Anxiety Project Outcome

I decided to stick with the test shoot for this project, mostly because i feel like being in an enclosed space on your own looks a lot more claustrophobic then the shoot with the crowds. Also, when i distorted the sound, it made it sound like the go pro sound so it just seemed to be a bit shoddy really.
I distorted the sound by panning a lot, mixing in the breathing and then adding some varying white noise.

I then synched it with the footage in audition as a reference for when i took into premiere.

After i'd done this, i decided to make sure the waveforms were ok, but apart from that i didn't want to go too crazy on colour grading. It felt natural to be natural so i kept it so. I did however add on the Turbulent Displace function around 10% to give the footage a sense of dizziness. I think this really makes the piece look a lot more strange.
My only worry about this project is not filming entirely in focus. This was the intention when filming to give the slight sense of the person feeling light headed, but in the end i think it makes it look a little bad. I also don't like the angles that i shot in due to just not handling the camera well. I think this adds to the dizzy idea too but from a cinematography perspective, i think this piece is mostly sound centric. 

I have tried to come up with ideas of making a booth for this project. The first idea was a box which you looked into to see the video with headphones available. The second idea involved purchasing a swing for the frame and hanging fabric over it so that it became a little booth in which to sit. These ideas were just not feasible in the time i had so i have decided to just present on the projector, or if i can, put onto a tv so i can use headphones. 

Photography outcome

When i went to my grandparents for the music video, i decided i wanted to try and focus on nature photography as i know a lot of places near home that are good for wildlife, and even in their back garden, they have a lot of birds visiting. I sat taking photos of birds for around 6 hours, while family were having a peaceful sunday afternoon around me. I caught quite a few photographs that i like.

My grandparents were meant to take me to a few places while i was there but there were a few complications and we didn't go anywhere in the end. Also, i was so busy with the music video that the photography ended up taking a back seat unfortunately. 

Once i had come home, i was thinking about how i could still do something to do with photography. I tried to think of ideas but once again, it didn't feel comfortable for me to come up with concepts before i take the photos. If it's a subject then i'm ok, but concepts just seem strange because i don't know if i will end up with the photos i am wanting to produce and it feels forced.

I decided i would try and process the film of photos i had taken while in Brighton, and proceeded to do so at the university with help from Tamara. I ended up with an empty film because there must have been some problem with the camera i bought. This meant i still didn't have any final photography.

I realised quickly that time was running out and i had to think of what to do. I take photos all the time outside of university time, and the process of it being accessed seems to make them not only worse then usual, but i usually dislike the ideas behind them and the entire process. I decided that 1. Since i didn't have any photos to show for and 2. I feel more comfortable about my photos outside of assessment, i decided to compile together photography i have taken in the far and recent past and make a showcase of what i can do as a photographer.

I thought about how i could do this, and the first idea involved a collage on the wall. I then decided about a photobook, but quickly realised that if i wanted the photos to be printed onto paper, it would be quite a complicated thing to do with such a short amount of time. I didn't even have time to get one made in a shop.

I decided to make one in a scrapbook style, sticking the photos in. I would get them printed in a shop and buy a pad that i could dismantle and then use to make a homemade bound book that would present my photos like a portfolio.

 I am very happy with my finished photography work. Not only does it show my photography but i feel like its presented in a different and elegant way. My only issues are my horrendious hole punching skills! And the fact i had to cut a few of the photos down & only had scissors. But i'm happy that i was actually able to make something.

Editing the Music Video

First thing i started with in post was trying out editing on offline because my computer is quite slow and i wanted to see if this would help the lagging. I followed some youtube tutorials and managed to get the low res footage to work with, linking into premiere to re-link at the end of the project.
I started editing the video while still in the company of my brother, partly for a second opinion, but he also wanted to make sure all the instruments were synched and used in the right places. Sometimes the band were miming wrongly, and he said that he's seen that happen a lot in music videos so he just helped me with that since he knows a lot about the song.
Once we had lined up the tracks & sorted out bad shots from the good, i started to arrange them in a way in which i felt flowed nicely between band shots and Suzy. I kept each band shot on each seperate video track to make sure they were synched, chopping out bits i wanted and putting them onto the top track. This helped me be able to flick through shots easier and keep things in an organised manner. I also labeled each track.

I spent a few days just checking and re-checking the edit by exporting low-res versions. This helped me be able to watch the video without distractions and possible lagging from premiere and it meant i could show different people for opinions. I also uploaded a version to show my brother once i had come back to Farnham.

