Berwick Post

 After handing in my degree papers I have been making contacts (or trying) in the industry. I have spoken to a friend who has got family contacts within Berwick Post Production in London. He has scheduled a meet with him which I will go along to and see If I can gain a few days or a week in the studio. From referring to the website they have video editing, sound with pro tools setup and augmented realty based projects and even 3D stereoscopic TV technology. An opportunity not to be missed!

I let you know of any further developments.

Check out the website here

Re-energise Evaluation

After completing my first film Energise I carried out a survey using a questionnaire that I had devised. With these opinions in mind I decided that for the re-submission of my work I would reshoot the film using the same actor but in different locations. I would be able to use some of my original creative ideas and the same soundtrack that I had composed. From the questionnaire answers from my Energise film I set about looking at how I could keep with my original main idea but make adjustments and alterations to my film edit in a variety of ways as well as reshooting film in different locations.

I received many positive reactions to the original film. The comments in the questionnaires were positive in terms of content, mood and length. The changes that I set about to make included making the visuals and the music fit tightly. Although some of the reactions to the film expressed an opinion that the essence of the film was about the 'Day in the Life of…' one of the comments received stated that the theme was ‘hard to follow.’ Therefore in Re-Energise I tried to keep with the same pace and style of editing as the original, whilst trying to improve on conveying the story theme more overtly to the audience. I also wanted to modify the ending to ensure that the piece was not hanging in the air and that it felt complete. Several of the audience surveyed commented that the 'visuals fitted the music.' The most positive reaction was for the food colouring in water piece. ‘The dye marked the tempo and style of music,' said Pete.

I used a 7D camera to shoot both films. Nearly all of the shoot was without a tripod and was freehand. This was a deliberate choice, as although filming freehand can look very choppy, this is quite usual in music videos, particularly in terms of cutting speed. My decision to do this was in order to make the film match the pace of the music.

For my research this year I have found out more about music video and sound production by making contacts with professionals and being able to visit studios such as the prestigious Sawmill Studios in Cornwall. Here I was able to spend a day with the production staff. Details of this can be seen on my blog pages. I also had the opportunity to visit a music producer, Kam, in Slough. Details of this day can also be seen on my blog. My blog pages show how I have been inspired by the work of various music artists. By visiting music professionals and finding out more about music production skills I have gained an insight into developing my music production and editing skills with a view to entering this side of the profession.

With my storyboarding complete I decided on my target audience. It is important to bear in mind when filming which target audience would be interested in my genre of film. Although I had decided that my target audience was 16-25, older people have viewed my film and have said that they enjoyed watching it. Diana, who is over 40, commented in her questionnaire 'I felt that it told a story in a very creative way as it left the viewer to make their own mind up about the character and what he was doing during the day. There was also very creative filming using slow-motion and the passing of time from day to night. I really liked the traffic light changing in time with the music and the ending where the character looks up. The ink in water was very mesmerising and the red colouring looked quite sinister, but when it changed to black, green and blue I realised it was just a creative feature.'

Filming

The film shoot went really well. I filmed over a three day period exclusively in Bristol with the intention of shooting enough film so that I could have sufficient film to tell the story and also enough footage to edit an ending that would be a resolution to the story. I wanted the whole story to be interpreted by the audience and I also wanted it to portray some mystery by not giving too much away by literally telling 'a day in the life' throughout the film. I also filmed some of the footage at night and this really gave the video that mysterious quality and style. It also gave the story line depth in terms of the progression of time. As I filmed on two separate occasions I had to make sure my actor was wearing the same clothing as before. Some of the shots contain him wearing a grey jacket over the top of the shirt which I incorporated into the story line by shooting a scene at the start of the video where he puts the jacket on.

Problems - Sound

The sound clicking was a problem when it came to importing and listening back to the final video. I'm not sure why it has a slight clicking in the background as I exported the mix down of my song in AIFF format. I understand that this is what Final Cut finds friendly to use. At first when I was cutting the footage to the Mp3 soundtrack I didn't realise that Final Cut had problems understanding the format. I looked up the problem online and discovered that AIFF is the best format for Final Cut to understand. The clicking sounds have been reduced but I can still hear it faintly in the background at points where the track is in its quieter sections with less instrumental features. Although this has happened and there appears to be no way to fix the problem, with the limited access I have to additional equipment such as a newer versions of editing software and computers, I am very pleased with how full the track sounds in the mix and how it works with the video.

Problems - Equipment

The first edit that I had completed was on a Mac Book Pro laptop that unfortunately broke. Luckily I had a copy of the draft export of the video which the technicians helped me save onto a new laptop to edit back into. I imported all the newly shot footage for Re energise onto the new laptop and added once again to the broken edit using the exported draft edit underneath in Final Cut as a reference.

Problems - Software

I had a major unresolved problem in the final stages of the editing. Final Cut understood that I had cut the raw footage and placed it in the timeline at a certain point, but when exporting the final video out of Final Cut, it had taken the wrong timings out of the raw footage, meaning that the cuts that I had made were not in the places where I wanted them, therefore changing the whole choice of shot completely. Luckily this was limited to only several places and not the whole video. I sought technical help from the internet and the technicians at university but no one had heard of this problem before. I therefore had to bite the bullet at this point and accept that the video would not completely be the way I wanted it to look.

Cutting techniques - Desaturate filter

In some of the cuts I used a desaturate filter to make the footage black and white. I split the clip that I wanted, to show the effect, into two parts, cutting to the beat. I then placed the desaturate filter over one of the sections of the clip I had cut into two parts so that when the drum beat hit, the clip would switch to black and white.

