gdebneysoundvision2019 - Tumblr blog

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Critical Review

From the beginning of the process I’ve been very intrigued in the medium of puppets and the potential they have for sound and vision.

What a puppet provides is the possibilities of a much larger creative scope past any human qualities; they can physically push more boundaries because of their flexible medium. Also, as an image they are very recognisable and fluid in their uses on screen, in particular TV and Film.

The expressive and emotive qualities carried across by a simple material creature lends itself something that very little other mediums can do as provocatively. For this point alone I have been very excited to create a piece using puppetry.

 Because this was a collaborative project, I have come across some barriers I have not experienced in my previous works. An element of working with others that I did find difficult was quickly cultivating a solid idea and structure of the piece. Because there was three of us working on the same project, it was difficult to finalise our pool of ideas, as we had to create something that we were all happy and comfortable with. Since it was a slow start for us to solidify our idea, we lost a lot of vital experiment and research time which I would have liked to have had.

An element that I thought worked really well due to the collaborative nature of this piece was how myself, Jonas and David operated together as a team. Because of the nature of our film, we had to work very closely together on almost all mediums. Everyone contributed to the building of a puppet, research, shooting, acting, editing and sound production, therefore meaning everyone felt highly involved adding their own personal touch to the film.

 The main element of the film I directed and produced was the sound design and composition. Having done a lot of research into the shows we were parodying, meant I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted the piece to sound like right from the beginning of my composing process. Using the loops and the synth pads on Logic Pro X meant I could build a sound track without composing from scratch. This choice of using loops allowed me to create something that sounded professional and more realistic for something that could be on TV. I am very proud of my sound design since this is the first time I have ever done something like this or used Logic Pro X.

What I would like to improve on for next time is my knowledge on sound design and composition. Having a stronger grasp of the technicalities and opportunities created by Logic Pro X would definitely have boosted the quality.

 Overall, I am very happy with the outcome of this piece. I think we have created something that is silly, funny, disturbing, ridiculous and dynamic which is what myself and my group set out to do from the very beginning. 

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Final Edit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds-8C5CHcQU&t=8s

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

TV Experiment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds-8C5CHcQU&t=47s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zoJavBcU5o&list=PL2OmWPhZWLQg4U17dGdWCF41tQ-2lSITa&index=1

We’ve decided to show our film on an old school TV monitor to really highlight our aesthetic and to play with the viewers nostalgia even more. 

When we played it on the screen however, the export that we had done was too sharp to fit in with the grainy texture of the screen. 

With this new edit, we’ve added on a VHS filter to soften the image and to really run with a particular aesthetic. 

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Meme Compilations and Editing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tdq2NvEjYs

Editing in meme culture heavily uses sharp cuts, close ups and timing for its comedic value. Vine videos, for example, became highly popular because of its six second format and millennial humour. Videos that cut into scenarios without context or gave the viewer information within going into any detail to make sense of it were typically more popular.

This kind of editing is very interesting for longer projects, especially this one, because of the properties sharp cuts can have to create a delirious atmosphere.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Film edit

In this edit I’ve used sharper cuts and close ups to add more comic elements to the piece. By zooming in on a puppets face when David picks up the knife for example, highlights the chaos thats about to unfold. 

The hardest part of this was the last scene that cuts between myself and David because of the pace. I needed to have the shots long enough to have a sense of what was going on, but short enough to build tension. The music definitely helped bring the chaos to life.

We haven’t been able to colour grade it that much but the brightness of the shots adds enough to visuals that it isn’t as vital.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

SoundTrack Building

The soundtrack that i have been building is for the middle footage and end. 

For the scenes with talking, i didn’t want the music to feel overbearing or distracting. Because of this, i’ve decided to use two simple jazz piano loops. This creates an ambience of calm and clarity which juxtaposes the actions seen. I have also cut the music out when the camera is ‘not rolling’ to make it more obvious that the presenters have broken out of character to sort out their current situation. 

For the ending, it gets more manic as the puppets create more and more chaos. With the music, to reflect this, i’ve thrown together loops as if the puppets got control of the Logic file and were just smashing down any buttons to generate more havoc. The product of this makes an absolute free-for-all, much like the desire of the puppets in the film.

I finish the film with a recap of the theme tune, ending with a last ‘hey’ as the puppet engulfs the camera. This is to show that the puppets have fully taken over; destroying the old footage and rioting in their new control. 

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

College Humor - CEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFB-ZhKAPPw&t=20s

The sharp and witty way the comedy sketch is filmed and edited is exactly the vibe i want for our piece. The harsh cuts and breaking of the forth wall when speaking to the person behind the camera creates a comedic effect typically found in mock-umentaries. 

