MDA2300 - Idea Development

After considering the time I have left, and the equipment/ facilities available to me, I have available to me, and after researching and developing my idea, I have decided that I will do an installation including two films, instead of three.

One of the films will be shots of a bed, and of a person sleeping in the bed, and they will be displayed on the television screen. This represents the person and how, when in a nightmare or an episode of sleep paralysis a person is trapped within the 'nightmare'. The camera will be placed above the bed voyeuristically, to represent how sometimes while having sleep paralysis another 'presence' is sometimes felt in the room.

The projection video will be a film, reminiscent of the type of film created by painting on, or scratching onto celluloid film, and I will use a software such as Final Cut Pro or After Effects to create flashing, quick-moving geometrical patterns, which will be similar to some of the Hypnagogic Hallucinations seen in sleep and during episodes of Sleep Paralysis.

This idea, instead of creating three films to be shown in three simultaneous projections, will be more effective at reaching an audience, as I feel that the smaller, more personal/compact size draws them in, as well as the fact that while people try to focus on the images on the television screen, the flashing and confusing images of the projector, (which will be projected over the television,) will lead to confuse and disorient audiences, as they have difficulty focusing on the main point of the installation.

I am now also going to inquire about rooms and locations in university in which I can display the installation.

MDA2300 - Idea Pitch Presentation

This is the presentation in which I pitched the two ideas for my project.

After pitching and getting feedback I think that I will go for the 'Sleep Paralysis' idea and I think that exploring nightmares and sleep artistically will be very interesting, and also due to the fact that making five films will probably be too difficult given the timescale.

I will now begin to research my idea and the methods I could go about this

Film and Innovation: Portfolio Project Ideas Pitch by amini93

MDA2900 - Pitch

This is the pitch we presented to David and Eddie in class.

OVerall, to say I'm not usually great in presentations, it went well, and we have been given the Green Light to go ahead with the project!

The only issue with the plan so far, is the fact that we need to thoroughly plan out the shots we will need, and get a shooting schedule sorted, because, if we stick to the surrealist stylistic elements, then the camera/lighting and other aspects of filming will all have to be very exact for us to accomplish what we want with the film.

Here is the presentation:

The Next Step’ Pitch by amini93

MDA2300 - Final Essay Idea

For half of our final grade we have to write an essay discussing an innovation in film (whether that is how they're made, used, displayed, anything really,)

I have decided to write my essay about the idea of expanded cinema, and using film in an art installation.

I will probably write about how the medium of film in this case has affected artistic expression, and will use examples and perhaps concentrate on one particular artist.

One artist I am particularly interested in is Marina Abramovic, who often uses film and video in conjunction with performance art. An example of this is her performance Balkan Baroque in which she sits atop a pile of bones, cleaning them, as folk music plays and a film is displayed behind her.

I still have a lot to think abotu with regards to finding a firm point on which to anchor the essay, but this is an area I am very interested in, and will coincide with the fact that I plan on making an art installation for my final portfolio piece.

MDA2900 - Project Schedule

Here is the schedule I made for the project:

Schedule! by amini93

MDA2900 - Project Brief

We have now been given our final project brief for MDA2900. We have until 08th May, to either produce or direct a ten-minute short drama or documentary film.

I am producing 'The Next Step', which is the short film I have written for my screenwriting module. After discussing the film with her, I have decided to work with Ira Merzlichen, who will be directing.

My reasons for not directing my own work are the fact that curently, I feel more confident as a producer than a director, and on such a large-scale project, I wouldn't want to jeopardise a grade by choosing a role in which I am not very strong.

After bouncing some ideas off of each other I think that Ira will be great to work with; we both have a passion for surreal/arthouse films and hopefully her directorial creative vision will reflect this in the final piece!

We are now preparing a pitch to present to David and Eddie in class soon.

This week I had a producer's tutorial with Eddie

Personally, I find it went really well, he was pleased with the presentation and amount of planning which went into my work

My main task now, he said, is making sure that I get the work off Ira which I need, so that I can start to schedule the shoot days, so that when we come to auditions, if any of the actors ask how long/what times they will be needed on set, I can give them a good idea, which will increase their confidence in the amount of planning which has gone into the production.

Here is the production booklet I used in the meeting with him:

Production Booklet by amini93