I also used the desaturate filter on the introduction to the drop of the main beat in the song. Using the key frames feature in the filters section of the clip I could control the amount of the filter used. I then used these key frames to slowly cut out the filter, which meant that the clip would fade in with colour as the key frames dropped in amount. This made the footage of the ink in water look like it was filling with colour.

Cutting techniques - slowing and speeding clips

For the cross angle shots of the pillars I increased the footage speed to match the pace of the music. One of the shots was a twist angle shot from one corner of the frame to the other. The other was a pull into focus shot of a pillar overlooking a river. I think the fast paced footage looks a lot better this way at double the speed. I also increased the speed of the shot of my actor walking up the train station stairway. Other shots such as the ‘ollie’ of the skateboard through the light I decided to slow down by over half. I did this as I wanted to accentuate my actor and the skateboard hanging in the air. I also used the same shot but in reverse for the part before the main melody and beat kick in. I incorporated this reverse technique into where the footage of the colouring in water was desaturated. This meant that when the beat kicked in it felt like the footage was going a lot faster and brighter than before, giving the following shots more impact on screen.

Colour correction and grading

I corrected the footage so that the finished effect was crisp and clean. I then set about grading the footage to the style I wanted for the finished film. When grading the footage I wanted to create a colourful vibrant look by pushing the blues, oranges and reds. I pushed the reds more in the sunnier shots to give it that Nashville old worn super 8 type look. I found this challenging when I was trying to create a reflective and soft mood, but didn't want the footage to look like it had been obviously graded for this, so I kept the colours down to what I felt was the maximum I could push without making it obvious to the viewer. In order to keep to the style I wanted I found that I had to colour correct and grade a high percentage of cuts in the edit. This was time consuming but I am very pleased with the look and the general feel of the final piece. 

Cross dissolves

Depending on the change of mood that each part of the track was portraying, I used a cross dissolve where I thought it necessary to make the cuts bind in with each other. I used straight cuts and jump cuts where the shot only varied in angle or, if I had used a desaturate filter to make the beats in the song more prominent to the visuals.

Locations

I selected and filmed the areas that reflected my storyboarding, closely referring to the main ideas. With this in mind it really helped me find the shots I wanted. The train station played a key role informing the ideas of travel and movement and also provided me with a useful amount of movement shots across Bristol. I stayed on the train through Bristol to get a variety of high rise flats, buildings and panning shots of trees, wildlife and people. My original black and white photograph of a tree was a lucky find, as I managed to get some footage of a tree like my photographic idea from the train.

Production Skills

The production skills that I have developed are particularly in editing using Final Cut. I have learnt on my work experience visits the importance of levelling sound tracks.  From the experience gained I made sure that the sound track was long enough when I exported it out of Final Cut. I would not change my creative ideas but by learning from the problems that I encountered, detailed above, I feel that I could go on to make other music videos.

Cover

I used software called Pixlr which is an online simplified version of Photoshop. I think the software is great as you don't have to download it and it can be accessed by any computer with an internet connection. This was an ideal solution as the laptop I used for a large part of my work didn't have Adobe Photoshop on it. I decided to make a DVD cover for the Re-Energise music video using some of the recce shots I took. The cover consists of two photographs. One which is an out of focus light photo and one is of Oldfield Park train station, in Bath. I cut out the platform edges and merged them into the background using the blur tool. I then used the eraser tool to feather out the train track so that the other photograph would show through underneath.  The simple effect of the out of focus lights shining through the track looks attractive to the eye. With the arrangement of the photos I also designed a dark cream and brown banner at the bottom. I liked how the colours complimented the orange scheme of the DVD cover. I wanted to put more emphasis on the ‘Energise’ instead of the 'Re' out of the title Re- Energise, so I coloured in the 'Re' in a light grey so that it was less prominent on the cover. I also decided to make the title in lower case.

I am pleased with the final film Re-Energise and I am looking forward to making more music video films in the future. 


I will be posting the Video here soon.

The Digital Future

BBC Radio 4 Start the Week - Presented by Andrew Marr, with guests Nick Harkaway, Anab Jain, Charles Arthur and Simon Ings.

I just caught the end of this programme on Bank holiday Monday morning and sought it out on Listen again section on BBC iplayer.

The discussion was over forty minutes long but discussed some very interesting things about the digital age and the next big idea.

In my research for my professional studies portfolio I had asked the professionals from the media that I had interviewed about the next big idea, so I was interested in how Andrew Marr’s guests would answer that question.

Nick Harkaway was talking about his recent book (The Blind Giant) which discusses the digital era. He explained that people see it as either a ‘dark place or a bright future.’ I was interested to hear his take on new technology as he went on to say that ‘it won’t just happen to us, we can shape it ourselves.’ We make the future as we go along. The digital world brings us opportunities. He expanded on the fact that as humans it is important to take ownership of digital technology.

Simon Ings writes a digital magazine which is linked to the New Scientist series.  He talked about Augmented Reality. He says ‘the best way to protect the future is to make it up.’ He went on to describe what augmented reality is. It is a way of sewing information into your picture plane or soundscape together with your mobile or digital glasses. The information is mapped in real time to connect us with our physical environment. So that when you call someone up on your phone you can see them sitting opposite you on a table. Perhaps no more long meetings with clients travelling to and from locations?

Anab Jain is the co-founder of Supaflux, a futurology company used by larger companies to test out ideas. I was interested to hear about Prosthetic Vision for blind people. This technology makes the damaged retinal cells sensitive to light when you wear a digital headset. Obviously it is so much more complex than that but it means that visually impaired people would be able to engage at some level with the sighted world. That really interests me as a photographer.

