work of today.

Well...Today I went shopping for gels and filters. Got a nice sheet of diffuser and 6 saturated color gels for mixing for lighting. Then I went to the crown theatre to talk to the staff about using the facilities for this Sundays shooting of work in preproduction. Fund out that there are three theatres there to look at. Got some phone numbers to call tomorrow in securing a space. Hopefully all works out in procuring one. Then I came home and watched the shit out of some movies on the suggested list from a critique on color theory. So I watched Cabaret last night and today Tokyo!, Roshomone, Days of Heaven so far. Some good times. I think I am about all filmed out for the moment. Still got 4 more to watch. Grr. Now going on line to look at Plays that I can use for this upcoming production. yay.

Color theory

Just finished reading the pdf on color theory. Going to go to Blockbuster here shortly to rent the list so I can watch a few of them and study the different implementations of color in theory practices on film.

Movies

Watched Cabaret last night. Brilliant movie. Boing to finish watching coffee and cigarettes in a few minutes.

Assignment 二

A woman goes to a play house to do a read for a spot in the show. It is her first time trying out outside of college. She as never applied to the "big leagues." She enters in applying for a small roll in the play to find that she is not cast as a lowly timed roll. but is given the lead.

I wish to push my workings with non direct verbal communication and the tension that can build and the story that can be read through props and character physical interactions and lighting. I want the main stage to be dark lit portraying a sense of aloofness using spots if I can to pull from techniques implied by Fellini in Juliette of the Spirits. Possibly pulling some of his visual ailments of the character as well. still mulling that part around.

Priority one is to build a project using hand held and tripod shots in constant movement with the characters direction possibly to guide the viewers eye. Total optical control while still maintaining subtly. Also work beyond my obsession of direct character vocal interaction as a mode to propel a story.

5 sets of 6 photographs telling different stories.

-Series 01: focuses on character development. Choose character from
one of your scripts. Avoid drama. This is where you will develop the
character through lighting, setting, expression, gesture, habit, etc.

A woman sits in her car surrounded by society. She feels pressured about contemporary life. She leaves her car and walks out of the city laughed and pointed at. She moves forward head held high. She comes along some railroad tracks and listens to the sound of the herds of people moving. She moves on away to nature and sheds her city clothes for those of her heritage of the native culture. She crosses paths barefoot rejoining with the earth.

Follow the journey of a doll and its love by its owner.


-Series 02: Create a simple narrative. (Read "Building the Story Line"
I will send soon) Set-up, Confrontation, Resolution. Once again
choose topic from one of your likely scripts. Remember you are
conveying the story through every element within the frame.

News cast room of this just in special report. Zombies are on the rise and he world is coming to an end. Reports roll in to the anchor and the subtext next to him counter minds what he is saying. Man sits panicking as the sounds of people dying rise around him, and then zombies over take him at his booth.


-Series 03: Produce a series of stills that convey a powerful sense of
time. A man waiting on death row, an accident. Focus on either
expanded or compressed moment.

An old man sits fishing on a long day. They catch nothing through the morning. They break for lunch and sit under a lone tree to eat. The old man stairs at his sandwich and talks of the first time he saw the birth of autumn only to see the child is listening to ear phones.



-Series 04: Produce a series of stills that convey a powerful sense of
place.


A homeless person sleeping on the streets. Cleans up others refuge taking care of the city. He is shunned, objects thrown at him. Still he moves on stoically.


-Series 05: Produce a series of stills that convey a powerful sense of
tone/mood/emotion.

Girl works hard at making a lovely diner for two. She toils and puts hr heart into the process. She sets the table throwing down rose petals for her other. She lights candles and adjusts the lights in the room to set the mood. She looks at her watch and realizes the time and checks her messages. Her parents are not going to be able to make it for dinner that night. Bridge club came up so they wouldn’t be able to make it for her birthday.

Immersion and Excess responce

It is wonderful seeing the different dimensions in which video installation is growing, there are still some aspects that I find hard to grasp from reading them alone. I think that articles can not do justice the exposure of being on site where the installation is. But still I find it fascinating to see how far people are trying to stretch from traditional film to what I would classify as existential. The problem for me is seeing things being limited to traditional narrative structure. I think it is a great avenue to explore, hell, I have tried doing installations regarding narrative. But I really like where the artists are breaking boundaries by dropping the narrative aspect and focusing on the levels that can go beyond the fourth wall per say. The redesign of the apparatus I feel is the greatest movement in video installation. Form has shifted and become so interactive now as well as moving past the standard traditional image to light theory and progression of sound. The web has played a part in the interactive media that has taken off. It is nice to see people using their environments of the every day person and incorporating them. Form can be formless, I love how people are working with lights and the sky removing the need for a screen. I feel that the screen is a limitation that needs to moved beyond. 3D art that scans and maps objects using sound and light to manipulate forms is just mind boggling to me. Making screens out of concrete, taking form that is permanent with an idealized image that is generally referred to as being a momentary response is phenomenal. I think that installation has moved far beyond the need for traditional forms like in Batman using shadow box method in projecting form on the clouds, using the environment as a screen. It is just great! Sculpture in the form of images to projections with physical interpretations are just interesting and take a level of ability with working in space that makes me wish that I can obtain such levels of formlessness. The artists presented in the article are great, but I feel that the article could be much better suited with direct imagery corresponding to what is being read. Thank god for Google! For it is a great tool in researching what we are reading.

Post wrap

So I have learned over night and after a good afternoons sleep, that envisioning something and then destroying it visually is quite detrimental to the psyche surrounding future projects. The Blind turned out looking like a bag of ass shot by someone that has withdrawals, audio done by a person with hard hearing, color balance that just all around sucked, and acting/dialogue that reminds me of what I envision happened with the actors trying out for the first dungeons and dragons movie that actually got turned down for the job. But all is not lost in this experience. Communication was gained and knowledge about the way what works best for me can be harnessed and still stick to what can be fun. The Fig rig is a beast of burden that I got stuck in my head would work best for trying on this project. Should have done test footage first with it to see where I stood with the equipment. I think I may address this necessity in the future with all projects. There are a million and one reasons going through my head as to why this turned into such a calamity, but the fact remains that I have ideas as to why it failed and then I have understandings as to why it was not a successful visual excursion. Critique was interesting regarding it, don't really remember much regarding how it was discussed. But it feels to me that it was more to the point of what was obviously done wrong apposed to how it could have been avoided or moved around in the future. I could be wrong on this notion, but that is just how it feels. For the most part I got some good feedback from Clair on how to work with my stories in the future, and a list of movies to watch to "help" visually. Alas I did learn a lot on set of what to do and what not to do, and when crunch time comes, well, thats a lesson still being learned with juggling the whole show. Not very used to being pushed down to the wire. For the most part I like working way ahead of schedule so that I don't rush myself. Then again, who doesn't enjoy doing that? Lack of stress? What? But like Cyan pointed out this factor is not likely in the field. There are ALWAYS going to be set backs of some sort. So now is as good of time as any to learn how to manage it. For that I am grateful for the experience. My phone isn't though. Ha ha ha. Over 600 texts sent out this week. Next a response paper and then some brain storming.