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In this project, I took the role of film editor again. We have quite large quantities of footage to deal with. Athihra helped me with a rough order sequence. although our project is not potent in the narrative I still want it present in a logical manner.
I have and restore some shaky clips. For color grading, I enhanced the contrast and saturation of every clip. In the meantime, I managed to make greens remain natural.
The first thing comes to my mind when I think about a dream sequence is The Interpretation of Dreams. (I haven’t read the whole book, haha) According to Freud’s theory, Dreams liberate the repressed desire and fear that deep in our minds. And everything occurs in the dream is based on a trace of reality. Our project is following these rules.
After discussing the concept of the project, we decided to combined our ideas together. I would like to continue to have some traits from my previous time-lapse assignment – a screen connecting Multiple dimensions. So the dream sequence, there are three layers, it will unveil to the audience one by one.
I think the idea of the concept and post-editing were influenced by Inception and a Japanese animated film Paprika. although Paprika is an animation film the editing methods are more like movies. I am so fascinated with the transition of dream and reality which will always surprise me. That’s the reason why I overlay my first part on the last scene of Athihra’s part.
Some post-production progress: superpose former footage onto the tv screen.
This work started with a question that how much time will I spend on my smartphone every day. I have to admit that it is a tough question. I think why not just record down the screen of my phone for a whole day. In the meantime, I wanted to have a clue for the elapse of time. I chose to put my phone on the table against the window. Through the window, I can see every slight change in the sky in one day.
What is important in the time-lapse video is the presence of time. Audiences can find a trace that reflects the passing of time. The whole work is a container that can condense the time.
The screen of the smartphone is a window of the internet world.
The window of the room is a screen for the elapsed time.
This also reminds me of the work from Eric Pickersgill the Removed. In his work, he also questions how much smart devices have interfered in our interpersonal relationships. Did we spend too much time on the screen? Through this project, I find out that I did rely on my phone even I had to shoot it. I had set a series of alarm to remind me of taking one picture in a regular interval ( I shot more frequently during dusk since the light changed so rapidly). Once the alarm rings, I will stop what I am doing and just record whatever is on my phone’s screen. I hope this project will be a witness and a warning for me. I should be careful about the excessive weightage of the smart device that has played in my life.
First version:
Final Version: https (The file size is too big, Please click the link to view)://drive.google.com/file/d/1iVUCW-vfVr8jIpLvGfZNeJe8wHgsagog/view?usp=sharingv
When photo no longer is still, it becomes Cinemagraphy. There are a lot of mundane activities that can be used as materials of cinemagraphy. What will make a cinemagraphy visually appealing is the contrast between motion and stillness. If what is supposed to move but remains still will create the impact and sparkle, and vice versa.
The sink area is the place we will go every day. I just feel if water keeps running, but there is no ripple at all, although it is against our common sense it makes me feel interested and uncanny. In the new version, I enhanced the contrast, and I have color graded the clip. I want to present it in a clean and vintage look. To foil the stagnant foam in the sink, I applied the ripple effect to the rest in the frame. It also creates an illusion for the audience. In the original clip, the water running from the tap is not obvious, so I add some noise to it to make it more conspicuous.
Hi， Google Drive url here links to my Final paper :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-ft2JaRyJhnZXGEVwlEhpBx6bswzZoqf/view?usp=sharing
As our lecturer suggested, I would like to choose a photogrpher from Lesson 11 – Changes in fashion and professional photography. I read the aticle caerefully. And I want to choose photographer whose work can attract me. Because the photograph itself can tell a story. After searched a lot of photographers, finally ,Erwin Blumenfeld’s photo caught my eyes. I am so fancinated by his work. He worked as a free-lancer for Harper’s Bazaar, Life and American Vogue. And his personal photographic work showed the influence of Dadaism and Surrealism; Some are simple enough but unforgeable. Some are fashion but surreal.Other than only imitate his visual style, I also want express my own thought about identiy under his manner.
When is comes to street photography, We must mention Cartier Bresson, the pioneer of candid photography. His work includes both mundane and historic, he views photography as decisive moment, and this theory has influenced a lot of photographers.
