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Here is our final video for the semester. A montage of many once unrelated videos that have been twisted into a disturbing whole.

#studio #Sound Image Space #mediated performance

Mediated Performance

This semester all three of our papers we decided to make interrelated as we believed that the project we were undertaking would generate enough work for us. Thankfully this was the case but the process was somewhat difficult and at times frustrating. Our mediated performance surrounded us managing the people that we were working with for our main project. At first we were not sure if this was going to be sufficient but as the semester went on we found it to be a major backbone of our project.

As the semester started we were originally reaching out to people that we knew trying to see who would be willing and available to work with us. We were looking for people that were comfortable with themselves, their opinions and generally expressing themselves. We wanted a variety of people for our project so that we would be able to contrast them with one another.Once we had secured several people, we met with them individually and handed cameras to them with some vague instructions. At this stage we wanted these individuals to record content without too much direction as we didn't want to influence the outcome too strongly.

Over the course of the next few weeks we had been meeting with these individuals and collecting the content that they had recorded then providing feedback and further instructions. This was an ongoing process that continued for the first semester half. Each time we met we often found that the content that they had recorded was not what we had in mind and that was somewhat expected as they were in control and not us. We were hoping that through this approach the individuals would feel more comfortable with the recording and therefore let their personality show more clearly. However this was not the case and most of what we received was miscellaneous.This is what lead to a more direct involvement from us in where we would have to be there to mediate the process and direct the recording.

We met up with each of the individuals on separate occasions and recorded interview style videos. Within these sessions we made sure to direct the flow of the conversation in a direction that we wanted and that we thought would best bring out their perspective. We wanted each of these individuals to talk about topics that they were strongly opinionated on as we thought this would generate the footage that we were after. These interview style sessions were spread out throughout the end of the semester first half and the second half.

During this time we also organised some rap battles with Jason this was seen as a strong representation of his personality and we thought that it could generate footage that was worthy of using. The first occasion we had a rap battle against myself in the middle of town which was a lot of fun. The recorded footage was great and it gave us further inspiration for organizing more events like this.

In the second semester half we organised another rap battle for Jason against a friend of mine known as Stingray. This battle took place around 8 pm on the Myers park staircase up to K-road. We brought speakers as well as a kaosilator synth pad but unfortunately the device broke in my pocket during transport. Nevertheless the rap battle went ahead and from this we got some gold footage that we used a segment of within the main video.

The most predominant organisation and form of mediated performance that took place was the organisation of the date night. The date night involved the most planning out of everything that we filmed. We had to firstly find a day that suited all three people and make sure that they were all able to make their way to Alex's house. Josef, Alex and I went out shopping and created a three course meal for three people, taking Chips being a vegetarian into consideration. We then also purchased a variation of alcohol for them to consume. We made sure to set up the table with candles and a table cloth and had jazz music playing in the background to set the mood. We even planned out several games for them to play during the night which all helped with the interaction between the cast

We had talked to Christina earlier about what was going to happen and that there was going to be two guys turning up while Chips and Jason did not know the other was going to arrive. We did this so there would be no talk between the individuals prior to the night. Chips and Jason had also had an argument earlier on the internet and we didn't want either of them too lose interest in attending if they knew the other was going to be there. This night was the collision of the individuals and was seen as the focal point of the video. The organisation and management of this event resulted in a large chunk of footage that helped to create the majority of our video. Without the organisations of these events we would not have been able to create what we have now ended up with.

#mediated performance

This is what our final space will be for the presentation of our main studio project, Tremendous Very Much So Fun. The space has been made to represent the setting of one of the characters within the video who is also watching the video himself. Though it is not an exact replica, we aimed to create a closely related setting for the viewer to view within. On the computer we have disabled functions with the start menu and other applications so that the focus of any user will be on the content that is located on the desktop. We have two monitors with this setup as we wanted to have the main video on one screen ready to play always while the laptop screen will have a desktop with files holding extra raw footage. We included this extra footage so that people can freely explore the process of what was recorded in order to generate our final piece.

#Sound Image Space

Over the past few weeks we have been mainly focused on completing the video for our final instillation at the end of the semester. During this time we have also managed to get a small installation running in Alex's garage but some passerby sabotaged the tv, pulling the cable out. Along with this we have sorted a video to be aired at the Auckland Library for the Viewfinder. We will have a piece of our work being shown there for a month which is really cool. We believe that in future we will be able to organize other content to be shown on the viewfinder which is great.

