Assignment 1 | Digital Video Collage Project | What you see is not always what you get

The brief for this assignment was to create a video collage on theme ‘Two or three things about me’ using stock footage, images and sounds, photographs graphics and illustrations - and be creative with it.

I wrote in my brief that I would explore static imagery of me doing different things I have captured, plus video footage shot over the last five years exploring contrast and light and shade. I also stated I would create a soundtrack for the video with matching contrast with sweeping strings vs. a techno style musical score.

At first I was thinking I would use static shots up front to show imagery of myself, then cut to motion picture footage of motorbike riding through the mountains and then cut to imagery or grabs from videos of movies that have inspired me.

Once I started loading footage into a new project though, I hit a real creative block, I couldn’t get past loading footage and didn’t know where to begin any edits. So I grabbed a camera with the idea of trying to emulate the Kuleshov effect and filmed myself staring dead ahead, with no expression trying not to move. I then thought that maybe I could use this footage for some montage style editing and really hard fast obvious cuts. With that idea in mind I gathered different pieces of clothing together and marked a spot on the white wall in my kitchen and sat in front of it whilst shooting and changed clothes.

This resulted in having some different footage that made me think I could do a series of shots of me, video and stills, and in between the real hard fast montage cuts introducing the key elements of myself I was focusing on what I enjoy, riding my bike, one of my hobbies keeping tropical fish and what I do for work. In that sense I would have a complete picture of Dan, Fun, Hobby and Work interspersed with montage edits of things I have done over the years.

In a real breakthrough late one night it started to really take shape and I had a full 90 second video in no time that I could start to manipulate and really turn into something. I was so excited that the video was really starting to follow my brief, my storyboard, and what I had envisage from concept. It just took that small breakthrough and the story started to come to life. I threw in some template title slides that I found after completing the Lynda.com tutorials (I wanted to create my own but they looked terrible by comparison!) and all of a sudden I could see what was needed to complete the project.

I focused on the key areas in between the montage edits and found that I could tell the story easily, Fun/Entertainment/Hobby and Work a full quick snapshot look at my life including elements of other parts of my life in the montage edits. I believe the end result is a single-idea story that follows the brief and most importantly I am more than happy with.

Once I had exported a version of this take I decided that my Kuleshov effect missed the point so I went back to the notes and discovered that the discipline is quite strict and mine wasn’t working for an obvious reason. I used shots that weren’t of the discipline in scenery shots so it wasn’t working. I quickly found some stock photos in my library and recut the video with a food shot, a young girl, and a coffin and the difference is now obvious! The Kuleshov effect works… apart from one big difference, I clearly ignore the basic rule in the very last seconds after the coffin shot where I crack a big smile and laugh a little. This is my creative interpretation where I exhibit my own wry sense of humour through self-deprecation, nothing is all that serious and you have to be able to laugh at yourself.

In summary, I feel that I have met the brief, I have followed my original concept and I have learnt lots about creative direction plus I have thrown in something that I have learnt from the lectures and notes by including a recreation of the Kuleshov effect which really appealed to me as I read about it.

You can view my assignment on my YouTube page here: http://www.youtube.com/user/danblack72

NB: this is my 500 word blog report by not my final submitted video submission.
I am also including an optimised for iPod version here: