All footage for Phlebitis has essentially been scrapped, in favour of a completely new film, as yet untitled.
I have used the same method and some of the same techniques I developed in filming and editing the first set of footage. Phlebitis has become a largely technical exercise, and some issues has been raised regarding the suit. It is appropriate, but I understand the problems with it.
The editing techniques I'm using are based around numbers and ratios, and I've been able to flip between footage and get 2 of me on screen at once. By altering the number of frames given to each float sequence I can intensify one persona, and even make it move more slowly, which gives a really strong conflict on screen. However, while this is extremely interesting to me, it's not really translating through to the final film.
The new setting is domestic, there's no suits, and it's based around routine, but still carries through the original idea of disengagement, acting subconsciously. Moving without travelling?
As well as moving round Newcastle centre I used the project space in the sculpture studios, a long room for communal use. By jumping in this space, I was then able to manipulate my movement using different editing techniques. By changing the number of frames from 3 to 1, I made a much faster, frantic movement.
Jump cutting also allowed for further possibilities, as well as mixing footage from different jump sequences.
I am using iMovie 08, which has been really useful for its 'skimming' technology. I can browse the footage by moving the cursor over the timeline for the raw footage, which makes picking 3 frames from maybe 10 seconds of footage really easy.The major problem is the sheer number of bugs in this version – it is designed primarily for trimming footage and putting it on YouTube. Family footage, basic films – not for complex, 24 fps art videos.
At 3 frames per jump, 1 second of footage takes 8 shots. A 3 minute video therefore requires over 1,300 separate jumps. Using single frames increases this number and basically crashes iMovie.
When using 1 frame shots, moving them around is also revealing serious bugs. Instead of the shot going where I place it, it moves 2 shots to the left. Using the keyboard shortcuts puts it 1 shot to the right.
Making this video is difficult.
The initial video work, "Phlebitis", featured me in a suit floating round Newcastle, using the dead spaces between buildings, areas used almost exclusively for getting from one point to another. This 'disengagement' (incorporating tunnel vision, completely ignoring one's surroundings, and using something architects refer to as a 'line of necessity) was of particular interest and I filmed a number of shots and used extensive editing to depict this.
I jump up and land, take a step forward and then repeat. During editing, I take the 3 frames that make up the apex of the jump and cut them together to give the effect of floating through a space.
