‘The aspect of someone’s character that is presented to or perceived by others.’
Simon Hughes
INITIAL THOUGHTS, PROPOSAL & RESEARCH
P R O J E C T I D E A S INITIAL THOUGHTS
My initial plan for this project was to document I had also considered the further exploration of the band through 3 stages or chapters. place, a continuation to my last project ‘TRACES’ and in reference to my dissertation; ‘Almost I intended to use this chapter progression to Nothing, An analysis of human existence through show the band going through 3 separate stages place and non-place.’ While I felt I could work on and reaching an outcome. a project in either field I felt that it was outside of my strengths which are working within the First would be the band introduction video in music industry as subject matter. Chapter 1, each member would introduce themselves and their position in the band. Chapter 2 While I have dismissed it for now, I do intend would see the recording process of our new EP to explore place and non-place through video ‘MMXIII’ in the form of compiled studio diaries. when I am a post-graduate, as a fine art piece Chapter 3 would then be the accumulation of of film. Chapter 1 & 2 where the band form together and perform in the music video. While I was initially in the motions of creating this project, I felt that each chapter of the video would struggle to reach any momentum and lack depth due to time limits.
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PERSONA ‘The aspect of someone’s character that is presented to or perceived by others.’ Aimed at the music industry, I propose to make a short documentary that I will develop as a promotional tool to attract new clientele, including both, musicians and promotional management. Inspired by the visions of Stanley Kubrick and Wes Anderson, this is intended to be a visual study of the characters and relationships within a band from an insider’s perspective; looking at how each of the individual band members come together to form a collective alter ego/persona.
This shall include a mixture of interviews, presented as series of video portraits and voiceovers. There will also be live and observed footage exploring the inner workings of a band, employing visual communication techniques and learnt techniques from Advanced Creative Practice 1. I would also like to investigate tensions between relationships in the band and how this can be expressed using a personally crafted soundtrack and various production techniques, including lighting, narration, pauses and sound effects.
S O U N D T R A C K THOUGHTS & RECORDING One of the most important aspects of creating this film lies within the soundtrack. Being a member of the band I have a relationship with sound as well as with my craft of photography and video making. Having the opportunity to bring both of these together in the same piece is a challenge as well as a benefit.
As the nature of the film I wish to create is to be one of a delicate form, I felt the need to juxtapose the genre of that of the band I belong to. Our genres deepest roots are hardcore punk, brash and in your face with high-energy performance and powerful often atheist lyrical content. I felt it would be predictable and expected of me to create a song in the same genre to match the energy of that of my band.
O’Brother - Ascension Sigur Ros - Festival
Each of these songs combine building elements which form a crescendo towards the middle and end of the compositions, I too will use these elements to create notions of gravity and pace throughout. Myself, Simon Hughes and Nick Williams who plays drums in my band Constructor, composed the soundtrack. Initially I wanted to create the entire soundtrack alone but due to my lack of knowledge with Apple Logic Pro I decided to call upon Nick.
Soundtrack is composed of 2 guitar tracks, acoustic drums and a handful of MIDI instruInstead, I chose to create a post-rock style piece ments. I feel that the contrast in genre away of music, simplistic but fitting to the subject of from the genre my band is will provide a wider my film. I have listed many of the main song in- viewing audience. fluences below for the feel I wished to create. Creating my own soundtrack has also benefited Coldplay - Fix You me with the ability to broadcast the video to film This Will Destroy You - Burial on the Presidio festivals and online without requiring artistic liBanks cense or fees if I were to use one of the songs I The XX - Intro listed as influence.
