon as possible. There are clearly very many challenges with this project, and I am really pushing myself into new territory, but I truly believe that I can creating something unique, and raise my standard as a video artist.


TJ