Editing colour is a pain in the ass. Click here to compare with previous edit.

Video has two distinct parts, separated by character’s two opposing attitudes and shooting method.
Hence, I shall reflect on them separately: PART I and PART II.

THE CHALLENGE

During shooting, the lighting and exposure was inconsistent due to the weather and my error. It made editing very difficult because I had to adjust the colour and exposure across the first 13 cuts. Unfortunately simply copying and pasting would not work. I had to go back and forth to compare each shot with another. I am whining but it is only a suffering because this is a new experience. Perhaps there is also a more convenient method I have yet to discover.

ACTION

PART I

I started thinking of more personal rituals, compared to the more “objective” ones from weeks before. Writing this, I realise it is not unknown territory. As can be watched in week 5’s post, a character prepares for a private movie night.

This week, the character shows us how she celebrates tea-break.

Wanting to push myself, I wondered, “how can actions be made more meaningful?” A possible way would be, to have the actions inform audience about character personality. Working towards this goal, the actor was pushed as well as I wanted her to invest more of herself. Thankfully, by now our working and personal relationships are close enough to trust each other.

The camera is “obediently” stationary and we see a playful, straightforward personality. On the other hand, we hardly see a well-lit, frontal view of the character, hinting that there is something to hide.

PART II

“How can camera movement be made more meaningful?”

Then the camera moves and we see a different side to the character. The camera takes on a less passive stance as it physically interacts with the actors. Could the camera itself be a personality too?

Firstly, the fourth wall is broken to acknowledge its active presence. This happens when the camera “rises” or cranes upward attracting the main character’s attention and catching her eyes.

Secondly, rather than simply tracking on the same plane, the camera swivels, enters/exits the space and physically “dances” with the actors. I use the word “dance” to refer to how the camera is aware of the positive and negative space around the actors. It moves like actors would in a simple warm-up exercise when everyone would walk around a room to find and fill an empty space. It seems the camera has its own consciousness.

Thirdly, likened to our eyes / sight, sometimes action enters the frame while other times, the camera’s movement is led by moving action. Furthermore, there is only one point of focus at any one time. The subjects also vary in focus, in close-ups or wider shots.

CHOICE OF COSTUME, PROPS & SET

I pulled in various items from Kat’s (housemate/actor) and my personal inventory.

PART I

The main actor was to wear something warm-coloured to stand out because the lighting and props made the set look blue.

The props were a large source of inspiration for character development. Initially, I was planning on a less character-driven image and simply wanted to cover tea preparation. I had a more oriental tea set but decided against it when I saw Kat’s more modern one. The latter brought to mind my colourful blanket and collection of children’s books. The props complimented each other and put together, informed me about how the character and action can be shaped.

The set can look crowded. I learnt from Departures that having a busy background is not necessarily disadvantageous; that a subtle action can stand out if all else is still. So I applied that idea during filming.

PART II

The second set had to look a lot more cluttered and busy. So there were a lot more junk around. The pizza was a specific choice as it connotes carelessness and grease.