C H A S E
J A R V I S
6 0 S E C O N D P O RT R A I T S
Primary research for video portraiture comes ement’, which is often lost with using a tripod from Chase Jarvis. The series Chase has created with video shooting. of his friends and colleagues mirrors that of what I wish to create. I believe this up-close shooting method will mentally as well as physically bring the viewer Shot handheld at wide-open apertures Chase has close to my band mates. created 60 seconds of interaction which each of the characters exposing their composure and I am unsure of which lens Chase has opted to flecks of personality. use for these video portraits but can take away from them the wide open depth of field. I would While shooting handheld has its benefits, it is assume he has used a lens such as an 85mm or apparent in the example above that stabilisa- 100mm macro for his shots due to the narrow tion has occurred in post-production. This is not angle of view. something I wish to do due to time constraints; instead I will change this shooting method to I will be shooting mine with a 50mm f/1.4 lens; having my camera sit on my Manfrotto 561BHDV the minimum focus distance of 45cm allows me Monopod. to get a wider shot of my characters to include neck and shoulders, features unseen in Chase With my camera seated on the monopod I will Jarvis’ series. maintain a flexible grip to allow some smoother movement in my scenes to give it the ‘human el-
WES ANDERSON’S T H E R O YA L T E N E N B A U M S Cinematographer: Robert Yeoman
Royal Tenenbaum and his wife, Etheline had three brilliant kids before separating: Chas had a preternatural instrinct for real estate, Margot was an award-winning playwright by the ninth grade, and Richie was a junior champion tennis player. But despite these promising beginnings, the family fell apart after decades of lies, betrayals and failures. What happens when Royal, whom the kids haven’t spoken to in years, brings the family back together suddenly and announces that he’s got only six weeks to live? Well, old wounds don’t heal so quickly. -DVD SLEEVE SYNOPSIS
My main inspiration for creating moving character portraits as well as Chase Jarvis’ 60-second portraits comes from Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’.
Each individual will be responding to several open ended questions. By using this technique I hope to achieve a running narrative from each character detailing themselves and their role within the band, both musically and otherwise.
The introduction to the film serves to establish the Tenenbaum children as child prodigies, their I hope to explore the psychology and hierarchy lives then take an unfortunate turn and they all of the band, explained in detail by each member. fall from their childhood graces. By using this deadpan technique of filming, I believe maintained eye contact with the camera After the introduction they are then portrayed will display sincerity in what is being narrated. 20 years later as adults. It is at this point in the introduction where I draw my inspiration, each I also believe this portrait technique will show of Anderson’s characters is played out in a dead- a vulnerability of each member, a contrast to pan pose with the viewer, it is at this point where that of our alter egos as a high-energy hardcore we can gather the high-maintenance personality punk band. of each individual. While I don’t wish to create a similar notion on the members of my band, I do wish to create deadpan portraits. Via cinematographer Yeoman, Anderson’s Tenenbaums sit amongst a wide-angle scene, shown in symmetry with objects that represent each of their personalities.
In Wes Anderson’s scenes there is no spoken interaction with the viewer, I also intend to use this method. However, I will accompany my scenes with an overdubbed voice-over from each member.
S TA N L E Y K U B R I C K ’ S THE SHINING Cinematographer: John Alcott
Think of the greatest terror imaginable. Is it a monstrous alien? A lethal epidemic? Or, as in this harrowing masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick, is it fear of murder by someone who should love and protect you - a member of your own family? From a script he co-adapted from the Stephen King novel, Kubrick melds vivid performances, menacing settings, dreamlike tracking shots and shock after shock into a milestone of the macabre. In a signature role Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, who’s come to the elegant, isolated overlook Hotel as off-season caretaker with his wife and son. Torrance has never been there before - or has he? The answer lies in a ghostly time warp of madness and murder. -DVD SLEEVE SYNOPSIS
My main influence for referencing Kubrick’s cott, I will aim to replicate its tonal qualities and 1980 movie ‘The Shining’ is the level of consid- natural skin tones which can often be lost within eration taken in the cinematography. digital film making, maintaining a high quality colour grade in post-production via Adobe PreJohn Alcott who collaborated with Kubrick a miere Pro CS6. number of times handled cinematography for the film. Kubrick is known however for being I will be using similar framing techniques to crea ‘hands on’ director, often taking over the role ate space around my character portraits, estabof cinematography. Together, he and Alcott cre- lishing them within the personal spaces they ate scenes with great amounts of symmetry and individually occupy. I will then be coupling this precision. with a contrasting tight shot (see: Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’).
Shot on 35mm film with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, although not quite widescreen, the scenes are considered in great detail enough through Kubrick’s direction to overlook this technicality.
Kubrick’s direction can be seen in the ‘Making of’ section of the DVD release of The Shining. In it there is discussion over which lenses he requires when planning a scene. For the maze sequence, Kubrick speaks with his team about bringing 14.5mm, 18mm and 25mm lenses to location. I will be taking this information into my shots and using a Canon 17-40mm L lens for my wide shots and 50mm lens for the tighter scenes.
