Software & Editing Ideas and Practice

 I wanted to consider how I would like my film to look and to think about the sort of mood I wanted to create for my film and as I am a fan of Bauhaus (The Band) I thought a short clip that worked with music would be good to create. Songfacts states; 'This was the first single from Bauhaus. The song, which is a very dark 9-minute epic on the death of a vampire, is considered the true start of the gothic subculture. The song's horror-esque lyrics along with the many eerie effects and monotone sound were standards for the rise of gothic music.' (Songfacts.com, 2023)  I liked the idea of a kind of gothic feel for the practice and I sought out this kind of music on the Free Music Archive.  here it states there is a monotone sound I will be going for a monotone look which I think may work for this practice.

Bella Legosi is Dead by Bauhaus (1982)

I thought I would use Clipchamp as per my project sign off and as I can work on this online and at home on my desktop.  It is fairly simple to use and I did not want a particularly complicated edit.

I began by choosing several clips from Pexels but I got this down to two clips as for practice I wanted a a very clear message as there was no commentary - it is more like a music video.  

I added the clips to Clipchamp just by importing them into 'my media in the left-hand menu

As can be seen, I imported more clips than I needed as I was still deciding which clips would really work together and I couldn't do this until I put them together on the timeline. 

I then added as my first clip a black background which I just used from ClipChamp and a text box so that I could add the title.

I then added my first clip which is of a woman dancing - this clip I use this all the way through and essentially just use the split tool to split the clips and create gaps to add in my other clip of the skull which I also split into pieces and inserted into the film. 

I then changed all the film footage to black and white using filters on the right-hand menu and then choosing 'muted black and white' 

I then went to each edit and went to 'transitions' on the left-hand menu and added a crossfade for just over 2 seconds so that the fade merged with the girl's face. 

I checked each fade was working and then I added Credits at the end so I could credit the film clips to the makers on Pexels and also the music I chose which was from the free music archive.

I then added the music on a separate timeline and added a fade in and out at the beginning and end.

I then exported the video to my computer as an MP4 as a high quality HD film.  I also created a link so it can be access here as well. 

Uncertain Times

This is my final practice film 'Uncertain Times' (Version One) It was too large to upload straight from my computer therefore I added this to my YouTube Channel - Please see the final cut below!

Uncertain Times, Edited by Zoe Van-de-Velde (2023)

This was a good practice and it helped me to think about how I wanted to make my longer final piece in terms of mood, style, and message.  The editing process was fairly simple and I wanted to keep it this way in my final film.  It is a little rough around the edges and in the final film, I will spend longer on each edit to ensure they are even smoother.  I was pleased with the music choice as this does work well with the film and the crossfades are definitely going to be a feature in my final work.  

References

Songfacts.com. (2023). ShieldSquare Captcha. [online] Available at: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/bauhaus/bela-lugosis-dead. [Accessed 01/1123]

Creating a Website: About Me Page

Zoe began life in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, and spent most of her youth nomadically moving from place to place.  Zoe discovered that through the photograph she could create a stillness and permanence to existence, and the camera became an ever-present feature that brought comfort amongst chaos.  Zoe still believes that her camera is a magic box and every photograph she takes is a remembrance, and proof that she existed. 

 

 Zoe has a first degree in English and Media from DMU. She also achieved an MA with Distinction in Creative Media Arts (Photography) from the London South Bank University. Zoe's film 'Let's Eat Hair' was shown at the Phoenix Cinema in Leicester. Zoe continues to make photographs and writes creatively.

I completed this and then I added this to my website by clicking on the right hand menu and going into my 'About' page.  I then copied and pasted my test in from blogger to the website page and changed the font to match my fonts on the page. The final page look like this:

I may change the image later but this will work for the moment.

I also looked at the mobile view and adjusted my names and made it smaller so that it fitted correctly on the page

Creating a Website: Contact Page & Social Links

 I am carrying on with website creation and today I am going to add a contact page and social links. 

I used the add button on the left hand menu to add social links icons.  I then clicked into the social icons and deleted ones I did not need.  I then I added the links by clicking on the ones I was using; these were Blogger, LinkedIn, Twitter/X and YouTube.  I then saved my changes and clicked on Preview and Then I checked each link worked.  These are in the footer so they appear each page.

I added a new contact forma and deleted the old one and then I went to settings and email notifications and set the notifications to my email. 

I then changed the font of the 'Get in Touch' to Palantino Linotype so that is was consistent.  I then added an image by clicking on Add and then Image and I uploaded my own image to Wix and added to the page.  I am not sure I liked this yet so may change this to a different image later on. I previewed it and made sure that everything worked.

Then customised my contact form by clicking on the form setting and the 'design' icon and then went to customised and I customised the 'input fields' by added a colour of pale grey and then I customised the font so that it matched the font of my website which was Palantino Linotype 27pts. 

I have checked everything is working and previewed but I may more changed later, but happy with page for now.

I checked the mobile view and on this page no changes were needed.

I updated this page with a new image as I really felt this image did not work - this is my updated page

I also checked the mobile view and I was much happier with this version 

Uncertain Times: Project Plan

 I created this project plan based on my project sign-off using a Venngage Infographic template.  this plan will ensure that I organise my weeks as we have a tight deadline and I need to make sure all work is completed each week. 

