The idea behind Recluse was to
create a visual and audible representation of the chaos surrounding everyday
life. We decided that we would do this by mixing everyday sounds and images
that are so plain and recognisable, on their own, but when put together create
a sense of unease or madness. We decided that we would use split screens to
represent all of the different sounds and images that we were making.
The main influence behind the
film/audio piece was the short film Tango, Zbigniew Rybczynski (1981) that we had studied in a seminar. Tango creates a sense of
chaos using repeated motions from different characters, all in one set and
scene. We took influence from the creation of chaos but we represented it in the
way of using multi-screens rather than multi-characters.
Another big influence was the
short film, An Optical Poem Oskar
Fischinger (1938); this gave us inspiration for the final structure of the
film. The images and movement throughout a lot of the film match up with each
other in terms of the timing. We took the matching up of sounds and images and
used their style for Recluse. However, An Optical Poem is very beautiful to
look at and watch, our piece is more of an uncomfortable experience.
I hope that our film is received as chaotic,
nightmarish and, in a way, fun to watch. I want the film to viewed as an original
idea that everyone wishes they had had. The film is mainly aimed at students or
young adults who feel they do not fully fit in. As the majority of the footage
is shot in student accommodation, the film will be more relatable to students
who are used to hearing the sounds and viewing the images that we have put
together. However, I think that other age groups will be able to relate to our
work as the sounds and images aren’t exclusive to students. I would also hope
that the people who enjoy experimental films will also like to watch our piece.
I think that Recluse, is
successful in that it looks very similar to what we envisioned at the start of
the project. I think that the chaos of the film comes a lot from the sound but
a lot of it is created by the constant ‘onslaught’ of new ‘mini’ screens being
added to the frame. The use of multi-screens also creates a fun element to the
film; this is not exactly how I imagined it would be as I thought that the
multi-screens would be more organised and constant. However, I think that this
element helps the film because, without it, I think that the viewer may have a
frustrating experience with the film rather than a positive one. The chaotic
element is still very strong throughout the film however and I think that this
is one of the film’s main strengths.
I believe originality is what
brings most success to a film and Recluse is original in its form and content.
I have never seen a film put together the same way that Recluse has been put
together. Because the way that the multi-screens come together is so ‘random’,
I think that the majority of the audience will be kept interested and they will
be trying to anticipate the ways in which new images are going to be introduced
to the canvas.
I believe that some people would
not be able to connect with or enjoy this film. This is because it has no real
constant, except the fact that the sounds match the images. The ordering of the
multi-screens are random and unorganised, this may be uncomforting for some
members of an audience as some people need something to ‘latch’ on to when it
comes to film. However, I don’t see this as a downfall for our film as we have
not made it to be shown to the mass audience market, we made it for ourselves and,
Jamie and me both really enjoy the film both conceptually and formally.
My main role within the project was
the sound recordist and cinematographer. I enjoyed recording the sounds and I
think I did a good job, but it was fairly easy and not a very demanding task.
However, filming the shots and deciding how to film the shots, was the more
exciting and challenging aspect of the task. I think that I got a good range of
shots, using different camera lenses to create different effects. For example,
on certain shots I used a fisheye lens to create an almost surreal effect,
giving off the impression that character’s reality was somewhat distorted. The
fisheye also allowed me to create more interesting shots out of something that
maybe would not be as interesting without, such as the shots of the drawers
being opened and closed. I also helped a lot with the editing of the film.
Jamie and I worked out how to create split screens and multi-screens in Final
Cut Pro (FCP) because we hadn’t been taught that in our FCP workshops.
I think that the final film is
similar to what I had visualised at the beginning, in a way, but in a way, very
different. The chaos that I had visualised is still very evident throughout the
film, however the organisation of the split screens that I originally
visualised is absent. This is absent because I think that the film would have
been too boring and a level of chaos would have been taken away. The film now
has a more ‘random’ structure in terms of the order and placing of the
multi-screens and this helps to create the chaos that we were aiming for.
One of the main problems with the
project was that our group member, Nyle, left the group part of the way through
after we had started creating the sound piece on Logic, Jamie and me had no
prior knowledge of Logic, as we have only had workshops on Pro Tools. However,
we overcame this by practising with the software and using the internet to help
out with queries. We also used our knowledge of Pro Tools to help with using
Logic as they have similar features. Another large problem was creating the
multi-screen effect in FCP. The organisation of the chaos using multi-screens was
rather difficult to first grasp at first but once we had done it a few times,
we got the hang of it and were able to manipulate the images to create a film
that we were happy with and that fit with our initial aims.
