Filming with Ryan's Nephews

Filming Part 7

Yesterday I undertook the final part of filming by shooting the second half of the last scene. As with before I filmed in the back garden at a similar time to the previous days filming this was to ensure that lighting was as similar as possible.
The main issue of the day was the heat, this when combined with repetitive and intricate stop motion filming became quite hard work. Despite this it was a trouble free process getting the last few shots filmed and as with the other day I am very pleased with the results.

Filming Part 6

Today I began filming the final scene, this involved 2 of the dolls from the other scenes. This scene was to be filmed in day light and I used my back garden as the setting, this was because it was quite spacious and provided a natural light that gave the scene a much brighter feel. The largest change to this scene so far is the decision to film in black and white, I felt that in colour the shots didn't have the same flair or substance as the rest of the film.

In terms of issues the main problem was the weather, it didn't take even a strong wind to knock over the dolls. To prevent this I used clear Sellotape tied to the feet of the dolls to anchor them to floor during shots. Apart from this there were no problems during the shoot and after editing the footage this section is providing quite a subtle and almost chilled ending which is what I sought out to do.

Trip to the Ikon Gallery

On the 24th of May our Foundation group decided to visit the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. This was to see how the different exhibits were displayed to hopefully get some inspiration for our own individual spaces and our exhibition in general.
The first display we saw were examples of paintings by photorealist painter John Salt, despite having a large collection of his work its was exhibited in a large enough space that his work was well spread and I never felt crowded into one area, this gave me time and space to appreciate Salt's incredibly detailed work. This is something i would like to apply to my exhibition as i don't want the audience to feel crowded together in their chairs, I want to give them plenty of space to watch the film and have their own individual experience with it.
The other display we saw were a selection of films by Tadasu Takamine, as I'm presenting a film for our final show I found this exhibit the most useful. Within the exhibition there was little to no lighting except that from the projector and screen, I think this would be a good idea for my project as it draws all attention to the screen. One feature I noticed that his films Inertia and God Bless America used was a sound dome hanging from the ceiling that played all the film's sound. This provides an interesting effect when watching these films on your own however when there are more than a few people also watching them with you it didn't have as much of an effect and because all the sound was emanating from the dome rather than speakers as well I felt as though this took something away from the viewing experience. When exhibiting his film Kimura-san a countdown was used before each showing I thought this was a nice addition to the film because our group was aware of the controversial images (in this case Takamine fulfilling the sexual needs of his disabled friend) that we were about to see, so the countdown gave us a chance to discuss and create preconceptions. As the film is about challenging our preconceptions and opinions I felt this countdown although a small touch added a lot to the film.

Filming Part 5

Last night I went about re-filming the shots that were too dark. To make sure that they weren't as dark this time I increased the lighting by moving the lamp I was using slightly closer to the dolls, I still had to make sure the scene maintained its dark atmosphere though.
The nights filming went quickly and without any problems, mainly because i was just re-filming shots.

After editing this footage the shots have come through much clearer whilst still keeping their dark edginess.

Filming Part 4

Last night I began filming the doll parts for the third scene. I encountered one major problem during recording which was that one of the smaller dolls was particularly fiddly and i knocked it over during a shot meaning i had to restart filming that shot. To solve this problem i taped the dolls legs to the floor, I also made sure the tape was out of frame.

A problem I encountered after I had uploaded the footage onto FinalCut was that the opening zoom out shot and a shot in which a dolls head is spinning came out too dark, after not having any success trying to brighten them in FinalCut I have decided to re-shoot these shots. 

On a positive note the footage I have managed to edit into the film has worked really well, the camera has a shaky feel to it which really adds to the chaotic nature of this scene in particular. 

                           An example of one of the shots that was too dark

                                    One of the shots that worked 

Poster for soundtrack

In a similar vein to the film posters, I have created a poster/cover for the soundtrack. I took inspiration from the cover for the Social Network soundtrack as my score was heavily influenced by this film's soundtrack. To create this image I took a screenshot from FinalCut and then increased the shadows and added a blur effect in Photoshop.

Filming Part 3

The latest batch of filming I've done is finishing up the opening sequence, all that was needed was a couple of shots to make the scene flow better, I also filmed the ending zoom in shot that connects this scene in with the next scene of the film which is the lego sequence. The only problem I encountered was keeping the camera perfectly steady for the zoom in, to solve this I did the zoom quickly and in editing I've slowed the shot down.

Film Posters

To promote my film during our courses final showing, me and my friend Ryan have created posters for our respective films. The images below are examples of these.

Lighting

Lighting has proved to be an integral part to creating the contrasting moods within my film.