What really caught my attention in this interview was her explanation of a 5th Dimension Camera. She is currently working with market research scientists in Oxford. The camera, perhaps still some 20-30 years in the making, will process information in a parallel way. It will take photographs of people in a parallel world and it will bring back these images. It is a complete fictional prototype. The discussion also went on to describe the power that Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon have in controlling what we do. There was also a quote from William Gibson ‘The future is here, it is has just not been distributed.’

Listen again to this very interesting and thought provoking discussion about digital technologies. It will be available on iplayer for the next few days.

BBC Radio 4 Start the Week-Monday 7th May 2012

Listen to the discussion here
Nick Harkaway website here 

Want more? Check out Aleks Krotoski's 'The Digital Human' here

Reflections on last year's experience

Contacting the students from last year seemed an easy task at the start of my project. I began by emailing my cohort of students and requesting their input into my work.

The aim of this study was to find out from the cohort that I had studied with last year what it was like working the way they did, what was that way of working, and how that way of working has informed the way they work now. I also wanted to link this work to my professional portfolio.

I have also been making contacts with various professionals this year including people who have just started out in the media industry as well as seasoned professionals. Their knowledge has been invaluable to me, particularly about freelancing. I have discovered the importance of getting a foot in the door, as well as understanding the need to start at the bottom. During the first few weeks of my project the replies from the students were slow to materialise. Perhaps this was due to the fact that they had to answer my questionnaire. Writing the questions was important because I needed to get the right responses from the group. Asking closed question wouldn't give me enough information to analyse. Additionally I phoned some of them, used Facebook and also used text messages. Persistence is needed to get what you want out of something and it worked in the end. When they eventually responded it was great to see that they had all got paid work after university. All graduates told me that they enjoyed the practical nature of the last year at Artswork. I have looked at other media courses that are more theory based but I think that they miss out on a lot of valuable experience. The professionals I talked to commented that media graduates needed to have practical experiences as well as the theory. The sample group all liked the professional feel of working on real projects during the last year. It seems that the course at Bath Spa University prepares graduates well to take the next step in their career.

Having technical back up from Ollie and Dani was mentioned many times. I know that when you 'go it alone', that crutch of help will be taken away. To have on tap advice and also trouble shooting know-how is really supportive for project work. Having to work away from the Artswork hub has been quite a challenge for me to complete this work.

 Laura Crouchley, a freelance photographer, who has graduated within the last six years told me about her difficulties in setting up her own business. Going it alone can be daunting, and every penny is ploughed back into the business and sometimes work is very slow.

Back with my questionnaires; they were slowly coming together, although Rich seemed to be taking a long time to reply. I eventually found out he was away in China of all places.

From the sample group I chose to do a piece about one person's experience over the whole year and Jessie agreed to this. This also took some arranging as I am based in Plymouth and I had to co-ordinate the signing out of equipment as well as travelling to and from Bath and finding a venue to record my interview. This proved to be more difficult than I thought as some of the pieces of equipment were held at Bristol and some at Bath Spa. Travelling with lighting and camera equipment on a train was not going to be an easy task. Jessie could also only be available on certain weekends too.
I have learnt to be adaptable and to understand that for every problem there is a solution so I decided to make a radio piece. I managed to get a zoom audio recorder from Bristol and arranged to interview Jessie at her house. So that she was prepared, like an actor receiving a script, I emailed an adapted version of my questionnaire. I wanted to ensure that it was not just a question and answer session but that the talk flowed so that the listener would be interested.

After setting up the audio equipment so that I was not holding it, I asked the questions and she gave her replies. I put the microphone about half a metre away. We only had to return to a few questions for the purpose of the audio recording as I wanted to be able to cut out my questioning. It took about an hour to complete the interview with a few stops and starts.

I have interviewed a consultant before on camera and I wanted to produce a piece with a different feel to it. It was also a good learning experience as I haven't done much face to face interviewing before. When I began to edit using Soundtrack Pro I had so much audio that it took an extremely long time to edit. It was, however, a good experience using Soundtrack Pro.  Editing from forty minutes to ten minutes was a big learning curve. Keeping the best information whilst editing a few 'ums and ahs' was a challenge but it came out well in the end.

Stream and download the Radio Piece here

Filming for Hothouse

The saying goes never work with animals or children! Well, yesterday I went to a Devon Primary school to film a music workshop with foundation and year 1 pupils ages 5-6 on a Friday afternoon. Friday afternoon is a difficult time to get children motivated and with the added dimension of filming making them excited, some of children’s interaction was hampered. We were lucky that the subject was singing, which kept them fairly motivated throughout the afternoon’s filming.

I had been contacted by Peter Scott who runs 'The Hothouse' who wanted to make a simple promotional film for his website by filming a video which could be used as resource for teachers to help them deliver quality music lessons in their schools. After viewing his website before the shoot I believed that this would be to promote his 'Beatboards' exercises. Instead, the afternoon’s filming consisted of guitar call and answer songs where the children had to follow the lyrics and sing them back to Peter in time.

Having talked with Peter before the shoot, I was instructed to film using only one camera on a tripod, mostly keeping the shot static with a few pans across the room for variation. I arrived at the school half an hour before the shoot to sign in as a visitor. This covered my safety checks as I was not required to have a CRB as the teacher would be present throughout the filming.

I set up two light units and we re-arranged the classroom so that the background was clear so that the children had plenty of space to move and dance to the music. Peter performed his songs in front of the pupils as they sat listening. All pupils involved had permission from their parents to appear in the video for exclusive inclusion onto the 'Hothouse' site. 

