no word as yet about reactions/opinions from the meeting on friday. i have to admit that i still don’t find this early viewing point of a film project easy.
i’ve worked on the project today. i felt i needed to start the momentum within the post production process.
a down side of working with binaural sound is the extra stage in the post production process. it’s a file conversion of the video to be compatible with the editing package i have so i can combine video and sound. i’ve done this conversion for the remaining rushes today.
within the korsakow work environment i’ve added detail into the interface of the film. this has led me to reflective again about sizes of windows for video playback and preview images.
with the draft online i’ve been able assess the playback quality and loading speed on numerous devices.
while i work i find myself thinking and reflecting about the project. having been a resident maker in the summer there are elements of the film i wanted to document back in the summer. for example the lift and the billiard room on the second floor. i also spend time reflecting about if i have gone a little over the top with filming relative to the budget i have to make the film. i think this doesn’t matter as much as completing the project as soon as possible because the mill wants to see the film and i want to make the film that maps the derby silk mill museum in november 2016.
as i finished off the filming last week on the first floor i found myself wanting to document the first floor for those past visitors and visitors yet to walk around the newly opened derby silk mill : the museum of making.
i know for some visitors to the museum as it stands today there is a slight disappointment. this is simply that it’s not wall to wall cabinets of things to look at. the derby silk mill museum is working towards being a museum for the twenty-first century. from what i have seen and heard of the plans for the museum, i think they will be blown away by the museum when it re-opens in 2020.
this project is working for me on many levels.
- november 2016 the silk museum looked like this.
- in november 2016 all this happened in the museum plus other events.
- november 2016 our workshops looked like this as we built containers to decant the collection.
- the back lift sounded like this.
- first floor memories.
- model railway.
- the social club on floor 2 in decline.
- the roof space prior to it’s development.
- outside the silk mill.
- aspects of derby all at the same distance from the derby silk mill museum.
i have achieved the momentum i wanted to create today. i’m feeling energised and ready to do the hard work needed to complete the project.
while i write this post the team at the silk mill are viewing a first draft of the film, i expect them to have a lot of feedback and reaction.
preparing a draft has been really helpful this week to get me through the difficult period of deciding upon sizes and compression settings for the content within the film. there is still some work to do as i can see how some files need some extra compression before importing.
overall i’m pleased with how the content looks in the browser.
the next thing to consider – well apart from the edits that still need to be done – are the keywords to link content. i’m asking myself questions about how playful i want to be with how the content will link. as a non narrative film can i in fact play with the liner nature of the walk around the silk mill museum. will this actually make the film more interesting both for those who know the building and those who don’t.
i’ve arrived at a title sequence that feels good. it needs some tweaking and refining as the initial visual rhythm is quickly upset. i still struggle to spell rhythm.
during the week i’ve become a little concerned that the footage is a bit too ‘walky’. if the team come back with this as a comment that is one that needs to be considered i have had some thoughts around how to fix the problem in the edit.
at the mill there is still quite a vibe surrounding the model railway footage. i think there might be a request for some of it to appear on you tube or some other site.
i have enough footage to fill the structure of the film. i feel excited about the days to come as i find slots of time to combine and edit the files.
i’ve been keen to add a post here for over a week now. i’m having such a good time with the projects i’m involved with that the small window of opportunity has been quite elusive, until now.
i’m making this film on a part time basis and as such feel happy that i’m making good use of the time in and around the mill.
over the previous 3 saturdays i’ve recorded footage of very diverse activities happening in the mill. i’ve also had some very serendipitous moments of which my favourite has been working with the volunteers of the model railway. before they begun neatly packaging the rolling stock i was invited to film with them the driver and guards eye view of the model railway. when we looked at the rushes the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. getting that close with a camera rewarded all the hard work as the level of detail in the model makes the footage compelling viewing.
to date the model railway has a 70 year history.
i’ve enjoyed the walks outside the mill. the surprising aspect has been the diversity of environment at an equal number of steps away from the mill.
i’ve nearly completed all the filming. i have a session this week and at this i hope to get the remaining internal footage i need. this will leave the last few external shots to be made. i have my fingers crossed for favourable wether.
my post production process is on going. i’ve been researching the final resolutions of the film and think i’m almost at a decision about this. editing the footage will lead me to the linking keywords and then it’ll be a case of going through all the compressing and assembling the film. when i say it quickly there’s not much left to do really.
i’ve found that filming internally at the mill has been easy because i’m known to the staff. i’ve chatted to them before beginning and they have been at ease when i’m filming. i’m looking forward to the final stages of the film where i link it all together.
i’m looking forward to when i can share the film with the staff of the museum as in making the film i’m seeing new aspects of the museum.
upon reflecting about my process so far i see that i’m evolving in the way i consider something. for this film i’m happy to stay with a wide aspect of the subject in so much as i’m not fixating on detail within the scene. this is quite an adaption to my thinking as i consider that previously i might well have been over focussed on detail believing that that was what was important. i see through this film project that sometimes detail can bog down something unnecessarily. i am getting a sense that in looking at a wider picture i leave space for curiosity to find the detail when more detail is needed to help further the interest. i am of course thinking here about the viewer of the film. am i learning how to manage my expectation of detail ?
when returning to a process i’ve not gone through for a while there are always moments of realisation about the subtleties i need to get back.
this morning was the realisation that i’d not synchronised the clocks on the two recorders i’m using on this project. not a big problem, i’ve managed to locate and sync up almost all the files from saturday. tiredness holding me back completing all the work this afternoon.
the work today has been to start the process to create edits from footage recorded and this in turn starts to inform what will make it into the film and what i still need to create. with a clear head i need to think again about the shooting schedule.
still no images to add to the blog as i’m focussed on producing the edits that will form some of the initial snu‘s of the film. in the non linear film world each scene is referred to as a small narrative unit or snu.
the workflow for this project has many stages, for my own reflection they are:
- planning / preparation
- filming
- syncing
- editting
- snu creation and compression
- non linear film design and editing.
there might well be more. as i get myself quickly up to speed these are the key points as i see them.
there is another event this weekend and i’m keeping a close eye on the weather as well as i need to film outdoors. my ideal day will be bright, dry and not too much wind.
from the footage i’ve worked with today i can start to see how the film will hold together and it’s feeling very exciting.
there’s not too much reflecting at this moment as there is still so much to do.
i’ve had a quick look at the rushes from yesterday, i’m pleased with the footage i have and the accompanying binaural sound recordings.
most unexpected occurrence was coming across tying a knot by elena brake, part of the uk young artist festival happening across derby this weekend.
this morning i did have a vague plan to film outside the mill, however learning about an event there today prompted me to reconsider as my intention was to film outside the mill on a quiet day.
a long walk this afternoon has helped me consider how to edit the footage of the model railway into a compelling account of how the model railway was as this running was the last time before being packed up ahead of the building work set to take place in 2017.
