Cheyenne Joseph // UCA Television blog

Evaluation My role; My role in this production was to carefully plan and create my own interpretation of my chosen poem. The aim was to challenge myself and completely go outside of my comfort zone to create imagery that I have never created before.The idea was exciting to me at the start due to the amount of freedom we were given and I really took this one seriously as I wanted to create something that I could be proud of.  What went well; First of all, at the start I was a lot more into my preparation and idea generation than I ever was with any other project. I spent hours on Vimeo searching for inspiration and to see how viable my idea could be. I really enjoyed researching because it did not feel like researching at all. After refining my idea and finally getting dancers on board, the shooting day was perfect and couldn't have gone better in my opinion. I have really noticed an improvement in my directing skills as well as camera skills. This is also due to t

From Rough Cut to Fine Cut Below is my rough cut and the feedback I received from Helen Since I had only filmed this the day before the rough cut deadline I felt as though I could've put together a better rough cut but due to time this is all I could do. I was really happy with the way it turned out, it was nice seeing all the shots flow together. Helen's rough cut feedback  When the camera is moving with them it looks great Use more shots when they are in motion Continue to play with layering  Shoot more fabric as cutaways Try to start simple and build on the story, don't shot all the best shots first Must not show a decline in quality, it must either build or stay consistent Shots that show the reality of the settings bring it down as we are taken away from the world it is set in Play around with lights Capitalise on the claustrophobia part and build on that Try to find a way of introducing the male character first without just showing him Ove

Shoot Day The only day I was able to have my shoot was the day before the rough cut deadline so I had major amounts of pressure on me to get every shot I needed, thats why pre production and preparation was so important. If I didn't get all the shots that I needed then there would be no way of re shooting due to time and also money as I chose to pay my dancers. I must admit, I was extremely happy with the shooting day because for the first time I felt positive, confident and this was all due to being organised. My dancers were SO cooperative and helpful. They made shooting so easy as they were able to listen, understand and create beautiful movements effortlessly.I realised that when you value people's art form they will value yours too. This is not always the case  but when it is, everything becomes a much better experience. As I was not able to get the steadicam stabiliser, Ida had let me borrow her fig rig and it really helped me with some shots. There were a few times

Risk Assessment Here is the risk assessment that I created for the project. I made sure to include all the necessary risks that may take place. Its important that we list all risks so that we are covered. As a director this is important and should be taken seriously at all costs.  **insert pictures* 

The Shot list Here is my handwritten shot list. This piece of pre production was incredibly helpful for my production as it kept me organised and ensured I got all the shots that I needed. I was able to tick off all the shots that I completed and was efficiently able to move onto the next shots with ease instead of guessing which shots come next and have the dancers waiting around. Whilst using this I realised how important it is to be prepared and organised, it is important to carefully think about each shot needed and to list them down in a way you will understands because it will take up a lot of time if you have to guess. I was really proud of my efforts for the shot list because it really improved my performance on the day. For every production I will continue to produce detailed shot lists to make sure I get what I need. 

Ideas for costume design Below I have created a mood board of the type of costume design I would like to have for my video.  At first my initial idea was to have nude colours as this could heighten the purity of the skin. images such as this was my inspiration;    However, as I gave it more thought, I realised that this does not exactly suit my piece as this would work better for a much lighter, brighter type of video. I could not imagine my dancers in nude colours in the darkness as much as I would if they were wearing darker colours. So I continued to look for more images as reference. What I liked about these images is that the black colours seem much more uniformed than the nude colours. I like how the skin is exposed as well, I think it would still have the minimalistic effect that I am going for and would allow me to get good shots of the skin in motion. The dark colours in my opinion suit the dark theme I am going for, therefore I will continue

Creating a mock sound track In order for my dancers to practice the movements on the shot list, I had to create a soundtrack for them to dance to. This meant that I had to;  Find rights free music that matched the mood and pace that i was going for Record a mock voice over in the same emotive way that I would want for the real one so they understand what kind of  Not only this but I also thought it would be a good idea to write down who's part comes up at what times so it would be easier for the dances to navigate which parts they needed to go back to.  The soundtrack After spending some time on the internet finding rights free music that fit the mood I wanted, I went ahead and put it into premiere pro to create the video. The issue I had was that the song I liked was too short so I had to try and extend it within the edit and I also had to find another track to go with it because theres only so much copy and pasting you can do with a song before it becomes noti

Test Shots and Fabric experiments After purchasing over 20 metres of fabric, I needed to see how plausible my idea was and create the installation that I will be using for my video. I had no knowledge of how to do so beforehand so it took a lot of playing around. There were a few set backs such as the rules of the house set by the landlord. We aren't allowed to create new holes in the walls or use blue tack for any purpose so already I was limited with how I could set it up. However,  each wall had one hook that you were allowed to use so I had to make use of this and create the effect that I wanted. I really enjoyed creating this. Below are some of the test shots that I did;  I turned the lights off and played around with the placements of the LED lights to get the desired effect. I feel like an eerie, dark feeling was created here and I am happy with it because I think it will fit the theme of the poem so much more. I added a filter from a little p

Martha Graham Considered by many to be the 20th century's most important dancer and the mother of modern dance. he was influenced by her father, a doctor who used physical movement to remedy nervous disorders.  In 1926, she established her own dance company in New York City  Developed an innovative, non-traditional technique of movement and emotional expression. She danced well into her 70s and choreographed until her death in 1991 Since my video was about expressionate movement and the manipulation of fabric, I came across Martha Graham who was most famous for her innovative dancing which she often used fabric to heighten her dancing so I thought it would be a good ida to broaden my mind to how creative I could be with my dancers. Below are examples of her work;  I love the shapes that is created with her movements and fabric and I think this is something that I would like to show the dancers to see what they think and if they could inc

