Here is a showreel I cut together for Professional Development, it’s got mostly stuff I’ve made in my final year, there is a tear in my eye!

And here’s a cut down version!

Of course for the massively detailed analytical posts that lead to this, please read before! there is tens of thousands of words of content! Thats a lot of of’s!

Enjoy.

Day 1

Arriving after a bit of a headache sorting out unlocking iMac’s and getting hold of keys we were greeted by a pretty messy area! So the first hour or so was dedicated to getting everything cleared out (which unfortunately was a few stale coffee cups too, yuk) and making a really blank space we could start to work in. Once this was done it was actually pretty nice to see what we were left with, it was a space pretty the same size as the 3D visualisation thankfully!

Once that was all done and dusted, it was time to make a call to my Dad, who luckily came and ferried the plinths from my flat to uni! (very kind of him considering he was at work!) Once we had them in we brought the 6 iMac’s over and set them aside, whilst we set to work getting the plinths ready to go. We had to drill the holes for hte wires to go through, to make it nice and tidy!

So once all this was complete, we were able to get all 6 wired up and start playing around with a demo run through!

This brought us to the end of the day, which was really tiring and manual!

Day 2

Day 2 came around and it was nice because we knew it’d be less manual (not hours of filing and drilling!). The start of the day was dedicated to sorting out the floor projection, which was pretty much just going up there and tilting the thing down! We had to do a bit of adjustment on the projector itself, but nothing to hard! Unfortunately it wasnt all that big as the throw was pretty far! But luckily we have some short throw projectors in DMP that we can set up at a later date, for now it really did make the difference though!

After fildding with a few bits and bobs we were able to do loads of run throughs and start to figure out what bits worked and what didnt abotu the space. At the beginning we had decided to space out the screens randomly, rather than keep them uniform. However, we noticed a small issue in using them in this way, as it kind of felt like it promoted too much migration around the space, causing you to miss bits more easily. After shifting the space to be in a more circular fashion, we found it a much more aesthetically pleasing experience, that wasnt so disorientating!

By the end of day 2 it was pretty much a finished product, and we were both really happy with the way it was all working, we were very excited for day 3 when we could get some feedback from our peers!

Day 3

So the final day rolled around and it was time to get people seeing it! The first part of the was spent spacing out the plinths to a perfect circle, so we could really maximise the effect that it had! We were still very confident in our decision. We then taped down the wires and got it looking extra neat!

We went and grabbed whoever was in the classroom ready to start filming for our demo video of the space (brought the ever faithful 7D in). It was great watching people mess around in the space, it looked like it was genuinely tactile! After grabbing some good footage we called the gang over and got some feedback. We were really happy with the feedback as the main thing that came out of it was that it was an enjoyable experience AND it added to the documentary as a whole! This was great for Jack and I to hear, as its exactly what we were hoping for.

Thankfully Mandy popped by later on in the day just before we were taking down and provided us with some great feedback! It was really nice to have a lecturer see it before we took it down, and her feedback is always greatly appreciated due to her experience!

So our studio time came to end, we took everything down and tidyed up the space..

We really are nearly there, all we have to do now is edit the demo video (easy!) and find a space so that we can setup on crit day (maybe not so easy..). Luckily failing that we do have the demo video, and a lecturer has actually seen it! But our main aim is to make sure it gets set up for the crit so people can experience it after watching the original docu itself!

Can’t wait, really feels like we’ve excelled ourselves!

We had a really nice space sorted over in ND art and design, which they were nice and helpful with! So it was just time to sort out some wires and MDF to get all our plinths together! But before all this, we had to sort out the footage itself.

Right as discussed before we had decided that we were going use a piece of open source software that syncs video over a local network, called MultiScreener. After sitting down and thinking about how we were going to get it together it became pretty simple and it was just a case of lining up all our clips in the way we wanted it to!