I wanted to colour correct using Da Vinci Resolve but unfortunately it couldn't work on my computer and i was unsure what parts of the university i had access to. I did search a few open buildings but none of them had the software i needed. I decided to just stick with premiere pro, and try to find tutorials on how to correct and grade my footage to a good standard.
I ended up re-grading my video so many times, i think this was partly due to me not knowing the grading software completely, but also because i have made and edited the footage so i am just focusing on the bad points instead of trying to make it look good. I have decided to keep the video simple, just correcting the colours by using the waveforms and RGB waveforms to correct the footage & then give a little grading to Suzys parts. I wish that i could have given the video a 'look' and i might try to before uploading for the band, but for now, i feel like it would be better to keep it simple for the assessment.

Shooting The Video Day 2

We ended up shooting Suzy's parts on 19th April since Adam wanted to help out/drive us around and he was busy, plus Suzy was available anytime so it was ok.
I didn't have that much time to play around with the steadicam before shooting, and i really regret this now, i ended up getting very frustrated at trying to work out the balancing before shooting, and we didn't have anymore time to sort it out so i decided i would try and work with it, but if not, i'd have to deal with stable shots.
We decided to just keep stopping in different locations, spend 5-10 minutes just doing simple walking shots, and then focus on the 'story' shots like the beginning and end shots, plus station etc.
We decided to use a phone instead of the letter idea, since it made more sense to us and it meant it being a little less confusing and cheesy.
We started at 10am and ended around 2pm, just trying to get as many shots as possible. I even decided to film her as we were walking to and from the car, just in case i needed any more shots.
I did end up using the steadicam, and i think the shots are ok but i know they could have been a lot smoother. There was a lot of problems with wobbling from side to side and it is frustrating, but  i do think using it was a lot better then stationary shots. We started with the tripod and it just didn't feel right.

Shooting The Video Day 1

I travelled up to Lincoln on the saturday so that i could discuss what was going to happen with Adam ( my brother) and also just to make sure everything was gonna go smoothly.

We met with the rest of the band on Monday afternoon since Aaron had to work, and we decided to set up around 5pm in the West Common. It was a sunny day so we thought it would look nice with the sunset. We spent around half an hour setting up the drums and just making sure everything was ok.

As soon as we set up, Terry ( the drummer) decided to test out the noise levels on his drums since we were a bit worried about annoying anyone. He hit a couple of drums and cymbols and as he did this, the horses which graze on this land decided they were interested. We didn't think the horses would be too much of a problem since its a massive plot of land and they are spread throughout the whole of it. Where we had set up, we could see horses but they weren't close enough for us to think there would be too much concern. They are used to people and dogs walking on this land, so they're pretty tame. We also thought if they were concerned about the noise, they would just walk away from us. We were wrong. Most of them decided to walk and then run away from us, but a couple were more intrugued and came towards us, this then made the rest of them become interested and they all came towards us. We were a little concerned, but they didn't seem too angry. We decided that it just wasn't a good place for the drums, so decided to pack up. The horses were very interested in the equipment though, so it took us a while. A woman came up to us as she owned a few of the horses & put us at ease that they were just interested and made sure we didn't scare them or upset them.

 

 

Aaron works at the Bishop Grossetette University Student Union so he decided to get in touch with them to see whether we could record the video there. They had lighting that Aaron had authorisation to use, and a stage and space for us to get up and film. It was also quiet since it was the holidays. They said it was fine so we went down there to set up.

There were a few complications when filming. One was that the lights i had to use were LED lights that caused a rolling shutter on my camera, but me and My brother's photographer housemate Arron worked it out after a while. I also had some concerns as to where to film the video. There was a bar and a few spaces to film but i felt it best to just stick to the stage area. I did think this would look a bit crap on camera, but as it was our only option, i decided to work with it and i think i got a good result  out of the problems we had. The other problem was because i only had a couple of 4 lights on two stands, it caused a few shadow issues which i don't think are too noticeable on a few shots, but are a bit frustrating since i wanted to show my skills with lighting and there are imperfections.

Shooting took from around 8.30pm to just after 11pm.

 

 

inspiration

Since the video is about movement and walking, i decided to look around for music videos that already used this motif in their videos for an idea as to how to film it. I realised quickly that most of them involved the camera moving with the person, and i felt this would look a lot better then stationary shots to i decided to invest in a steadicam to hopefully make the video better.

 

 

I also decided to look up videos in terms of post production and colour grading. I want to explore grading with Resolve in this project, so thinking of how i can enhance the shots in this way is helpful. I like how videos and films can colourise to the extreme but also make more cinematic and just give a better feeling.

 

 

Music Video Update - Big Changes

My brother was having a lot of trouble trying to organise the video with his band for quite a while before he told me, so that's why it was getting later and later for me to organise it with him. He was fully co-operative with me, it just wasn't happening for the rest of them. Brother decided since he so happens to be in two bands, that he would use the other band since he thought they would be a lot more suited to making the video and also the music.

