I decided that my expertise video would be about the process of beatmaking. I don’t proclaim to be an expert at it, but it’s something that I have self-taught myself to do and am passionate about.

Firstly, let me make my own distinction between beatmaking and making music. I do both, but to me beatmaking is more about sampling, chopping, distorting; essentially manipulating the components of sound. This is while also having the drum beat as the focus; it’s more about rhythm. That’s not to say that this isn’t making music, it is. But to me, the idea of making music is more technical and the focus is on the melody.

The process of anything is always something I’ve found interesting, more-so after reflecting on Paul’s idea that filmmaking is about learning about filmmaking. After all, it’s the process of any artistic endeavour that I find most enjoyable, even more than the end result.

I spent some time at home messing around with the audio from the original audio exercise. I cut up some different sounds and worked with them until they resembled different percussive sounds; kick, snare, clap, cymbal amongst others. I tried to order them in a way so they were in time and had some kind of rhythmic value. The end result wasn’t great, but it was fun to toy around.

I decided that this would be my film idea; essentially deconstructing the process of beatmaking. After shooting footage that I knew wouldn’t directly relate to my idea, I thought about the ways I could incorporate the footage and still make my point. I thought about the process of beatmaking and film editing. To me, they both share the same language of order, in terms of using the components. I decided I would use the track of the (unfinished (no work is ever finished)) beat, as well as one image, representative of the finished product. The image would be cut up through editing and ordered in a way that represents the process of making a beat; repetition, changing length & speed, basically just manipulation. All this unfolds while hearing the raw components of the sound in the background. I don’t judge this as a finished product, because it’s not about that.

I think the result of this idea isn’t as focussed as I hoped it would be. I think my hesitation with the whole ‘expertise’ idea meant that I grabbed onto the first idea that was worth my consideration. I’m not disappointed, deconstruction is something I’ve wanted to explore, but the visual half of the idea could have been more interesting.

Audio Exercise
After toying around with the audio equipment in class, Michael, Reza and I went off to record some sounds. I had some experience with audio, but not in a very technical way. I record ambient sounds all the time on my phone using Voice Memos. I don’t care about the quality, the more lo-fi the better. The ones I deem worthy are often sampled into music that I make. It took some time to get a basic understanding of the equipment in class; in fact I’m still not sure if I know what I’m *really* doing.

As I’m so accustomed to recording lo-fi, I didn’t even consider the quality of the recording when doing the exercise. This is a problem; diegetic film sound is not the same as music, and therefore should not be treated as such. I wasn’t sure what my ‘expertise’ was, and I knew that I wouldn’t decide during class time, so I aimed to record as many different sounds as possible to be safe.

We ended up recording sounds such as:
– Poking a stick through a box
– Running a stick down a metal staircase
– Leaves rustling
– The conversations of us 3

I decided that that night, I would sample the sounds in Logic and try and make something with them. And I did. I opted for a rhythmic repetitive beat rather than trying to add music to it. It came out okay, but my appreciation for the possibilities of sampling was enhanced.

Audio & Visual Exercise
In the days between the two exercises, I decided that my expertise video would be about the process of beatmaking. I hadn’t visualised it, and I hoped this exercise would help me do so.

Cheyenne and Arfi joined Michael, Reza and I. We shot the following:
– Reza knocking at a door (twice)
– Michael walking through a bush
– Reza doing some kind of flip
– Tradies marching at some union protest

The shoot was fine, no problems on the set, but I knew the content of the footage was not something that would relate to my idea. So I needed to figure out a way of how I could use this in an interesting and true way for my idea.

Over 2015 & 2016, I would often go to the cinema (at least) once a week. This same period coincided with my development in understanding my personal taste in film. Towards the end of 2015, I looked back at all the films I saw that were released that year. I realised that there were very few I loved (Inherent Vice, Queen Of Earth, Inside Out), a couple that I enjoyed (Bridge Of Spies, Loin Des Hommes, Spectre, Mistress America), and an overwhelming majority that I didn’t like. I don’t hate watching bad films as much as others, I find that there is always value in watching something. However, the financial cost was becoming a burden. Despite this, I decided to follow the same approach in 2016 and visit the cinema as much as I could. Why? Because there is no other experience that I prefer than appreciating a great film on a big screen. I thought that for every Still Alice, one day I would get a Clouds Of Sils Maria; the risk seemed to be worth it. I was wrong.

2016 was a terrible year for film, I would argue even worse than 2015. I saw over 80 films (mostly in cinemas), and enjoyed probably 20 of them. As Samuel L Jackson says in Snakes On A Plane, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”. Towards the end of 2016, I stopped going at my rate of once a week, and went at about once a month. This period, however, gave birth to one of the most rewarding cinematic experiences I have had. I started buying movies on VHS.

VHS movies are usually found at Op-Shops for no more than $1-2. Despite this world of streaming-everything, I prefer VHS to Netflix for a few reasons:
1) I’ve always preferred Media in a physical form.
2) I find the act of going to an op-shop, not knowing what they have and purchasing something based on my instinct thrilling.
3) Netflix’s catalogue is inundated with new films. Old films are much better (obviously).
4) I prefer the VHS aesthetic.

Shopping around for movies on VHS has provided me with memorable cinematic experiences. These include John Woo’s Face Off, the 1932 original of The Mummy, Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero, as well as the hilarious 1997 so-bad-it’s-good Anaconda, which features Ice-Cube, Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez and Jon Voight as an insane Paraguayan explorer who may or may-not have a fetish for anacondas. Variety is key. And while not a film, I have also developed a deep love for Nature documentaries (Art Of Landscape, Natural Treasures Of The World (amongst others)).

