analysis/Inspiration

After listening once again to many of the folk records I grew up on, I can hear many element in them that create a sense of space.

Here is an example of one I found particularly effective, "'Ouses, 'Ouses. 'Ouses" by the imagined village.


The way in which the song is composed is very interesting in terms of a sense of space. The beginning is very quiet, the accent and the words of the narrator giving it context. We know where and when the story is coming from. The fact that it is at the beginning a single voice and quite quite gives the connotations of peace, which then translates to the picture of the ares that the song is painting. We are hearing about a time long ago, devoid of the modern noises, vast open spaces of natural beauty and peace, this is anchored by the very faint and calm strings.
As we get more and more into the story, and it gets further int the future, the music gets louder and louder which denoting the movement from old to new, as the land becomes more industrialised and busier in terms of people and noise. The fact however that the music is still acoustic and pure at this point, show that it was still a peaceful empty place of farm. This then creates the sense of being in the country side sparingly touched by human hands, only where necessary.
This however changes in the next part of the song. Where there is an introduction of more modern and industrial music and sounds. The use of music is very interesting, we have gone from the organic strings and pure voices to a heavier beat driven piece. This more electronic and processed sound reflects the words. The sense of how this place has changed and indeed how it has changed. It has gone from an empty, beautiful land into an industrialised, busy town. This is reflected both in the crescendo of the song and the more modern music used. There is a sense of how the area had been disturbed by this. This is further enforced by the use of sound effects such as a police siren, shouting and helicopter blades. There is now a very different sense of space from the beginning of the song. The composition here paint a busy, dangerous place full of people and noise. It also hints at what the area is like, it in probably troubled due to the sound of sirens and helicopter blades, that linking into the siren could be seen as a police helicopter.
So then, in terms of a sense of space, The Imagined Village's "'Ouses, 'Ouses, 'Ouses" paints an effective portrait of one spaces change through the years.

Meat factory, Ear worms.

First of all this piece is incredibly interesting. It functions of a primary level as a documentary, recounting Rishie Beirne's experiences in one of Ireland's meat factory's. As it uses a first person account it fits the conventions of the documentary, in that we are hearing 'from the horse's mouth' so to speak. However what makes this documentary and radio documentary in general more interesting in my opinion is the carefully considered use of sound the anchor the meaning conveyed by the word of the subject.

One example of this is at the very beginning, when the narrator talks about his first time walking into the meat factory. The recordings of the grinding of gears, the occasional cry of a cow, and the racket of the workers, lands you right beside him during his first experience of the slaughter house. When it then breaks away into a piece of music that could b considered relaxing, it is clearly outlining the main theme of the documentary. Music can take you anywhere and in particular, it can help you to deal with less that pleasant surroundings. This theme is then carried through. The idea of him escaping into his 'internal stereo' to relieve the monotony and nastiness of his work.

In my opinion what makes this piece so effective is the effective marrying of, narration, music and sound effects.

In the foreground is the narration, the main story telling tool. This is a simple first person account of his life in the meat factories, and disentangling it from the other sounds in the piece it is clear that it is not nearly as effective on its own.

The music and sound effects work in partner ship and then in turn with the narration to create this detailed picture of life as a worker in the meat factories. By fading from music to ambient sounds the documentary anchors the meanings of the narrators words. It is mirroring what he is describin, which in turn makes for a more powerful piece of work.

Personally I really enjoyed this piece. It was interesting and gave a very detailed picture with out being gory or shocking which it could so easily have been. There are many sounds of a slaughter house that could have been used to make it more gory and vivid. However it is effective enough and clever enough in it's use of sound to not have to resort to this.

Finished!