For our final instillation we have been working with setting it up recently acquiring the objects that we need. We so far have setup a desk along with a monitor. We plan to bring in a leather chair for the viewer to sit upon. On the computer we have been compiling all the footage that we feel is relevant to our projects process. We are going to have a large selection of raw footage that can be browsed by whoever wishes too as there is a lot of content that we have that isn't being included in the final video. The Final video will be on the desktop in an obvious position so that the viewer can easily find it. We have to make sure that this is clear as people that are using the computer could leave several opened videos which blur the main video from sight. We will have to run some trials with this and see what we feel works best. Only a few more days to go before or work is presented, looking forward to it!

#Sound Image Space

For sound space and image we have come to the decision of using a computer desktop as a way of presenting our work. We would want to disable the start options and make it so the user is bound to interacting with what we have on the desktop for them. I believe that people will be somewhat intrigued by this and be interested in exploring through the files we have available. We will need to test this out asap and get a mockery build of what we are wanting it to look like as this will take some tweaking to get right. We are interested in using an old style of desktop for an amateur feeling.

#Sound Image Space

Heres some screen caps from the final video edit that ive been working on. Currently cutting down and refining what we have. The videos currently sitting on 14 minutes. We don't plan for it to be any longer than that are will be trying to keep it smaller if possible.

#embodiment

I have recently received footage from my friend who was videoing fats white and it hasnt lived up to what we were hoping for. The content she recorded/ gave to me involved two clips that were 7 seconds long of obscure angles as he was singing. and the other two were of him reading out an email. None of these videos were strong enough in giving depth to himself as a character so we wont be able to use this footage. She said she was going to meet up with me tomorrow and give me some more but at this point i don't believe it will be any better. I will try explain to her what it is that I'm after and hopefully we can get something good. If not we will have to drop Fats white from the video as there is not enough content of him sadly. There's a chance that we might replace fats white with Josef's Brother which could be good but it just depends if we have content that can be related in some way.

Nightmare

#embodiment #mediated performance

Over the past week I've been focusing on editing this final video. All of the footage has been placed onto my laptop which I've been constructing it on. So far i feel as though its coming along fairly well as there is a story line of sorts that has been created. I feel that with the editing we have done so far it encapsulates the personalities of each of the people well. I am collecting more footage from a friend who has been recording Fats White tonight which will hopefully include some content that is usable. Depending on what this footage is like we will be potentially scrapping Fats White from the line up of characters. In relation to the other characters Fats doesn't fit in the same as he is not a part of the date night But through editing his content properly we would be able to bend his content to fit in some way. If not though we will drop his character from this piece.

#embodiment #mediated performance

We are also currently waiting on Alex to get his laptop back from te police as it contains some good footage of Jason in a rap battle against myself and another video against a friend, Mikhail. Once we get this we will boil it down to something very short and see if it fits within what we currently have to give more depth to Jason's personality. This has also meant we have had one less computer to work with but that hasn't been too much of a problem as there is other work that has been needed to be done.

#embodiment

Over the past few weeks this semester half we have been sorting out what we can with the footage that we have so far obtained. We were collecting a combination of footage from several different people being Chips, Christina, Jason and Conor. We have come to a point now where we have decided to drop Conor from what we are doing as the footage that he has recorded so far hasn't fitted with the rest of what we have and he hasn't been to reliable in the creation of more footage. We have begun combining all of the footage that we have into one video as our final piece which is coming along well. At this current point we have 13 minitues of edited footage creating a lose storyline that ties in these multiple different characters into each others lives. We have a mixture of clips that involve them individually and then as the video goes on it begins to have segments that involve the other people within the same setting for example. I am happy with how it is coming together but i feel that it still needs allot of refinement as there is pieces within the video that could be taken out.

There is another person that we are attempting to work into the project being Fats White. He is a person that we managed to get some footage of at one of the Gaza protests in town a month or so ago. Not only was he there but also Chips which gives us a piece of footage that contain the two within the same setting. I have a friend that goes to Unitech with Fats White an is a friend of his and she has offered to film whatever she can of him which is perfect. I have received some footage back from her which was good but there was too little so we are hoping that she will be able to get more so we can make him a more viable part of the video. At this point we are at the mercy of these people that we are working with to supply us with any addition footage that we can then look through and place within the piece if it helps the story. We are nearing a stage where there isn't a whole lot more that we feel that we can do with the current footage that we have.

We are receving extra footage from Chips as well content from Chloe who's recording Fats white this week. Hopefully this footage will be a welcomed addition to what we have and help to round off what we have got so far.

#mediated performance #embodiment

Last Thursday we filmed a three way date with Jason, Christina and Chips. We did this to create a crossroads setting between several of the people that we had been filming. We wanted it so that Jason and chips were unaware of others attendance to ad a twist to the night. We made a 3 course meal for them and supplied alcohol as they ate and talked. We recorded them using a DSLR camera on a tripod as well as a shoulder-mount camera. We did this so that we would be able to cut in between the two different angles. It was hard for us to imagine how the night was going to unfold but we knew that Jason was going to provide a strange aspect with his odd remarks. We have been going over the footage and i believe that from how the night panned out that it was a success. We recorded a wide variety of conversations that involved all sorts of strange topics which was great. Jason provided a complete wildcard to the night as his conversation was totally obscure and at times completely unrelated or irrelevant. He would often repeat himself in an attempt to make what he was saying make more sense.

