TERM TWO | Lens Based Media: Moving Image Research

For Term Two in Lens Based Media, we have moved from Photography to Moving Image. I still want to keep my project ideas based around the dance aspect of my life because it's what I spend majority of my spare time doing and it's easy to access because I'm practicing all the time. I have previously worked with video in my Certificate in Visual Arts course at Unitec last year but I would still like to develop further on my videographic skills. Below are two of my previous video works.

This was submitted as an assessment for my Photography course in my Certificate last year. It is a short documentary about the dance programme 'Soar'. What I don't like about this work is the low quality of the video and the poor hand-held camera work as I didn't have a tripod to work with. The voice and music audio is also very choppy and does not flow well, only because the only editing programme that was available to use was Windows Movie Maker, which is a very simple video editing programme. I think I edited the video pretty well with the limited functions Windows Movie Maker had to offer. By the looks of this project, something I need to work on is my video editing skills and improve on my camera movements for my Self-Portrait Project. I also want to use a HD video camera as well as a tripod to produce HD videos with smoother camera movements. I think having access to Adobe Premiere will make the editing process easier.

This was a video I made in my spare time at the beginning of this year. It is a collab of my video editing and filming and my friend's choreography concept. I like the different camera angles that have been used but I think that I could have made it more interesting by using a range of camera movements. This was an improvement from my first video though.

I wasn't researching for anything in particular, these are some videos that I liked and managed to hold my interest for longer than 30 seconds.

Video Art

 
  This is a video art project for a music video to the song "Cut Copy Lights". The video was taken in only one shot which is a head shot. I like the vibrant colours of the paint against a bland background and I found it very intriguing to watch the paint gradually come off her face in reverse.I want to experiment with a reverse effect in my own videos and use of vibrant colours.

 Editing

 

'[Official Video] Daft Punk - Pentatonix", PTX Official, YouTube, 4 Nov 2014

 

This video is of an acapella group called "Pentatonix" who starred on the reality TV show competition series called "The Sing Off". What really caught my attention was what the singers were wearing; their makeup and hairstyles are very eye-catching. The shots used throughout the whole video were strictly closeups of their faces but what kept my attention throughout the video was the editing and how the cuts between the singers' faces matched the musicality to their voices as they sang. I want to experiment with the idea of syncing the video cuts and editing to match the music, making the video more interesting to watch.

Advertisement

 

"#Samsung Norway: Official release Samsung Galaxy S5 (live) by Quick Crew", The Quick Style, YouTube, 11 April 2014

I came across this video on Youtube which is an advertisement for the official release of the Samsung Galaxy s5. The video is of 3 dancers who are apart of the dance group 'Quick Crew'. I really like how there were no cuts in this video and how it was taken in just one shot. Even though the editor has only used one shot, the video is still captivating to watch because their bright blue costumes contrast with the black background, their dance moves hit every beat of the music and the character play is humorous which are all aspects of what make this video interesting to watch. I think I will experiment with the idea of a one-shot video and clothing which contrasts well with the background.

Concept Videos

This is a dance concept video made by dancing duo, Lance and Laurence. I really like the mid and long camera shots, you can see the dancers and the background clearly. I also really like the panning and dolly camera movements in this video clip. I think I will experiment with panning and dolly movements in my own videos. I could maybe make a dance concept video for my final project.

Performance

This is a performance by the 'Royal Family' in America at the Movement Lifestyle Showcase. I like how the lighting changes depending on the type of dance moves they are doing. The lighting helps sets the scene on stage, creating a dark, seductive or even exciting feeling as the audience watches. I could video a dance performance where things like costumes, makeup, music and lighting would need to be taken into consideration, but it's still just an idea.

Documentary

 

This is a short documentary produced by Rachel Soh on 'Royal Family' and their journey to winning Megacrew division at Hip Hop International for three consecutive years. I like the behind-the-scenes feel of the video, but there is no interviews or voice overs with Parris Goebel or any of the members to get a closer insight as to what they were feeling at the time, it is mostly video clips with music as if just observing what they do at practices and performances etc. I guess she didn't need voice overs to give the audience an idea of what they felt when they won, the music sets the scene and the expression on their faces gives a good idea.

This is a documentary produced by Samson and Greg from last year's BVA at MIT. The documentary is based on Dziah Dance Acadmey and their journey to Hip Hop International, the same year as the above video of Royal Family. I like how the documentary is both humorous and interesting to watch as they journey from Otara to Las Vegas. I could make a documentary based on my own dance company but maybe not as long. I would need to take into consideration the amount of time I would have to film, having the camera on constantly at every practice and a narrator to explain what is happening etc, and also what we would be working towards. IMDC is aiming at competing in Battlegrounds NZ where the qualifiers get to travel to Australia for World Supremacy Battlegrounds. It is an idea, I could take my camera to the next IMDC practice and film our choreography.