lhfworkinprogress-blog

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Critical Evaluation

Prior to university I hadn’t worked in the medium of screen dance, but since being introduced to it, it has opened creative possibilities. Screen dance provides me with the opportunity to take dance out of its usual setting and put it anywhere, for me this is an important aspect of screen dance that I enjoy investigating. For this reason, when starting this project, I decided to make a site-specific piece.  Screen dance allows me to take control over what the audience is exposed too, by using the editing process to intricately intertwine the camera and the movement creating something that can only be viewed on screen and not live (Azrak F & Bahhi R. 2014). It’s a hybrid art form that allows me to explore my curiosity.

During my process I found a range of sources that have contributed to my final piece, knowing I wanted to do a site-specific piece meant that I still needed to find what I wanted to convey. Research led me to discovering site specific art as seen in entry 19 and more specifically the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.. I began to search for screen pieces that contained a war theme and found the BalletBoyz piece Young Men (2016) as seen in entry 20. However, I was conscious that my intention of the piece was not to create an accurate retelling of a dramatic event, which upon viewing Young Men (2016) I discovered was the case. I decided to focus my piece on the after effects of war, leading to an investigation of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  I used the symptoms and themes to create the essence of my piece as seen in entry 25, using the medium of dance to create a metaphor, rather than a realistic retelling.  Once I had established these themes and decided upon an idea, I applied strategies to portray my intentions for the piece.   

A strategy I implemented to convey the intention of my piece was the use of structure. Prior to being introduced to screen dance all the work I created was performed on a live basis, I have discovered this year that you are not able to approach the task in the same way, due to the different demands of screen work. For example, when choreographing a piece, I tend to work with a linear structure resulting in the accumulation of sections to create a finished piece, whereas in screen dance I decided this would not be an efficient way to work. Instead I worked with the dancers to create and record stand-alone phrases, that could be manipulated and filmed in various locations, supplying me with a selection of clips from each location that I can explore in the editing process. Although there are some similarities in the way in which I used to work and how I now produce my screen pieces, these can be seen in relation to the way in which I generate movement. I made the conscious decision to not have heavily movement based choreography in my screen piece, instead I wanted gestural movements as influenced by Anna Tesera De Keersmaeker’s Rosas Danst Rosas (1983) an example of which can be found in entry 11. The piece contains repetitive gestures throughout, reoccurring as the shots jump between locations. The repetitive gestures help to portray the meaning of the piece and therefore this was something I wanted to emulate. I used a creative task from my choreographic experience to create a score, enabling my dancers to generate movement, similar to what Jonathon Burrows wrote in A Choreographer’s Handbook, about a score being  'a tool for information, image and inspiration,’ (Burrows, 2010 p.141), I used a list of words to inspire my dancers to choreograph individual phrases, examples of which can be seen in entry 28.  When in the choreographic stage of my piece I learnt it was important not to focus too much on the choreography, but the opportunities the movement provided for the camera and the best way to capture these phrases to portray my intentions for the piece. Unlike live work I learnt, I didn’t need a full five minutes of choreography, the individual phrases provided me with enough footage to create five minutes due to having the ability to manipulate clips, for example being able to alter the speed and repeat a clip. 

An important aspect to take into consideration when working in the medium of screen, is the impact the editing process has on the final product. For me this meant when planning my piece, shot size, angle and proportions in the shot that all must be considered when filming, examples of this planning can be seen in entry 27 and entry 30. I learnt without planning it would be impossible to change location seamlessly, whilst my dancer remains in the exact spot on the screen. This technique was influenced by a video I watched from 60secondsdance, an online international dance film competition seen in entry 7. Using the dancer as an anchor for the manipulation of location enabled me to emphasis the flashbacks and reliving of the events my soloist is dealing with, further fulfilling my intention.

