Moving Image

As part of my college course our next unit is called 'Moving image' this requires for us to record a video lasting for 90 seconds relating to the theme 'Place' this means it is very broad and could very creative or simple. The video will have to consist of us learning how to cut and paste areas of the videos we want, to speed things up or to slow things down.
I'm quite excited to do this unit  as it's taking photography into a different view and I'll have the experience of learning how making a video works so it can expand my portfolio.

As part of my research I have to look up 10 different styles of video/filming and make comments as to what I feel works for it and what I feel doesn't and then produce a storyboard of my idea as to what I will do for my video.

The first video that I have found in this one which relates to the theme of 'Time' I think what works well in this and what I like is at the start it's a blank screen and we hear sound. I like the slow motion going through the house. I like the close up of the clock and how there are 4 images put together. I like how the sound gets louder. I don't like the big pause at 0.53 or the background music however, it works because it is fast and upbeat suggesting that time moves on. I like the shots of the city however, I don't like how the speed of the clouds and the images.  

This next video I have found relates to a 12 month time-lapse journey. I think this video works very well due to the background music being at a moderately fast speed meaning the changing of slides in the video kept time well. The movement and focus on the skies alone work well with the title as well.

My third video is

"Beautiful Lands" Jeep's 2015 Super Bowl Commercial " - I think this video works because it has a song relating to the scenery. The shots are well captured giving a small glimpse of the beautiful places to which the lyrics mention.

My fourth video is

"How Bad Do You Want It? (Success) HD"

I think this video works because as a person who does sport it is very motivational, even if you aren't a sport person I still think this video gets the point across not only due to the title but the narration in the video works, the soothing music and changes of slides in the video.

My fifth video is 'World's largest rope swing' I think this video works because it's about the fun in life, which comes across through the people in the video laughing and dancing etc in the video. I think the different shots are good because they mix it up with not just the scenery but also of the people. I also like the background music as its upbeat and goes well for the video.

This next video I think works because the lyrics relate to the movement in the video, there's a lot of capturing of different moment which relate to the song. I think it works when the song slows down, it captures just the singer. I like how it also includes speaking in it and think it works a treat with the end shot showing the title of the song.

This next video I think works because the songs come from a band called Chicago which is where the video is filmed. I think it gives a nice sentiment and the connection between the singers show how much they enjoy singing this song. I think the different shots work and I also like the clip at the end because it shows who they really are off screen from singing.

The next video I think works because there is a variety of shots in it including close ups. It captures snips of performance at concerts. It looks at depth of focus, lighting/composition and turning certain shots to black and white.

Following this research, I have decided what I wanted to record. I found a song on youtube by an unsigned artist and found the song had so much meaning and not only did it use the word 'Place' in it but also the music video showed a variety of different scenery. This immediately gave me the idea to take the opportunity to film down at my family estate at Heriot. I looked at music video several times working out how long each scene was and what shots were taking. From this it gave me the inspiration to try and make similar shots and working the timing out evenly. Here is the following music video from what I used as inspiration:

Shortly after watching the official music video, I found another video with official lyrics and found this one more suitable for me to work from.

I would say my first shoot on filming was successful, once I got the footage I was able to open up Movie Maker. Unfortunately I tried to use Adobe Premier but that wouldn't load my film. However, I have found using Movie Maker successful and quite easy. Looking at my different part of footage there are some clips which worked and ones which if I had the time and wanted to make it slightly different I would retake. I used my Nikon D3200 50-100mm lens to film the clips. I then recorded the second part which was the vocals/sound on my phone and then uploaded this to gmail and then downloaded onto movie premier. When editing my film I was looking at the time and which clips needed to be cut slightly because they lingered too much. The following below is a plan of action:

 Story Board

Shot 1 : Title of film - Photo as background with title of film. Zoom In.

Shot 2: Credits - 'A short film by...' Zoom In.

Shot 3 - Filming of flowers -Automatic Pan and Zoom.

Shot 4 - shot of acorn - Pan up along left.

Shot 5 - Water/burn - Audio fade in/fade out.

