Potential Storyboard – My Memphis, Take One

Highway Lights - final edit

Concept for My Memphis, Take One

 - My Memphis focuses on the familiar structures and places of Memphis. (i.e., The bridges, new and old alike, the pyramid, South Main, Parts of Beale (historic aspects to be specific), and the Orpheum,  even the pinch and midtown. I'm thinking five or ten minutes at best?? depending on what the stipulations are. The audience is those willing to look beyond the majorly "touristy" surface of memphis, and maybe even go off the beaten path a little in Midtown sequences.

 - I want the emphasis to not be on the peabody place, the countless bars on beale, but the architecture and history right underneath the cheap, beer soaked facade.

Mid-Production Thoughts and Ideas.

       At the moment, I have already shot two important sequences for the movie about city lights, one at 30 minutes and the other at about 16 minutes. Both of these sequences feature the lights and their movement along the highway, but documented in two different ways, one of which is a fixed position while the other is mobile. The footage might be long, but my purpose is to speed these parts up for a blurring effect of the lights, while maintaining the captured sound's normal speed. I'm very excited about shooting so far, I feel that here is alot of potential with the imagery I've collected as well as the imagery i have yet to shoot. I'd like to know what people are thinking about some of my stills, and specifically how well the elements and sources of light are working together (such as the neon, traffic, etc.). I'm also open to any suggestions or opinions that you may have.

       Additionally, does anyone have any suggestion for a new title? I'm not a big fan of the one i have now, and I would appreciate some input.

      

       For my voting documentation, i intend to shoot a few photos capturing my experience with absentee voting. From the application being mailed off, to my ballot arriving, getting filled out, and mailed again. Exciting stuff, i know, but I'm just glad to be able to take part in one of the most unconventional elections in  recent history. And I'm interested also in seeing the different ways there are to vote.

       One last thing: I have already taken off of work for the Insomnia Film Fest class project on the 15th. I'm ready to work, and I'm definitely ready to win.

Wesley Shoot: Write-Up

       The shoot took only a couple of days, and i was there for a good part of the first day, and most of the second. There wasn't a whole lot of waiting around to set up shots, moving talent around, or even changing locations. We were out in the middle of Arkansas, in some incredible locales, and the weather treated us nicely, not too hot or too cold.

      I ran audio for Wes, and with him and i running the technical side of things, made it easy to film and run through the scenes the way he intended. The actors were great, they were patient, thoughtful, and dedicated to the cause. I also took note of how Wesley directs his talent, he tells them what he wants to see, what should be the mood, the action, and the motivation behind each major sequence as it plays out. He also is not opposed to suggestions or advice, often asking one or two of us what we thought about a certain shot, angle, location, etc. All in all, it was a good experience to be able to work alongside one of my classmates, and to share ideas and methods of the process.

Preproduction - Locations

       The locations I have chosen are all exterior locales, dealing with mainly electric and electronic lights of the city and highway environments. In my last film, I purposely avoided use of the automobile as a filmmaking tool and chose to exclusively to use an "on foot" approach. However, with this film, I have decided to bring in the car for some sequences and will remain on foot in others, intending to have a balance between the two methods. 

Considered Locations include: 

- Poplar Ave. & N. Parkway East.

- Joe's Liquor Sign

- Roman Palace Hairstyling Sign

- I-240 and i-40 interchange

- i-240 North.

New Video Proposal

1)    The project will be a further exploration of the effects of natural, but mostly artificial light on digital video, and will consider a variety of sources of said light. My working title is 'The Lights of Town" and I consider it's main audience to be those interested in not only time-lapse progression in video, but also the properties and behavior of light.

2)    As I said in the previous statement, the exploration and interaction with light is the key concept with this video, and my audience must not have the expectation to see much human action and/or human narrative of any sort. The focus on this project is almost exclusively the town/city, lighting throughout this environment, and at times, perhaps the environment itself (lights, automobiles, etc.). And the only exception to the proposed lack of human interaction or imagery would be the automobiles and traffic sequences.

    In my storyboards, I have highlighted 9 main ideas for sequences and elements I intend to feature in the video. Most of these are negotiable in the final execution, however the core concepts behind these are very concrete. Also, I welcome all suggestions as to any other sources of light play and/or locations. 

    Music and/or sound has been a concern many of my colleagues have posted about,  and all that i can say is I have taken interest in working with a semi-musical soundscape, mixed with ambient sounds as well as sound bytes sampled from several sources. The music itself at the moment is in bare bones stages, but will be further developed with the help of some fellow musicians. Instruments underconsideration include, guitars (electric/acoustic), bass, drums, and maybe even synths.

3)    The film itself will consist of multiple scenes, some inter-cut with others as i feel it is appropriate, and others will be long-standing, time-lapse sequences in which the lighting sources changes or is altered in some way. There will be no character development, unless you consider traffic and the interaction of automobiles to be elements of characters in any way. Otherwise the only trace of a narrative will be the cutting of sequences in a certain order (note the progression of the storyboard). 

    I feel that the emotions and the moving part of the video will be the exchange between natural light and artificial light.  Not only at sunset, but perhaps even sunrise(?). And although there will be no characters or interaction of those characters, the lights of the city and the end progression of day

time into night, I feel, will tell a story of their own.

4)    I can't say there is a strong and definite demographic for this film. However, most anyone can take interest in the elements and phenomena that will be presented. All ages, all walks of life.

