Project 3 - Reflection

Over the course of this project I have learned many things. Foremost is effective time management. When I was trying to make an appointment with Simon Fraser, I wasn't expecting it to be so difficult to get in contact with him. I had no idea I should speak to Eli Feth first, and I lost a lot of valuable filming time by effectively standing around with my hands tied.

However, I enjoyed working with Francis and Shanshan and it all came together in the end. Interviewing Simon was quite an inspiring experience, and I strongly recommend asking him about design if you ever get the chance.

Final Video

Working Shots

Francis and I were struggling with the mic boom and stand, not only because it was broken, but because we couldn't get it close enough. A lapel mic would have been so much easier.

We tested different camera angles to determine which would be best for incorporating both background elements and enough negative space.

This image shows some of the background elements I wanted to incorporate in the interview shot. Simon Fraser's office has an assortment of interesting objects which I wanted to incorporate in the interview to give it some more personality and individuality.

Rethinking the Concept

Today I spoke at length with Alyx about different avenues I could take for creating a coherent project, such as the university being a kind of filter or a vortex, which changes students' perceptions of the world. I was enthusiastic about this to begin with, but I feel that the integrity of the interview will be negatively affected. Also, I'm not sure I can get away with this without totally changing my original concept - too far along in the process anyway.

Group Selection

I have elected to work with ShanShan again for this project as I did for the first one. Although we have worked together before, I feel that this opportunity to work with her again will give me a chance to imnprove on some of the team dynamics during this project. This choice will be just as beneficial as working with someone completely new, in my opinion, since it provides a chance to improve, rather than start anew. I am interested to see if and how we will work better together this time 'round. Even though I'm going to be working with ShanShan once more, both of us will be working with Francis for the first time, and it will be a new experience from which I am sure we will grow.

Daydream & Longing from devon daoust on Vimeo.

Reflection

Having finished all the shooting, I feel that I have been able to capture what I set out to do. In reality, this piece was really about me, and because the feelings are so personal in nature, I felt that only I could play the main character in this piece. That made the shooting a bit more difficult, because I had to go over all the shots with whomever was assisting me at the time, and I had to do multiple test shots for every one to get them right. The soundscore works well with the shots, especially because it starts out discordant and melancholic. When it gets into the soft, warm, dreamy music, the viewer has just realised the emotion that the character is feeling, then it progresses into a daydream.

The above image is a still taken from the final product, showing the dreaming/daydreaming.