To compare to my own practice, I will be shooting on a Canon EOS 5DMarkII - also a 35mm format camera. However, I will be opting to use a tighter widescreen crop such as 2.35:1 which is more commonly used in contemporary cinema - I will discuss this further on in my research. Following the criteria I have explained regarding shooting with wide angles I hope to achieve Another one of the traits I will be resourcing effective cinematography, similar to that of The from Kubrick’s masterpiece is its look. While Shining in my film. it belongs to the look of Kodak film used by Al-
D AV I D F I N C H E R ’ S SE7EN Cinematographer: Darius Khondji
Two cops track a brilliant and elusive killer who orchestrates a string of horrific murders, each kill targeting a practitioner of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. David Fincher guides the action - physical, mental and spiritual - with a sure understanding of what terrifies us, right up to a stunning denouement that will rip the scar tissue off the most hardened soul. -DVD SLEEVE SYNOPSIS
Continuing the aesthetic section of my research, longings, therefore, I aim to keep the human elI chose to incorporate several aspects of David ement of each video portrait apparent for each Fincher’s 1995 movie ‘SE7EN’ into my short individual. film. The intro sequence to the movie shows John The most notable of influences I am taking away Doe’s creation of books and research methods from the film is colour, contrast and grit/grun- leading up the Seven Deadly Sin murders he giness. commits. This sequence employs the use of shalAs the film is the investigation into 7 connect- low depth of field, this will be a technique I will ed murders, Fincher’s display of the subject experiment with for scenes of my characters dothrough cinematographer Darius Khondji con- ing things they enjoy and their hobbies or interveys well aesthetically to the viewer. While hav- ests away from the band. ing natural diffused lighting throughout much of the movie, the film takes a turn into grunge It is important to look into each individual’s role and contrast surrounding the murder scenes. within the band and outside the band in order to Another important indicator of Fincher’s work explore the ‘PERSONA’ of each band member.
is a combination of slightly desaturated highlight and mid-tones with a ramped green tint to the shadows, a staple of analogue filmmaking.
I will be using similar techniques to convey realism and character in my film. I will imitate the ‘film look’ and grunginess when displaying each band member in their personal spaces, the green hue in the shadows along with high ISO shooting will attempt to create an aged atmosphere and sincerity similar to that of analogue. The subjects will be surrounded by their be-
D AV I D F I N C H E R ’ S FIGHT CLUB Cinematography: Jeff Cronenweth
Norton stars as Jack, a chronic insomniac desperate to escape his excruciatingly boring life. That’s when he meets Tyler Durden, a charasmatic soap salesman with a twisted philosophy. Tyler believes self-improvement is for the weak - it’s self-destruction that that really makes life worth living. Before long, Jack and Tyler are beating each other to a pulp in a bar parking lot, a cathartic slugfest that delivers the ultimate high. To introduce other men to the simple joys of physical violence, Jack and Tyler form a secret Fight Club that becomes wildly successful. But there’s a shocking surprise waiting for Jack that will change everything. -DVD SLEEVE SYNOPSIS
From David Fincher’s 1999 movie ‘Fight Club’ I intend to include sound, instead of having the will be referencing flashes of subliminal appear- sound play normally I intend to have it reversed ances by the films co-main lead Tyler Durden. in comparison to offset the viewer. The clips will then produce a shriek, similar to the tension Fincher uses this filmmaking device to question created within horror movies. the sanity of Jack; the viewer will also be left in wonder to the quick frames of Tyler. While this is an important device used to solidify the psychological state of Jack, it is the earliEarly on in the film before he materialises to est clue in the film to that of the twist; this is main protagonist Jack, Tyler appears as split sec- also how I would like to complete my story, usond glimpses for a few frames of film. Later on ing clues from the music video throughout bewithin the film, Tyler explains how he too uses a fore using it as the encore to close out my video. similar tactic for mayhem in a part-time job. I will be using this similar device in my own film to show glimpses of the band performing live and in the music video for ‘Wretch’. By utilising this method I hope to achieve aspects of dual personality and to fully flex the notion of ‘PERSONA’. To further explore and develop this method I
ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S
ROPE
While the bulk of my research steers more towards the importance of high-level cinematography in order to aesthetically please the viewer, an important aspect I must consider; tension.
Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’ plays greatly on this device. Through the nature of the story he wishes to tell, that of the thrill of murder; Hitchcock uses incredibly long takes, utilising panning to create this effect. The film descends from daytime to night throughout the 1hour 17minutes running time, putting the viewer in the room with the characters. As it turns to night, neon signs from near-by buildings shine on through the window as the party disperses.
