TECH DEVELOPMENT + PROGRESS
GREEN SCREEN
When I tried to film my green screen as an experiment in a previous blog post, the uneven lighting made it difficult to mask out the green areas. I wanted to reshoot this sequence because it holds significant value to my overall piece. This time I made sure the lighting was even on the green areas, however this still wasn’t enough- I had to further adjust the colours on Premiere Pro by making the green areas more vibrant and blurring it to smooth out the lines where the pieces of paper meet. Other than conveying the dream-like imagery of the mise-en-abyme, this effect is also reminiscent of geometric Art Deco aesthetics. This dream-within-a-dream visual is also a play on time. The concept of time through multiple eras was a convention I attempted to convey. With the juxtaposition between film-noir and cybertech I initially sought out to create, a mixture of retro 80s vaporwave and 90s glam aesthetic was incorporated. In the future, I would like to get familiar with 3D tracking in After Effects. I attempted to use the function however I did not have enough depth and movement to create immersive visuals.
SOUND
In the beginning I wanted to create a soundscape purely consisting of glitches similar to Thunder (1982) by Takashi Ito, however after rewatching Halloween II (1981) and hearing Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes being used reminded me of other instances 50s pop was used in a sinister light (Tiptoe Through the Tulips in Insidious franchise and Tonight You Belong to Me by Prudence & Patience in American Horror Story). As I would have had to get a license for these songs, I ultimately went with Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky. Although I don’t think this creates the extent of eeriness the above mentioned soundtracks offer, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy emphasises on a more light-hearted, fantasy, atmosphere.
Ballet Mécanique (1924) is one of my favourite avant-garde films. The way that different shapes, sizes and movements are strung together is mesmerizing. This combination of elements that may not have logical connections prompt the viewer to create associations and generate meaning.