We began by filming the Foundation class. These children are the youngest in the school. I was using a Sony HD solid state camera, with a Rode video microphone attached. I positioned myself so that I was as far back in the classroom as possible. By keeping the shot open for random movement allowed me to capture all the excitement and changes occurring whilst Peter sang.

Peter signalled to me when to stop and start filming. This would mean easier cutting of the film later. It was an interesting way of working. Following an earlier discussion with Peter, I filmed in a static position so that the film could be shown as a demo instead of a heavily edited video with many camera angles and effects.

The second group, a year one class, aged 6 years, were quite tired as by now it was 14:30. This class contained one child with special needs. Throughout the filming she had some vocal tics which made me more aware of sound levels. I could then suggest changes to Peter at the end of the song and the possibilities of doing another take.

All children enjoyed the sessions, and so did I. It was my first film shoot involving children so young. I learnt the importance of patience and thinking on your feet as they can be very unpredictable at such a young age. The shoot has also made me aware of the importance of gaining permission to ensure safety and child protection procedures.

I look forward to working with Peter in the next few weeks and seeing the work on his website.

Never work with animals or children? I just might do that in the future. Animals next!
www.the-hothouse.co.uk

The Sundance Festival comes to London

The Sundance Festival comes to London "Storytellers broaden our minds: engage, provoke, inspire and ultimately, connect us." Robert Redford, President and founder.

The Sundance Festival came to London for the first time in its history. This non profit organisation, which was founded by the eminent actor and producer Robert Redford aged 74, got its name from the mountains in Utah called Sundance. It states its mission to "discover and develop independent artists and audiences around the globe."

I first heard about it coming to London on the radio. I listened to Robert Redford talking on the Simon Mayo show on Radio 5 Live. He said there was a push for cut backs in the arts in the USA. It ran from the 26th - 29th April at the O2 Arena. Although not championing British film, our economy in the arts could also do with a boost. The festival showed current American independent films to the UK market. Check out the four day festival at

www.sundance-london.co.uk
www.sundance.org

Setting up in business, with Laura Crouchley

Today I went to interview Laura Crouchley who has taken her photography to the next level by becoming a sole trader. After graduating from UWE in 2006 with a degree in fine arts, she moved to London where she made contacts with people in the fashion industry to photograph fashion shoots. She is now developing her photography business using her new Nikon D700 camera.

Check out Laura's Website here

How is the media changing?

Straight from the horse’s mouth is best when trying to keep up to date with what is needed for people who want to enter the media. I have been lucky enough to be in contact with several people who are working, or who have worked in the industry.

Jonathan Ramsey works as an in house editor at ‘Big Bang’ Post Production Company in Bristol. Jonathan began his media studies like me at Plymouth College of Art and Design followed by his BA at Plymouth university. He then worked for two years at Televisionary, another production company in Plymouth. His work as editor at Televisionary led to him winning an RTS award for his work with Seth Lakeman, making a music DVD.

I asked Jonathan about his work in the early stages of his career and what he has learnt about it so far. He thought that the greatest changes in the media industry since he started was tape-less workflows and solid state media. He added that there will always be technical developments in this industry which effects how TV programmes are made. Jonathan’s first boss was Jeremy Hibbard of Televisionary. The company has now moved to my home town of Ivybridge in Devon and  I spoke to Jeremy about how he first began in the media and his thoughts on how it has changed. He thought we would loose the concept of linear scheduled programming and would be more likely to choose programmes form a menu or watch them online and that there would be more collaboration between programming and social media.

Across the world another professional is working in New Zealand. Clare Burgess is a Digital Effects Producer working for Weta Digital Limited. I was able to contact her after a recent chance meeting of our respective parents. Clare, now in her thirties was taught by my mum in primary school. She was a creative child and went on to work for Aardman in Bristol after graduating from Bournmouth University. She has since gone on to work in New Zealand at Weta. Claire thoughts that apps on smartphones that personalised media sources would flourish in the 21st century.

I have also been in touch with two seasoned professionals from the world of journalism, radio and television. Adrian Webster and Guy Pannell. Adrian, now retired, first started out in media selling advertising for trade magazines in London and progressed to become an Associate Publisher which meant dealing with every aspect of magazine production including hiring editors and journalists. He moved to Devon 25 years and became involved in setting up a magazine in Cornwall for a friend and was MD before they sold it. He then became involved in a radio station, Pirate FM and was offered a job as a journalist. After spell at Westcountry TV he then went back to radio as Head of News for Gemini FM in Exeter. Throughout his career Adrian has worked in sales, marketing, journalism and web editing. When asked whether freelancing is becoming more important that ever in the media industry, Adrian said that "more freelancers are being used as media owners look to cut costs of full time staff so they are becoming more important." I asked him what general or personal skills a freelancer should possess in addition to his/her technical ability. His reply was “tenacity and a willingness to do whatever is asked of them.”

Guy Pannell,  who is also now retired, worked for most of his career which spanned over forty years, in general news. He took an interest in politics, writing political stories for newspapers and later producing a weekly politics programme for regional television. For the last 17 years of his career he has passed on his skills learned in television news to students on an MA course in Broadcast (later Multimedia) Journalism.

I asked him what advice he would give to a newly qualified media studies graduate who was looking for work. He said to “seek experience in the industry wherever you can and don’t be afraid to take any job that gives you a foot in the door. It is much easier to progress from inside the business than the outside.”