  

New Video Concept: Light Play

I'd like to expand on certain segments featured in my video, Twilight. Specifically, the scenes of time lapse and sped-up footage of city lights, traffic signal cycles, sunlight, and even rush hour and/or highway traffic. I plan on developing angles, composition, and even time of day to feature a variety of situations and atmospheres in which the passage of time and light play two very important roles in the feel and final result of the video. I'm interested in not only the artificial lights of the city (the neons, traffic lights, automobile lights, etc.), but also, the slowly adjusting natural light of the daytime and rapidly progressing darkness of the evening hours.

Twilight: Luna Nova video and write-up

       

       Well, this shoot went smoothly. I experienced very few snags, and the shoot only lasted two evenings from around 5:30 until about 7:30. My talent, Sam, was a great sport about the whole thing, whether it was repeating takes, moving around from place to place to get better angles, etc. Inclement weather reared it's ugly head, but that was the only big concern throughout production, and it turned out that the second day was perfect. 

       The final outcome, I must say, was focused a bit more on the narrative of my character than I had originally planned, but I don't feel like this takes away from the video. I'm also very happy with my transitional cut-scenes, as they seem to set the correct mood for each fragment of the story. I filmed over 45 minutes worth of footage, and this is what made it to the final cut.

Instructional Video

here is the final result of the "How to Get Ready For a Date" shoot. enjoy.

Video Outline: Twilight

I have chosen a piece of music from he luna nova website called Twilight Music. It is a dynamic piece that, to me, captures the feeling and mood of the end of a day. A calming, winding-down atmosphere is the central focus of the first part of the piece, but it grows from there, almost maniacally. Growing louder, and more dramatic with volume swells and the vibrato of violins, it eventually flattens off and recedes back into serenity once again, where it started.

I'd like to capture the feelings expressed in this video, or at least representations of these feelings or moods i think the piece conveys. maybe some time lapse footage of outdoor scenes at sunset or twilight, paired with footage of a single person, or couple at most, walking. I want-close ups of this so i get the details of their movement and actions, shots with hands/feet/arms/torso, etc. maybe some medium shots to establish location in space. all at twilight of course. Storyboard to come.

John Harbison - "Twilight Music"

How To Get Ready for a Date: Storyboard and write-up

The whole thing took about two and a half hours to shoot. I had two assistants, and it went smoothly. I shot in chronological order for the most part, with some cuts out of order. Hopefully this makes the editing process easier in the long run. We shot at my apartment, mainly in three rooms, all adjacent to one another. I had a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of work. I also learned a few things once i let the camera roll that i can use next time i film.

3 point lighting

3-point light applies light from all angles to an otherwise singularly illuminated location. It consists of the (1) Key Light, (2) Fill Light, and the (3) Back Light.

To adjust for the stark contrast between subject and background when filming outside in harsh light conditions, fill light, or a white and/or reflective 'bounce' card can bounce residual light onto the subject from another direction, adding more light to the subject, thus balancing out the hard contrast.

How-To Video research: How To Stay Awake While Driving

The instructions and hints in this video are well-illustrated and shown clearly throughout. Also, the video suggests multiple solutions for fighting off sleep behind the wheel. It also sheds a more scientific light on changes that occur throughout your body in reaction to stimulus.  This video will at least get someone started on what to do, if they ever find themselves in such a situation. I would have liked to have seen more suggestions however.

White Balance

White Balance is the determined 'color' of white light on film. But white light has no real color, our brains perceive the shift between the varying temperatures from various light sources. Sunlight is a blueish light (technical term), while fluorescent and incandescent lights are green and orange, respectively. And these colors are due to the temperature at which these lights are emitted. In early photography, this white balance didn't make much difference, but with the advent of color, things changed.

Place, by any means necessary.

My video deals with the many places of my feline friend, Domino. His unspoken philosophy seems to be, if I'm here, it's my place. Which means, his place is wherever he is most comfortable, wherever he feels most at home. And he clearly illustrates this all over the apartment.

The idea is summed up in two sentences at the end of the video. The cat is a simple creature, and this video sticks to that ethos.

Fun Times With Quick Time

DM270ThinkTank: By Any Means Necessary

1) Camera Phone+WebCam 

movement between two camera eyes creates a feeling of disorientation. Imagery: Texas Flag, generic homes, travel (lines on the road), highway on-ramps/overpasses. (travel, re-location, adaptation to environment are some common themes)

2) Recorded Recording 

video camera footage transferred to computer via display screen, recorded onto the webcam. Imagery: Front doors of houses/apts., a neighborhood street, mailboxes, addresses, etc.

( items associated with physical place. Homes, neighborhoods, and streets are common themes)

3) Stop Motion/Time Lapse

Walking into a front door, movement of an animal (cat) from place to place throughout the course of a day. (routine, variations in actions over the same space or spaces is the idea)

Free Writing: Places

One could say my "place" is wherever I am at that given moment. But I feel that my place is much more than that. They are the places I inhabit at several moments over a collection of time. These places cannot be all one together. But where I exist and where I am from, those can be narrowed down to words, signifying specific places. Do you follow? 

My place used to be the town of Forney, Texas; and 29 miles outside of Dallas used to be the center of the universe in my young life. However, my education has brought me to Memphis (my new place). Choices, experiences, and other devices have lead me here. And from here, down the road, there will be other places left to go. But I can never forget the places I have been and am from. Place, to me, holds not only the mark of the past, the physicality of the present, but also the promised intangibility of the future. and these places near and far, will always be my places. Because I have stood in those places at one time or another, and breathed. I have lived the life inside those places and the traces will remain indefinitely, just as the traces of those places will remain in me.