Everything is now ready. I have bought a cute little dress off ebay but it still hasn't arrived yet...hopefully it will come tomorrow, if not i have a reserve. I bought lights to light up the 1960's shelves where i am displaying Sindy and have placed maglights at the bottom of each Sindy stand to lighten the dancers slightly. The Sindys really look good amongst the performance, i'm glad i went with the idea. We had a dress rehearsal yesterday, everything is great and I am pleased with the dancers and grateful for their commitment!!
I put an auction on ebay last week to advertise my show as there are a lot of Sindy fans who look at the posts, so hopefully a few may come and see how big Sindy is!!! I am going to film the performances to do DVDs for the dancers and so I have a hard copy of the results. I was going to film it yesterday but the room wasn't clear of stuff so I didnt bother.
All I need to do now is relax until I get really nervous tomorrow!!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
BORING STUFF
I hate it when the technical part comes. The shelf was put up last week on the right wall which I will have to angle down and keystone. I thought the distance off the back wall was too far because the 3d didn't look great. This would mean that the beam would be well out of the dancer's way.
The dance is completely finished and being rehearsed with a few space changes.
Today I finished the rest of the blackout with Greg and Chris. The room is as dark as we are going to get now. I can't get the keystone right and Nick Jones said the projector wont do it but he suggested that it was the dvd that made the film lose it's quality and if i played it through the computer with my FCP file then I could project from the back wall and it would look better. We experimented a bit with different angles and positions and I think that high up on the back is best. I need a long extension lead which Nick is getting tomorrow so hopefully the projections will be sorted then, and it's just the white material I need to project onto. Greg suggested putting the projector in the space and have the dancers move around it but i don't want to confuse the dancers now as it's just sinking in properly and having to make something to disguise it at this point would be another stress!!
I got another extension lead for the speakers and taped the wires down to make them neat. Everything is done apart from the computer cable, 1 more dress to buy/make and material. I think I am going to bring my 60's cubes in to have in the space where the dancers don't go, with scenarios of Sindys displayed on them. This will go well with the dynamic of the dancers and the screen images. It will also add another aesthetic and the screen image is really big, the dancers medium and the dolls small.
The dance is completely finished and being rehearsed with a few space changes.
Today I finished the rest of the blackout with Greg and Chris. The room is as dark as we are going to get now. I can't get the keystone right and Nick Jones said the projector wont do it but he suggested that it was the dvd that made the film lose it's quality and if i played it through the computer with my FCP file then I could project from the back wall and it would look better. We experimented a bit with different angles and positions and I think that high up on the back is best. I need a long extension lead which Nick is getting tomorrow so hopefully the projections will be sorted then, and it's just the white material I need to project onto. Greg suggested putting the projector in the space and have the dancers move around it but i don't want to confuse the dancers now as it's just sinking in properly and having to make something to disguise it at this point would be another stress!!
I got another extension lead for the speakers and taped the wires down to make them neat. Everything is done apart from the computer cable, 1 more dress to buy/make and material. I think I am going to bring my 60's cubes in to have in the space where the dancers don't go, with scenarios of Sindys displayed on them. This will go well with the dynamic of the dancers and the screen images. It will also add another aesthetic and the screen image is really big, the dancers medium and the dolls small.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
BLOODY COMPUTERS
Been trying to upload yesterday's rehearsal vid and even tried emailing it to the dancers but for some reason the internet is playing up and still is now. Oh how I love to rely on technology.......
I have spent today, firstly adding transitions to my footage, which is now complete, then I touched up a few pencil marks on the wall in performance space, with some white paint. Nicola and I were about to trot off to buy 'proper' blackout polythene, which she calculated to about £50, when I decided to rebel and suggest we try bin bags first....if they fail, then we buy the real stuff. So we bought 60 Tesco bin bags, total: £3.48 and double sided sticky tape and normal black tape, Total of all: £6.47.
Nic was a bit scared of heights after seeing the the 3 ft ladder we dragged up from the basement so I got up there and covered the windows. We kept the bags folded and doubled them up, they worked a treat, how I love to cheat and get a bargain all at once! The only problem was that I couldn't reach the top windows and security wouldn't allow me to tread on the false walls so I used a stick and a lot of patients and got the job done. So the 3 windows in the space are covered and I will do the lower 1s tomorrow as the light is coming up from behind the boards. I left Nicola to do the far window in the little room but it's going to be awkward so might not get done.