Near the climax of the story while one of the main leads in the story is playing piano, James Stewart’s character operates a metronome whilst conducting an interrogation of the pianist. As the conversation progresses and builds in intensity, its apparent of the tension Hitchcock has created. The building intensity is a device I wish to create through my soundtrack, much like the metronome. I will use the build in intensity to convey the energy we create as a live band. I will also create tension by using prolonged scenes of each band member making eye contact with the camera. I believe this will be an effective technique in creating tension.
A Film by: Rodney Ascher
its presence is then magnified throughout the film through remaining signifiers carefully Room 237 is a critical analysis documentary re- placed by Kubrick. leased in 2012 featuring the opinions and theories of Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kubrick’s use of semiotics and metaphors Kearns, John Fell Ryan, Jay Weidner and Buffy are explained through placement of objects, Visick. whether they be conscious or unconsciously visible, I’ll be feeding similar notions in my Based upon Kubrick’s masterpiece ‘The Shining’ film. While I aim to not interfere with scenes which I have also chosen to reference for my film to a large extent, I wish objective reminders to ‘Persona’, Room 237 is picked apart by several remain in the scenes to give the viewer food for theorists and historians to explain patterns and thought regarding each objects placement once motifs that exist throughout the film. viewing is over. Most notably is the placement and reoccurrence of imagery of Native American Indians. While the reference to an ancient Indian burial ground is mentioned in the early portion of Kubrick’s film,
I believe placing these objects will further solidify aspects of each band member’s personality, which will be unspoken, coming through only with the presence of the objects.
A Film by: Sam Wrench & Neil Anderson
important note to take. Featuring the voice over of my band mates, I wish to allow them to speak I intend to take two forms of reference from Biffy freely; therefore I have created a series of openClyro’s 2013 documentary that accompanies ended questions, which allow for further connew release, ‘Opposites’. tinuation of their point, after the main question has been answered. The band allows an all access approach for filmmakSecondly from Opposites, I iners Sam Wrench & Neil Antend to reference visual style. derson, something which I Similar almost to David Finchcan relate to. While they are er’s Se7en, Wrench and Andersimply observing the band, I son have created a filmic qualam a member, as the insider ity to the documentary. Using I have a freedom, which candigital post-production technot be granted to outsiders niques such as stock footage fully. lens flares (film burns), along side a filmic colour grade and converted Super8&16mm film. Early on in the film the band narrate a struggle of addiction with the band’s drummer, Ben John- I will use these filmmaking devices to create a ston. It is this open, nothing held back approach natural, human feel. The grain and colouration to filmmaking I wish to capitalise on within my in the film look will aid in creating a nostalgic own film ‘PERSONA’. feeling while the film burn transitions remain current in contemporary cinema. As the band narrate it freely, I believe this is an
A Film by: Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ chronicles the rise and fall of the Californian recording studio of the same name. The film documents it’s place within historical and contemporary culture by the people who made it the place it became. It is this chronological story telling which I plan to reference in my own film. By starting at the very beginning and coming up to present time the film puts the viewer in the room with such music legends as Stevie Nicks and Sir Paul McCartney.
To further reference Sound City, I wish to take the aesthetics of title sequences and transitions. As mentioned earlier, film burn techniques are seen a lot in contemporary cinema. Seen below are examples of titles I wish to reference, chalkboard style writing animated to move freely within the scene via Adobe After Effects. This is a technique I am currently unfamiliar with completing, it will take several attempts of testing to create the right feel for my movie.
The chalk style font will be used to introduce my movie, possibly with a proposal for viewers to read and then as a nametag for each band I will use this story telling method from A-Z to member. I will also experiment with accenting tell the story of my band, the creation of our col- certain important phrases or words that are lective alter ego as well as tell the story of each spoken. member individually. By using this technique I hope to put the viewer in the room with us, immersing the viewer in our collective alter ego with high-energy performance scenes from live footage and cuttings of our music video ‘Wretch’.
A Film by: Ondi Timoner
the way to where the band currently stands.
