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Tuesday 24th October, Week 12, Presentation

Feedback

- narration is not needed

- look into idea of soundscape

- really good, well done team

Monday 23rd October, Week 12, Editing

Final version of documentary completed - fine tweaking of clip lengths, audio spacing and timings All paperwork being finalised and uploaded to google drive for easy access and file sharing

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Thursday 19th October, Week 11, Recording

Voiceover Recording with Oliver and Daniel

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Tuesday 17th October, Week 11, Editing

Feedback - colour refinement - speed control on cuts and pacing of clips - tweaking of intro/outro of clips - music over outro, and levels - titles between modules, as quotes

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Sunset Timelapse at Stockton, on Sunday 15th October.

This timelapse was filmed at Stockton, looking back on Newcastle, as the sun sets over the city. As the natural lights fades to black, the city night lights kick in and illuminate the area, flickering in the distance. Whilst the colours aren’t as prominent at this location, it holds its own in displaying the activity of Newcastle, and how no matter what time of the day, it’s always thriving with energy. However the grainy quality of this video might render it unusable.

Tuesday 10th October, Week 10, Editing

Edit in rough cut stage, progressing relatively well. We still are looking into the idea of a voice over to compliment our documentary. This will act as a guide for the viewer, as they traverse the environment over the course of our documentary.

Weekly Reading Comments

Chapter 15: Editing, From Fine Cut to Sound

Pay attention to sound design, across the entire documentary, as it is an “incomparable stimulant to the audience’s imagination”. Comprising of dialogue, atmosphere, additional effect, and music, all these elements need to meld and compliment each other perfectly. Our voiceover idea will match these exisiting formats, and lead the audience through the visuals presented. The music must alos be tailored to suit the themes and mood of the footage, which is why we are editing our cuts to match the changes in pace and timing within the music. This will ensure complimentary smoothness and seamlessness in viewing.

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Sunset Timelapse at Bar Beach, from Friday 6th October

This location at Bar Beach features the ocean left of frame, rolling in over the beach, and fades to the suburban lifestyle in right of frame, as it lights up upon sunset. It conveys beautiful colours and mesmerising weather patterns as the sunlight travels across the sky, as it sets into the night. I had only a few issues in filming this, one being the chip in my windscreen, and the headlights from a car behind mine that casts a shadow as it gets darker.

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Tuesday 3rd October, Week 9, Editing

Feedback on project - going well so far - opens with ariels, ends with timelapse - key themes: home, discovery, roads/travel - reflect on thoughts, observations, impressions - voiceover? - explore themes as modules - soundtrack to match footage style

Weekly Reading Comments

Chapter 14: The Process of Refinement

Unifying content into a flow, by juxtaposing audio and visual, alongside complimentary actions. Expect active, rather than passive participating when showing it to an audience, therefore we must engage with and stimulate the minds of the viewer. The invite them to “interpret and weigh what you see and hear” is made through our documentary, in the way we explore the familiar and hidden locations and natural beauty within the Hunter Region. By using a voiceover as a narrative guide, the viewer is guided through the landscapes and invited to see a different perspective or angle to the one they are used to.

Screening a first edit to an audience for the first time requires determination and patience. You can’t please everyone, but take on board negative and constructive criticism, and allow for biases and subjectivity. Take needed breaks between edit session and feedback, as these help to reinforce ideas and give a fresh eye to your film.

Chapter 18: Dramatic Development, Time, and Strong Structure

Plot, three-act structure, and the dramatic curve are suggested guidelines for how to advance a story smoothly and with the most audience engagement. Whilst our documentary doesn’t exactly follow these rules, it takes cues from dramatic units and beats to elicit change and action, in the way we edit our shots to soundtrack. The constantly changing and moving nature of both the music and footage, invites the viewer to become immersed in the mood of the documentary, with the editing style complimenting this seamlessly through its timing and structure. We have attempted to take a poetic and reflexive approach to this documentary, as these themes explores imagery and metaphor, moods and themes, rather than characters or events. In locations the audience recognises, and a soundtrack based from these images, the intensity and resonance of the moment the viewer finds themselves in, draws out the familiarity of home.

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Friday 6th October, Week 9, Filming

Night Timelapse at Bar Beach - light until dark - over Bar Beach with city/ suburban lights in right of frame - beautiful colours and weather patterns - only issue, headlights from behind casting a shadow

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Wednesday 27th September, Break Week 2, Editing

Assembly edit beginnings - rough cuts, loose come-togethers of footage - beginning to pull together a whole cut of the documentary

Feedback from Submission 2 - good ideas and themes of obscurity and uniqueness - colour correction to continue - recurring theme of ‘the road’ works well - refinement in speed - good description of camera approach, and editing - to improve; paperwork (completed and online upload) - test narration - review poetic/essayistic style

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Tuesday 19th September, Break Week 1, Filming

Dungog - handheld, on the road footage, using C100 - rural locations, natural landscapes - exploratory, rough nature of filming

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Monday 18th September, Break Week 1, Filming

Alex, Gabe, Mitch Interview with Steve - Marks Point, nice location, backs onto the lake, - Dappled lighting made for interesting - Quick and short interview - Smooth drone shots in a scenic location

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OP - 05*17 Take the road less traveled.. It WILL be worth it..

Compilation of still taken from current go pro footage

Tuesday 12th September, Week 8, Class 7

Prototype presentation feedback - really well composed - get experimental with editing style, to music and otherwise - poetic/reflective form with self impressions and ideas - interview or voiceover may not be needed, test anyway - details and key images about each character, to personalise area - symmetry is fantastic, keep matching shot types when possible

Weekly Reading Comments

Part 5: Post Production

Chapter 13: Editing-From Start to Viewing the First Assembly

For our documentary, Mitch will be editing overall, with myself as assistant. This will be done progressively, as well as having dedicated full days. Using Premiere Pro, Mitch and I are bot capable editors in this platform, thus this task really comes down to refinement and stylistic choices from the director, as well as pacing and experimentation. File management is a element I am highly proficient in, so I will be managing this, whilst Mitch outsources or creates the soundtrack to underlay our documentary. For the most part, I believe our documentary will really come together in the edit. Covering as many bases as we can whilst filming, this will give us so many options in the edit, as well as the ability to play around with styles and editing techniques. All crew members will be present for the most part of the editing sessions, and we will be regularly viewing the work to ensure good quality. In this, we can also screen our work to others, to play of impressions, reactions, and feedback generated.

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Monday 11th September, Week 8, Location Shoot 3

Alex and Mitch

Locations: Vineyards, Cessnock

Need to be careful of aerial limits (i.e. high wind, no-fly zones) when using the drone, this didn’t pose an issue, but came as a risk

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Tuesday 5th September, Week 7, Class 6

Talked the Anthony Scully (ABC Open) about idea - suggested voice over as a narrator guide - need to find perfect voice Rushes presented to class, showed edit tests from location shoots

Feedback in class - good footage, lovely shots from drone - interviews? Inland? - create own soundtrack perhaps (Mitch outsourcing with permission atm) - emphasis the “on the road” feeling but don’t go too travelogue.

Weekly Reading Comments Chapter 17: Point of View and the Storyteller

“Documentary realism as unmediated reality” Observe without interruption POV of not the storytellers’ perceptions, but engage the viewer emotionally through their perceptions Reflexive acknowledge and investigate effort of filmmaking process - exposes the paradoxes of its own evolution - share thoughts about ambiguities of filmmaker - could be an interesting element to consider

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