This blog will outline the key ideas that we have applied the project as well as an analysis as to why we did what we did. It will justify the thinking behind how we created the sounds and images in relation to the meanings, and of course, non-meaning (Random choice) to the piece of media.
For Charlotte and I, the concept of death was an interesting one to choose to convey in an Audio/Visual presentation. There are so many different theories and concepts surrounding the subject of death, but the vast majority of the ideas are concerning the “afterlife”. For example, all religious connotations about death talk about life after. Science only tells us how we die but doesn’t detail what actually happens from a first person perspective. We specifically did not want to focus on the afterlife, but instead on the actual process of dying through ones own senses & consciousness. Further information on the science behind death will be in my research section of the blog.
Method
Charlotte and I booked out a Zoom H4N microphone and went out and about in Lincoln, Nottingham and Skegness in which to get some recordings of various different everyday outdoor sounds. We had recorded passing trains, the atmospheres and sub-frequencies of being on board a train, conversations, industrial fans on the sides of buildings and many more noise producing elements. With these recordings, we used about 20 out of the 35 tracks that we had recorded, in the final pieces audio. Using inspiration from ‘Jez Riley French’ an experimental sound Recordist that came in to do one of our lectures, Charlotte and I managed to get hold of a contact microphone. With this, we carried on using the Zoom, and got some interesting different sounds, such as a water machine bottle, and a microwave oven. Our initial idea was to get as many sounds as possible, then organize them afterwards into categories. We could then dip into the folder and apply whichever sound we thought would be suitable for particular parts of the audio.
Different to most audio/visual film pieces, we decided to do the audio first, as this is what we are most concentrated on as audio students and practitioners.
To create the visuals, Charlotte and I had the idea of using analog 16mm tape, by punching holes into the tape itself throughout, and scratching parts of it. We then had help with the tape reel, projected it on to a white wall and video recorded it onto a camera. Then, we took the 2 movie files and imported them into an iMovie project.
An Explanation of the piece
We wanted to create a piece that would both give the audience our interpretation of death, but also give them the opportunity to have their own personal experience. These experiences will differ from person to person. This is what we both agreed on to be the affect that we wanted the media/art to produce. Charlotte and I were inspired by “Ear Films”, which was an audio film at the “frequency festival” in Lincoln lasting 80 minutes and was about a dystopian future. In the Q and A session after, they explained that everyone would have a different experience to one another and that no two experiences will be the same. This is much like ours and we believe that even listening to it twice or more, there will be a different experience each time.
In terms of the reasons for using and creating different sounds and atmospheres, this was more for their sonic aspect in relation to the basic structure that we had planned out for the soundscape. This structure is as follows:
>Completed audio reversed
>Confusion
>Panic
>Happy Positive memories
> Regrets
>DMT Trip (Inspired)
> Blissful Euphoria
> Flatline
In terms of the visuals, we wanted to use a type of media that was different to the average digital production/ animation, and so we decided to use the 16mm film tape.
Sources of inspiration
Lis Rhodes,
Walter Rutmann
The Death of Rave, (Including The Sprawl.)
Mumdance
Burial
Musical Concrete