Ondi Timoner’s film Dig! Documents the on- Through questions I will pose to each band off destructive friendship and rivalry of two of member, I will try and express approachability America’s once most notorious bands, The Brian and create a relationship with the viewer. Johnstown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. While the documentary follows these two Fronted by Anton Newcombe and Courtney Tay- equally destructive bands, it, like the bands fealor respectively, Timmoner’s documentary ex- tured never reaches any acclaim. For this reaplores the contrast between mainstream success son, I won’t be referencing anything other than and the road to getting there. the exploration of relationship from start to finish. The documentary pulls no punches, and over the course of filming, a true love/hate divide devel- Available online via Youtube: ops between each bands respective front man. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=FGd0UoHBfcU I wish to explore the relationship aspect within my band; how friendships were formed before the band and any strains we have suffered along
A N T O N Y F L E M M I N G - ‘ A T AT T O O L I F E ’ A S H O RT F I L M B Y TO M M I T C H E L L To look further afield in my referencing, I was aiming to source a film which delivered both personal context through voice-overs as well as a delicate but honest portrayal of a person’s craft.
voice-over. This will allow me many benefits, I can control background noise and by recording these audio snippets one-to-one, I aim to create a personal connection between the character, myself, and the audio they provide. I aim to Tom Mitchell’s short film ‘Antony Flemming - A achieve similar levels of honesty about our craft Tattoo Life’ does just that. Flemming introduces such as that of Flemming and his. himself as a die-hard, 24/7, tattoo fan; as well as being a full time tattooist. He offers his views on Mitchell has also provided the viewer with a the tattoo culture and his approach to his work, beautiful filmic colour grade, it’s refreshing to this honesty is a gift to the viewer as he speaks watch and adds further to the honest approach freely by way of overdubbed audio throughout to the subject that Mitchell and Flemming have the video. created. I aim to use this same technique to my advan- Available online via Vimeo: tage, to remove the words from my characters https://vimeo.com/60737118 in real-time and have them speak in the form of
PRE-PRODUCTION, PLANNING & P O S T- P R O D U C T I O N
PRE-PRODUCTION F U N D A M E N TA L S There are a number of things that need to be considered when shooting video with DSLRs. I have listed below the techniques and parts of my workflow, which are important to creating highend video productions.
the picture style allows for further scope when colour grading by keeping colour information consistently in highlights and shadows, much like shooting RAW on a stills format.
Available at: Magic Lantern - this piece of firmware brings http://www.technicolourcinestyle.com a number of professional tools to the camera, which didn’t already exist. It allows me to moni- Shooting Fundamentals - keeping a consistent tor and control audio levels which my Canon 5D frame rate of 23.976p allows the ‘film-look’ that Mark II doesn’t do natively. I desire to achieve throughout my film. Shutter speeds will be shot within multiples of the Another crucial feature which I use is Focus Peak- frame rate (Camera rates 23.976 as 24p). Thereing, as my camera has a 3” display on the back fore shutter speeds 1/50, 1/100 and 1/125 will it is sometimes hard to get critical focus when be used. shooting, along with my poor eyesight. This feature brings up sharp coloured edges around ar- Through the use of Magic Lantern, it tweaks eas in focus of a predetermined percentage set shutter speed in correlation to that of shooting by myself. on a film camera, where it is compared to shutter angle. 1/48 is then used as apposed to 1/50 Available at: to correspond with the degree angle of 180. By http://www.magiclantern.fm using these set shutter speeds, I will be reducing the risk of having banding on my footage Technicolour Cinestyle - this is a third party pic- which will diminish the look of my film overall. ture style for all of the EOS range of Canon cameras which allows the user to record with a cinematic flat picture style. The flat curve of contrast
P L A N N THE SHOTS From my research, I have gathered that I require a minimum of three standalone shots for each band member. Wide, Head and Shoulders and Detail. Wide: Canon EF 17-40mm L @ 17-20mm f/4 - f/5.6 H&S: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 @ f/2
Detail: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 @ f/1.4 - f/2
Shooting at f/4 to f/5.6 with the wide angle lens allows me to get most of my scene in focus. The lens distortion is something I will use to my advantage in the wide scenes to show perspective and scale. For the head and shoulders shots I intend on having the depth of field shallow to create selective focus on my subjects eyes. Focusing will be aided by Magic Lantern’s Focus Peaking. Again, for my detail shots I will shoot wide open to f/2 to achieve a defocused view on what my characters are doing, similar to that of Se7en.
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P O S T- P R O D U C T I O N CINEMASCOPE In order to create that insider feeling as a filmmaker, I chose to adopt the 2.35:1 cinemascope crop for my film.