Finished!!
So we’ve finished a final cut of our Edale film and it has a
proper name. ‘Two eyes, two sights’. I
must admit I am quite pleased with the final outcome. I feel it portrays our
theme well and fulfils what we were trying to create in terms of atmosphere.
As it begins with the shot of the train station it is quite
clearly a ‘normal’ scene but them it is quickly cut in with a flash of body
horror this is where the integration between the two Edales begins. It creates
the feeling that there is a bubbling of tension. In order to create an
atmosphere of the two rival worlds we decided to put flashes of one in the
other. This also helps to even out the pace of the film by beginning with these
short flashes it makes the pace through the whole film more even rather that
jumping around all over the place.
The purpose of the body horror here is to establish a sense
of unease. It also begins to portray our theme which is that there are two
sides to every story. There are two different world encompassed within Edale
and we are trying to show these and the tension between them there for creating
a ‘portrait of a place’. There is the tourist view of Edale, the biscuit tin
view if you will. A village filled with summer walkers and more hard core
winter hikers. Then there is the other side. A village such as Edale is steeped
in the ancient ways of this country, its ancient belief systems and the generations,
who have lived, worked and died there. This
is there fore a magical place. There is then a sense of two conflicting world
within the one place. We continue to show this through the film placing
elements of each world within the other.
The film is split into three parts. Tourist Edale, the
turning point and then the ‘witch’ Edale. The first part aims to show that
underneath all the beauty and picturesque there is something darker lurking
beneath the surface.
The turning point. We chose to have the shot of the nettles
here for an important reason. We feel that a nettle reflects the theme of the
film. Two sides to every story. A nettle even though it stings us is an
incredibly important part of the natural world. It provides perfect homes for
butterfly eggs and therefore caterpillars. It is also the perfect cover for
Corncrakes to nest. So like the Edale we are trying to create it has two sides.
To expand on this idea, and to relate it more to the film, a nettle is part of
the nature and beauty that the tourists come to see. Its vibrant green colours
the countryside in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand it
is an important element in witch craft, used as part of spells and as food it
reflects our theme of the film perfectly.
To continue talking about this turning point we have incorporated
cuts that are reminiscent of a heart beat. This is important as a heartbeat
creates images of the life force of the village. This struggle between the two
Edales is what gives it its atmosphere that we are trying to create in this
film. Also the candle which we chose to intercut the nettle with. It is a
useful tool in the practise of witchcraft consequently its presence signifies
the presence of this other worldliness. Also it approaches the camera so it
conveys that the other world is coming close it reinforces the idea of one
encroaching on the other.
In terms of editing we tried to create a sense of tension,
the short bursts of the ‘witch world’ in the tourist one at the beginning
builds pressure between them. It shows that they are, not fighting, but they
are at odds with one another. This reinforces the idea of the portrait of a
place as we are trying to capture this through our use of editing. This editing crease a sense of unease through
the whole film.
The final shot cements this. We chose to use a canted angle
because it connotes disquiet therefore is sums up the film and what we were
trying to show.
AS a whole I feel that the film is mostly successful and it
completes our aims. However there are obviously still problems, it still does
not feel as if it flows perfectly. It still has a certain disjointedness that
is not just adding to a sense of unease but maybe confuses the audience
slightly. So as for things I would have done differently this is one. Also as a
whole I fell we could have been more organised with regards to story boards and
a location scout. I also think that we could have utilised the effects in final
cut pro to create an even weirder vibe to the film.
In terms of team work. I believe that Poppy and I worked well;
we both put in equal effort and expected that in return. I think that we are
both happy with the amount of work that the other did. Also we discussed ideas
and themes at length so that when we went to actually, physically make the film
we were very much on the same page. This was very helpful as we were both
comfortable with letting the other take a shot that they spontaneously came up
with, without having to worry about how it would fit in with our own vision of
what the film was supposed to be.
One other major thing that this project has taught me is how
much we take sound for granted. All the way through the edit I was always
thinking about sounds and songs that would fit so well and enhance the effectiveness
of the film.
So, to conclude our film ‘Two eyes, two sights’, I feel fits
the brief to create a portrait of a place and even though there is still room
for improvement, I am happy with the result and how we carried out the task
allocated to us.

Rough Edit!
Right so we’ve got a rough edit done. It is in no sense of
the word perfect but it’s a start.
I think that the pace is one of its biggest downfalls, it’s
very inconsistent and distracts the audience from the film. For us, the pace is
actually very important as we want to create a sense of a build up and a crescendo
in the film. As it moves from the tourist view of the village too the one steeped
in mysticism. Also it will help to
create drama in the piece. The thing with the pace is that the film is very
jumpy anyways so the challenge will be is t make it flowing enough to be
watchable and still jumpy enough to create a sense of unease.
Another aspect that needs t be polished is the idea that
there are two halves in the film, there are two different worlds encroaching in
each other. In order to show this the most basic out line is that we have ‘tourist
Edale’, then a turning point, then ‘witch Edale’. We have decided that the best
shot for a turning point is a shot of the nettles. This idea is taking shape in
the rough edit yet it needs a lot of fine tuning.
One thing about the rough edit is that it moves around quite
a lot there is does not stick to the outline that we initially planned. In
other words it does at points feel like a random collection of shots. This is
there fore something we must address in the final edit.
Another problem that we have highlighted is that it does
seem a little boring at points. Especially in the second half it is simply shot
after shot of apparent ‘witchy things’.
To address this we are going to put in flashes of each world in the
other. This will create the idea that they are encroaching on each other.
I found the edit tutorial really helpful. Not only does it
help to get an outside perspective but to hear a tutor’s opinion on the working
process before the final presentation relieves the pressure slightly. It allows
you to take a step back and critically evaluate your work before the final
presentation. This was invaluable for Poppy and I as it highlighted these issues.
We had some idea of its downfalls but having them pointed out really helped us
identify and sort them out. Another thing that was helpful about the tutorial
was hearing an audience point of view. It was clear we had not met our
intentions completely in conveying the theme but we are getting there.
One thing I will say about the film even at this stage is
that I think it has a really strong theme and because of this I think the film
is made more effective. The idea of having two different worlds competing with
each other in the context of this village. This paint a certain image of this
place, we’re not trying to portray a battle ground but show what can be going
on underneath the surface and the atmosphere of tension that this creates.
So, to conclude, yes the film has a long way to go in terms
of editing but is heading along the right path. We have a strong thematic
element that will help us as we create the fine cut.