The Edit

Approaching the edit we had a clear idea of what we wanted to go for, which was something that felt a little like a conversation, this would create a great juxtaposition against our concrete edit of it, as it was tackling a totally different narrative approach. So with this in mind we set off to outline the themes that we’d address in a logical order (if you were to listen to it from start to end), in short these were:

- Why they got involved with the RNLI
- Thier role within the crew.
- Thoughts on what they do.
- Closing comments (more personal in the last two topics).

This gave a very easy structure for us to start picking out bits that we hadnt put in the actual edit, and it was great cos we could include so much more! We utilised a three second gap in between each clip to give the feeling of paced conversation rather than firing all over the place.

After getting together a piece we were happy with we sat down and watched it through a few times, even setting it up on the multiscreen setup to get a feel of how it would look. We made a few alterations so each of the conversations actually worked well together and didn’t feel randomly spliced in.

My personal favourite thing about editing in this way is that it felt a lot more natural, the dialogue didnt feel constructed and it really did become clear that we were starting to add something to the experience!

And once we were happy with it, we put together the circular timelapse footage and exported them all out in lovely apple prores 422 (recommended by the software itself). All our clips were ready to go, time to get crafting!

Crafting of the Installation

Here came the manual bit! I sat down and drew up a little plan of the way in which I thought would be best to build the plinths, once I had shown Jack we had a confirmed design! The plinths would stand at 1200mm tall, and would be 300x300mm. This we thought would be the perfect height due to it bringing the iMacs up to head level!

So we spent hte Sunday building them up, here are a few pics of the process, not a large amount I can say about them really!

After this was done all that was left to do was consolidate our cables and the like, which we had a good idea of how we wanted to do it!

The next post will explain how our few days in the studio went!

So here it goes:

As stated previously, it now is the time for us to be working out what we are intending to create for our final installation. Last week Jack and I had been having several sit down and chats about what we thought we could do with the content. Throughout the project we had been considering what we could do with it and it was literally just a case of formalising a load of ideas we’d had.

The basic concept that we had come up with was to keep it relatively simple, and to find a way of experimenting with an alternative way to experience narrative. So several small ideas under our belts we went to see Liam to vocalise a few of these and to work out a good direction to go forth with the installation. Below are the basic points that underpinned our idea:

- Multiple screens splitting up the characters into different strands.
- One central screen containing contextual cutaway footage that loops throughout.
- Experiment with moving people around a space.
- Experimental audio.

After explaining to Liam what we wanted to acheive, he introduced us to a piece of software that may be very beneficial when it comes to setting it all up, ‘MultiScreener’ by Zach Poff. This piece of software is used to synchronise video over a local network, meaning that it’s possible to have video cued over a multiple amount of screens. This meaning that we would be able to run different characters over different screens one at a time, directing people around a space as they speak.

As we discussed further we fleshed out the idea more, to a point at which we would be ready to start physically trying things out and seeing how it all works. Right so the basic idea is:

- A black space containing 6 screens.
- Screens placement is seemingly random, encouraging a more free form look at the space.
- Each of these screens houses a different one of our 6 characters.
- One character speaks at a time, which draws the viewer around the room, to the screen itself (where the dialogue is being transmitted from).
- As they talk through subjects each character pops up around the room, hopefully giving a far more immersive experience – as if they seem to be conversing around you.
- Circle projection on the floor with archive/cutaway footage to contextual the space, constantly looping as characters fade in and out.

3D visualisation to follow along with a brief plan that takes us to the deadline.

For the Extended Major Project I will be working collaboratively with Jack Collins on a documentary production. Our aim to produce a professional standard short film that utilises contemporary techniques and technologies alongside well established theory. We intend to approach the documentary with a keen awareness of how the production process can significantly affect the final outcome. We will produce a documentary that examines a group of people that are connected around a central subject; building upon our previous work thematically and providing a wide and diverse range of content. Time towards the end of our project will be dedicated to researching and conceptualising a space in which our work will be exhibited.