In the Doll Scenes I've used very low level lighting. I used a simple desktop lamp pointed towards the floor, which when combined with filming in black and white created a dark and moody setting for filming as can be seen in the pictures below.

The Lego sequences were filmed in my college art building which uses bright bulbs. This high level lighting really brought out the bright block colours of the Lego which ultimately added to the playful and childlike feel of these scenes. This effect can be seen in the pictures below.

Filming Part 2

The only parts left to film are the scenes involving dolls, I have nearly completed the first scene which in the narrative comes before the Lego section. Filming this section has had no major issues, the only problem i have encountered is the dexterity of the dolls this is because of their deteriorated state making them hard to manipulate during certain shots. In terms of lighting for this section I used a desktop lighting facing towards the floor, this created quite an eerie setting and an interesting use of shadow.

Filming Part 1

Just before the Easter break I began filming and over the past week or so I have been editing.

I began filming with the Lego sequences first as I felt this was the most time consuming part of the recording process and therefore decided to utilise college time to get it done. Filming proved challenging as the Lego was difficult to manipulate at times because of its small size, it was also difficult because of the long time and patience it took although this is true with all stop motion. However after editing this footage the perseverance has proved worth it as the animation looks smooth and it is clear that a lot of time went into it.

The opening of the film depicts a toy lizard in which the camera then zooms into the mouth of. This is one of the more surreal parts of the film and I used a couple of techniques to show the dark tone of this section. Firstly it has been filmed in black and white, I felt this gave it a more edgy look than using colour. Secondly i filmed in pitch black and used my mobile phone light to create a mysterious and eerie atmosphere

Oceansize

Oceansize are a band I've come across while doing research for my soundtrack. They combine Post Rock and Experimental techniques with a lot of Progressive Rock ideas, this makes them perfect as artists for my project as these are all techniques i have been incorporating and looking into for my score.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp84uXacRo0

The song in the link is called Commemorative T Shirt, it showcases Oceansize's use of complex time signatures in this song in particular 11/8 and 9/8 this gives the song a very experimental feel but also because of the minimalistic nature of the way the piece builds for the whole 8 minutes it has a very free flowing and ambient feel to it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWfBUMipul8

The above song is called Music For A Nurse, this is one of the best examples of the more Post Rock side of the band utilising ambient sounds, layered guitars and in particular fast tremelo picking.

Ah by Studio Shelter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LwepRgisUg

What I loved about Ah were sections that had a time-lapse feel to them that seemed reminiscent to another film I've looked at Koyaanisqatsi. These sections must have taken a lot of time and patience due to the fiddliness of Lego and the large number of shots that would of had to be taken to create this effect. I also found the sound used interesting as it gave the Lego blocks a voice and put meaning behind their actions.

David Lynch- Inland Empire

My main inspiration from Inland Empire was the narrative of the film. At times it's non existent and through out it is incredibly hard to read, making this a film you have to get really involved in, this in itself is a challenge due to its near 3 hour running time. Critics and fans alike have put forth many theories to suggest what Lynch is trying to suggest and represent within the film these range from the permanence of memory, the future of Eastern Europe to telepathy and the nature of men and animals.
It's this idea of creating a story that the audience must really engage with that really interests me and is one i hope to recreate to some extent within my own project.

The Social Network Score

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yczul_609Gg

The song "In Motion" perfectly describes The Social Network score. Its experimental in nature but is still very listenable, what I found particularly interesting was the industrial feel of the rhythm that gives the song a very driving pulse.

Inspirational musicians

There are 2 musicians that have particularly caught my eye when looking for inspiration in terms of technique and composition for the score for my film.

The first is Johnny Greenwood, famous for his work as Radiohead lead guitarist he has provided the scores for 4 films, the 2 I looked at were; Body Song by Simon Pummell and There Will Be Blood by Paul Thomas Anderson. Both scores show Greenwood's incredible ability on a range of instruments to create and shape moods, that give both these films a very profound feeling. Unlike some sections of Koyaanisqatsi, both these films were scored in the typical fashion with the music being written after filming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxJ3jfT3ypc
The link above shows a section from the Body Song score called Convergence, this section was also featured in the film There Will Be Blood. It perfectly showcases the experimental and minimalistic nature of Greenwood's music as the whole song is one repeating beat throughout that builds layer upon layer into an almost unlistenable primal rhythm at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn_CmH0-6yI
The link above is Radiohead song Blowout and showcases Greenwood's experimentation on guitar, this can be heard especially from the 3:15 minute mark in which he uses a coin moving up and down the strings to create an ambient violin sound.

