Props & Distribution
I have been researching places to distribute this video piece. To maximize audience engagement I am going to stay open minded about were to show it. Looking through the exhibiting section on a-n I found an online opportunity with Acid Rain Production http://www.acidrainproduction.com/oldhome. They offer an online platform and broadcast video on TV in America. Acid Rain prefer to premier video pieces, which is really great to see online value the work in this way. In the past I have distributed my videos on You Tube however it can sometimes cheapen the work. I was forwarded this opportunity through email called Counter Culture Club at 2022NQ, Manchester http://boxoftrickstheatre.co.uk/countercultureclub.html. My performances and videos work best at an event or happening which this offers. Part of my initial proposal for the AA2A scheme was to improve my video production workflow, although what is the point if I cannot maintain the technology/software needed at home? Producing this new piece of work I have intentionally worked with what I have and I am not going to make any apologies for it. I surrender trying to keep up with the technical changes with computers.
There I’ve said it, and it feels good.
Penny Arcade
Wig/Dress/Performance knickers/Lipstick/Make-up
Other
Intro cards mounted onto card/Bathroom towel or lights?
Technical
Laptop/Extension lead/Lamp
Final Rehearsal
Read through script/Set-up Bathroom/Wardrobe & Make-up/Full run through using computer cam
Bathroom Performance
Today I have been performing in the bathroom. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this sooner. It is well known that audio sounds great in bathrooms and it offers the perfect backdrop. I have done one run through the entire piece and recorded it on my computer cam. I love the simplicity of hitting the record button and having all the material I need on my computer to hand. When I held up my text intro cards they read backwards. I had to print them off as a mirror image to make them readable. The lighting in the bathroom is pretty good as I have spotlights in the ceiling. However I am having video quality issues again, which seems to be the bain of my life! I just want to get on with the work and not get bogged down in techy crap. On the regular playback screen in Photo Booth the video looks great, although when I fill the entire screen it looks pixilated. I could get around this by only showing it small scale, however this is limiting the size. Would a higher quality video cam solve this problem or is it my ageing dinosaur computer affecting the output? Do newer mac’s have better quality built in video cam’s? I noticed watching the playback that the bigger the image the more you notice the slippages in my performance. The smaller the image the less you notice. From this I feel the video would be better suited to a computer/TV screen or a smaller sized projection. I took a photograph of my laptop on top of the shelf in the bathroom and I really like the look of it. The backdrop to my performance now offers a door to walk through and lights to switch off. My dance routine needs perfecting and building from when I am in the foreground to me walking out the door and turning the lights off. Overall the structure is there I just need to refine the performance and use better equipment to film the piece. For now I can keep practicing with what I have.
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