Another editing technique I have used can be seen to draw influence from the first screen piece I made in my second year called Where (2016). An opportunity the screen medium provides is the ability to move your dancer’s location on the screen without jumping and cutting to another shot with the dancer in a different part of the screen. In my current screen piece, I wanted to develop this idea of having a jump cut of static bodies to have the four dancers performing their phrases in different locations on the screen. I was able to use the movement to jump cut and continue the phrase of a selected dancer in a different location, as well as duplicate my dancers, adding texture to the piece. This required planning of where to film the shots to stop overlapping when it came to place the shots side by side in the editing process. Having the ability to move the dancers quickly through space, allows the pace of the piece to be built as it progresses. Efficient jump cuts can be seen throughout my piece to both duplicate and shift dancers in the space.

Building the pace of the piece and reaching a climax was a desire of mine. When researching I discovered the impact accompaniment could have on a screen piece as seen in entry 8 and entry 9. Previously when creating screen work, I used a soundscape of my own creation to accompany my film, so working with a pre-recorded piece of music opened new possibilities within my screen work. I chose a piece of music that gradually built to a climax and would work closely with the footage I had captured. While editing I discovered the most efficient way of working, was using markers when listening, ensuring a close relationship between the movement and music. For me this added impact and intensity to the piece, that would not be achieved without the accompaniment. This has taught me how much I enjoy working to a piece of music as well as providing me with a platform to explore the possibilities in the relationship between music and movement.

Another editing technique I implemented as a strategy throughout, can be seen in the effects used in the editing process. For example, to show a contrast between the movement in the two locations. I used inspiration from my research of PTSD to explore the symptoms most commonly found. This included the re-experiencing of events such as flashbacks, increased arousal and feeling physically numb. These are all the aspects I wanted to capture. This led to the use of the tracing tool, giving the dancer an echo to all her movements, emphasising feeling physically numb by showing her belief of being detached from her body. This is just one of the strategies I used in the piece to explore the symptoms of PTSD. I also used layering of shots to transition between the studio and flashbacks of being in the field. An example of this can also be seen towards the end of the piece where I use layering to clarify the relationship between the two locations, inspired by the video seen in entry 6. My solo dancer performs isolated movements that she remembers and re-lives from the other dancers. I used layering to show the original clip behind my solo dancer, linking the soloist with each dancer as they perform the movement she is now reliving, to further convey my intention.

During the editing process a problem arose that I did not anticipate seen in entry 34, this was in relation to working solo. Prior to this, any screen work I had created had been done in a group of four, this meant there was always someone to ask for a second opinion. When working on this project solo it became apparent that at times, I was unsure of how the piece should progress and if what I had previously created had the intended impact on my audience. To overcome this, I began to ask my peers for feedback as well as my lecturers, for me this highlighted the importance of asking for help when working as a solo artist, and this is an important skill that can be translated into the rest of my dance practice in the future.

Without learning and developing new skills throughout the process I would have not been able to meet my intentions. The strategies I used to convey these intentions are skills that I will carry forward, for example beginning able to layer up shots and transport between two different locations. Screen work has provided me with a new creative outlet, that fascinates and inspires me to create new work and further develop my skills.

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  Bibliography

AZRAK, F & BAHHI R. (2014) Screendance Introduction. July 2014. Screendance [online]. [accessed 18/10/17]. Available from:

https://screendanceblog.wordpress.com/introduction/

  KAPPENBERG, C. (2009) Does screendance need to look like dance?, International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 5:2-3, 89-105.  

PTSD Art Gallery (2015) [Online image] Avaliable from: http://ptsdchat.org/art-gallery/. [accessed 02/01/2018].

TATE (2018) Site – Specific [online]. [accessed 13/11/17]. Available from:

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/s/site-specific

10 Site – Specific Masterpieces of Art You Can Only Appreciate in Person (2018) [online]. [accessed 23/11/17]. Available from: https://www.frommers.com/slideshows/847929-10-site-specific-masterpieces-of-art-you-can-only-appreciate-in-person

Videography

ANALOG HEART (2017) Zeitgeist [online]. [accessed 20/10/17]. Available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmQzF3_c5Bk&index=5&list=PLJepy0Kh1IVxkQMpzlGD9tsvNKcEOmXkm