Shot 6 - waterfall - No movement/recording of song in background

Shot 7 - Trees/hill - Automatic Pan and Zoom. Audio Fade In. Fade in from White.

Shot 8- Leaves - no movement, natural bird sounds

Shot 9 - Sky - Fade In from white

Shot 10 - River flow - Fade in from black

shot 11 - Flowers - Automatic Pan and Zoom

Shot 12- overall view - Pan up along  right

Shot 13 - Lochan - Natural sounds, showing view with some movement.

shot 14- Trees- Pan up along left

shot 15 - Ripple of water

Shot 16 - Avenue - Zooming in

Shot 17 - Trees/Hill - some movement to show the hill off.

Shot 18 - Following river - some movement

Shot 19 - Bridge - Audio Fade Out

shot 20 - Water - no movement.

Shot 21 - mini waterfall - slight movement to show more

Shot 22 - Road - some movement to turn camera to show more off.

Shot 23 - Sign - no movement, few seconds to show sign.

Shot 24 - Credits - film by, title, vocals & sound.

Weekly Planning

31st March - Got given brief

7th April - Start research

14th April - brain storm ideas

21st April - Plan shots

28th April - Start Filming (Shot on one day)

5th May - Call my friend to arrange date for recording sound

12th May - Start recording voice with friend

19th May - Start Editing film

2nd June - Update blog

9th June - Finalise everything

Evaluation

I thoroughly enjoyed this unit because it allowed us to explore another side of photography. I've always wanted to put together a wee film and look at how to edit so that is something new which I've learnt. When I first found out how broad the theme was relating it to 'Place' I had several ideas, which the majority of them either weren't as realistic as which I had thought in my head or they fell through. After doing the research I found a song which I liked and from this saw music videos connected and thought the song and video worked perfect to this theme so I thought I'd put my own spin on it. When I started filming there was no problems although I wasn't exactly sure of what camera settings to have it on however the outcome seems to say I've done it correctly. I managed to make clips throughout the one day. My next step was to record the sound, I had to call my friend up and arrange a time to meet her. We recorded it at my family estate, we sat practicing it a few time and once we we're ready I used my phone to record it. I thought it was going to be a struggle to upload it to the computer however, I managed to gmail it and then download it that way so that was fairly simple. I then started added the different clips and putting them in an order. After this, I went through each clip and trimmed parts down etc if needed and added effects. I then added the sound to the film and had to go through each clip listening to find out which parts I wanted with the natural sounds e.g birds tweeting. I then ran the video all the way through with my music and finalised everything by making sure timing was correct etc. Overall I am happy with my final film and feel it has been a success. I feel this was a unit that has been helpful. Here is the following video I have created:

 

The Life In Music

Documentary - The life of music

Plan of action- During my course at Fife college studying HNC Photography, the subject class documentary is one in which we were asked to take photos of something which we enjoy or are passionate about and document it.  I have chosen to document the life of music. I will do this by going to a variety of gigs/concert and take photos. The type of photography I will do will be close up shots of instruments and of band members or the individual. I will get these images between December and January. I will first start by doing research for three music photographers that specify in live performances that inspire me.

When doing my research I first came across this photographer who inspired me, I like a lot of his close up photography with the instruments.   http://www.kenalsworld.com/2013/07/26/omaha-live-music-photography-john-doe-at-chrome-lounge/ here is an example of one of the photos that inspire me:

The next photographer who inspired me was a music photographer - Adam Gasson. I love his digital images how the majority of his images are captured when the singer is half way through their song of word/phrase that their singing. He seems to capture them at the perfect time. Here is an example of one of the photos that inspire me:

The third photographer who caught my eye is James Marcus Haney, I love his composition when he takes photos, from his images a lot look like he knows exactly what he wants in a photo and captures something different every time. Here is an example of one of the photos that inspire me:

22nd January - I have collected a range of images and have made a contact sheet.

My first contact sheet

My second contact sheet which include a final 10 images, another five will be added to my final collection. 

27th January - I have chosen my final 15 images, I have put them into a narrative sequence.

