“I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have that drive and determination to overcome those obstacles on route to whatever it is that you want to accomplish’’(BrainyQuote, 2016).
As I started this semester, I had a few objectives in my head like- Handful of new skills and expertise in a few already explored, a short fiction movie produced by me, a good working group of friends, and a powerful portfolio to look forward. But what I have accomplished is something way more than I expected. Not just my checklist but also in addition, I made a successful documentary, learned technical aspects of production like lighting, camera and sound, which I always struggled for and of course, a good team of students to work with. I always wanted to excel in editing and I think I have come another step ahead to reach my dream. Thanks to all my tutors specially Louise and Patrick for giving me this opportunity! Reference-
This picture was taken from my terrace, when I was trying to shoot a timelapse, around 5.30pm and evidently it was cloudy. I tried to play with different types of effects and surprisingly how it turned out to be was ecstatic.
In this picture I used the effect ‘Color Balance HLS,’ increased the hue too 193, reducing the lightness and saturation to -2 and -5 respectively. The result was, that it started looking like it was taken in the morning hours before the sunrise.
For this picture I used 3 way color corrector and changed few shadows and midtones and what I came up was, that looked like a picture taken in a harsh sunlight.
Here I used the RGB color corrector and increased the red tone. It looks like a very dramatic picture which focuses more on the sky, plus I also get a very gloomy feeling watching it.
This picture was taken while shooting the abstract videos for the documentary in the RMIT campus.
This was the time when I thought of playing with curves. I choose the effect RGB curves and to be very honest I did not know what to do with those. I started scratching different angles and surprisingly everything in the background of this picture turned green except the flags. I personally think it looks phenomenal of how the flags are focused and can show the national integrity.
For this one I chose another effect called ‘Leave color’. I knew what that meant but never realised how well would that work. I chose the buildings color to be the same and all the others to leave their color and turn into a chroma effect.
It looks like a sketch, doesn’t it? Well it is not. All I have used is color balance, played with saturation and hue and this is what it looks like. Well I cannot deny the fact that the flags did not change their color and honestly speaking, I do not know why? It still looks great!!!
This picture was shot during the intensives and I have also used this one in my new documentary. I think it shows unity in diversity and friendship. It was another cloudy day when we shot it and still managed to get a decent video.
I think this is the best color grader I have used so far. It is the luma curve and it has changed everything so beautifully as if I have added a fx to it. At one point of time it looks cartoonized and on the other it seems as if some mighty creatures have appeared from nowhere.
This picture symbolizes danger in such a way that, currently these five innocent people are unaware of the dark situation which will be approaching them in the mere future.
I have used 3 way color corrector and instead of experimenting bizarre effects I have actually tried to color correct in such a way they can be used for the further production.
Home is where the heart is. An experience which I am going to cherish my entire life. Mainly because it’s a successful documentary shot in a day or two. Beautifully organized, well thought and easily accessible, we shot vox pops, interviews and some abstracts, to complete this documentary which connects me deeply with it being an international student and leaving away from home.
Vox pops:
This was the first time I was introduced to this technique of interviewing unknown people on the streets and getting some natural footage. I did this with my previously made group of 3 other people consisting of Cameron, Adil and Megan. Our motto was to focus on quality than on quantity, because I knew before hand that the many videos we shoot more will be task of segregating them. I personally like this exercise engaging with random people around and connecting with them on a platform called media. A day before shooting the vox pops, we finalized the questions that we would use for the interviews.
We 4 distributed the work and I made sure that I do something different this time than being a presenter. So I chose to do audio , Megan being the camera person, Adil the presenter and Cameron the arranger. We wanted a location which had some traffic such that we do not lose time searching for people. Hence we decided to shoot in the old gaol next to the building 9 with a decent background.
It was as sunny day and given that, we used the sunlight as our key light. We finally got some great interviews and hopefully good material that we could use while editing.
Interviews:
Unfortunately, I missed the intensives due to unavoidable personal circumstances. But thanks to my team and Louise, they helped me a lot get back and recover my loss.
I went through the footage the very next day, and I must say, everyone did a pretty amazing job. Specially the lights and the frame was set very well. I saw all the interviews by my fellow classmates and I am sure, I definitely missed the opportunity to redo what we learned in the tutorial the earlier week. I must say, I am an amateur, but one thing I noticed in the interviews is that, they were very long. I realised that we will have a hard time editing it. Overall, the interview session went great and I am sure my fellow mates would have learned a lot from the intensive lecture.
Abstract footage-
For the final stage, we had only a couple of B-roles to shoot, which we successfully did in the tutorial the following week. From my past doco experiences, these are one of the most important parts of a video as they make the viewer more interested in the doco, helps reduce the monotonous nature of the video and also works as a saviour in the rough times during the edit of the interviews.
As our documentary was about home, we shot many families, some sweet moments and a few general melbourne attractions in our reach.