Uncertain Times Project Plan

Project Plan Update - 21/11/23

To update and consider the work and how I have managed this over time I went back to my project sign-off from Week Four and Looked at what I had completed

• Project Sign off post - complete

• Initial Research post - complete

• Project Plan - Complete Updating Now

• At least three research posts on other artists/designers - Lee Miller, Daido Moriyama, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Website Research on Katy Grannan and Corrine Day, Sense 8

• A post on your target market - Ideal Customer Infographic 

• at least three process posts - this will include contacts, technical details of original images and sourcing stock images, editing film and finalising  - Collecting Stock Images, Editing Film, Editing Decisions post

• Technical research post on software you will use - Software Practice on Photoshop, Software practice on Clipchamp

• Post on creating your portfolio - Completed website portfolio, Introduction and added the portfolio

• Finalising your portfolio and adding to your website - Completed 

Creating a Website: Photography Home Page

 Today we began creating a website using Wix.  I began by choosing a template. 

This is the site I have chosen to customise.  The next step was to change my name so I selected my name and then on the pop-up dialog box I chose the font Palatino Linotype, I made this larger to 41 pts and I made this bold and adjusted the setting using the transform controls as my name is rather long.

I changed my navigation bar to the same font Palatino Linotype 32pts and bold.  I then deleted any pages that were unnecessary and I just kept Home, Portfolio, About, and Contact. I also deleted the login box so that no one has to log in to view the site.

I then changed the copyright sign to my name and the correct date and I changed the font to match the font on the page. the copyright lives in the footer and should appear on each page.

I completed a change of background image using my own work and then I cropped the image using the Wix Photo Editor so it fitted correctly onto the page. I then used the preview button to see what the site looked like when published

I then saved all my changes using the save button in the top right-hand corner.

I have now completed my home page, I will be adding the social media links later.  I will use this image for now but I may change this before publication. 

I also looked at my mobile view of my homepage and just adjusted the page to get rid of blank space - this is now much improved. 

Initial Research: Marlon Brando Apocalypse Now & Method Acting

 In my performing arts project this term I will be creating a showreel, therefore I want to explore in my initial research acting methods.  I have chosen to look at Marlon Brando and Apocalypse Now (1979) directed by Francis Ford Coppola, as Brando used this acting technique for this epic film. 

Marlon Brando star of The Godfather films, is well known for using method acting. Today states; 'Drawing on inner torment What set Brando apart was the way that technique unleashed his inner conflict. The same qualities that made Brando a world-class actor also made him, by some accounts, a world-class pain.' (TODAY.com, 2004).  Brando used the Stanislavski technique that he learnt as a young actor from his mentor Stella Adler who taught Brando emotional memory 'Adler, argued that the actor’s role was to use emotion to command the attention of the audience as much as possible.' (Kemp, 2022)

Marlon Brando on the set of "Apocalypse Now."

SILVER SCREEN COLLECTION VIA GETTY IMAGES

Method acting can be a gift and a curse, as essentially, the actor, becomes the person they are playing and this scenario went to extremes when Brando played Kurtz in Coppola's Apocalypse Now (Based on Joseph Conrad's book 'Heart of Darkness' (1899).  Coppola's own vision for the character who is lost in the jungles of Vietnam was a "lean and hungry warrior" (Madden, 2022) . Brando had put on a lot of weight and refused to memorise his lines; 'Brando didn’t connect with what Colonel Kurtz..and decided to rewrite his entire character from the ground up..often talking about reformatting the character in his vision. Though they may not have had time to overhaul the entire story, Brando’s plans for Kurtz came entirely from improvised dialogue, often taken from those rambling tangents that happened to be filmed in between takes.' (Coffman, 2023).  The film itself became a nightmare, the budget began at 12 million and became almost 30 million and much of this was Coppola's own money, Coppola faced financial ruin if the film was not completed, and 'the calamitous shoot gave Coppola an epileptic seizure, and on three separate occasions, he threatened to commit suicide' (Madden, 2022) Brando also refused to work with Dennis Hopper who was always high on cocaine and insisted on a continuous supply on these. Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack and nearly died probably brought on by the very stressful conditions of the shoot and Coppola's 'manipulative directing style '(Madden, 2022)  Coppola wanted the actors to become the characters he envisioned, however, Brando had resolved to become the character he envisioned and through the method acting of Brando many actors wanted to follow his lead;  'He [Brando] changed the idea of the type of person male actors wanted to be. They to be visceral, not polished; they wanted to be masculine; they wanted to be intense.' (Kemp, 2022).

Apocalypse Now was a metaphor for the times, and this highly intense and now classic film has stood the test of time just as Conrad's Heart of Darkness, I leave you with some words from Conrad:

“I don’t like work--no man does--but I like what is in the work--the chance to find yourself. Your own reality--for yourself not for others--what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means'  (Conrad, 1899: from Bookroo)

References

TODAY.com. (2004). Marlon Brando redefined acting. [online] Available at: https://www.today.com/popculture/marlon-brando-redefined-acting-wbna5354214.[Accessed 26/10/23]

Kemp, S. (2022). How Marlon Brando changed Hollywood acting forever. [online] faroutmagazine.co.uk. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-marlon-brando-changed-hollywood/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

Coffman, T. (2023). A Match Made In Hell: Marlon Brando in ‘Apocalypse Now’. [online] faroutmagazine.co.uk. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/a-match-made-in-hell-marlon-brando-in-apocalypse-now/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

Madden, C. (2022). The Apocalypse Now Controversy Explained. [online] SlashFilm.com. Available at: https://www.slashfilm.com/783841/the-apocalypse-now-controversy-explained/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

bookroo.com. (n.d.). The 25 Best Heart of Darkness Quotes. [online] Available at: https://bookroo.com/quotes/heart-of-darkness [Accessed 27 Oct. 2023].

Project Sign Off: Uncertain Times

 After considering my ideas I have now signed off my project on 'uncertain times'  This will be a short film using still images.  here is a quick mock-up using one of my images from the sequential work and a stock image of an explosion.  This is the kind of look I will be trying to achieve through my film. 

Please find my Project Sign Off here I will be working on this throughout the term and I will post my project plan in the next post.