 Below is my final 15 images -

1) 

  

 My 1st image I took at a gig through in Glasgow at the Garage to see a singer Lewis Watson. This photo was took before Lewis came onto the stage. It was interesting watching the sound guys and other members setting the stage up for him. It was clear Lewis had a certain style of how he wanted his stage to look. I took this image into photoshop and edited the security guy standing at the side in the corner to make it look slightly faded, I also brought the exposure to brighten the image up.

                                                                                2)

My 2nd image is the male singer Lewis Watson, I like this photo as it captures him singing and it shows what he specifically asked to have as his stage 'the carpet'. When looking through my contact sheets and referring to other images it was hard to find an image which I liked specifically of Lewis due to the lighting across the face/head I found it difficult to edit however I feel I have managed to edit this to the best of my ability and has turned out not to bad. I would have liked this image to be a little sharper however this would have been achieved if I had used different settings on the camera therefore this is something I can work on.

                                                                        3)

  The 3rd Image is an action shot during Lewis's performance. I really enjoyed watching the drummer as he showed his passion throughout. I also loved the design on the drum therefore I wanted this shot to have the drum kit in it. I turned this image black and white as it gives it a certain feel which I didn't get when it was in colour.

                                                                                4)

I felt it was important to get a shot directly of the drum kit. This image has been cropped as there was slightly more in it previously however, I felt it was more effective just to have the attention of the drum kit.

5)

The 5th image is an end shot of this gig. Lewis went off stage and an encore began to get him back on stage. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to get a shot of the audience and the stage. I feel although it's important to take photos of the gigs and the main artist(s), the audience/atmosphere and surroundings is a big part of what makes a gig. It makes me so happy to see this photo as it shows the amount of support Lewis has gained in a short time since he started out putting videos up on youtube of his singing.

6)

This image was taken at a gig in Glasgow at King Tuts. To see a band called Amber Run. I like this image because it captures the male singer mid flow of singing. I like the stance of his hold of the guitar and I also like the lighting of the blue which matches his shirt. I found there wasn't much to edit for this image and I left the lighting to how it was shot. On screen this image looks fairly light however since it's been printed it has came out slightly darker. Between the on screen and printed and I can't decide which I prefer better.

7)

This is another image of Amber Run, I turned the image to black and white because I thought it looked better. I like how I've managed to capture mid-flow of his drumming and how he's totally focused with what he's doing, I also like how I've managed to capture the instruments in the image as well.

8)

This image is of Amber Run, I like how i've captured the guy of the keyboard however, the main guy on the guitar is in focus the most. The reason why I took this shot was at this moment he had the pick for his guitar in his mouth and I thought it was a great opportunity to capture and shows his focus as he looks down at his guitar.

                                                                      9)

This shot was captured at Amber Run's gig. I thought this was an interesting shot to take because a lot of people would ask why as there is nothing that captures the eye in that sense. However, I found it funny how they were allowed to have alcohol whilst performing but also had the water next to it. I also specifically didn't crop this image as I thought it was interesting leaving the mark of the cross as it's curious as to what it is and what it means. I am disappointed as this image has came out grainy however I do like the shot overall.

                                                                       10)

This is the last image from Amber Run gig, I like this image because it is a close up shot of the guitar and it being played. I turned this image into black and white as I thought it looked better.

                                                                                 11)

This image is of the guitarist from Dominic Kirwan's Concert in Edinburgh. I like how i've caught him looking happy whilst being focused with his playing.

                                                                          12)

This is another image of one of the band members for Dominic Kirwan. I like this shot as it shows the drum kit and the focus when he's playing.

                                                                          13)

This image is of the male singer Dominic, I like how I've caught him slightly looking at the camera and the glare in his eyes. I also like the green lighting, this was during a song he was singing which was an Irish song which I also like because he's Irish.

                                                                            14)

This is again a photo of Dominic, I like how i've captured his stance as well as how i've got him in focus and we can see the drummer in the background. I found this difficult to edit due to the lighting but overall happy with this shot. Also, this image was used for Dominic's Newsletter which he gave me credit for the photo by putting my name is print at the bottom of the photo. At the bottom of the blog I will show the newsletter.