  ANALOG HEART (2017) Here [online]. [accessed 20/10/17]. Available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIb_mOk3z4c&index=6&list=PLJepy0Kh1IVxkQMpzlGD9tsvNKcEOmXkm

BALLETBOYZ. (2016) Young Men Feature Trail [online]. [accessed 23/11/2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC5tEqnSmzI

BBC. (2016) Basic Training - BalletBoyz - Young Men Preview – BBC Two [online]. [accessed 23/11/2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZG-saOTg44

DANCEON. (2017) Kara Marni – No Ordinary Love – Emily Romain Choreography – Dance Stories [online]. [accessed 13/11/2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9yfr7WbXe4

DANCE7EN. (2017) 7d_010 [online]. [accessed 10/11/17]. Available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TLI61PeB_c

  DANCE7EN. (2017) 36/42 [online]. [accessed 10/11/17]. Available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvyx6g_qvCM&list=PLJepy0Kh1IVxkQMpzlGD9tsvNKcEOmXkm&index=44

ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET. (2015) Lest We Forget: Akram Khan on Dust [online]. [accessed 27/11/2017].

HILTON JUNIOR. (2015) Videodança - Rosas danst Rosas/ Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker [online]. [accessed 13/11/17]. Available from:

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

  JADE LAYTON. (2017) A LOAN FINAL [online]. [accessed 10/11/17]. Available from:

https://vimeo.com/238067057

  LIBBY FARRELLY, ABIGAL GRICE & EMMA RIDLEY (2017) 60 second: Emma, Libby, Abbie [online] [accessed 10/10/2017]. Available from:

https://vimeo.com/238267848

  MN DANCE COMPANY. (2016) LAND OF ALL – contemporary dance – MN DANCE COMPANY [online]. [accessed 13/11/17]. Available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm98afryPf4

ROGERIO SILVA. (2015) Abaddon [online]. [accessed 13/11/2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLKii-HGnoU&list=PL9NuduwsQefA1yV7Ie_CVZ0ZHz2kpre-5

ROGERIO SILVA. (2015) Edifice [online]. [accessed 13/11/2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S28-OgVDAek

Rosas Danst Rosas. (1983) Video. Choreographed by Anna Teresa DE KEERSMAEKER. Brussels, Kaaitheater.   

Young Men. (2016) Video. Directed by Michael NUNN/Choreographed by Ivan PEREZ. England, BalletBoyz Productions.  

ZACK BENITEZ. (2015) “Medicine” – A Dance Film [online]. [accessed 13/11/17]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5NaiEBoe48

[lhfworkinprogress-blog]

Finished

After many months of planning, filming and editing I have produced a 5 minute screen piece that I am very proud of. 

SHELLSHOCKED

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Problem...

Previously when working in the screen medium I have always worked in a group of four, this means there is always someone to ask a second opinion of. This time round working solo has lead me to find both the benefits and disadvantages this provides, my biggest issue is not having someone to provide instant feedback on what you are working on. For me feedback is extremely important when working on a project, sometimes it takes someone else watching it fresh, to notice details that you may have become immune to noticing after watching it multiple times. So going forward I began to ask my peers and teachers for feedback on my piece, this also allowed me to take advice in relation to how the piece should progress, something I found I often struggled with. It also allowed me to hold conversations about my piece allowing me to verbalise my intentions and ensure they are being met.

Feedback is an extremely important part of the process, although I’m working as a solo artist I must remember there are always people around me, who I can turn to and request feedback.

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Importance of Music

Before starting to arrange the sections I have edited I decided it was best to experiment with pieces of music. This resulted in the selection of a piece of music that I am going to use in my final piece. Music is important to my piece in order to help build the pace and reach the climax, after reflecting on pieces of screen work that i have watched for me those with music had a greater impact, for this reason i want to include a piece of music with my piece.

I have started by using markers on the music to highlight significant points as well as counts of 4 to work closer with my music and movement throughout the editing process.