The disintegration of sanity felt by the presenter is also something that our piece strongly uses for comedic nuance. The pace of the edit and the naturalistic acting successfully brings these feelings to the surface.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Intro Edit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMuyc0Z-T5g

For this edit, i decided on doing quick cuts between shots to keep it energetic and to highlight the ‘rush’ of the intro. I also decided to speed up all the footage just enough to give it a more animated look. 

For the beginning of the intro, there will be an animated alarm clock which Jonas is creating. There will also be a title at the end of the last shot above our heads to boost the childrens show aesthetic, also being done by Jonas.

I’ve also colour graded it to be brighter and slightly more saturated, as to add to the vibrant vibe of the whole intro.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Theme Song Building

To build the theme song for the intro i used Logic Pro X. 

At first i tried to compose the theme from scratch using the instruments on the programme but this made it sound unprofessional and thin. I am now mostly using the loops to build the theme tune as they sound more concise and full. 

The instrument loops that i have decided to use is jazz saxophone, jazz flute, electro topper, latin percussion, vocal shouts and other jazzy beats. I’ve built it so theres a strong beat to edit to, making it more accessible when watching.

I’ve also used a few synth pads to add to the aesthetic of a childrens show. By having a synth rise and fall, automatically creates a climax in the intro. 

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Theme Song Brain Storming

Typical instruments in kids TV intros:

- Saxophone

- Flute

- Piano

- Percussion 

- Bass

Typical genres:

- Jazz

- Synth pop

- Smooth piano

- Alternative rock

I would like to go down a jazzy synth avenue as i think that sticks with the aesthetic of a crazy, upbeat show. 

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Day Two Shoot - 28.11.19

Todays shoot was to film the rest of the episode footage. We used the same equipment as yesterday as to keep the same aesthetic.

What was challenging today was the improvisational aspect for all onscreen interactions. Because we had no solidified script for each scene, we had to take a few ‘warm-up’ takes to get used to being on camera. After a few takes we all became more natural whilst recording.

We all took turns operating the camera or handling the puppet meaning each scene has a slightly different feel to it. I think this is nice as it shakes things up as to avoid footage being stuffy.

The ending of the piece was somewhat undecided before we went into the studio today so when we got to this point we needed to do some more brainstorming. The ending that we decided to go for in the end was that one puppet reined overall with David having been taken hostage. This works well as a climax because it leaves the outcome unclear and therefore has a weird feel.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

I Dare You - The Regrettes, Music Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOgQpjARYyc

The toy box colours ands child-like aesthetics for this is an inspiration for me for the colour grading of our footage.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Day One Shoot - 27.11.19

Today we filmed all the footage for the intro.

The equipment we used:

- C100 Camera

- JIB tripod

- 80-25mm lens

- Lighting: Two Reds, Three Divas, One Dedo

Overall, the day was successful because of the time we gave ourselves and the preparation before hand.

The structure of the intro is that the presenters and the puppets are in a rush to put together the set before the programme starts. To show this, we started off with an empty set and filmed footage of myself and David and also the puppets adding stuff to the set.

We took an animated and energetic approach to our onscreen presences because of the children’s TV aesthetic. We also used a JIB as a tripod to get a smooth pan, much like a TV show.

The set we had was a table on a blank backdrop with a collection of arty and creative objects and utensils, mirroring sets of Art Attack and Mister Maker. I organised most the objects on set as i had the clearest idea of aesthetic. The objects on the table were interactive enough but stationary enough to not distract from the action.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Brain Storming

Brainstorming structural narrative ideas for our piece.

We’ve decided to have a loose structure and a determined outcome to improvise around. 

There will be two presenters and five puppets. 

Different scenes:

- Potato Print

- Painting

- Papier Mache

- Clay

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Mister Maker - Phil Gallager (2007-2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enslXsx5eKE

Mister Maker is a children’s art show involving one main presenter and multiple material side kicks including a hand puppet, a talking bird in a clock and human sized shapes. 

The bright colours and wacky design 

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

Art Attack - Neil Buchanan (1990-2007)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0evlWSY8kTc

Art Attack was a CITV programme targeted towards teaching practical art in fun and unorthodox ways. The show contained one presenter (Neil Buchanan) and a clay talking head, doing on-screen step-by-step guides of simple art creations to follow at home. 

The set was compiled of larger-than-life artistic tools, all brightly coloured and fantastical. The eye-catching aesthetic creaed a desirable watch for young audiences, and this mixed in with the jazzy theme tune and investing content made the show very popular.

I am going to take influences from the set up and theme tune for this piece.

[gdebneysoundvision2019]

New Proposal - Art Show

Because of time restraints and the necessary need for a script with our previous idea, we have decided to change our project proposal. 

We have decided now to choose the simpler structure of a children’s art show for our environment. This means we don’t have to change space or design for any particular shot, rather explore the area we create. 

The general story line for our piece is the decent into chaos of a children’s TV art show; the chaos being orchestrated by the puppets themselves. 

My predominant role in this project will be the sound designer and actor.