Editing:
One of my favorite sessions have always been editing! Yet again, I received an opportunity to edit some marvelous footage. Let me voice this, so far, this has been the easiest documentary I have ever edited. Key reasons being-
We shot some quality vox pops. They were short, to the point and expressive. There were a few loops which I realised while the edit like, the frames were not properly set, i.e the breathing space and the third rule was not properly encouraged. This could have led to a greater issue, but instead I chose to let them be the way they were, as it’s always experiment when you are working on the university level.
The interviews on the intensive day, were just brilliant. My favorite was the luminous light setting. The audio for the interviews came out well, but the issue emerged when I had to put a vox pop next to the interview. Obviously, the quality of audio in both were different. Nevertheless, I increased the sound levels to max and added the noise reduction effect, and managed to get a decent sound.
I always expect some colour issues when it’s a outdoor shoot, but to my surprise, all of the vox pops were well focused and maintained, except the last one where the man was over exposed. Through lynda videos I learned how to color grade and could successfully manage the color pretty well.
Sound:
I guess, I did a great job in terms of finding a background sound for the documentary. My ever-time favorite FMA (free music archive) helped me get this superb song. All I knew was I had to get a subtle sound to maintain the feel of the topic- Home. And honestly, I think, one of the most powerful asset in my edited documentary is SOUND!
Initially, when I started watching this video, I thought, what does Paul wants me to reflect on?? This piece of crap music?? It sounded very unusual to me, in terms of sound and music. Some foley and effects, made me think, why would those be used? It kicked of with a typical 90’s style romantic song, with unrealistic and funny sound effects. Funniest thing being, you could hear the birds chirping even when they were inside a room (possibly in the salon). The bling and ‘going in the past’ sounds, seem to be, too much for me. The meticulous use of foley, specially when Dalia floats the cloth in the air and when it touches the ground, sounded way too artificial. But then I realised what exactly it was about. Everything was intentional! Those not-so-mainstream sounds and everything else was put intentionally, I guess, that’s what sums up Forbidden Lies into. Exaggerated sparkle and glitter sounds add up to the theme as well. Isn’t that exactly what they wanted??
Moving forward, when the interviews started, the one thing that attracted my focus the most was- post recorded dialogues. It seems very clear that all dialogues were recorded later (which adds to the quality of the sound) and the effects layered with them on the timeline. My favorites in the later half were, one where Dalia turns into sand and the reverse motion of cigarette sound. I still haven’t understood why in the middle of everything they have used the coin sound..
When they introduce the journalist, a stereotypical music chant is heard, which gives the feeling of a muslim-arabic country.
On each and every step of the documentary, the editors have used great sound effects and added to the gravity and sensitivity of the film.
No wonder, the first 2 minutes can demonstrate the whole storyline of the film. Martin Scorsese’s ‘No Direction Home’ is a classic example of the same. Believe me when I say, I exactly know how the story unfolds after watching these 2.56 minutes of the documentary- No Direction Home. The story literally starts spreading out when Bob Dylan is singing in a concert. He beautifully sings “Like a rolling stone”, taking away the audience in his own magical world. The first 5 seconds give out a definite hint of what the doco, on the surface level, is going to be about- Bob Dylan and his singing career. Well, as you are relieved knowing what’s it going to about, the scene cuts to a winter morning, with haze and foggy weather and trees covered up with snow. This is when I realised, oh! There is more to it.
I think the director was trying to show the subtle shot saying that- nothing’s easy. To me, the whole winter scene had a sad, stressful, melancholy and wretched feeling. And then, you hear Bob Dylan (overlapped by the wind’s effect) talking about how time can’t stand still. It shows, if you don’t do what you were supposed to, time will never give you an opportunity again. Its funny (in sarcasm) how the first and the 2nd scene are in contrast to each other. It starts with a colorful concert and the next moment, it’s a gloomy winter morning.
My most-liked scene was when Bob Dylan takes the audience in the past, when he talks about, where he was born, his old house, his father’s guitar and the Mahogany Radio. The dearest thing to me was when he tells what record was playing on the radio, and it actually turns out to the same song which was playing since quite some time in the background- ‘You’re drifting too far from the shore’.
This was the time, when I realised what a director like Martin Scorsese can do to you. Soon after this point, I felt like I was with Bob Dylan, in those times, witnessing whatever is shown through those black and white pictures and videos. Bob Dylan’s voice plays a vital role in taking the audience with him, in his journey. And I believe, this is what Bill Nichols talking about, when he says ‘voice of God’ in expository documentaries. The black and white tone also connects quite a lot.
Accordingly, I know how the story of Bob Dylan with his rebellious streak, the ups and downs in his music career, his struggle, the family support and background would unfold in the next half of the documentary. And I believe when you go way ahead in your life, trying to reach the stars, there’s NO DIRECTION HOME!