So far using the markers is working extremely well to highlight specific points movements in my footage. I am very much enjoying working with a prerecorded piece of music, prior to this I have always used a soundscape of my own creation to accompany my screen work.

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Editing Skills

A lot of my editing process is very much on a trial and error basis, I decided this was personally the best way to work last year, when completing my screen work. Although fortunately this year I have been taught a few more skills from my teacher.

Recently a new skill I have developed is the ability to use the multi-clip function on final cut pro. Previously this hasn’t been possible, but due to using two cameras when filming outside I was able to sync the clips and select which angle I wanted present at specific points in the timeline, so the movement is continuous throughout the clip, but the perspective changes.

This became an efficient way to work, whilst producing an interesting visual from the edit, showing the varying perspectives of the movement.

I will definitely be using this tool in the future, its a definite time saver which is ideal when you're working towards a deadline.

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Today I went into the studio with my dancer and captured all the shots I desired in the studio. Which means its now time to start the editing process. I used the measurements that can be seen on my previous post to hopefully ensure that all of my shots line up in the different locations, this should mean when I get to that stage of editing i’ll be able to swap seamlessly between locations whilst keeping my solo dancer in the same place and proportions on screen.

The use of the lighting in the studio, really helped the quality and colour of my footage, this will help to show contrast between the two locations.

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Past experience in screen work has taught me the importance of planning before capturing your shots, in order to seamlessly swap between locations the shots must be in the same proportion and at the same angle. This required returning to the footage I have previously captured, choosing the shots I wish to recapture in the studio and then measuring the distance between Shannon and the side of the shot, ready to duplicate the chosen shots in the studio. This is very useful when editing shots to transition between the two locations, without the pre-planning I will not be able to have Shannon swiftly fade in and out of the locations. Above you can see some examples of the shots and measurements i made.

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Today I did my first round of filming, we went to Braunstone Park in Leicester, capturing shots of the dancers with an open field in the background, as they performed there movement phrases, as well as pedestrian movements such a running and walking. Seeing my ideas become reality was highly rewarding and makes me excited to shot in my next location inside. Although I now need to do some more planning in order to make sure my shots connect together seamlessly.

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Rehearsal Time

Before filming on location I deemed it to be beneficial to have a rehearsal with my dancers, providing them with a platform to explore my score before being faced with a camera and being asked to move. 

I created a score in order to generate movement, Jonathon Burrows writes in A Choreographer's Handbook, about scores being  'a tool for information, image and inspiration,' (Burrows, 2010 p.141). I created a score containing words such as shock, feeling desperate and helplessness, this enabled my dancers to individually choreograph a phrase exploring what those words mean to them. This now gives me four phrases of movement that I am able to explore when filming, for example I may develop them by getting each dancer to pick four key movements from the phrases making the phrases static as well as traveling. Having the dancer choreograph their own movement also means there will be a natural variation between each phrase, adding texture to my piece and providing me with more aspects to play with in the editing process.

Attached to this post is a video of two of my dancers rehearsing their phrases ready for filming next week.

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Above you can see examples of the shots I have planned to film both inside and outside, these plans allowed me to work efficiently in both locations, as well as make sure that I captured all of the shots that i needed to complete my piece, this also allowed me to make connections between the two locations, capturing shots that relate to one another and therefore provide me with the possibility of layering up. 

For example I have planned a shot that requires my dancers, (I have also decided I want to have four dancers altogether in the outside location and only one dancer whom is dealing with PTSD in the inside location) to run across the screen at different times, filming both a wide and close up shot in order to swap between them when editing, I have then planned in developments of the shot to have my singular dancer stand and watch as the others run past her, whilst acting distant and unaware of her surroundings. This is then a shot that I will have the ability to replicate this shot in the studio with just my single dancer watching the empty space remembering being surrounded by her team mates. 

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Reflection of Posts

Recently I have found myself using a notebook to keep track of my screen process and ideas, rather than my blog. This has resulted in not as many posts being posted, however keeping and up to date blog online so far has been an efficient way to keep all of my ideas in one place, as well as being accessible in many different forms. This will therefore be beneficial to being able to reflect on my process after finishing my final piece.

