Experimental Film

[holtexp]

A quick edit of the Opening Sequence I made as a guide for Levi and Callum.

[holtexp]

Editing Process

The edit has progressed over the last few days, led by Levi with assistance by myself, Sara and Callum. We are trying to preserve a certain pace to each sequence of the film that will help to convey the psychological environment of that sequence - slower for the Opening and Minimalist Sequences, faster for the Memories Sequence, energetic and rapid for the Fantasy Sequence and more sedate again for the Final Sequence.

We have been provided music composed by a friend of Sara’s that we are working with and editing in order to get it to fit the tempo that we want for each sequence, which is helping to guide the edit of the imagery as well. We are on track to get picture lock and then colour grading and final sound mix by the feedback screenings next week.

[levihwexperimental-blog]

The final version of one of the clips I made for us to project during the “Organic Forms” section of the film. I used double exposure and grading techniques to try and create dreamlike and surreal images.

[levihwexperimental-blog]

This is one of the clips I made for the “Ornate” section of the film, towards the end when we reach a point of maximalism and the film reaches the height of its intensity. I shot all the footage around Leeds, visiting various buildings with interesting details and ornate features, and then cut it together with the same techniques I used in the “Organic Forms” section.

[lorien-merenwen]

SHOOT - DAY 3

The third day as expected was accompanied by slightly stressful atmosphere considering the exhaustion as well as the pressure of finishing all desired shots. We decided to assure as much time as we possibly could. Therefore the crew arrived on set at 7am. As the set up was ready we immediately begun to shoot not wasting time for too many adjustments as the goal was to get as much coverage as we could not setting ourselves apart from the story. The most consuming part of the shoot was repositioning projectors and synchronising the footage. The one disappointing outcome was lack of success in achieving my long anticipated GoPro shot as for the insufficient time left and the necessity of prioritising the most relevant shots to convey the story. 

We managed to substitute it with a high angle shot executed on our main camera Canon C300. The effect was very satisfying. 

The whole experience was definitely a learning curve. I am grateful to all the opportunities this module has given me, being able to broaden my knowledge about other departments as sound design and cinematography and directing. 

[lorien-merenwen]

SHOOT- DAY 2

The second day went very smoothly with a general success of achieving all of the desired shots planned for the day. We moved on with the minimalist sequence and begun the memories part of the film. 

Levi, Callum and I also managed to record all the foley sounds by setting up a studio in one of the green rooms in Prime. We used ballet point shoes and one of the wooden flats to imitate dancers steps on the dance floor. We also used the zoom mic recorder as well as the gun mic. I consider it to be a successful  learning experience taking into account the fact that Callum was the only person with background in sound recording. 

We also shot some of the footage in preparation for tomorrow’s ‘crane shot’ using the GoPro camera. We attached it to the boom pole and secured with a single clamp to avoid overweighting it. By using a C-stand we enabled a smooth movement and increased the field-range of the camera. The only difficulty design of the camera with mounted fish eye lens, that has uncomfortably wide angle point of view. 

Here is some of the footage, however I highly recommend fast-pacing the clip to 4:17 as that moment best depicts our set up for the planned shot. However the video is a documentation of our experimentation with different cameras, angles and equipment:

[lorien-merenwen]

SHOOT - DAY 1

After picking up the equipment in Prime with Levi, I made my way to the Library AV Store to collect 3 projectors we have pre-booked a week before along with the DVI to Thunderbolt adapters necessary to connect the devices to our Macbook computers. As planned we devoted our first day in Prime Studio 1 to organising the projectors, setting up the lights, arranging the dance floor( I used the reflective linoleum reserved for me from ‘Mansfield 66/67′ production) and most importantly blocking the scenes and devising the shots according to the shot list and story boards. Prior to the shoot Jeanine has been seeking advice from Chris Tritschler on the best lighting set up. It was a demanding undertaking to be able to separate Jada from the background avoiding casted shadows at the same time. The cinematography tutor agreed to help us with the set up and that was a tremendous advantage. The preparation lasted all day. We shot the minimalist room set us using some props available in Prime as well as in EP adding some of Jada’s personal items. 