I was concerned about this since it was getting late in the game to have such a big decision, and for a day or so, i said to him i no longer had faith that the video would go ahead. I did change my mind in the end, but said to him sternly that things had to get a very quick move on otherwise the video just wouldn't happen, and that would be bad for my assignment.

Him and his singer Aaron quickly discussed concepts for an idea to a song they had, and put out a post on facebook asking for actors to be involved since he knows quite a lot of people from a drama background. I quickly got sent a concept i felt was ok and doable considering the time and the fact it's just me doing the shooting. The concept;

The song is called "Worlds Away" and they felt this idea was simple and put across the message in a simple but effective way. The only concern was whether it would look cheesy, but i felt that if it was done right, it wouldn't be. This concept will be coupled with shots of the band playing in an outdoor location.

My brother decided on some locations in Lincoln, since he knows the places better then me, and also he had to think about locations in terms of travel (parking) and the practicality and he would be able to understand and research that more than me since he was in Lincoln.

He decided that West Common would be a good place since it was a vast landscape with lots of potential places to set up, plus the views behind were of Lincoln and the Cathedral so he felt that was a good representation since the band are from Lincoln.

He contacted the local council and they said it should be ok to film on there since it's common land and it's a fairly rural location. He did mention the problem of instruments but they seemed ok with that. The only thing was that he never got written permission which is an issue.

 

 

He decided on his friend Suzy to be the actor, and we decided the best date would be 12th-13th April.

This ended up being moved to 14th April because i had to compile the paperwork together and it gave us more time to organise it.

 In terms of equipment and my part, i decided to storyboard & put together a general idea of how it would look. I decided to use my own equipment partly because of practicality and also because it was in the holidays and it would be more complicated to obtain equipment so i felt it was just less stressful. I do feel like it would be better with better equipment, but as long as i have a video, it's better then faffing around with equipment and also carrying on trains etc.

 

 

Photography update

I'm trying to think of different photography ideas at the moment, because i'm trying to think of new and interesting projects to do. I usually just go outside and find something, and i'd like to have something in mind planned out before i go to shoot this time.
I might do lots of little ideas, and decide in the end which ones are best to show. I will put the finished products on here though/a production folder to show my progress.

An idea that popped into my mind was after i was thinking about doing some photos of the general public. I've come to realise that i'd love to take more photos of people, but i love natural poses and reactions as opposed to a pose.
I found this photographer via tumblr, and after looking through their flickr, i love how they capture people in different environments, usually in silhouette.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rygo75/

I was thinking of how to capture the public in different ways. I like the idea of going around cities and finding gems like this, but i haven't decided where would be best yet. I feel like London is an obvious place, but i always feel more comfortable taking photos because everyone else is too.

I do have an idea involving Lincoln. As i'm going there for my music video, i thought it might be good to do some photos while i'm there. I've thought of taking photos of people walking up steep hill. Steep hill is a popular street and as you can tell by its name, it's a task to walk up. I'm thinking it might be fun to capture people walking up the hill, to show the struggles, but also i thought it would be fun due to the strange angles. People slant and walk quite strangely to balance themselves when they walk up hills, I always look at people's faces while they walk up the hill and it's usually tiredness! i thought capturing that would be entertaining.

I've found a couple of examples of how i think the photos will look -

My only problems are the fact that steep hill is quite thin, so i don't know how easily i'll get wide shots. There is a bench half way up that i can sit on though so should be ok.  Also, there's that railing in the way, so i'd have to try and capture people from behind and in front. If not, there are roads just after that are a little less steep, but without the railing. 

Anxiety Test

I decided to do a test on my anxiety project. I had already done a version of it, but i wanted to know how it would be with added sound equipment and for longer periods of time.
I got out the 'handy Recorder H4N' which is a little compact recorder. It was originally because the Marantz's weren't available but i think this recorder is better due to it's size and the fact it's all in one. Also it says goodbye to you.

I went out bright and early at around 6.30am, and went to Farnham Park. I wasn't sure where would be best to film, and once i got there i was reminded just how many dog walkers there are at this time of day. 

I made myself a make shift steadycam out of my tripod with robe tied to it to secure the legs & with my bag hanging on the bottom to try and stablise my shots, but i quickly realised the bag was just too long and it was really painful on my arm to walk for long periods of time. 

I decided to stick to the old technique i had when filming the last version, and just hold the camera close to my chest and walk slowly.

I also decided to change my location as the park just wasn't working. I remembered a path i'd found from the project Leah set us right at the start of the year where we had to walk a certain path and document it. The path was quite narrow but i wasn't sure how long it was. To my surprise, it actually led to a couple more paths with roads in between. I filmed a few times down these paths, and stupidly forgot to press record for the sound but i finally got a version while holding the recorder at the same time.