The majority of our project will be spent researching and producing content in a similar way to our Specialist Projects. We will approach the production aspect of this project in a traditional manner, utilising our complimentary knowledge and experience of filmmaking techniques and processes. Through using DSLR technology we will be able to produce a product that fits well in contemporary practice*. In using these cameras we hope to enhance the naturalistic behaviour of our subjects, owing to the small form and discreet factors. Complimenting this choice of equipment we will be working as a two-man crew, again in attempt to ensure a natural feel to our documentary. Amidst the filmmaking process we will be considering the way in which the work will be finally exhibited. This will include, experimentation into audio and visual interactivity, exploring contemporary practice surrounding these areas.

We will be contributing equally to this project and therefore in addition to the final product, our work will be evidenced clearly through individual blogs. Accompanying the cohesive analysis that will be evidenced in the personal blogs, we will keep a collaborative ‘production diary’ in which we will colloquially record the creative process of our work.

The final edit of our documentary is intended to be approximately 10 minutes, this giving us a product that is not only concise but also viable for short film festival entry. It is important to note that we will not compromise content over length, this meaning that we are prepared to make small adjustments to the length if necessary. As stated, near the end of our project we will be exploring ways in which we can exhibit the documentary to enhance engagement and develop on the narrative dynamic of the piece. Further to this, as students of digital media we feel that we should be experimenting into this field; due to the constantly developing industry that surrounds us.

The project will be a process of furthering our intellectual and technical development within contemporary digital media practice. We aim to produce a product that is summative of our most successful work to date, in order to provide prospective employers with a clear indication of our professional and creative potential. It stems from our mutual adoration for the documentary form, which we feel has the ability to communicate a powerful message or story that would otherwise be unknown to an audience.

* Contemporary practice refers to the use of new and developing technology such as DSLR for video and alternative, viral distribution methods such as Vimeo, Current TV and YouTube. In addition, we are referring to work of active documentary filmmakers and their techniques styles and agendas, whose work is often seen on the aforementioned formats.

Similar to our previous ‘contemporary documentary research’ series, we intend to create a couple of posts each analysing current video artists who we feel relevant to our field of study. This research will prove invaluable when conceptualising our work, alike the last series will be publishing simultaneously.

Dinu Li: Ancestral Nation
ArtSway
20 September – 16 November 2008

The first of my artists is one who Martin had shown to me a little while back, what’s funny is that it was an exhibition which the Arts University was involved in! It’s by an artist called Dinu Li, who is an artist based in Manchester. This installation in particular drew my interests due to it’s multiple screen nature and the fact that it is in essence an observational documentary.

Ancestral nation was filmed back in 2005 when Li was on a research trip in China. He captured two different rituals with both involved thousands of people, which were crowds during a daily commute and a festival celebrating the birthday of Confucius. One website spoke of how the work highlights the passing of time by drawing together China’s expanding industrial present and the traditions of its cultural past. It’s not this so much that I am as interested in, as conceptually its a nice idea, what I’m more interested in is how it applies to a multiple channel video. From what I can see Li has laid it out with variable audio and on a loop, which really seems to lend itself well to the observational form.

What I find myself taking away from it is the fact that you can in essence have three screens laid right next to each other, but with the use of panning audio and selective imagery, you are able to create something interacts with the audience more directly than just a single screen experience. However it of course is difficult for us considering the amount of information we are intending to put across, but as a starting point for base research on video installation, I think it is a very relevant case study.

The more content we observe the more we are thinking about how we can apply our footage (we have a lot of it, outside of our ten minute edit!) to a screen based scenario. It’s getting to the stage where we have to make a choice regarding interactivity, but to a certain extent something doesn’t have to be directly interactive to be interactive. The way we see it is that if you provide the certain audiovisual devices, it’s possible to make something feel interactive, even if they aren’t control factors for what’s actually being shown to you. As Jack and I are both proficient within the domains of audio visual projection and lighting, we are keen to experiment a lot with the space, and the overall interactivity of the piece will be governed mainly through spending time in our proposed space (to be confirmed).

More posts like these will follow, we have lots of nice case studies lined up to reference!