As my role within the band is a dual one, that of filmmaker and guitarist, I have a unique opportunity to film situations many people will never experience within a band. While there are other, tighter crops available such as 2.55:1, I felt that 2.35:1 was the best fit for this project; it allows me to shoot wide and close without compromising the compositions.
I will use a mask within Premiere Pro to place over my footage, I may then either export inclusive of the mask at 1920x1080pixels or, export from Premiere without the mask and just the composited area it reveals at 1920x816; the widescreen bars will then be negative space created by the TV or computer they are played back on.
For playback at exhibition I hope to either display on a 21� or larger iMac or large plasma screen. I feel the scale of display will juxtapose the insider miniscule approach my film will provide.
VIDEO PORTRAITS STUDIO
Early on in the project I wished to complete stu- my personal space was being compromised as dio video portraits, removing each band member nerves crept in with a large camera and warm from their comfort zone and placing them under lights filming me. a number of studio lamps. While I initially felt that this idea would bring out a strong visual as- My studio portrait idea was spawned from pect of character, I felt that this was a fierce ap- watching an episode of the UFC’s The Ultimate proach. Fighter.
The studio idea did serve The example shows many benefits, I could even lighting against a work with a number of black background, this lights and control all inis achieved by a ring dividually for consistency light placed around across the scenes. Shootthe lens on the caming would be completed era. over a shorter period as I could’ve shot each portrait on the same day as opposed to the idea I settled on; which requires travelling between Lla- Unfortunately due to the number of disadvannelli, Swansea and Cardiff where the other band tages facing the studio diaries, removing the members live. personal aspect to each portrait and not having the resource of a video ring light I decided not There are also a number of disadvantages of to continue working towards this idea, instead shooting in a studio. I could not place my sub- exploring personal space more thoroughly. jects with many of their objects, which represent them. Many people are nervous in front of a camera on a regular basis, even myself, I felt that
VIDEO PORTRAITS P E R S O N A L S PA C E S
After deciding not to continue creating studio I also chose not to interfere with the scenes in video portraits, I looked back to my research terms of cleaning or arranging objects. I wantand decided to reference the detail scenes at the ed the scenes to be completely organic and how beginning of Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenen- each character lives amongst them. After all, baums’. these are their personal spaces, not my own, I am simply the viewer. The scenes have a number of interesting quirks I wish to take away and put into my own. I required 30 seconds of wide shooting to collect the whole scene as well as 30 seconds of head By having my subjects stand in their personal and shoulders interaction. spaces, whether that is their bedrooms or studies; each one will be in a comfort zone, unlike I made sure not to make any eye contact with that of the studio videos but directly referencing each character while filming to remove the posThe Royal Tenenbaums. Each of Wes Anderson’s sibility of compromising the shot, this will also characters sits among a scene where they are allow viewers to connect personally with each comfortable, being pampered, shaving or taking band members deadpan stare straight down the a photograph. lens. There are a few things I chose to do after experimentation to create a workflow of effective video portraits. I chose not to introduce any artificial lighting into the scenes, shooting solely with available light from windows or light fixtures in the room that were on when I arrive at the scene.
CONSTRUCTOR - WRETCH T H E M U S I C V I D E O P T. 1
Initially the ideas I had for the music video were function. to be based around an abandoned house to loosely fit with the notions behind the meaning The location also serves as the metaphoric host of the song. for the objects stored within it, where broken, damaged or spare objects are kept and forgotten One of the main hurdles I faced when choosing about. One of the important objects we opted to a location that’s abandoned is the lack of power. keep in the music video is the dartboard, disused and left to rot, we placed this in the video The house chosen had been stripped of all power to relate to what a SUCCUBUS would do. and disconnected from the grid, a generator was available but due to the nature of shooting in an Initially my idea was to include the music video abandoned location without permission, we did at the end of my short film. However, due to the not want to attract any unwanted attention. In musical genre and tutorial feedback, I opted to the end the decision was made to shoot the video leave it out to not offend and spoil the flow of at the singer Ben’s parents house as they had a the slower pace I intend to create throughout very large garage, which suited the look we were the film. aiming for. Going live on March 17th 2013, the video has As the lyrical content centres around the medi- received largely positive reviews from peers eval legend of a SUCCUBUS, a demon in the form and critically through reviews. I was especially of a woman who will eventually bring death to all proud of the video reaching 1000 unique views it leeches onto; it was important to use the loca- within 7 days of release. tion to an advantage where we could reference leeching onto objects until they become defunct. If I were to do anything differently, I would include a narrative based around the subject matSmashing a TV in reverse at the start of the mu- ter to further establish meaning behind the lyrsic video is the metaphor of reversing death and ics. holding onto what remains despite its lack of