Bill Nichol, the famous theoretician and an american critic presents 6 broad modes of documentary- Expository, Poetic, Observational, Participatory, Reflexive and Performative. All of these 6 documentary modes render different styles with similar expression of entertaining and educating the humankind. Reading the article made me ponder about all the types of documentaries I have ever seen or made. And then I realized, most of them directed by me were expository style with a pinch of participatory. To be honest, I have always been experimenting on the style of my documentaries, but saying that, I guess the one that attracts me the most will be Expository. Call it my nature or understanding of human psychology, I think the best way to engage someone is to share your own idea and notion and later, let them question their own self? I feel this mode suits me the most.
I was searching a few examples of expository documentaries and I loved this one, about the ‘Amazing and weird creatures exhibit bioluminescence’, the most.
It informs and educates people by a putting their point and the major selling point would be the voice (narration) used, often referred to as the ‘voice of god’. In my understanding, this statement is given to it because it is a convincing and powerful voice. It is a constructed reality with a dominating voiceover that leads people to think about the issue. The research by Bill Nichol satisfies the science driven documentaries by quoting the expository documentaries as educational and thus adds authenticity and clarity to the material.
After reading and researching more about modes of documentaries, one thing that i notice is that all the modes and styles are somewhere related to each other. For example- an expository documentary can have observational footage and a participatory director (for some scenes). This also leads to the westernisation and modernisation of the film making world. I am an amateur documentary producer and therefore fits this scenario of mixing up all of the modes together.
Expository documentaries is all about a narrator talking on the videos and pictures and explaining the story. It includes rhetorical questions, facts, opinions and persuasive techniques. Being a communications student, this fascinates me the most. It’s about being diplomatic and persuading the viewer about what you believe.
Another major element that attracts me to this mode is that the narrator talks directly to the audience. Those can be about history, geography, biography, music, dance and other ‘n’ number of topics.
While researching more about it, I also came across a beautiful documentary- Backstairs Billy: The Queen’s mum butler. It’s about William Tallon, a dedicated servant of the queen and princess Diana. The documentary shows videos and pictures of the butler and his daily life with the queen.
The growing trend of filmmaking has modernised the world in such a way that hardly anybody sticks with a single mode of documentary. Mixing up styles and being creative is the new cool!
‘Nothing in this world is constant except change and becoming’
Inspiration:
Clement Alexandrinus, a greek theologian, said that, ‘This universal order, which is the same for all, has not been made by any god or man, but it always has been, is, and will be an ever-living fire, kindling itself by regular measures and going out by regular measures, (Stromata, v, 105).
With the notion of universal order, my project 3 is based on the play of positivity, reflection of nature, goodness of universe and logic.
The aim of this project is to show how play of being in becoming relates to my practice of animation. In my earlier projects, I had two concepts- ‘changing to’ and ‘moving towards’. This portrays that from a blink to the explosion of a planet, everything flows and nothing stands still.
This is the first time I have entered in the field of animation as I wanted to challenge myself with other skills than video making. Although, it is not a proper animation using valid softwares, but I have tried to hone my skills in stop motion.
My stopmotion animation covers a deep production design of universal changes and flow in each and every movement. For once, I show the beauty of nature and later the scientific logic to it. It also closely depicts the play of birth after death, as nothing ever ends. There’s always a new beginning.
Why Whiteboard Animation?
I chose the stop motion whiteboard animation as my medium of communication of the audience. A whiteboard animation is a process where creative stories are drawn on a whiteboard, by an artist, who records themselves in the process of their artwork. Personally I think, it is one of the effective ways of gaining attention from the audience, as it’s creative, colourful and also adds a comic sense of the story.
Here are some effective references of whiteboard animation which inspired me to choose it.
Technical Aspect:
I used the camera- Canon 650D to shoot the whole process, A light panel- such that the whiteboard is evenly lit and edited it on Adobe Premiere Pro. For the stop motion, I tried to click as many pictures i could and finally managed to capture 380 pictures for a 56 seconds video.
I also had to go through many tutorials so as to learn the process of whiteboard animation. I learned to maintain continuity while drawing, how to edit pictures in the adobe premiere pro, adjust the light and frame settings, etc.
As I thought of this project, many of my fellow classmates suggested me to use a stop motion app- Stop motion studio app, which could be installed on my iphone. But then I figured out that it had many limitations. So I finally decided to go the traditional way of capturing pictures and editing them in timeline with Adobe Premiere Pro.
Here are some screenshots of work in progress.
Premiere pro-
Sound-
Final product:
Firstly I thought of making a life cycle of an apple. I decided to show how through natural cycle it turns from a seed to an apple tree producing apples. Here is a story board for my original project-
But later, after I had a brainstorming session with Helmut, which made me think, why should it just be a normal cycle? Is there a reason I want it to be continuous and evenly progressing? The answer was NO!!!
Initially I was playing with movement and continuity, and now I am playing with movement and changes! Its no fun showing a life cycle of a tree. It no fun experimenting with only 1 element. I chose to surprise the audience by changing an apple to something, and that something to something else. This shows movement. It is not related to each other but is still connected. The movement connects it.
This is what depicts the notion of ‘moving towards’ and ‘changing to’.
This is what I consider ‘Birth after Death’.
This is how I showcase and portray positivity, nature, universe and logic.
anuritp 