I have learnt a lot during this
project, creatively and technically. The main skill that I have developed
includes both creativity and technical ability. The creation of split and
multi-screening involves a lot of technical ability and the idea of it, I
think, is very creative. In FCP, Jamie and me had to use the motion tab in the
viewer to alter the size of clips. After changing the size of the clips in the
viewer, we learnt that we had to select the view in the canvas to Image &
Wireframe to be able to move the clip on the canvas to allow other clips to fit
onto the canvas. To allow another smaller clip to be put onto the canvas I had
to add another track to the timeline and put the clip onto that then go through
the same process of making it smaller and adjusting it’s position.
With the multi-screens, we also
used the motion tab to create movement of the clips within the canvas. Again,
we had to teach ourselves this. We did this by selecting the clip that we
wanted to move and at the beginning of the clip we would add a keyframe, then
we would select a place on the timeline where the clip would stop it’s movement
and add another keyframe. Then we would go to the first keyframe, add a centre
keyframe and then move the playhead back to the second keyframe, then drag the
clip on the canvas to the clip’s desired destination. This was a very creative
decision of ours because we haven’t seen it done before, but we believed it was
necessary to make our film as interesting and chaotic as possible.
Another skill that I developed
technically was using the Sony HVR - Z1E to film the footage. The main reason
that I chose to use the Canon HVR Z1E was so that I could use the fisheye lens
that stores had available for that particular camera. I wanted to use the
fisheye lens because it would allow me to create more interesting shots by
creating distortion. Not only was I unfamiliar with the camera, I was also
unfamiliar with shooting onto tape. I overcame these problems by taking the
skills that I had learnt in the cinematography workshops with the Canon XF100
(all of the settings that I had learnt about on the Canon XF100 like the gain
and use of zebras were all present on the Canon HVR – Z1E, they were just in
different places) and applied them to the use of the Canon HVR – Z1E.
Another problem with using tape
was getting the footage into FCP. Again, Jamie and I had to ask a technician
from stores for help with how to use the tape transfer as we hadn’t learnt it
in any editing workshops. Once the tape was in the transfer machine, we had to
alter the Audio/Video Settings in FCP to Sequence
Preset: 1080i50. Capture Preset: HDV. Device Control Preset: HDV FireWire.
Video Playback: None. Audio Playback: Default. Once these settings were
set, we would open the log and capture window which we would then play the tape
through and using the ‘now’ button, FCP would ‘capture’ our footage and
organise it into separate clips.
I think I worked very well as a
part of a team. I believe that my role as sound recordist and cinematographer
were vital to the end product of the film, although the editing side of the
film was probably more challenging. I think that I brought a lot of creativity
to the film with the creative decisions that I made such as using a fisheye
lens. I also concentrated a lot on the framing of shots, so that the mundane
actions that I was filming (like a drawer being opening and closed or a cup of
coffee being slurped upon) looked more aesthetically pleasing.
I believe that I also helped I out
with the editing side of the project and Jamie contributed to the recording of
sounds and images. I took control of the computer at some points during the
editing process and I helped Jamie work out how to create animations and
multi-screens, and similarly, Jamie shot some of the footage and put his ideas
for certain shots forward.
Jamie and me contributed equally to the film,
as we were both there together at every editing, filming, and sound recording
session and we both had inputs into each other’s roles. Nyle however, had
little imput, although he left the project part way through, only having done a
bit of sound editing. Nyle wasn’t part of the group until I had recorded the
majority of the sounds and he left before we even started filming, so he had
very little imput.
My main weakness in terms of
teamwork is my desire to do everything in the film, however I did not let this
have an effect on the outcome of the film. I think that Jamie probably felt the
same desire but he also didn’t let this effect the dynamics of the teamwork or
the final product. We both had very similar visions for the film and similar
ways of working, in terms of how willing we were to let the other participate
in each other’s roles. I think that this willingness was a great strength of
mine for this piece of work because it allowed us to express our ideas and
ourselves as fully as possible.
I think I could improve my
teamwork by trying not to interrupt the roles of others within the group. But I
also think that this could have negative effects on the group because I believe
that communication is key within a group project and it can be unhealthy to
keep your opinions to yourself just because it is not concerned with your
specific role.