I came home and decided to do a quick edit. I used Audition, which was the software i used for my sound project in year 1. The only problem was i've since learnt other softwares which i've found a lot easier to use then Audition so it took me a long time to get simple effects. i did play with left and right channels though, but as i said, it just didn't seem right so i'll have to play more with pro tools/avid.  I also didn't edit the video in terms of colour grading, i just wanted to throw a version together.

I also recorded my breathing after the shoot. I sat in my bathroom breathing heavy and nearly fainting from lack of air but it was fine!

Click for the video!

From this, i've learnt mainly that i have to use better software, and also i think i might need a steadycam or just something to steady the shots. I don't like how shaky it is.  I also think the way i looped it worked quite well. It just popped into my mind while i was filming, and i think it's better then it just starting again. It will only work if i keep changing direction though. In terms of the distortion of the shots, i just put the macro lens on the camera instead of holding up since i didn't have enough hands. I think this just makes the shots look blurry as opposed to distorted, so i might look into post production ways of creating the same effect. 

In terms of how the project is going to progress, i have thought about the potential for a treadmill, to make the installation more interactive. It would literally put the person viewing in the shoes of the anxious person. 

I think it would be good to make a booth with a telly and headphones, which is an individual experience. I would cover it with black cloth so you can only see the telly. If the treadmill is there, it would still be black just enough to see the equipment. I think this way of presentation is also practical for the space at uni. 

An update on the music video

I've been spending a couple of weeks trying to organise the music video.
It's been quite frustrating, partly to do with mine and the bands organisation skills & also trying to find locations.
The main issue is that the band can only be free on weekends, so it's been hard trying to find somewhere suited that i can use whether it indoors or outdoors. I was a bit skeptical about outdoor shooting purely because after my last project i know how the weather can make scheduling hard.
My brother was thinking of venues near Lincoln while i tried to find places near Farnham. I decided to contact The Maltings since Alex is using a room there for his project. I found out that it's £38 an hour to film in the room that i wanted to use, so i realised that wouldn't be an option due to how long we'd need it for.

After this happened, i spend ages looking for more locations that were cheap to use and in good locations. This didn't get anywhere either because it's mostly village halls or small community centres and locations like that aren't very exciting. I also thought about studios for hire, but once again were too expensive.
I discussed about the project and finalising a song since i'd been given an option to pick the song i liked. I felt ok about this because the video would be a simple band playing video so the concept of the video didn't completely dominiate what the video would be. We decided on their song "Freedom" which is about being free spirited. The option which was put across, and the obvious option, was to do some shoots outdoors in grand beautiful locations. I thought of the peak district since i love the landscape and it isn't too far for us to travel.
I looked into location permissions, and found a few areas managed by the authority which were specifically pitched as potential film locations.
http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/news/filming/filmlocations
We were interested in -
Curbar Edge

Monsal trail/viaduct

& Stanage Edge

I emailed and so far have had an email back about it being passed on. 

Since then however, the band have had talks and decided on a different but final idea. The issue before this was that there was never a definite song or idea attached to that song. I think this ended up in us both being a little confused about the outcome as if it wasn't final. 

The idea that has been sent to me is as follows - 

Location/Band Shot:
Universal Law will perform the song at an outdoor location based in Lincoln. Possible locations: Bishop’s Palace Garden, Lincoln Cathedral Grounds, Castle Grounds, Arboretum  (Large/Historical Park), West Common (Carholme Road), South Park or Boultham Park. This will suite the song well on a bright day capturing shots of the city in the backdrop.
Pub Shot:
Universal Law with friends and family will use a pub in Lincoln to film a roughly planned secondary shot. The shot will begin with people entering the pub and seem quite reserved and enclosed. As the song progresses people become more open and mingle…more social.
Metaphorical Images:
We could even have the people singing the ‘gang style’ vocals in the chorus (the song recording and recorded audio could blend). Anything that shows progression or change in a positive way. Perhaps a shot of a flower opening up over time.(this is more up to you, be as creative as you like)

I am still getting my head around this idea but i think it could work. We just need to plan it precisely and i've really put across just how important it is that we get this sorted in time.
My brother is helping me collect information together, mainly for locations and date/time. At the moment, the idea is potentially 5th/6th April. I was hoping to film before April but as long as we get everything organised and i spend a lot of my time on the edit afterwards, it should be ok.
Lincoln itself seems to be ok for filming permissions - http://www.lincoln.gov.uk/your-council/news-and-media/media-centre/filming-in-lincoln/

For a reference, i thought i'd show the locations he mentioned -

Bishop's Palace Gardens

Lincoln Cathedral Grounds 

There's also Gardens & other areas inside.

Arboretum

West Common

Also one of the band members knows someone with a pub so they are sorting the permission for that.