                                                                                    15)

This last image is Dominic singing his last few songs of his concert. I like this one because I have caught the audience in the shot and also it is a different view compared to the rest of my photos.

There are many ways I could have documented music but for me I found this made up part of what music means to me. About seeing the audience and the main artist as well as the band members and instruments. I enjoyed each gig and story behind each photo captured.

Evaluation Overall:

My initial plan for this project was to shadow my brother at his off road racing events and to get different shots. I planned to take shots of cars before, during and after using different apertures and shutters speeds to create different effects. I also planned to take the photos in different weather conditions and different routes etc. However, I became very ill in the lead up to Christmas therefore I lost the end of session opportunity to go and take photos. Be time I became feeling better, a lot of the races/events were cancelled or were on when I was unable to get work off. At this point I started worry as I was excited before and now felt I had nothing I could work with.

I then thought of an idea to document in the life of Dominic Kirwan, I’ve known Dominic since I was a young child because my mum took me to his concerts. I didn’t really know if this idea would work but I thought I would give it a try. I messaged Dominic explaining what I was studying at college and asked if it would be possible to photograph him and his band and possibly his rehearsals. Luckily he agreed. I went to his concert and met him before and saw him rehearsals where I managed to get different shots. 

During the concert Dominic made an announcement to the audience letting them know that I was taking photos and had also invited me up on stage. I was shy and embarrassed as I didn’t feel confident enough however Dominic knew this and saw I wouldn’t move from my seat so whilst during his performance he came over to me and dragged me up and from there I was able to get different angles/shots as I was on stage and gradually I felt more confident once I was taking the photos. Dominic asked me to stay in touch with him and to send the photos to which I did, a few days before Christmas I was reading Dominic’s fan letter to which I was shocked and overwhelmed to see a photo that I took of him all over the page with credit to my name for the photography. I was so delighted by this.

When I started writing my blog I decided although I was fairly happy with the photos from Dominic’s concert I thought it would be more interesting if I broadened the project into different gigs/concerts. I knew I had plenty of concerts coming up that I could take photos at so that’s what I did. When I went to the gigs I never had set shots planned in my head however, I knew from previous photography that I like taking close up shots of instruments as well as band members and the individual singer.

At each gig/concert I have started off getting a bit stressed as I’ve had to think of the settings and keep changing them as well. I got frustrated as the lighting kept changing therefore it made it difficult for me. However, that’s one thing I enjoy when doing music photography, I like having to think and although I may get annoyed, I end up getting some photos which makes me happy. Throughout this I have used no flash photography and have been lucky to not have had to go through a process to get official allowance to take photos, however event photography nowadays is extremely hard to get away with pulling your camera out your bag without permission to take the photos.

The journey from planning my initial thought to having to quickly come up with another idea has been stressful, I was worried that my photos may not be as good as others especially because my photos have seemed a bit grainy. As my evidence stands, I have now collected final 15 photos which follow a sequence and tell a story behind each one. I am fairly happy with my outcome however, would love to learn more about event/gig photography and be able to use the right equipment to get better quality of photos.

Evaluation after presentation at college:
25/2/15 I have just put my final 15 images up on display at college. I felt confident with my sequence and feel my blurb about the images explained itself nicely. I was nervous to put my photos up after seeing others due to the high standard of photography within both classes. However, that was them stuck on the wall right in front of everyone's faces to judge. As asked by our tutor I went around others and made critic of their final images. I enjoyed getting to see other peoples work. I eventually went back to the wall where my work is hanging up and saw several sticky notes underneath with feedback. Not one bad feedback, all positive. This has made me extremely happy and proud of my images. I can't stop smiling. Feedback suggested e.g. good camera technique, great theme, captured fantastic angles etc. To have feedback such as those makes me now believe in my own ability and my photography. Overall I am very satisfied with the outcome, I feel I couldn't have done anymore for this project. I could have tried different shots, different settings etc but feel I would have gained the same outcome or near enough. I feel I rushed and stressed throughout the whole process but glad I have completed it. If I were to do another project similar to this, I would properly think of my shots and official allowance to take photos. As well as produce higher quality and standard.