C R E AT I N G T H E L O O K T H E M U S I C V I D E O P T. 2
While the location plays a major role in the music in the colour grade I decided to desaturate the video, I took special care in creating the colour midtones and shadows between 30% and 50% grade for the finished product. each while maintaining a higher level of saturation in my highlights to keep the variation of coThrough the use of Technicolour Cinestyle, I was lour temperatures from the light fixtures. able to have a lot of freedom when creating the look. I opted to go for a filmic look with a green I used an S curve contrast to boost shadow hue, I felt that the green hue would give an or- depth and slightly blow out the highlights in the ganic look in contrast to the cold concrete floor, bulbs. wood roof beams and metal garage door. Other effects I used to create the look were; On the video shoot I used a mixed selection of lighting; Sharpen - an amount of 20/100 was used over 4x60w Bulbs in Inspection Lamp fixture - the whole video to solidify the sharpest areas in Warm White focus. 4x60w Bulbs in Lamp Holder fixture - Red 1x60w Fluorescent Bulb - Daylight White Noise - an amount of 14/100 to add more depth to the filmic look, in addition to what the ISO of This is a more varied setup that I would usually the camera had shot natively at ISO 1250. opt to use due to the variation of colour temperatures in each light. I decided to use each to Cinemascope - I added a 2.35:1 cinemascope my benefit. Shooting with a correct White Bal- to tighten up the crop for the video to keep the ance for skin tones I was able to maintain skin viewer looking where I intended. Using a crop tones before grading. Within Adobe Premiere like this also creates the issue of limits; to avoid Pro CS6 I used the Three Way Colour Corrector cropping out heads in scenes I key framed vertito individually colour Shadows, Midtones and cal movements of each clip throughout the vidHighlights. I also used the ability to control each eo. The resulting video size is 1920x816. ranges individual saturation level. At this point
S U B L I M I N A L FLASH BACK
In order to reference David Fincher’s Fight previously witnessing. I will further disjoint the Club, I considered themes amongst the film that viewer by using sound as another device of the I could use to bring a feeling of memory or fleck flashback, playing the sound backwards but the of split personality into my film. clip playing in its original motion.
Applying flashbacks through the subliminal These scenes will be of higher contrast with frames like I mentioned earlier is an effective over-saturated colours much like the gritty naway of giving the viewer a glimpse of energy for ture of Fight Club and Se7en to amplify these a split second. I will couple this with observed picked out scenes. footage shot during setup of the music video, showing the process of preparing ourselves for a performance. I will do this in post-production by using a small section of frames overlaid on top of a source clip, distracting the viewer from the scene they were
V O I C E O V E R I N T E RV I E W S E T U P
Utilizing another strength of Magic Lantern that without. The microphone plugs directly into isn’t natively available on the 5DMarkII, manual the 5DMarkII without the need for an external audio leveling; I am able to conduct professional preamp or recorder. It simply replaces the onquality audio straight out of camera. board microphones audio with that of the Rode Mic. I may also monitor microphone input with While I decided not to use the camera for lip- headphones plugged in simultaneously. synced interviews, I did continue to use it to create my interviews. The onboard microphone is sub-standard and creates many issues, the first being AGC (Automatic Gain Control) - this will normalize audio levels to keep a constant db., resulting in hiss and unwanted frequencies. Via Magic Lantern I am able to switch off AGC and control audio db. levels manually to reduce these native issues. The audio for my interviews is recorded via a Rode VideoMicPro, which I have borrowed from university stores; it is an excellent piece of equipment that I would be unable to shoot
P O S T- P R O D U C T I O N COLOUR GRADING As referenced earlier in my pages for Se7en, Biffy Clyro ‘Opposites’, Sound City and Antony Flemming ‘A Tattoo Life’; I wished to take away a very natural filmic look. There are a number of things I can do in-camera to aid the post-production workflow in achieving this look;
All colour grading will be handled within Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 alongside the rest of the timeline edit. Other alternatives would be to colour grade within After Effects, due to my lack of experience with this software I have opted to stick with what I know for grading.