My departure from cinema-going to VHS watching has given me an opportunity to see films I would have never usually seen, and is now my go-to for when I want to watch something.

Collateral (2004) – dir. Michael Mann
Second viewing of what is now one of my favourite films. Mann is one of the few directors working in the action genre who know how to properly set-up a scene, and let the action play out in a pure cinematic way. The atmospheric overhead shots make LA feel more like a character than a setting. The digital photography brings a sense of realism and urgency. By the end of the film, the characters are so wonderfully developed, despite it playing out over one night. Easily Tom Cruise’s best performance.

Kicking and Screaming (1995) – dir. Noah Baumbach
Finally got around to watching this after finding it for $2 at Greensborough savers a few months ago. While there were moments that felt like Baumbach was still finding his feet, it’s a solid and impressive first feature nonetheless. I wish Josh Hamilton were in more films.

Every Man For Himself (1980) – dir. Jean-Luc Godard
Besides Vivre Sa Vie, I haven’t been exposed to any of Godard’s films, so watching this felt like quite a leap. At first, the slow-motion shots felt quite gimmicky. But as the film developed, I was fully immersed in them. Could easily be dismissed as misogynistic, but that seems like a misreading. I found its perversity refreshing, and the score was incredible. I actually enjoyed the film most when I embraced how esoteric it was; it allowed me to focus on how the shots were composed (which were beautiful). The opening sequence and the bike-riding a standout. Need to re-watch.

The Piano Teacher (2001) – dir. Michael Haneke
So very intense. After seeing Elle (and loving it), I didn’t think Isabelle Huppert could take a character further. I was wrong. One of the the moodiest films I have seen; cold and miserablist, but not in an obnoxious way. I loved it. My first viewing of a Haneke film, and definitely won’t be my last.

My ‘abstract’ film is something I’ve been thinking of making for a very long time. For a while now, I’ve been inspired by ‘The Art Of Landscape’, a UK TV series that ran from 1989-1990. Each episode has about 5 to 10 4-8 minute segments that show the beauty of the natural world (mountains, penguins, forests, etc), usually in dreamy montage. Each segment is accompanied by either ambient or classical music. It’s referred to as an “Audio/Visual collage”. I have 3/4 of them on VHS and watch them quite regularly; they are very therapeutic.

I didn’t want to replicate the series; sometimes it can get quite tedious. Instead, I just wanted to explore the idea of observing nature’s beauty, and I feel I achieved this in a way that was honest and true to form.

I decided to shoot at Darebin Parklands, a place I frequent to relax. I shot about 20 minutes of footage on my iPhone, ranging from establishing shots to tracking shots. I decided I would use the shots that I found most interesting for the final cut, rather than trying to create a narrative.

Lately, I’ve been making a lot of ambient/new age music. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of using my own compositions for my films; it feels more personal and honest. This is another reason why I have been meaning to make this particular project. The composition I created for this film was made on Logic. The music itself was made with Logic instruments (synths, drum machines), and I recorded the ambient water sounds that is used in the background at the parklands.

I like it, but I’m not totally convinced it works.

True To Form was the only studio available that I wanted to work in. It was quite an easy decision; I didn’t feel strongly about any of the other studios, and I was looking for something that felt like a continuation of Robin’s Translating Observation studio, in terms of a way to approach and think about filmmaking.

Paul asked to think about what ‘turns you on’ cinematically. I’ve realised that I am mainly drawn to the possibilities of cinema. Things that are unique to the medium. Over the summer, I wanted to and inevitably failed to come up with something that I could work on. The problem was my approach; I kept thinking in terms of limitations. That, and I was always trying to mimic rather than allow my influences to naturally guide me. I feel like this course will help provide myself with a method that will overcome these problems.

I don’t know what I’m going to create in the second half of the course, and that excites me. I feel that after having weeks of experimenting and testing a new way to approach filmmaking (learning about filmmaking rather than purely making something), I will (hopefully) be able to come up with an idea that I feel strongly about. I still need to be more honest with myself, and have that reflected in my work. Ultimately, I want to be fulfilled (don’t we all).

I need to stop thinking about the quantity of projects. If this studio does nothing else but change my creative process, I will be happy.

We were tasked with filming a 10 second shot, and I began to panic. Despite Paul’s emphasis that it wasn’t “time to have a creative crisis”, I found myself in a such a state. In the past Media studio’s there were always several occasions where we were told to shoot something around the University. I found its limitations a problem and wished for such a day to never come again. But I knew that I was being ridiculous and I had to embrace difficulty.

My group decided to film around the animation rooms. Immediately I found myself drawn to the colours of a seating area. The seat itself was nothing special, though under it was this neon-ish orange light that was quite striking. I decided that was the space I would occupy, and tried to think of an idea that would *seem* like I knew what I was doing. I got Lance to sit on the seat, and put the camera above and facing down to his feet. I instructed him to tie the laces of his black shoes on the orange-lit floor. What’s ridiculous about it is that this is the exact type of filmmaking I hate. A shallow, ostentatious image. A la Nicolas Winding Refn. It was totally dishonest filmmaking.

I had my doubts at the time but prioritised meeting the deadline. It was only when I watched it in class the following day or so that I took it seriously. I am ashamed of the outcome. The criticism was constructive; I’m glad Paul is very honest.

I need to completely revolutionise the way I think (primarily but not exclusive to filmmaking). I feel that as a result, my work could be a bit more coherent and fulfilling.