He also offered some advice on the importance of freelancing in today’s changing industry. He felt that freelancing “is crucial to filling gaps on the rota, and even more so now employers are looking to reduce staff numbers to cut costs.” I asked him about what general or personal skills a freelancer should possess in addition to their technical ability.  “A freelancer should possess determination, persistence and the ability to sell themselves and their talents. They should show a willingness to work the extra hours and fill the unpopular shifts that others don’t want to. You should also be willing to be adaptable and fit into a team.”

As jobs are increasingly difficult to find I asked him if there were any areas where there is a lack of technical expertise. ”Many graduates have a great technical ability but let themselves down by a lack of good English, mathematics and general knowledge. A good journalist needs to know a little about everything.”

Politicians and academics often cite ‘Media Studies’ as the easy option for undergraduates.  I asked Guy, how those who wish to work in the media industry combat this sort of stereotyping, and is there anything the universities can do to raise the profile of these degree courses?

“Media Studies doesn’t necessarily equip the student with the ability to work in the media, although the best courses do. People with Media Studies degrees are now reaching senior positions in the BBC and elsewhere. These examples need to be trumpeted to raise awareness of the advantages of a Media Studies course. I would advocate taking a Masters course in the field in which you wish to work, but these are becoming increasingly expensive and are not always a practical option.”

For now I will focus on completing my BA degree and try to enter the world of work to gain experience. Adrian and Guy made me think about the different and changing face of the media and what I need to do next to start my career.

Sawmills Studios - Thursday 5th April

Today I spent the day at Sawmills studios near Parr in Cornwall. Ruth Taylor, studio producer met me from the train and took me to the studios. The studios are usually accessed by boat.

I entered via a secluded footpath on the edge of one of the surrounding hills. I met the band called 'Tied to the Mast" who were recording for a few days at the studio. The studio is usually a closed set so I was lucky enough to see what goes on behind the recording. They have been there previously over a year ago to record part of their album. They were a five piece band with a large section of styles all mixed into one. A kind of pure screech from the guitars and a psychedelic fruitiness from the piano underlying and supporting the vocals. I got the feeling that TTTM had many ideas and aspirations to be one of the great British bands of today but with a high energy twist, solid vocal tones which screamed 'Britain.'

The owner, Ruth, said the studio had hardly changed in its appearance since the 70's apart from some obvious technological necessities like computer monitors and software. I was then introduced to Tom who was the brains of the operation. He operated the mixing desk and all the software via two central monitors and a large central mixer. He would often direct the band and vocalists in the next room to advise them on how far to stand from the microphones to achieve the correct dynamics when singing. Many takes of each section of the song were taken at one time to save time in the long run. When the vocals had been run through and recorded enough times, the band sat with Tom to make the final decisions on which sections/chops of the vocal should be used.

I was only there observing for 4 hours, and there was so much to take in on the technical side. The house itself was directly above the studio and was newly furnished with a large kitchen come lounge area for the band to enjoy food and relax between songs while Tom eagerly made changes downstairs in the studio. Over the start of the day, Tom managed to record main vocals, fill in vocals and piano addition and finalise a whole song that had been previously started the previous day. After a short lunch break he returned to the studio to start work on a less technically intensive track. This newest track was not only subtle and soothing, but also had that same sense of high energy due to the fantastic percussion. The lyrics were vague and catchy enough to relate to instantly but also held a true sense of wisdom which I really enjoyed.

The band was professional in their aims and didn't seem to waste time when it came to deciding what they all wanted. The time I was there went very quickly and it seemed I was already leaving before I had a chance to arrive. I wanted to stay there a lot longer but the studio was so secluded I would have needed a torch and a map to find my way back to Par train station if I had left it any longer than I already had! I enjoyed my day there and valued the opportunity I had at seeing a real studio where the likes of Oasis, Muse, XTC and many more bands have been. I had stood where other many great musicians had been, and left with a grin on my face and some music ringing in my ears.

Check out sawmills studios here
Check out Tied To The Mast website here
Check out Tied To The Mast Facebook page here

More filming about Diabetes

It looks like diabetes is getting a higher profile these days, or perhaps because I am so close to it, I jut think it is! In the April edition of Balance the front cover shows Tom Craig who is a film lecturer at Derby University. He is making a trilogy of films aiming to raise awareness of diabetes. He has chosen to film in the medium of horror fiction. As a Type 1 diabetic since the age of 4 he knows, like I do, about the condition. Making films from first hand experience makes it so powerful. His first film in the Bitter Sweet trilogy dealt with low blood sugar levels, also known as hypoglycaemia. It is entitled Sugar Drop. It was filmed on the university campus in a lift where the character descends into panic and the audience is left wondering if his hallucinations are real or imagined.  Adam thinks that some people are curious as to why he would use the horror genre, but he has received positive acclaim for this first film from NHS professionals and pharmaceutical companies wanting to screen his film at conferences and seminars. It has also been selected for industry competitions from Bangalore to Toronto.
His second part of the trilogy is in the making, called ‘Argon Green’ and this has been expanded into a 90 minute feature. This film deals with the subject of retinopathy, a condition that damages eyesight.  Adam has had some trouble with his sight but he wants the largely ignorant public, as well as to encourage those with diabetes to look after themselves, to know more about eye care. Although working on a very low budget, Adam has been able to borrow and use £30,000 of prime lenses which will enhance the picture quality. This is because the University of Derby together with Cooke optics of Leicester has invested in the lenses. The film should be out later this year.

Checkout his website here

For more support about any aspect of living with diabetes you can call Diabetes UK Careline
0845 1202960 or  hit the website here

Another opportunity not to be missed!