The brief Chronology from 1927-1950. When he was teenager, he started to learn drawing from his uncle. Then he start to learn painting from André Lhote. André Lhote is considered the Modern Masters of Cubism in the early twentieth century. Cubism was a revolutionary style of modern art developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braques. It was the first form of abstract art in 20th century.
In his geometric order, Bresson composed his photos with lines, curves and everything could contribute to make a photo poetic. It makes you feel there are multiple layers of space in the image. Spatial extension. To me, What a good photograph is the one, you can picture out more than what you see in the photo, It can leave the space for to imagine.
Spain .In 1933, Cartier-Bresson traveled to Spain with his newly purchased Leica camera and produced images that have proven to be powerful and enduring . Influenced by Cubism and Surrealism, Cartier-Bresson delicately combined artistic expression with humanist concerns to imbue his pictures of the apparent conflict in Spain with empathy and vitality. in 1937 during spain civil war, he returned to direct the documentary Victorie de la vie (Return to Life), which was created to support the Republican medical relief program
India.
Gandhi was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule.
after campaigning for India’s independence, was now dealing with the end of the violence between Hindus and Muslims. Cartier-Bresson had exclusive access to Gandhi, recording the activist’s hunger strike in protest of riots in which millions died. After the day He taking Gandhi’s portrait, Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January,1948. His photos of Gandhi become the witness of this historical event. The photographs Cartier-Bresson made in the aftermath of Gandhi’s death give a unique visual record of the event, His photo story the ‘Death of Gandhi’ embodies this dual-pronged approach, both acting to capture a significant historic moment and formally expressing the anguish and sorrow of the event.
China. Beijing. December 1948. Final days of the Kuomintang. A peasant, whose market has closed down and came to Beijing to sell his vegetables, sits to eat his provisions. A shopkeeper resigns to have nothing more to sell in his store.
In more than 40 years as a photographer, Cartier-Bresson wandered continually around the world. But there was nothing compulsive about his travels, and he explicitly expressed a desire to move slowly, to “live on proper terms” in each country, to take his time, so that he became totally immersed in the environment.
Robert Doisneau
Doisneau’s pictures focused on people by making the private and the personal visible. Because of the passion in street photography and the fond of Paris. He captured the spirit in the street, to present to the visitor in Paris, or pass these message out all over the world.
his most famous picture was staged, I feel sad about it. Because at that time he was urgently to take a series on‘the lovers of Paris’ to American publications and Life magazine. His photographs are closely associated with Paris at a time.His pictures have shaped the worlds perception of the Paris at that time,enchanting the reality.
Lee frieddlander
Friedlander’s subject matter includes street scenes, portraits, landscapes, interiors, still lifes, nudes, trees, self portraits. Many of his photographs feature with of store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, posters and street signs. Friedlander’s street photography captures the unexpected overlaps of light and content in urban landscapes.
Summary.This second is ephemeral and spontaneous, where the photography represents the essence of the event itself in another time and space.
Slide : PPT_wrm
Bibliography
The news article link: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/art-student-returns-golden-staircase-to-grey-concrete
The Original News
An art student painted a staircase with golden foil in HDB. But she removed it eventually because of the pressure from the town council. In order to memorize her work she left a small square of gold foil that was left on the bottom step of the stairs.
My Synopsis
From the staircase’s perspective to objectively depict the artist’s behavior before and after painting the staircase.
In the first consultation, our tutor told us that it would be better group members ‘ stories can form a whole universe. So I decided to add in some hint that related to Ziqi ‘s story which is about a murder incident. Other than the artist I give an addition role in the short film — the journalist who is investigating the crime case.
Artistic Choice
I didn’t show the face of the artist intentionally. Because I want the artist to remain in mystery. The staircase is always a still object though it has its own thought. To keep the whole story objective and mysterious, staircase’s narration is very vague but thought-evoking. I would like to give audience some space to imagine and shape the artist’s characteristic, mind status and motivation of painting golden foil on staircase.
There are two time status, one is current time (The golden foil had already been removed) and the other one is the time before the artist painting the staircase. I try to indicate these two different time period through whether there is a small piece of golden foil on the last step of the stair.
