Egyptian Reflection

Project Brief 2– Reflection

Project Brief 2 was an eye-opener for all of us in the group. When we first introduced ourselves at the formation of groups, we had no idea of what we as individuals are aiming for. Each of us had very different tastes, styles and subjects during the initial brainstorming presentation on the whole studio. Though, as we have known more of each other’s visions, we came to a more narrowed down idea and were getting a sense of what we can do to incorporate each other’s focuses.

What had greatly inspired our experimental short (30 sec) piece are the Egyptian themes and subjects we practiced with when we attended the camera workshop. During this collaborative workshop, we brought Egyptian props that Jenny had to experiment in relation to the cameras we can use. We used both RMIT’s camera and Steph’s DSLR to get some footages of the fabrics and bracelets which then are used as we did an individual edits to see each of our different techniques. Jenny’s vision of the themes and mood board allows her to take upon the director’s role while Steph and Annie each experiment on different camera techniques. I have posed as the actor for creating body as well as fabric movements we could capture in different speed. We agreed that all of us would incorporate slow motion and close up focus on the fabric pattern, accessories and movements.

With all our individual edits, we came together to see the different versions of tastes and I was surprised of how other’s works are techniques that I have never tried before. I was very fond of Jenny’s experimental style of playback and white flashes that compliment the Egyptian music she used. I was also inspired by Steph’s use of slow motion to focus on the fabric movements and glad that they liked my use of overlays and light techniques. Therefore we contributed these different editing styles towards our Egyptian themed piece.

Our further shooting day on the beach was a great lesson for the cameramen as we tried to capture consistent footages according to the sun lighting. Due to this change of weather, Annie had to colour-grade the footages in post-production. Both Jenny and Steph worked well together to use their cameras to capture different angles at the same time and action. Though, we learned that because we were also using hand-held motion, it is a great idea to use stabiliser or a monopod to avoid too much shaky movements. Our other actor and myself tried to create the dancing movements and waited for the right moment for the wind to come. We figured out that the more turns we did as we danced, there is a greater chance that the camera can capture the focal points without the camera following the subject constantly.

We came together as a group as much as we can to edit the final Egyptian piece so that everyone can contribute their ideas during the process. We also did some individual edits when it is difficult to meet and use any part of our edits into the final piece. Overall, from the few challenges we’ve faced in availabilities to meet, shooting day and though we omit some parts of our own edits, I feel successful that we are able to combine all of our ideas into one final piece.

 

My progress versions:

#1

 

#2

https://vimeo.com/210215250

 

 

 

final horror series

PB 4

EXEGESIS summary-

Series of Audio-Visual Horror Subgenre Sketches.
Our final project was to do a final and longer sketch that curates a reflection to the ideas that I have been exploring throughout the semester. My research question was “are genre just tropes?” and I’ve found that what makes a genre is not only a grouping of tropes and patterns but also the aesthetics, mood and cinematic experience of emotions within a text. While I have taken upon further research for a wider exploration, we were encouraged to find inspirations for our sketch. The focal point that has been reflected upon my genre trajectory is the inception of genre boundaries that are sometimes taken too seriously into a strict classification of films according to the set-rules that cause the limitation and lack of creativity. This idea is explored by Ishiguro in 2015. Hanich (2010) in the other hand specialised in the idea that the categories we form are part of our experience. For example, horror branches out in a couple of different subgenres including the slasher, thriller, vampires and the supernatural and we can usually tell the difference through the tropes present. I’ve learned that these subcategories are all able to generate the lived bodily experience and fearful emotions including terror, shock, dread and horror. In a nutshell, tropes equal genre which equals emotions. So there comes the second part of my question, can film still be considered a particular genre if its key tropes are removed? My series of three horror-subgenre sketches (which may as well be considered as meta-horror) that includes slasher, vampire and supernatural horror will be the experiment of this study.

Within my three chosen horror sub-genres are tropes and conventions that operate to portray the aesthetics of fear. I had removed each of their key tropes to prove that they are still its genres without sticking to the set-rules. Jackson (2013) defines metahorror as films that self-consciously refer to their own construction and do not break through the fourth wall completely. What I’ve received from Jackson’s ideas are inspirations of metahorror that helped my sketches. So my idea was to omit fangs in Vampire sketch, the presence of knife in my slasher sketch and finally the phenomenon of evil and harmful personality of a ghost in the supernatural sketch.

Although the vampire sketch presents itself as a typical gothic romanticism with its warm hues of the shots, blood and preying subjects, it omits the presence of fangs on any shots.

Likewise, the slasher sketch omits and replace knifes, saws or any weapons to a single red marker that does not in any way look harmful or even bloody. This sketch however, uses fast cutting shots and jump cuts in hand-held movements after longer moments of suspense with perspective and establishing shots.

Finally, the supernatural sketches utilises dark, cold monochromatic tones with unsettling dread and terror background music along with shock tactic especially whereabouts in moments of creepy silence. In addition, the ghost is scary with an all distorted white mask and always appear suddenly except that she is cheeky and comedic unlike the typical dangerous villains of horror.

