Studio: Contemporary Documentary
The first piece I watched was CN Type Beat by Shijie Fu, Yutong Li, Ivonna and Lan. My initial reaction when the video ended was disappointment, only because I didn’t want it to end! I found the proof of concept incredibly engaging, its fast paced cuts, use of live performances and soundtrack kept me hooked. Being a piece centred around hip hop, the aspect that impressed me most was the sound design. The soundtrack and use of what song to overlay over each selected piece of B-roll was clearly something heavily considered in the editing stage, with each song selected keeping the pace of the piece consistent. I imagine the primary audience for this project would be in the 18-25 range and the visuals, especially the performance in the nightclub, would appeal to a lot of that demographic.
The overall content in CN Type Beat is also something I found to be very appealing, as someone who doesn’t know much about the Chinese hip hop scene in Melbourne, I found that the proof of concept conveyed the narrative and had a clear goal on what it was trying to show. Overall, I found CN Type Beat to be a fantastic watch!
The second piece I watched was Distant Ties by Janeca Cabanayan, Joline Kinsachi, Kelly Elizabeth Lukman & Olivia Thomas. Similar to CN Type Beat, I found Distant Ties to be very engaging. While being a drastically different pace from the first piece, I found it conveyed the narrative and feeling of homesickness very well. The main aspect I loved was the use of B-Roll layered over the interviews, especially in the beginning, where shots of cultural symbols are spliced in within the larger overall scope of Melbourne, creating a feel on cultural isolation.
I believe the slower pacing, letting certain shots go on without any dialogue over the top was key, as the visuals and sombre backing music alone were enough to evoke a feeling of melancholy.
Overall, CN Type Beat and Distant Ties were both done very well. The cinematography, pacing and sound design all evoked the desired feel and emotions from me, the viewer, each piece assumingly wanted to achieve.
Studio: Golden Age Cinema
The first piece I watched from the Golden Age Cinema studio was Heather. I was incredibly impressed by the surreal atmosphere Heather created, its non linear structure and backroom-esque environment only added to the intrigue of the overall story.
I feel the conscious choice to structure the film the way it was only added to the mystery, leaving the audience wondering why the main character was in the predicament she was in for the majority of the film, only to be explained in a way that allowed the audience to engage with the overall narrative even deeper, having them fill in the gaps as to what happened in the lead up to the beginning.
The second piece I watched was Out of Sight, which was again, incredibly engaging. The main aspect I liked was the use of cuts to evoke the feeling of stress and confusion the protagonist was feeling upon the audience. I feel the use of some music may have assisted in the scene the protagonist notices the cameras, but it did a good job nonetheless.
The transition from the camera feed into the surveillance room was also something I was hoping for as I watched and loved to see! Paired with the final shot of the camera pointed at the locked door, I loved the feeling that the faceless antagonist gave off, it really added to the mystery.
I feel a key idea Golden Age Cinema aimed to achieve was to have a strong atmosphere in every piece. Heather with its cool colour grade, hand held shots and intentionally disorienting structure allowed the audience to feel the stress the protagonist was feeling. Out of Sight, focussed on the environment around them as they hiked (webs, long grass, gumtrees) it eluded to a feel of isolation seen in similar horror movies which added to the stress the protagonist and audience felt. Both pieces achieved this to a high level and were both great watches!