Our aim was to create the sound of the body through the
audio but then back up the complex sounds with a simple visual piece which
reflected the body that although sounding loud and intricate is actually
graceful and works seamlessly.
When researching a way of creating an experimental dance
piece I analysed a piece called Choros by Michael Langan and Terah Maher where they used
chronophotography to show a dancer’s movement as she performed a simple dance
routine. I liked how they kept the piece simple by just using simple lighting
and graceful movement combined with one effect to create a piece that although
simple to create looked extremely complicated.
To
start with the planning of the audio Paul and I set out a plan of what we
wanted to create. By setting out a step outline of when we wanted different
sounds to enter the piece. Our method mainly involved the use of counting so
that each sound started and finished within a certain marker. This was used to
reflect the different parts of the body turning on like a robot and then it
shutting down again after. To make the sounds we selected more transhumanist we
firstly looped certain sounds that we felt portrayed this then used the plug
ins reverb and sci-fi. The use of these plug ins created a repetitive sound
that reflected the body going through the same systems over and over again each
day. For example to start our audio piece we wanted to start with the sound of
a neuron firing as that is the main message signal that travels around the
body. We created this using an engraver pen as this was the closest sound we
could get to that of the scientists recording of a neuron. We incorporated this
with reverb to show that the signal around the body just carried on going.
When
looking back on the way we created the sound to be the body starting then
stopping I know see it can emanate the idea of being born then dying. When you’re growing up your body begins to
work such as learning to walk but then you reach a stage in life when you stop
being able to use some of these functions until you finally die. The final
piece consisted of ten layers that slowly built up texture to create a complex
piece of audio that reflected the working body. We wanted to create a gradual
crescendo and diminuendo so that it imitated a machine powering on and powering
off making it seem like the dancer, who will be in our film, was quite like a
robot. In essence she was turning on her body to create her “sense of place” of
dancing.
When
it came to filming we already had a clear idea of what we wanted to create as
we thought of the whole task as one large piece rather than two separate. We
selected a contemporary dancer to depict the bodies movements as we wanted the
piece, although supposed to be depicting a robotic feel, to be graceful and
fluid. Olivier shot most of the filming as he was unavailable for all of the
audio making side of the project however we all contributed to the style of
shots that we wanted to use to make the piece flow. While shooting we
encountered some problems such as the dancer’s dog having to be on set
throughout the filming who constantly whined and jumped into shots due to his
attachment to his owner but we combated this by tying him up and someone
staying with him constantly so he would stay calm. Another problem that
occurred was the lack of heating in the building due to the electrical set up
of the place because of this we had to take breaks so that the dancer could
wrap up warm so she didn’t end up being ill from cold.
For
the filming side of things I took on the role of producer meaning it was my job
to sort out the health and safety side of things and ensure the smooth running
of the set. Before reaching the location on Sunday I constructed a call sheet
and a risk assessment form to ensure the safety of the whole cast and crew
during filming. When creating the Parashoot form I had to take into account
many things. Firstly was the use of heights that would be used to
capture the bird's eye view shots but climbing up a ladder onto a stable
platform. The procedures included that another member of crew always had to be
present when using the ladder and safety mats were placed below the platform.
As we were creating a costume from pieces of
fabric we had to take this into account as they could cause a trip hazard so we
made sure the whole dance was performed on safety mats in case of
tripping.
When
we began to start editing we looked through the clips to try and pick out a
routine that could be created from sections of the clips. This proved harder
than expected as we hadn't originally set out any set routine so finding a flow
to the piece proved to be difficult. To combat this we decided to reverse some
of the clips meaning we could piece together a pattern more.By reversing the
clips this created a different feel to the piece. It made the whole dance seem
more robotic as it created a surreal style to the dancer's movement. Another
technique we used to make sure the flow of the piece worked was that of slowing
and speeding the images up. Not only did this help with the dance becoming a
choreographed piece it again created a more robotic and transhumanist vibe to
the whole film.
Working
as a team on this project was quite easy. Although to begin with the work mainly
fell to Paul and I to create the audio as Olivier was unavailable the work load
was soon balanced out when we began to film. As a group I felt we worked well
all round together. Everyone contributed their own ideas to the piece such as
my contribution to have the dancer to only be partially on screen at times so
that only parts of her body was captured at times. However it was the same for
the entire group from the start where Paul contributed the idea of the inside
of the body which from then on we only added the different ideas of how it
could be portrayed through screen and audio. On the other hand I did at first
struggle at working in a group due to before this project I’d only ever worked
on my own so I was used to being able to create exactly what I wanted without
having to take other people’s ideas on board. However once I got to grips with
listening to what other people had to say the project began to move on forward
easily.
After
finishing the piece I began to weigh up the pros and cons to what I’d created.
Although I was pleased with the way in which we used the electrical and
everyday objects to create the aspects of the body I would have personally
changed the sound of the heartbeat to something that was also an everyday
object. For the heartbeat we couldn’t find a good object that would depict a
heartbeat well for example the rhythm and the tone to it so instead we used a
contact microphone and recorded the sound of Paul’s heartbeat. Like the other
objects we put the sound through sci-fi to make it seem slightly more
electronic however I still feel it sounds too much like an actual heartbeat and
not transhumanist. Another aspect of the audio that I would change would be
that of the crescendo in the middle of the piece I feel it was too sudden and
that we didn’t build up the section around it enough so it seems to come quite
out of the blue. If I were to change the audio piece I would try to build up
the middle section more so that the crescendo has more of a build up than just
appearing.
After
examining the audio piece I began to look at the film side of the piece and
began to analyse any changes that I would make if I was to redo the piece.
Although I enjoy the simplicity of the piece as a whole I would have tried to
experiment more with effects such as the use of split screen or repetition of
images similar to that of Choros as I feel although the piece is pleasing for
the eye isn’t technical enough to portray the full movement of the body. I also
think that we should have spent more time in choreographing the dance piece so
that the whole of it flowed well rather than having to reverse and speed up
certain parts of the footage.
This
project for me was a huge learning curve as most of it was learning how to use
new equipment and technology I never had before. Due to never recording audio
separately from the camera before the project let me try out new techniques of
creating sound such as using the Zoom microphones and Pro Tools to edit on.
However it wasn’t just the use of equipment that was a large learning curve but
also how to create a piece that relied more on sound rather than image. From
the beginning we decided that it would be the audio that was the main focus of the
piece rather than the video so I had to learn from this moment on a good way of
making the sound complex without making it sound over the top. Lee showed us
some complex audio pieces that when listening didn’t seem to over the top and
explained the use of layering to create an effective sound. I took these ideas
into account when making my piece by relying mainly on layers to add different
sounds to the piece.