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Horror Sketch

PB 3

After a pitch presentation about my intentions and interest of study, I’ve came into further brainstorming thanks to the feedback from the panel. I’ve wanted to explore the emotions or reaction generated by different sub genres of horror and how they may have been a hybrid for a mixed emotion response. Inspired by pieces such as ballet performance film, Black Swan (2010) that also incorporates psychological thrilling elements and Into the Woods (2014), a dark fairytale musical, I was motivated to a boundary-blurring piece to sketch. Therefore in my pitch I thought I would experiment on a challenging and opposing genre such as a hybrid of horror-musical, a rare yet interesting genre collision. As Allan pointed out as a feedback that emotions associated with both genres are opposites, it got me thinking can horror be a musical? The panel also encourage me to think of examples in which however, it is difficult to think of a legitimate terror, suspense kind of horror that also include musical elements to it. Therefore, I’ve further retouched my idea of a sketch that instead, will focus of horror use of music/soundtrack and its affect on audience fear emotions. This sketch perhaps is a resemblance to a horror film with a lot of music within, as well as conveying sonic narrative, instead of experimenting a musical horror film.

 

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The presentation day

The presentation day isn’t only long but interesting in a way that opens up my ideas about other studios as well. Having watched other groups’ films during our screening has inspired me regarding the ‘ear’, the visuals and capabilities to utilise creative components of filmic methods to deliver that ‘ear’. Being in the editing team, I contributed by doing an interview I went with Dea to preview our film “Juvies” while James helped edit our trailer. Beforehand, we had also have a screening of the whole studio’s films with our casts and crews.

Whole Class Films

This would be the trailer for “Juvies”.

“On The Eye” progress

Brief 4 Final

Final sequences:

Finally, it is week 12 and every single assignment that has been haunting us is all finished. My Popular Cinema essay, Creative Advertising “post-card” campaign and now the On The Frame brief 4 exegesis and the test sequences are all over. The last blog update was about the process of this brief 4 project up to the point where Dyy and I just finished shooting. So here are some progress made since then on.

The editing process, which took a while longer as a result of technical (Premiere Pro) incompetence. At first we thought that we could include some background music and sound effects, though we changed our mind to stick with the natural background sounds recorded diegetically. This is because I think it works better in focusing dominantly on the frame’s aesthetics and movement rather than some music added in. While I was editing the opening scene, I found that it was quite hard to have the sequences matching up with the storyboard that I have sketched. Therefore while trying to follow my storyboard, I have also done some experiment on cuts and matching shots and have learned a whole lot more in how to overcome problems in Premiere Pro (mainly through You-Tube and Linda.com). There were shots that needed to be cut and put together. Though as the shot images “rule of thirds” do not match that it obviously show an unwanted cut between those shots, I have learned to use fast-forwarding the duration of the two shots while adding an “additive cross dissolve” video transition effects to make the two shots seems as one.

Screen Shot 2015-10-23 at 1.47.59 pm

Focusing greatly on both the opening scene and the ending scene, we decided to only edit and submit these sequences as tests or experiments without having the whole film drawn in the storyboard fully finished. Throughout my exegesis, I am also able to answer the research question that if “the camera is an extension of human body, can then film think and develop just as human being do?” This is an interesting notion that film is able to, as it is a mirror to human mind therefore can think. Futhermore, film can stretch its ideas as a result of the possibility that it is a form of future thinking, hence develop its thoughts just as human being learns new knowledge.

 

Self-Portrait

Project Brief 2  

Daylike (2015)

The artefact is a self-portrait in a mediated form of communication about who I am. This piece represents my interests and my hobbies in daily life. My interests include fashion, art, fireworks, social life, the beach, lights and glow in the dark. Through these representations of my interests, I have been quite successful in expressing my identity. Continue reading

“Selfie”: Lofi Self-Portrait

Project Brief 1

Our first assignment in Media 1 is to create a self portrait. Not a selfie, but through mediated forms of communication about who I am. These are artefacts that represent my identity, coming from an artistic family background, embrace fashion designs and having the value of the touch to the nature. Whether it is the beach, grass areas or the adorable animals. To me, “Selfies” are…

Shoes are my fashion and nature accessorise me

Shoes are my type of fashion and nature accessorise me

Seeing myself through the lens

Seeing myself with the lens

My Path

My path is invisible

Silhouettes are like footsteps left on our world

Silhouettes are like footsteps left on our world

This recording conveys how I study. Silence disturb me and noises allow myself to feel like I’m home. With the sounds of my surroundings, I am able to learn and study better. Clearly, I’m more of a hyper-attentive learner and work well without silence.

As much commitment as I have for uni, I just cannot keep studying. Sometimes I need some friend-hours and chill. So as you’ve heard the saying, study hard, party harder.

 

Some Selfie text:

“I don’t wanna look, but see.”

The World

Art Purple Pastel Colour

Hyper Movie Happy Gathering Friendship Value Family Passion Fashion

Spring Roses Cactus Sand Swimming Shells

Shark Dolphins Tiger Butterflies

Fly Fall Sky Clouds

Contemporary

I am You are We are They are

Alive                               Dead

Mujer                                 Hombre

Hot                                             Cold

Some videos (linked to Vimeo) that defines my part of my identity:

In these videos, I have shown the view from my apartment in Melbourne looking out to my University campus. Being an international student and having the opportunity to have an education abroad have made me so glad. This is symbolised by the framing of looking out the window for a view of the RMIT campus. The other video is about my interest in anything glowing in the dark. The sound of children in the background relates to my artistic and creative interests since childhood. Blue lights also symbolises my mood when in hard times, I am inspired to keep positive. Hence, the glow.