Another technical complication regarded setting up the projectors. Using Italian clamps we managed to safely secure them being able to at the same time manipulate the high and angle, focus and size of the projected images. 

After completing all the work in Prime, Levi continued working by editing and preparing the clip of minimalism room for the next day. He has done so much amazing work so far supplying us with invaluable clips, he shot over the Easter break in London and Kent as well as sharing his editing skills when combining footage for the projections along with Callum. 

[levihwexperimental-blog]

Editing

Currently we are on our second day of editing and we’ve managed to create a good rough edit from the footage we recorded. Overall the film seems to flow together reasonably well, and our current aims are to work on the pacing of individual sections to suit them to their themes, and to work out our use of music, as that is presenting some challenges currently. However, I began experimenting with the music today and found that it can be rearranged and even overlaid over itself to create interesting sounds. With some time I think we’ll be able to create a strong soundtrack that is cohesive with the film and its concepts. I’ve done some grading tests in DaVinci that have gone well and really improved the atmosphere of the footage, as well as made it much more visually appealing. There will be some challenges in correcting for both Jada and the background projections but so far the film looks great visually when colour graded. 

[levihwexperimental-blog]

One of the clips I edited for the “Jada Memories” sequence. A fairly simple clip that Jada dances around and responds to.

[jguerida-blog]

Shoot - Day 3 // Jada

[jguerida-blog]

Shoot - Day 3 // Jada 

Today was a lot more pressured in order to get all of the shots we needed for the film. But we managed to get all of the shots that we need. 

[jguerida-blog]

Shoot - day 2 // Sara directing the scene 

[jguerida-blog]

Shoot - Day 2

Today we had a really good shoot day we managed to get lots of really good footage. Im happy with the overall look of the footage that we shot today. The only thing that worries me is the time frame that we have to get the rest of the footage shot tomorrow. 

[jguerida-blog]

Shoot - Day 1

Today we got into Prime at 9am we got all of the kit and started to set up a shoot for “minimalist room” after we shot this footage we began setting up for the projection shoot. 

We positioned the 3 projectors and placed the camera in the middle of the 3 projectors. Setting up was extremely successful and I now feel very confident about the remaining days of the shoot.  

[jguerida-blog]

Today we received an email from FTU saying that the black magic that we booked is broken and unavailable to use and we’ve been offered the Canon C300 instead. This is disappointing because I was prepared to use the black magic and additionally I am the only person in my group who specialises in cinematography. But I do think the footage will come out a lot better on the C300, but I am just not entirely confident operating it on my own. 

[jguerida-blog]

After going through the shot list with the directors I feel like the shoot is going to be a lot more difficult than i had expected. Luckily I bumped into Chris Tritschler and talked him through my plan and he helped me by advising me on the lighting set up so that I could effectively light both the background and the subject without fading out the projections.

[sundancearchives]

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival marks the 10th Anniversary of New Frontier. Since its inception, the New Frontier program has showcased and advanced the work of artists and technologists working together to push the boundaries of storytelling. The 2016 Festival includes three feature films, a live performance, 30 VR experiences, eleven installations, and a program of shorts spread across multiple venues. In addition to the curated works at the Festival, the New Frontier program continues year round with artist development programs.

More info about New Frontier here.

Artists’ work pictured: A Journey That Wasn’t  - Pierre Huyghe, Peg Mirror - Daniel Rozin, Twilight Avenger - Kelly Richardson, Pepperminta - Pipilotti Rist, The Cloud of Unknowing - Ho Tzu Nyen, Eyjafjallalokull - Joanie Lemercier,   Reifying Desire Anthology -  Jacolby Satterwhite

Photos by Jason Laveris, Brandon Joseph Baker, Calvin Knight, Jerod Harris / WireImage, Ryan Kobane