After I had all the film it was fairly simple to import it all into imovie. I have chosen to use iMovie simply because I want to be have the freedom to edit this after college at home rather than having to fit it into my day schedule. I also have some experience editing both on final cut pro and premier and I think that because I am putting together something so simple I really don't need all the editing capabilities of a more advanced program.
Once I selected the shots that I wanted to show, it was simply a matter of flipping the shot using the adjustments bar and then using the modify drop down menu to choose the speed of play back.
This is something that varies from shot to shot, simply judged by eye because some movements are inadvertently faster than others in real time so allowing for this when speeding up film is important so that is visuals are not jerky and clashing with the other parts of the video.
Organising the narrative of the film that I had got was tricky. Although all filming was consecutive (therefore lending a natural narrative) There was so much footage that there was no way that it would fit into one normal length of a song without missing crucial parts of the process. So, I did what we in the business call a 'Hobbit'-I made three videos instead.
When looking at the footage it was clear that it fell into three distinct parts: Learning Calligraphy, Shaping the design base and the experimentation.
The song choice played a big role in communicating this in the tone of voice of the videos. I knew I wanted something gradually building and ambient for the first video, which then led into the second video with more tempo and presence, eventually growing to the third which has a much more distinct rhythm. This building of the rhythm is intended to reflect the momentum of the design process and the excitement ad enthusiasm that goes along with it. Highlighting the positives of the inspiration taken from old practices.
Whilst thinking about this I instantly made the connection between what I wanted for the videos and an album I have been listening to recently. Lights out by Ingrid Michaelson. What is so great abut all the songs is the optimism they have stops the videos seeming too self praising which is a danger when you are recording your own process. If you listen to the videos below in order you can feel the link between them not only in the same artist but in the progression of tempo mentioned above.
Importing the songs from itunes was a simple click and drag matter. I did consider copyright but the fact that the songs are all readily available on youtube, and these videos are completely non profit. However, I will put a disclaimer in any of the uploaded versions of the videos to ensure as little risk as possible.
Of course some audio editing was needed to remove the original sound of the recordings so that the sond wasn't interrupted.
Because of the restrictions on time I did consider taking out some of the footage such as the pencil marking stages and the creation of the grid. However, this made the videos look far too polished and what I wanted from the tone of voice was something natural and as real as possible and the pencil lines and work before any inking is part of that effect.
Especially in the first video where I focus on learning the practice of calligraphy, the imperfections there are what make the later perfections all the better. Also I think it is important that these videos remain about the process and the exploration of it, in which case the majority of work is building up to the final designs, mostly mess and strife and very little flashy design.
While I was filming I wrangled with the way to represent the way that I look at existing designs for inspiration on formats such as pinterest. I solved this by printing out a few of the most influential designs and placing them in front of the screen on the desk for a while.
I found that I needed to slow down these shots other wise the audience couldn't get a good look at the inspiration point, because often what I take on from them is very small and subtle.
I also thought it very important to show the formative evaluation that goes on throughout this process through notes and annotations at certain stages of the designs. This is because without this some of the changes and decisions seem directionless and pointless, which is simply not the case. And needs to be communicated in the visuals of the videos.
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