Things have been busy this week as my contact list has borne fruit! On Thursday 5th April I will be off to Cornwall to the studios of Sawmills. The studio is only accessed by boat and is housed in an old water mill.

My contact, Ruth Taylor, will be meeting me at Par station and taking me for a day in the studio to see how things work. There is a band recording on that day, although I don’t know who! Looking at their website you will be able to see how many famous bands have used the studios since its opening in 1974. I have my notebook and camera at the ready and I am really looking forward to the experience.

I’ll blog more next week.

Checkout their website here

Filming Opportunities

After Easter I have the opportunity to do some filming with Peter Scott. Peter is a musician who runs a project called ‘The Hothouse.’

The hothouse is a family run project and delivers ‘innovative and inspirational music services.’
(quote from website).

Peter has designed and developed a set of beatboards for particular use in schools. They are designed to develop skills in rhythm. They can be used from any age and from beginner to more competent musician level.

Peter has recently set up on his website a ‘beatbank’. This is a resource for teachers which shows how the beatboards can be used in the classroom. Peter wants to add more to his website by filming in a local school. The filming will include footage of reception and year one children (ages 5-6 years) developing rhythm and rhyme games. This resource can then be used by teachers as part of the English curriculum, and in particular phonics which helps the children in their first steps with reading.

More about Peter and his beatboards can be seen on his website. I will be filming the pupils and then editing the footage for use on his website.

Watch this space for more details!

Check out The Hot House here

Process of making my personal project video

Intro
As I was creating a music video I drew a lot of inspiration from listening to my finished track. The music formed ideas, feelings, colours and scenes in my head for me to draw inspiration from.

Story Board
I set out some boxes on A3 paper and drew down what I thought fitted with the music. I find A3 paper or larger more comfortable to use for the expression of ideas. Physiologically it makes it easier to feel free when I use a large work area to capture drawn graphics.
Before I sat down to do the initial storyboards I would doodle. This allows my mind open up creating new avenues of inspirational ideas.

Audience
All types of art are subjective to opinion. I have set out to create something that is suitable for all ages. Because the music is also unusual this could mean it appeals generally to the younger adults (16 – 25).
Initial ideas
Initial ideas were that it would be totally shot at night. The track utilised a lot of echoed instruments and small vocal pieces, giving it a fragmented distant feel. I therefore first thought of night time to support the track elements. Purples, light blues, dark greens and other earthy tones would reflect this prominence of the echoing elements in the track. Empty garages, car parks, warehouses, large expanses of flat land were my initial thoughts. I also had thoughts of comparing city based landscapes with rural ones when the song develops into its different parts. This would have worked as a background idea to support other main storylines or focus points. I decided against this idea as it wasn’t original and didn’t support the vocals in the track. I came up with the name energize from the vocal I used. Much like a pop song the last few words of the chorus would determine the name of the track. I applied this way of thinking to my track so that it was straight forward for the listeners/viewers to remember the music and video.


Cuttings
When I read magazine and newspapers I like to cut out pictures or photographs that interest me. I may cut out various things depending on my interests at the time but generally new colours, patterns and original design ideas I haven’t seen before would be taken for inspiration for new projects. I feel it is very important to keep close to what you think looks good and what interests you at certain times. Looking back over time I’m sure I will notice patterns in my cuttings that can help inform me of my previous thoughts and feelings so I can keep creating new and original ways of thinking in the future.

Documenting Diabetes - Magazine Research (Adam Fine)

During my downtime from work I have been reading quite a lot. Every month I get my Balance magazine which tells me about the latest thoughts on Diabetes. In the February edition there was a little article about independent producer Adam Fine, who is looking for volunteers with diabetes to feature in a documentary about ‘how people deal with diabetes both psychologically and physically during different life stages. The documentary will also look at the impact of recent developments in diabetes care and technology.’

A few years ago I made a film about my experiences with diabetes, filming my consultant, Dr H. Baumer. You can catch my two part film on Youtube.

Living with Diabetes Part 1
Living with Diabetes Part 2

I look at lot younger in my film and my filming technique has improved since then, but the film was used by the diabetic nurse team at Derriford hospital to show teenagers with type 1 diabetes how we sometimes feel with this condition.
I thought that I might e mail Adam to find out a bit more about his project.

I have not yet seen any of the trilogy but am excited to get my hands on them as soon as they are released (and when I have a job to buy them! )

Check out his website here

A Day spent with Music Producer - Kam

February 21st 2012

I made contact with this music producer through a close friend. This producer has created his own record label and works as a freelancer. He works out of his own studio in Slough.

I was interested in meeting him as I am driven to raise the standard of my music production to a professional standard. I really wanted to know about developing sound quality and use of different frequencies.

I travelled to slough and met with Kam, professionally known as Romay, in his home TDK approved studio. He there introduced me to his equipment and music. I am in the process of developing a track with a friend which Kam agreed to listen to and give me some feedback. After comparing our track to the drum and bass giants releasing music today, I was taken aback by what I was hearing. The intricacies of each sound mixed so delicately with another amazed me. What I didn't really appreciate before I went to see Kam is how precise you have to be when mixing your sounds and not only what your chosen sounds are. I knew that certain choice frequencies had to be assigned predominantly to each different sound element, but I wasn't aware of how the further processing of each sound such as limiting, cutoffs for basses, adding reverb etc is important when it comes to making the music stomp out the speakers. I also learnt that by using as many tools available in the software as I could appropriately, it would give the track the right amount of space for each sound being heard in the final mix.

