The Witness (final cut)

As i worked through my rough cuts, they continued to inspire new ideas for my final edit. I intend to compose a somewhat serene setting, but soon the presence of a being is founded and chases me. See if you can figure out who it really is...

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The Observer

I consider this cut a "pg" version of my final edit, in the sense that sonically, the audio track to me sounds more meditative and less violating than The Witness.

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Peeping

This is my attempt to compose the presence of "the other." Really, I'm just experimenting different combinations of sound and imagery. I introduce panic at the beginning and the progression is a means to personify paranoia.

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Light Show

This piece is simply an exercise or a quick but throughly executed idea of how i wanted my soundtrack to support my imagery and vice versa. This first rough cut fully inspired my final concept between the sound-image relationship.

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Production Strategy

I plan to pursue my drift at night, in an area between my first and second drifts. Here, I believe that I will be able to capture the true presence of my home town. I will traverse a little of the suburbs, a little of the city, a little of the corn fields, and as well as a new addition, Fowler Lake. I’m trying to find areas that feel uneasy because frankly Oconomowoc makes me feel very paranoid and distressed. It might be all the horror stories that I’ve heard of werewolves, Bigfoot and UFOs, but I’m certain there’s something lurking within the shadows of my town and I intend to uncover it. Even if I don’t document any scary creatures, I plan to manipulate my footage so that the viewer feels the existence of something unnatural.

My image capturing strategy will be limited to imagery of motion that imitates eye movement and of human-made light.

I will also capture sounds of only close up industrial or mechanical machinery and of the “air” within a space.

Brain Storm

1. How does Oconomowoc transform in respect to imagery and sound from day to night?

2. Can I suggest the presence of an individual without showing a single person?

3. Are there any areas where I may be able to explore externally and internally?

4. How can I use transportation as a vehicle for narrative?

5. Are there any areas where I will be able to isolate sounds from other distractions?

6. Can I evoke claustrophobia by capturing open space?

7. How do the suburbs and “city” compare and contrast?

8. How can I remove man-made lights out of context?

9. What and where are the most uncomfortable locations in town?

10. How can I make mechanical sounds sound organic?

Treasured Moment

What I’ve come to realized through my experiences from these drifts is what I value the most is never really the material I produce but the state of mind that I achieve during. About three hours after walking around I enter an almost autopilot state, where I don’t even pay attention to what I’m capturing. I just keep shooting. It isn’t because I’m tired or lazy, rather I’m seeing with a different set of eyes. I would relate it to some kind of high, where I see what the best way to capture an individual, place or thing is. I love it. I enter a trance where no matter how mundane or spectacular the subject is, it is always visually interesting. I can’t really explain how it all works. All I know is that it only occurs far along the journey with an incredible euphoria. Although I do not believe I need this experience to produce quality work, I do believe that it has allowed me to realize the potential within me and for that alone, I consider that feeling priceless.