Tomorrow I will hoover the floor and mop it before the dancers arrive. I removed a screw that was sticking up and will look for others to ensure the floor is as safe as poss.
I now have stands and speakers and just need a shelf for the projector and dvd player. The techs are cutting the wood once I give them measurements and then I will have to put it up
I have spent today, firstly adding transitions to my footage, which is now complete, then I touched up a few pencil marks on the wall in performance space, with some white paint. Nicola and I were about to trot off to buy 'proper' blackout polythene, which she calculated to about £50, when I decided to rebel and suggest we try bin bags first....if they fail, then we buy the real stuff. So we bought 60 Tesco bin bags, total: £3.48 and double sided sticky tape and normal black tape, Total of all: £6.47.
Nic was a bit scared of heights after seeing the the 3 ft ladder we dragged up from the basement so I got up there and covered the windows. We kept the bags folded and doubled them up, they worked a treat, how I love to cheat and get a bargain all at once! The only problem was that I couldn't reach the top windows and security wouldn't allow me to tread on the false walls so I used a stick and a lot of patients and got the job done. So the 3 windows in the space are covered and I will do the lower 1s tomorrow as the light is coming up from behind the boards. I left Nicola to do the far window in the little room but it's going to be awkward so might not get done.
Tomorrow I will hoover the floor and mop it before the dancers arrive. I removed a screw that was sticking up and will look for others to ensure the floor is as safe as poss.
I now have stands and speakers and just need a shelf for the projector and dvd player. The techs are cutting the wood once I give them measurements and then I will have to put it up
Monday, August 11, 2008
COMING TOGETHER NICELY
Finally, the end is in sight.....I see a finished performance heading my way, after a long and patient ordeal!!! The projections are 99% finished, only transitions to do and putting on to disc. I rehearsed with Kate and Leah today with a copy of the projection playing to make sure they went together. I didn't see how the 3d worked as I just did a quick export so the quality wasn't up to much. I need to put the projector up high and tilt it downwards to stop the girls crossing the beam. Tomorrow Nic and i are getting black out material and hopefully putting it up, so i can test the projections out once I have the disc burned. I need to paint over a small patch on the wall where I am projecting to cover some pencil marks and i have to get speakers, with either shelves or stands to put them on. I still have another dress to find for Kate and have ordered 50 pairs of 3d glasses, which are on their way.
All I have left to do as far as the movement is concerned is the last 45 secs. This will be weaving in and out of the stands. I finished the rest of the movement today so the girls just need to rehearse over and over to get it into their bodies. By weds the choreog will be complete and Sunday will be 2 hours of solid repetition of the piece, picking at focus, dynamics, timing and connection between dancers and the screen. We then have just under 2 wks to practice and perfect!!
The 1st section is great, mechanical, 2nd section needs a bit more relation between dancers on repeating it, when Leah stands. 3rd section needs more suspension and release as well as being sharp and quick in places. Ribs section is again mechanical, which goes into reaching out so extension needs to be greater. Handstand section needs to flow with a sense of being manipulated externally (like the dolls were for the footage and as we are dictated to in society) Next is the canon and movement is very doll like, limbs are isolated. After the position is held to reflect the projection, the next section should be bouncy as the lifts are done. Stands sequence mirrors screen then the duet should be close and connected at all times with a sense of competition. So the dancers are trying to get somewhere as the other stops them. They are then back in unison, a society of sheep......This goes into the tumbling part of cartwheels, shifts, bounces and spins to then go back to stands to finish.
All I have left to do as far as the movement is concerned is the last 45 secs. This will be weaving in and out of the stands. I finished the rest of the movement today so the girls just need to rehearse over and over to get it into their bodies. By weds the choreog will be complete and Sunday will be 2 hours of solid repetition of the piece, picking at focus, dynamics, timing and connection between dancers and the screen. We then have just under 2 wks to practice and perfect!!