Spacing, amoung other things, was a feature that Kam was serious about in production and I found this very interesting. Mixing the track which is what is required before mastering, gives each sound element room to breathe within the whole mix. Spectrum analysers are also important in aiding me as a producer, to see what sounds are hitting each frequency. As I am new to the whole technical side of producing music, he stated the importance in viewing other similar genres and styles of music through the spectrum analyser, for producing the right sounds in each frequency. By referencing the newest and best electronic music out, we can then use it to see how it looks within the analyser.

Choosing the right sounds in the first place when making a track is just as important as mixing them properly. For example, using a snappy sounding snare and eq-ing it at 220Hz (which is at the top end of lower frequencies) is going to make the sound a lot flatter than an already beefy, round sounding snare sample that is inherently hitting the lower end of the spectrum already. Technically, drum and bass is the most challenging genre to make. As there is so much going on in the mix at one time that you have to constantly fight for space within the mix. That is why panning, processing, limiting, cut offs and a whole load of other effects are so important if you want that punchy, full sound when listening to the high energy music.



Notably, RAM RECORDS have been relishing in the artists that pay close attention to their production. With the likes of artists such as Sub Focus, Cyantific, Delta Heavy, Hamilton, DC Breaks and Wilkinson its hard to find something that, listened to on the right equipment, can't amaze. There is such clarity amongst a cluttered frequency environment within the Drum and Bass tradition. I find Ram Records artists work both complex, exciting and admirable as they master their technical allowances to the full, pushing sound as far as it can go and striving to be the best engineers of music production.

Check out Ram Records Here\
Check out Romay Here

Illuminate Bath

My input

Sound recording
Camera man
Editor

The new festival of light and art installations was first held in 2011 all around Bath. It showed us new talent, new thinking and new ways to use light and performance.

For the days that I was there, I recorded sound video and completed editing work for the performances during the festival in Bath city centre.

Bike Rides

We first started at the top of Victoria Park, where the race was starting. The light visibility was low for conducting interviews as it had just got dark. The bikes were fitted with all sorts of flashing lights and neon glowing bulbs which looked great on camera. We got an interview before the race with Richard Bidgood who is on the board of trustees for Bath Spa as the chair/union president. We took him slightly out of the park into the street lit areas and used LED lighting to contribute to the available light. Naturally, he spoke very well on camera which would prove to be an interesting and exciting interview for use later on in the post production edit.

This shoot in particular was more difficult than the later Illuminate shoots I was involved in as everything we did was new to us, filming off the cuff and finding as much important, exciting and relevant shots throughout the short bike ride event. We only had one chance to get the bikes coming into the finish line so we had to make it count.

Interviewing people on the spot on their bikes straight after the race was difficult in terms of content of what they were saying, but also a way of gaining an exciting reflection of the event that had just taken place as this made each interview both interesting and vibrant as the bikers were panting and rather worn out after finishing the race. Ciaran, who was interviewing the cyclists, interviewed them without prior planning. After the third and fourth person we managed to interview I noticed that the questions were ‘closed’. This meant that the responses we were getting were limited in length and complexity.  If I was to repeat this again I would prepare some ‘open’ questions for both before and after the race so that our answers would vary across the board, making a more interesting piece for the viewing audience.

Performance Art

In the centre of Bath in the newly built shopping precinct there was a performance art show. The show consisted of miming acts, circus movements, running, screaming and general circus type performances. There were people in strange masks, balls that lit up, lots of makeup, general clowning around, running about and dancing to music. I managed to get some great reactions from the public who where passing through. When I was using the camera I tried to cover as much of the public’s reactions during the event as I believed it to be the most interesting thing for the viewer, besides the actual event.  Children’s reactions were also great on camera, as they stared in amazement and laughed with joy at what was going on around them.

 I enjoyed filming and getting some great shots for the project and it was a good learning experience which taught me how and when to seize the right shots. It was good to experience how to react to a crowd quickly and which shots to take when the opportunities presented themselves. Along with the general running around of all the characters in the performance, there was also an ensemble type event where people all joined together to dance. The dance was a cross between tribal African and bebop jazz swing. It looked so exciting on camera with all the lights around it as well as the audience watching. There was also a smooth Jazz band playing in the background when the dancing performance art was closing up. I decided it would be useful to capture this on film to show the community spirit of Bath and link it into the Illuminate Bath festival later on in the edit.

Projector Installation

This was more of a sideline project that was around the rest of the main events such as the performance art piece. There were three projector installations that I was involved in. The first projected image was a straight shot of a wall where the passers by were walking on the pavement. They were captured on camera. This footage was then projected onto where the video had previously been recorded so it looked like there were people walking by where the projector was presenting the video. Some people saw the projection and thought they were being recorded and shown onto the wall and hurriedly got out of the way of the projection. Some realised it was not them and laughed, which looked great on camera.  Some didn't notice at all. The sound for this was not needed as we were just gathering shots of the projected images on the wall and gathering the reactions from passers by who were walking through the projection.

The second projection I was involved in was another small installation using an overhead projector with small objects such as buttons, shells, felts, cord and many other small pieces blown up and put on a wall. We interviewed an array of people who had a go on the projector, getting snippets of what they thought about the festival so far. The audio for this was more difficult to record as we were in the type of alleyway which channelled the wind past us. To solve this I had to put my back to the wind to keep the microphone sheltered.

Light tubes and interviewing the artist

We interviewed the artist responsible for creating an array of huge coloured glass light tubes. They were absolutely beautiful in colour, and magnificent in size. There was also a golden chair and desk piece and a row of large light bulbs that lit up the far end of the room. Because the room was very light and quiet we didn't have any problems when recording audio and video. The interview was also successful in terms of content and information about each piece.