The second is a group of musicians known as Sigur Ros, this post rock band have received critical and commercial appraisal for there music which contains a wide range of instruments, ambient soundscapes and minimalist song structures. Despite not writing scores for films i found their music very inspiring because of the imaginative and experimental nature of their sound which makes their style perfect for an experimental film such as mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sUVm77WjE0
The link above plays the song Staralfur, which depicts all the aspects in Sigur Ros's music from the large range of instruments used to the beautiful ambient landscape created by the violins, piano and vocals.

Walerian Borowczyk- Renaissance

I came across Borowczyk when looking into the Quay Brothers, its common misconception that Jan Svankmajer is their main influence but in an interview they revealed that they got most of their style and technique from Borowczyk. I thought i would have a look at his stop motion film Renaissance as it would able me to see where my main influence got their inspiration from and may even give me some fresh ideas. After watching the film i could see where the Quay Brothers got their dark and surreal imagery from, as well as the twisted, disturbing and sometimes even quirky movements that their puppets make.
The film depicts reverse motion in which objects are rebuilt after being destroyed and then destroyed again at the end. I found this concept and the process behind it quite interesting as you would have to film things from end-start rather than start to end or in random sequence. This may be something I might try for a sequence in my film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAirHKywhSc

(The full 9 minute Renaissance film)

The Eagleman Stag

The Eagleman Stag is a BAFTA award winning short stop motion film by Mikey Please. It was suggested to me by Chris Paul Daniels from the Unravel film, who is a classmate of his. The film is a dark comedy about a man's obsession with the quickening perception of time that faces us as we age and his attempts to counter these effects. What i found most interesting were the dark tones achieved through filming in black and white that made the film stand out from the works of Svankmajer and the Quay brothers while still being inspired by them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvXEXNIYaAE
(Trailer for The Eagleman Stag)

Unravel film

The Unravel film is an epic project, in which Chris Paul Daniels and Maria Anastassiou are aiming to create the longest piece of hand painted film in Britain. The film correlates in length with the 874 miles between John O'Groats and Land's End, taking each metre between them as a ratio to equal one frame of 16mm film.
They visited our college on the 16th February for a workshop, I found their work and what they had to say very inspiring, mainly because of the extreme attention to detail and perseverance with their project.
http://unravelfilm.blogspot.com/

The link above will take you to their blog where you will find more information on their project and the day they visited our college.

Philip Glass- Koyaanisqatsi score

The score for Koyaanisqatsi has influenced me in 2 ways. The actually music itself is an influence because of it's minimalistic qualities and repeating patterns that match the feel and meaning of the images on screen. How it was conceived also inspires me, unlike typical scores in which the music is created after the shots have been taken, Philip Glass would approach Godfrey Reggio the director with a piece he had composed and then Reggio would shoot with that music in mind.
The music in the link demonstrates the ambient and minimalistic nature of the score.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOEDsZbR6jE

Experimenting with Garage Band

Experiment with Garage Band by 92sampowell

This is the before mentioned experiment with Garage Band. At first I wasn't a fan mostly because it took a while to get everything in time however after persevering, adding extra instruments and editing sounds I am very happy with the short piece i have created. Im particularly fond of the use of the odd time signature 5/4 that when played after a bar of 4/4 throws the listener off. I think this compliments a piece of experimental film quite well.

Episode IV: A New Project

Its finnaly time to move on to a new project, not sure entirely what this film will be about. I've got some ideas in mind but nothing concrete yet or worth blogging about, it will be stop motion though and most likely continue on with the theme of surrealism. Also I plan to write the soundtrack for this one, yesterday I tried experimenting on garage band and had a go at writing something with the apple sequence from my last film in mind. I think the result was pretty good, quite rough at the moment and didnt get a chance to try any bass or guitar on it. Hopefully sometime next week I can get what I did up on here though.

Charley Harper

Charley Harper was a Cincinnati-based American Modernist artist. He is best known for his wildlife prints, posters and book illustrations. He describes his unique style as "minimal realism" in which he tries to capture the essence and behavior of his subjects with the fewest possible visual elements. On the style of his simplified forms Harper notes, "I don't think there was much resistance to the way I simplified things. Some people liked it and others didn't care for it. There's some who what to count all the feathers in the wings and then others who never think about counting the feathers, like me."
This minimalistic style and approach to capturing a subject on the page has been a big influence on me as can be seen in the artwork for my film.    

Kenneth Anger-Fireworks

Kenneth Anger's controversial film fireworks was a landmark in avant garde and surrealist film making. It explored many personal feelings that Anger had, particularly homosexualism and sado-masochism, it was these issues that lead to Anger's arrest following the release of Fireworks.

Artwork i made related to my film and the theme of surrealism

These photos contain artwork such as storyboards, concept art, typography and illustration. Also experiments with glass etching and editing printed photos with bleach, oil pastel and scratching.