Written Reflection on Project Brief 2
My project brief is an exploration of my relationship with film and the performing arts and the love I have for rain and wintertime. I tried to reuse as much of my material from Project Brief 1 as I could because I wanted to experience the process of developing an initial idea.
The opening image from PB 1 is a memory of my childhood, of my great grandmother and growing up in rainy Manchester England. Winter is the most evocative for me of all the seasons.The photo could have been taken to indicate that it was still raining rather than a moment after the rain. The sound of rain makes me feel calm, steady and reminds me of home. I tried to use this reoccurring sound with the segments of me in the mirror, as way to suggest a memory or reflective state of mind; she’s somewhere else other than the present. In preparing herself for ‘Show Time’, the girl recalls another memory that makes her feel safe.
The video footage of the stairs in the Melbourne Town Hall, were used to create suspense and movement before the ‘Show’ about to start. Any type of live performance has the potential for dark or joyous emotions or both. The dark seduction of performance for me is the desire for soaring highs of success and for that I will risk devastating failure. This is why I have attempted to create a darker mood using the heartbeat and dark drone suspense tracks. Next time I would use a less obvious suspense track and find something different than a heartbeat that could evoke the same feeling.
The footage of the lights and organ was an attempt at setting up place as though there’s someone on stage performing. I used the same audio twice for continuity and to let the audience know it’s the same performance with the camera showing what the performer sees. This footage could have been a little clearer and shown more of the instrument and the surroundings of the hall. Unfortunately when I snuck into the hall it was very dark and I had to be discrete.
The sharp cut to jolty footage of ‘Woman’ and loud laughter is representative of fear and anxiety. ‘Woman’, further explores the ideas I presented in project brief 1. The pressures we feel as woman in society relating to issues around gender, inequality and objectification. The sharp cut back to the singing is to signify that the laughter is a thought of whoever’s singing. This transition could have been better and improving my editing skills will obviously give me more options when exploring how to create different effects.
The red carpet image is from PB1 that I darkened and saturated in colour. I wanted to explore the performance industry as alluring and dangerous. It seduces people by playing with those deadly desires for fame, fortune, worship, love and immortality.
The text is to suggest or tease with the idea of self-preservation within a brutal industry and the danger for sensitive performers of losing themselves completely to a desire to ‘make it’. It’s from a poem ‘prayer for my daughter’ by William Yeats. It’s a beautiful encouragement for a woman to overcome that, which threatens to destroy her.
Overall I feel like creating all original sounds is so important in the identity of the work. It’s obvious what’s not yours. All the singing and violin is my own but the sound effects are something I could create myself.
This is very much a work in progress, I hope to grow and get better quickly.