Coloured light projection on walls

I was involved in camera and sound work for this. The room was a large white walled empty shop that contained two large high definition projectors. The two projectors cycled through the spectrum of colours, merging each colour slowly into one another and creating a pulsing effect with the colours. This was then projected onto two white walls. The effect was vibrant and of course very colourful. People wandered in off the street to see what was going on. We interviewed a couple who were creating shapes with their hands and body which was cast on the walls by blocking the projectors light and we captured them talking about their experience. We then interviewed the two guys that were in charge of direction for the installation. We asked them questions about how they came up with the idea. They gave great answers and interesting references for the viewers of the light festival to look up. I managed to get a few nice shots of the light behind a large gate that had been put into an empty shop that we were filming in. I liked how the gate was silhouetted behind the colourful lights. Although this was not part of the concept of the installation I decided it would be a good shot to include in the edit and it could be used for pictures of the festival for a DVD case or screen shot for blogs about the festival.

Editing

I took part in some of the editing including the introduction for Illuminate Bath 2011 and two Interviews of the lanterns light show. One of the Interviews consisted of talking about a coloured ice sculpture made into columns which slowly melted over time. The interview was quite dry but I managed to cut it down to a two minute interview from 20 minutes of footage which still included some interesting points such as what the sculpture was about, what it did and the reactions of some passers by. I layered these cuts of passers by and included shots of the sculpture over the top of most of the interview to keep it as stimulating for the viewer as possible.

Illuminate Bath 2011 was a fun festival for all the public and I was able to learn a lot about different filming techniques and sound skills throughout the project work.


Check out the Bath Illuminate page here

Music Maketh the Man

Since childhood music has been a big part of my life from playing the clarinet, learning how to mix music on turntables, djing in clubs and listening to a lot of different genres on a daily basis. Electronic music in the past has only been possible using hardware based synthesisers, drum machines and mixing desks. Now, with the invention of fast processing computers, there is less, or often no need to have access to expensive hardware based electronic components. This allows software companies to create soft synthesisers and other music composing instruments virtually. Anyone can now buy or download freeware software’s to create their own music.

I made the decision last year to begin to learn how people make music using computer based software. As I was always hugely passionate about electronic music, djing on a regular basis, I was intrigued as to how the sounds are created. Each genre of electronic music is different but abides by some rules such as tempo, styling, instrument choice and vocal elements. These different parts of the track are integral to how the sound is defined by the genres available. Music, especially electronic music, is always changing rapidly and has many sub -genres and cross over projects. I have noticed these changes more recently (over the past 6 years) notably with the introduction of Dubstep. I believe this genre has broken moulds drastically in the genre etiquettes around the world, meaning different styles and sounds are immerging all the time now. Keeping abreast to these changes as a DJ and a musician can be sometimes overwhelming as well as keeping open minded and true to your musical likes and dislikes is paramount. I also find that music and media (video production) and even graphic design go hand in hand. After all, music is received and processed emotionally and having a beautifully shot film and the wrong soundtrack can have a hugely detrimental effect to how the work is received. Also choosing a too ‘aggressive’ or unusual track can ostracise and confuse the audience once again changing the outcome of how the work perceived by the audience.

Keeping my Ideas Original

Keeping your ideas fresh is important but staying too close to the producing crowd can often be boring to listeners. For example, creating a standard 4/4 house beat, which is repetitive and not showing much enthusiasm for instrument choice can bore your target audience. By studying all genres of music you can select what instruments sound appropriate with one another and ‘step outside the box’ when you feel that the song needs more excitement or new direction.
Instruments can be chosen to reflect/echo other genres as well as integrating more sounds within the theme of the song.
E.g
Jazz music = reflected by such wind instruments as the saxophone.
Drum and bass music with complex drum patterns, lots of symbols and heavy bass lines.
Classical = using the right instruments, layers, volumes and strings.
Making music, in my mind, is like editing videos or creating graphics/art. It is a creative process with a multitude of decisions, feelings and emotions. Keeping close to knowing what you think sounds good and what doesn’t is very important in all of these practical arts.

Common misconceptions are that making electronic music or computer music is easy.
Again if I compare art to computer composed music, an artist could splash paint on a canvas and this would be considered a type of art. If an accomplished artist studying classical painting styles spent a year completing a large portrait of a famous figure it would also be considered as art. Music, art, video, photography, graffiti etc are all forms of expression and each contain their own identity.
‘Computer Music' magazine, a monthly issued magazine, details a wealth of information for computer musicians. In today’s level of high production, everybody who creates music is using a computer at some point.

It’s true that the music and media industry are cut throat in terms of the shelf life of artists/ creator. The supply of music producers available to the public through the internet and various forms of media today is extensive, to the point that an artist could be all the rage one week and forgotten the next. In this throw away culture that we live in, where information is available around the clock, although can be suffocating and overwhelming at times, it is also of great significance. The opportunities available today are astonishing. It’s just about harnessing them in the right light and keeping a positive focused attitude to using this information especially when things do not go your way. John Mayer said “after all, the internet doesn’t actually exist.”

People now have all of the choice, at all times. With an all embracing access to Internet platforms such as Soundcloud channels, Youtube channels, Facebook pages, twitter accounts, self made web pages, becoming a member of a nightclub/pub page on forums and Facebook, people can create their own world to launch themselves into the public eye to be noticed. Once artists receive notoriety is from social networks, larger more established companies can sign these artists and market them correctly to the right sections of the internet and media sectors with the intention that they will grow more popular.