#mediated performance #studio

Heres a short video i put together with some of the footage that was recorded by Conor. for this footage he had a small camera strapped to his cap as a poor mans GoPro. We found that majority of the footage isnt usable as its too dark/shaky. We have since gotten him to attach the camera to the front of his skateboard to hopefully get some more clear shots when hes skating. Majority of his footage involved him skating through town and down a parking lot. Conor tends to be camera shy and doesn't want to be filmed directly so we are working with him how we can for now. The reason for choosing Conor is that he has little boundary's when it comes to preforming stunts or taking drugs. We want to capture both of these elements from a first person perspective. He has recently had access to a GoPro which he hopefully got some decent footage with.

#Embodiment #mediated performance

Here is a recent video that i edited together from one of the times that we met up with Jason. When meeting up with Jason we would get the footage that he had recorded off him, clear the camera and give it back to him with any further instructions. During these meet ups we also had a few games of Warhamer 40,000 in which this one was recorded. I edited the footage down largely so its mainly focused on the players them selves, mainly aiming at Jason. What was good about this video is that it extents Jason's personality in a way that hasn't been seen before. Some of this footage could potentially be used in a blend with other footage for our final video for this semester.

#Embodiment #Mediated

alexfoxcollectiveunconsciou-blog

jack-masterton-creativetech-blog

Upon developing our our works idea for this semester we looked into Carl Jung's on to his philosophy of Archetypes. Carl Jung believed that universal, mythic character archetypes reside within the collective unconscious of people around the world over. This graph represents a selection of character archetypes and showing the opposites and those that have common ground. When selecting people to video we wanted a variation of archetypes as we wanted differing perspectives. This way we would be able to better emphasize their personality's and have a good contrast of characteristics.

#embodiment #mediated performance

alexfoxcollectiveunconsciou-blog

jack-masterton-creativetech-blog

A few weeks ago Josef took me to an art gallery that was run by some people he knows on K rd. There was an interesting selection of work that was being displayed but there was nothing that i saw that involved video. We have been told that we can present some of our work in here but we have to pay for it. Josef told us that he could probably score us a sweeter deal and go in on getting a space there with a bunch of other people that are also interested in presenting work. This space would be a great way to get our material out there in a gallery setting.

#Sound Image Space

This is a video i edited together for our studio project from a recording we did with chips last week.

#embodiment #mediated performance

Sound, Image and Space reflection

our initial intentions with Sound Image and space was a way to present our studio work, tying the two papers together. With that in mind we were not sure exactly how were were going to present it as it does depend on the final outcome of the studio work. We knew that we it was going to be a recording that would be presented in some manor for the audience to watch but we were not sure on much detail beyond that. Throughout the semester while we worked on creating our main studio piece we thought that it might be an option to present some older work within Sound Image and Space as we already had that work completed and ready to put out there. Once the View Finder outside of Auckland Library became an option for an outlet of work we decided it would be best to present something that we have already completed so we could get it out there right away. For the view finder we made a proposal selecting three pieces of work that we had created already. We gave each of them a short description and length of video for them to review. This was handed into them this week for them to look over. Along with this we have a few other spaces available in which we can present our work to the public. First off Alex has a location outside his house in a carport that he owns. We are thinking that we will chain up a screen inside there and have a video on loop constantly playing. We would then print out some posters to slap up on some walls giving direction to it. This is a way for us to get the work out there without us having to pay or get permission from anyone. We are going to begin setting this up within the following weeks and begin documenting its progress. We would like some way of gathering peoples feedback in relation to the footage so we might provide some pens and contact details so they can scribble on the walls and email us/ find our YouTube channel.

One other place that we have got our eye on is yes collective gallery space on K rd. This space costs to have something put up in it but we are thinking of doing it and going in on it with a group of other people. This would be a good way to get our content out there to a group of people that haven't ever seen our work. I don't think that the people that work there would necessarily be our typical audience ( i don't know who is ) yet it will be exposure nonetheless.

As for how we present our work it depends on the equipment that we have available to an extent but i believe that it would at its most basic form involve a screen and speakers. I don't think there is any reason to complicate it further than that at this point in time. We will be presenting a mixture of content being Steel Shadow, Post modern subhuman and Graveyard reviews. As we create more content we will consider other videos to display.

#Sound Image Space

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