Instal & Launch

This week was the day of the big launch. As a group we arrived at the pavilion at 2pm in order to prep and run through all the last little details before 4pm when judges would be coming round to view each groups work. We had an issue with the video cutting out after the second time playing which was not an option, as it would constantly be viewed for several hours. Fortunately this was resolved by removing unnecessary files on the media player and ensuring that it was looped within the settings. When the judges came round they came to ours first and asked us several questions on our inspiration and how we went about creating the instillation. I feel as a group we manage to answer all these questions in a manner that was polite and also informative. Overall I am happy with the way this project has turned out, even though it was not the original vision I had for it. I feel that now I have a better understanding of the media I would be able to complete a similar project to a higher standard, knowing my skills and limitations. The project as been a real learning curve and one of the more challenging tasks I have partaken in, it has been a great experience.

Completing

This week we started the edit on the video. Where as before the plan had been to project four separate films onto our space although as we later found out this would not be possible to do with the amount of equipment we had available to us. Instead we came up with the solution of splitting one landscape shot into four different columns. This allowed us to use one projector but still create the same effect. We also needed to add our own original soundtrack to the piece that would change rhythm and beat between the decades ensuring that it gave a clear difference of music through the ages. In order to create this we worked alongside a composer from Bournemouth Arts University, he managed to capture the perfect vibe from each generation so in that sense I was very pleased with the soundtrack. However in the future I feel as if the track should have been composed before the film, giving the dancers the appearance of fluidity and rhythm. This week we also returned to the Bournemouth pavilion in order to set up and test our installation so that any issues could be resolved before the showing. We found that we were having issues with the sound as only minimal volume was heard when we first ran through it. However rather surprisingly this was a relatively simple fix, with us attaching a small battery powered speaker alongside some headphones so the instillation could be watched as a group or individually.

Making Continues

This week was the week of filming. I began on Monday by picking up all the equipment from uni in preparation for the next two days of filming. The first thing I did was to check that everything was fully functional and charged as to avoid any problems down the line. Due to the nature of some of our locations in size and accessibility it was decided that a crew of only director, camera and sound would attend, with others on standby if any issues occurred or if anything was needed to be brought to set. When the crew returned from the first days shoot they dropped the equipment back of at mine where we had agreed it would be stored and charged in a secure place. Upon their feedback they mentioned that there had been issues in the planning of transport between the days two locations, as one of the postcodes supplied was incorrect and caused for a big delay in film time whilst they found the right location. Whilst only a minor setback in reflection I would ensure that I had prepared all addresses for locations and map print outs to ensure no mishaps would happen again. The next days shoot went much smoother however and on return the rest of the group was very happy with the resulting footage.

Making Begins

As we had got the majority of our planning sorted out and film dates set for next week, the key focus on todays meeting was just a quick catch up to ensure everyone is still doing what is required of them in order for ourselves to be on top of everything in the weeks to come. This week we also met with both our dancers to have a quick run through with the dances they would be doing and to plan out the wardrobe for the four shoots. As production manager however my primary focus on this week was getting the risk assessments completed and all the equipment was booked out for next weeks filming. This had me working closely with John who had scouted the locations out, as I needed to properly detail out all the potential risks and hazards the camera crew and cast could possibly face on set.

Pitch

This week we needed to present a pitch to staff, other students and members of the pavilion dance society about or installation idea and the general theme and plan of the project. We started by getting together as a group and collecting all notes and research we had done on the project. We opted to create our presentation on prezi as opposed to powerpoint as we felt it would give a more professional appearance which was key to us especially as we would be presenting to members of the public as well as of our course. The presentation would require for us all to present however it was universally felt that it would be a good idea to have one strong speaker who would spear head the presentation allowing the rest of us to relay all our own relevant information in a manner that flowed and gave that all important feeling of professionalism. I feel like our presentation went very well as we kept to the specified time limit and were able to answer any questions that the audience had competently, however I feel like although I was fairly confident going in my presentation skills are still something I need to build upon.  The other focus of the week was ensuring we had permission to film on all of the desired locations, once we had been given the go ahead we began to make an actual plan for the shoot. We planned out the best route in order to be able to get all four locations completed over two days, also to think about was looking after the actors on set and also ensuring that all the equipment would be kept safe and secure.