Well. It’s been an immensely satisfying journey working on my a-n Professional Development Bursary project called, Gift.
But it has taken me so very much longer than I imagined – and my film looks like it won’t quite be ready to upload just yet.
The filming is done, and the visual edit is more or less complete. After a long series of flies in the project ointment the final impediment is sound. We’ve have a musical soundtrack lined up from the off, so that”s not the problem. It’s my voice.
We’re using a poem I wrote about Felicia Browne’s tea set as the backbone of the film. I’ve struggled to recite my poem – and tried to work on it. Sometimes I almost nail it, but that never seems to be when we’re recording. We’ve been unlucky too with recording equipment – deciding to do this ourselves (so that I can learn to record and mix my own sound). I’m learning a huge amount about what can go wrong and how very hard it is for an untrained voice to carry a film. If the voice is not quite there then the whole enterprise sinks like a soggy soufflé.
I think I need some voice coaching. I really do. As this wasn’t part of my original plan, I will need more time. Perfectionism and professional pride won’t allow me to upload and launch a piece of work that isn’t quite there. I hope a-n will understand. What I set out to do is quite complex and the voice work needed had not occurred to me. I have to acknowledge that in meeting this head on, I will be tackling a life long phobia. I taught myself public speaking on my last big project (Through An Artist’s Eye), but reciting a poem well is an entirely different beast.
This might have been easier to organise in the timeframe allowed but the project illustrates only too well how problems and niggles can be hard to identify when moving into new areas of professional enquiry. It’s taken me a time to realise that I need a significant helping hand to acquire the necessary skill and confidence for my voice work.
The other factor is a very real problem with my voice. I’ve had a crackle in it going on for six weeks or more, and now a stinking virus. My voice has all but gone in the most literal sense.
I’ve had a hugely stressful time of it over the past six months and I think it is time for me to recognise that my body is complaining.
On the plus side, taking more time over our edit has enabled me to consolidate my growing confidence in using professional editing software. I was also very recently given an opportunity, by lovely FILMOxford, to attend their Introduction to Digital Video course. My project has prompted me to reach out and begin to form a network of filmmakers who can open my eyes to a variety of approaches.
So, my next step is to find a suitable voice coach. Once I’ve mastered this (quite daunting) skill, I am confident we will upload our film in the New Year.