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What is PTSD?

After being inspired by the images I found, I thought it would be beneficial to do further research into the causes, symptoms and real life cases of PTSD.

PTSD is diagnosed after a person experiences symptoms following a traumatic event.

The most common symptoms are: - RE-EXPERIENCING through flashback and nightmares, - EMOTIONAL NUMBNESS leading to the avoidance of places, people and activities, feeling physically numb or detached from their body, - INCREASED AROUSAL this can involve difficulty sleeping and concentrating, often feeling jumpy and easily irradiated, - DIFFICULT BELIEFS/FEELINGS believing that nowhere is safe and nobody can be trusted,

I have used these as a starting point in inspire the shots I wish to capture. For example I have used the idea of flashbacks to choose two locations, one outside in an open field and the other in studio allowing me to have a dark space that I am able to light exactly how I want. This will represent present day, where my dancer will be expressing symptoms of PTSD. This is where the outside location will be used to demonstrate flashbacks of being with her team in combat. The inside location will also explore the other symptoms such as the emotional numbness, this will be demonstrated by the layering up of multiple shots but always have one shot remaining almost motionless to anchor the movement and represent the numbness my dancer is experiencing. Another way in which I plan to use the symptoms to generate movement is playing with the idea of increased arousal and becoming irritated. I will therefore take movement that was performed in the outside environment and adapt the movement to become more agitated and jumpy, to show the progression and change in the dancer and have experience, not being able to settle and constantly being alert and fearful.

Next I hope to further plan my shot ideas in order to be efficient when filming both outside and in.

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After reflecting upon my previous research into artists that have worked on memorial pieces, for example on the project by the English national ballet Lest We Forget, I realised that I don’t want to focus on the memorial of the war but the effect war can have on a person, and more specifically the disorder known as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a mental health condition that effects those who have witnessed or experienced a terrifying event, the symptoms cause the sufferer to relive the event in the form of flashbacks and nightmares often causing huge anxiety. This lead me to researching into art that is inspired by PTSD, when i discovered these 4 images. 

The concept’s that are portrayed from these images are issues that i want to explore further.

The representation of the splitting of a person that is caused by this disorder.

The past effecting the future, with the staircase showing the journey of their life that they must still overcome. 

The baggage this disorder brings, carrying the war with them everywhere they go.

These are concepts I hope to explore throughout the process of my screen piece.

Images found from: http://ptsdchat.org/art-gallery/

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Lest we Forget was a project ran by the English National Ballet, Akram Khan was one of the choreographers who worked on the project. What i found most interesting was how he didn't focus on the event of the war but the effect war can have, in this case it was the effect on society in the way in which woman were now seen, how they shifted from being housewives to women that now worked in places such as factories. What I found most interesting is the different angle in which Khan worked, he didn't go for the obvious retelling of dramatic events but took a theme and used it as inspiration. When creating my piece I don’t want a retelling of a story but use a theme to inspire my work.

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In particular I found this clip to be particularly inspiring, with the dance being put in a site-specific area and the use of unison in the movement making it less realistic in betraying the events but becoming highly entertaining as a dance piece. The unison in this section really highlights the unity that can be found within the army, having all of the bodies fall to the ground at the same time, makes a striking image that really makes you feel emotive towards the dancers with the despair they are portraying. The lighting of the clip allows the dancers to become simple silhouette, therefore the dancers bodies become of importance with the movement they are performing rather than their facial expressions. This piece is a heavily dance based piece with heighten physicality in their movement, although I believe this works very well and I will definitely consider including a similar section in my piece, I still want to remain a focus on gestures to portray my concept and build it up to a movement section.

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Following on from the inspiration I found in site specific art more specifically in the memorials across the world, I discovered this screen piece by the BalletBoyz it follows the journey and obstacles the soldiers face, created as a memorial piece for world war 1. To be able to capture something of this nature that conveys such an important message and meaning, really inspires me to grasp a similar concept in my work, something that has a personal freelance to me and i can explore further in a location based piece.