White Balance; correct white balance will help Colour correction has always been the weakest maintain skin tones in relation to other light part of my filmmaking so I took extra time and sources within the scene. effort to create and refine the look to the best of my abilities, this has worked to my benefit Exposure; using the histogram correctly so there as the scenes have the delicate and filmic look I is sufficient colour data from shadows to high- was hoping to achieve. I believe by utilising this lights, there will be some instances where I have style of colour grade I will convey the honesty intentionally blown out highlights, for example, and sincerity of the overdubbed voice over for windows. My shutter speed will follow the fun- each individual. damental rule of shooting 1/50 shutter speed; I will adjust my aperture and ISO respectively to If I were to do anything differently I would exachieve correct exposures. plore other options of picture profiles within the camera. Notably, Lightform and Cinema styles I would say that the colour grade examples I have by Cineplus. Both of these styles have film stock shown reference Tom Mitchell more so than oth- qualities straight out of camera without the ader examples. In the up-close scenes of my charac- ditional need for correction or grading. ters I have opted to add more contrast than that of Tom Mitchell but keeping the flat curve of contrast he employs in his own film.
I N T E R V I E W QUESTIONS
What is your real role within the band? What do you bring to the table? Who are you when your not in the band? Are you where you want to be in life outside of the band, in terms of
achievements and accomplishments? What is this band to you?
CONCLUSION
I feel that my project has progressed greatly from the initial ideas and thoughts I had, developing into my proposed idea more successfully than past projects. One of the main feelings I had towards creating a documentary about my band was keeping a personal element, not removing myself entirely and sticking to my filmmaker role but to feature. Whereas my initial idea covered the band over three areas of production of an EP, Live shows and creating the music video, I feel I have instead encompassed the energy and story of 5 individuals who collectively form the band.
or filter which is the band.
I believe one of the strongest points of my film is the soundtrack; I wanted to juxtapose the typical hardcore band documentary soundtrack, contrasting the music to that of how we are perceived as a hardcore band. The interviews also worked in my favour and I am grateful for the honest pull-no-punches answers I received, a selection were answers I never thought I’d hear from my band mates. I could also argue with myself that the interviews could delve deeper into the inner workings of the band, so for that reason I would say they are also weak. If given more time I would create a longer film with more detailed questions to dig deeper into the psyche of the band and each individual member.
Referencing for this project has come in the form of well-known directors and cinematographers. I have had the tendency in the past to reference obscure and unknown artists, struggling to create relevant dialogue between my work and theirs; instead, I have kept my research concise and to a formula. From what I’ve learned technically and emotionally from shooting this project will set me Part of proposing this idea, and then taking it to up in good stead for becoming a graduate this the band was breaking down the initial stereo- summer, I’ve found an area of filmmaking which type that appears from hardcore bands. We are I connect with and intend to continue working expected to be brash, obnoxious and violent peo- on a similar series, focusing on the persona or ple but we couldn’t be further from that. Instead identities of other individuals, not just bands. I I have chosen to display the band in their per- believe creating this work will also help me gain sonal spaces, despite placing each band member further employment from prospective clients in their literal comfort zone, I am removing them looking for documentary work, whether that be from it by taking away their interaction with me in the field I currently work within, the music and leaving only their interaction with the cam- industry or the corporate or fine art world. era/view. I believe I have achieved a honest, sincere and delicate approach to documenting life Upon watching Room 237 and hearing the thein a hardcore band, creating a contrast between ories regarding object placement I opted to reour day to day lives and that of our persona’s shoot several wide scenes of the band members which make the band. in their spaces allowing signs to become more visible for those who look closely. Moving into documentary film is something I wish to continue after this project as I feel ex- As well as utilizing an array of visual language, ploring relationships is a subject I have passion this is the first project where I have committed with, revealing 5 individual views from a col- to creating a soundtrack and overdubs. I believe lective machine is something I wasn’t expecting both of these elements, notably the soundtrack, to work so smoothly. Through the use of over- allow me to tell a story further than what the dubbed interviews I believe that I have managed band explain. The music is a vehicle for the film; to capture glimpses of each band members deli- it is an original piece of music created by my cate or frustrated views and remove the barrier bands drummer, Nick and myself. I decided ear-
ly on that the soundtrack would dictate the pace of the film and reach an epic finale; upon completion I decided to name the track, ‘CLIMB’.
Given more time, I would shoot and include more observed footage of the band members doing other things that they occupy themselves with, this would include more hobbies, walking/hanging out and footage recorded at band practice.