After posting my listing on Dancers Pro, I realised that time was running out or me to find the dancers who fit the profile of the poem (1 white male, 1 black female) After browsing the site for dancers and sending lots of personal messages, I received no response from any.  I then had to make do with what I had so I went through and looked at the profiles who provided show reels.  I decided to message;  Anna said she was available on the production day that I selected and was ready to go ahead with the production. I really liked her showreel as well so that was a bonus.   Michael was the only male dancer to apply but he was not a contemporary dancer. However he assured me that he would be able to give me the movement that I required. However, upon talking, he requested that I pay him £100 when I was already giving £30 a day and paying for their travel. This was all noted down in the application as well so I was a little outraged when I heard this and so I decided not to use

Today I had feedback from Helen where she went through my locations, script and possible cast. It was very helpful and necessary for me to know if I was on the right track or not. Her feedback is as follows;  Make sure the poem is not drowned out by the dancers Try to encorperate shots that will allow interesting transitions; e.g the moving fabric as a transition make sure I brief the dancers on what emotion I am trying to convey in order to maximise the effect of the dancing When editing I could even try to put the words on the screen to see how it would fit Overall great idea and continue to enhance it I enjoyed hearing the feedback from Helen because interestingly, some of the points she mentioned were thing that I had also thought about and it was nice to hear someone think along the same lines as me. I was also opened up to how important it is to shoot with the edit in mind, for example the transitions she mentioned. Now I will be able to add that to the shot list t

Montage Workshop Today I took part in the montage workshop where after being put into groups to come up with a montage that illustrates the feeling of "Despair",we then had to create the shots that we planned between the group. Here is an example of the small shot list that we had in mind at first.  At first we thought it would be a good idea to have a Hot fuzz style montage where our central character had  a series of unfortunate events happen to them one after the other throughout the day. After being shown this example in a previous workshop, we decided that we wanted to incorporate this style as it would go along with the mini narrative that we had.  However, upon arriving to film. We had to brief our ideas with Helen and Mike and it turned out we slightly misunderstood the task as it wasn't supposed to be as narrative based as we planned. It was meant to be more symbolic and so Mike gave us a good example which is something that really helped with t

Looking at Shot types and the effects of equipment  After gaining insight and inspiration from Mike Rymer's first shot type worksop I knew I wanted to use the track and dolly as well as a stabiliser for my adaptation. I went ahead to gain greater knowledge of this as I wanted to learn about the best ways to maximise the use of the track and dolly as well as the stabiliser.  One video that helped me gain a greater understanding about how important it is to thtink about what a difference shot types make is this one;  This video was really helpful to me as it showed me how much depth you could create if you have different equipment. My personal favourites were the slow dolly in and out as well as the glidecam shots. Not only would they suit my ideas but we also have that equipment so I know it is doable. Since we have 1 steadicam stabiliser in the equipment store, I wanted to get my hands on it for my production but I wanted to learn more about balancing it first

Tutorials with Michael Rymer   Having an industry professional teach us about camera work, shots and settings really opened my eyes for our new project. Having this time I was able to make decisions about what I wanted and didn't want for my project.  What did we do? The first important thing that we went through was the variety of shots that are used purposely for films. A lot of shots such as the contra zoom was an eye opener for me because it's only now that I am able to recognise it when you look closely. It just goes to show how many of these shots can flow so effortlessly that you don't even notice it.  We also had a look at settings within the SLR's. We looked at exposure settings including ISO,Aperture and shutter speed. We looked at how they intertwined to create the perfect looking exposure and all the things we need to avoid in order to have clear, well lit shot. This is something that I have always struggled with and I am extremely happy in the way M

CASTING  For the process of acquiring dancers for my production I decided to use Dancer Call Pro which is a partnership service from Casting Call pro which mainly aims for actors. I thought this would be the best place to find dancers because it is specified toward them and also would provide a broader directory instead of me to just go into one dance school.  This is a screen shot of the job application that I posted on Dancers Pro;  I made sure to state all relevant information such as;  Possible Dates for the shoot The fact that it is a student production so applicants can know what kind of budget to expect Shot ideas. I want the applicants to know exactly what type of shots I have in mind so they know if they would be comfortable with it.  What equipment I will be using With my past experience of posting job applications, I believe it is essential to be as transparent as possible about what you're asking for to avoid any disappointment or misunderstandi

The Script Below is my fiction adaptation script which features two dancers, male and female. I wanted to make it easier for both myself and the dancers so I went ahead and highlighted the words that I wanted them to emphasise on and on the right side I gave a brief description of the shots that I wanted but there is still room for this to be expanded on when the seperate shot list is created.  Next Steps Continue to source dancers for the project Finish the separate, more detailed shot list  Create a mock soundtrack for the dancers to refer to when I find them

LOCATIONS After finalising my idea and sticking to having dancers for my adaptation, I needed to know how plausible it would be. first I need to see if I have a good location, otherwise I would have nowhere to put my dancers so location was a main priority for me.  So, I decided to make it easier for myself and looked at the locations that was nearest to me in order to find the perfect place for my shoot. I knew that I wanted to have an eerie, dark tone to it and I immediately knew that our house would've been perfect for it because it has really bad lighting throughout. So, I walked around the house and browsed through all the possible rooms that could work.  Below is the living room which was the biggest room in the house and I automatically knew that this would be the right place to film both dancers if I took the furniture out.      Pros:  The living room isn't well lit and because it is in the basement, even in the daytime the natural li