The 1st section is great, mechanical, 2nd section needs a bit more relation between dancers on repeating it, when Leah stands. 3rd section needs more suspension and release as well as being sharp and quick in places. Ribs section is again mechanical, which goes into reaching out so extension needs to be greater. Handstand section needs to flow with a sense of being manipulated externally (like the dolls were for the footage and as we are dictated to in society) Next is the canon and movement is very doll like, limbs are isolated. After the position is held to reflect the projection, the next section should be bouncy as the lifts are done. Stands sequence mirrors screen then the duet should be close and connected at all times with a sense of competition. So the dancers are trying to get somewhere as the other stops them. They are then back in unison, a society of sheep......This goes into the tumbling part of cartwheels, shifts, bounces and spins to then go back to stands to finish.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
IDEAS FOR ENDING
The performance isn't narrative and has no real sense of beginning, middle, climax, etc. Obviously, though, it has to end somewhere. As the beginning is very mechanical with developed simple movement to represent the dolls' abilities early on, then it develops naturally into more free movement. The pram clip I filmed, where the pram is moving away from Sindy towards the camera whilst she pets the dog, may be what I use for the end clip. The pram slipping away with a baby in it can be a metaphor for youth and beauty and how you have it for only a limited amount of time, just like how a child grows up. We all want to escape death and age and most people try their hardest to stay looking young....to no avail! Women substitute their age by having children and people have pets for something to look after, which are usually replaced soon after with another. So this end clip, though short and I may repeat it a few times to exaggerate the repetitious nature of mankind, will finish the piece with the thought that started the idea for the performance......our ideals of beauty are constantly twisting. It is a myth and unreachable and no matter what creams or potions we buy, or how much exercise we do, age is imminent.
Today I am importing the track and editing the rest of the film.
Today I am importing the track and editing the rest of the film.
Monday, August 4, 2008
4 WEEKS LEFT
I had a rehearsal with Leah, Kate couldn't make it so I worked out spacing now that i have brought the stands into the space we are performing in. I have the track, which gary is allowing me to chop and arrange if I need to. I have a duet to work out next, I cant do that until Sunday when i have both dancers. I have created some pauses for the dancers to give the projections priority in certain places and vice versa.
I really need to get the projections done so they can be arranged in the right place with the track but i need to think about the dance fitting too!!
I really need to get the projections done so they can be arranged in the right place with the track but i need to think about the dance fitting too!!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
SPACE/FILM/EDIT
I have been really stressed recently about the whole damn project. The space allocation has not gone as I had wanted. It feels as if Nicola and me have been stuck together to share a place to make sure the uni has as much promotion as pos, rather than being given a decent space. I am not sure if the allocated place is ours for sure as there is now a sound issue. All I want is a nice wall to project onto and enough room for 2 dancers and an audience. We are probably going to have to buy paint or cloth to project onto as the walls we have are crap.
I have done loads more filming with the Sony hdv and logged and captured it last week. I have filmed stills as well as motion and will have still images when the dancers are moving a lot so as not to throw the audience too much info. Some clips are solos, some duets, and I have done a skating clip, sindy with a dog and a pram that rolls towards cam, and plain poses with various dolls. The trouble with the sony though is that the frames are all 1, like a film. I have had to seperate every move, which took ages and now i have to split each of those clips into left and right. It sounds easy enough but when you have 100s of clips, it's rather dooming and you have to watch the clips carefully to catch them before they switch focus.
However, on a good note, the clips I have edited so far have come out really well. I am so pleased, it's taken a load of experimenting, but it's now paying off. Another long winded task i am doing is in FCP. When I have the clips in screen mode to see the 2 clips together, I am now manually adjusting them to get a sharper and more effective 3d image. I have tried to copy and paste motion attributes but the clips are still slightly different. If I want the ghosting eradicated as much as pos then this is what I need to do. I am going to use the footage I have now, and try not to film any more, and spend the rest of the time getting them edited well and choreographing for the dancers.
The music should be done next week and is 10 mins long so that's my length for the show so I can edit the clips accordingly. I have arranged the 1st lot of stills into 1 min, which is how long the drone is at the beginning of the track. My title for the show is called 'PRETTY UNREACHABLE' I decided this as pretty relates to the vanity issue and unreachable are the goals we attempt when it comes to how we want to look.
I have done loads more filming with the Sony hdv and logged and captured it last week. I have filmed stills as well as motion and will have still images when the dancers are moving a lot so as not to throw the audience too much info. Some clips are solos, some duets, and I have done a skating clip, sindy with a dog and a pram that rolls towards cam, and plain poses with various dolls. The trouble with the sony though is that the frames are all 1, like a film. I have had to seperate every move, which took ages and now i have to split each of those clips into left and right. It sounds easy enough but when you have 100s of clips, it's rather dooming and you have to watch the clips carefully to catch them before they switch focus.
However, on a good note, the clips I have edited so far have come out really well. I am so pleased, it's taken a load of experimenting, but it's now paying off. Another long winded task i am doing is in FCP. When I have the clips in screen mode to see the 2 clips together, I am now manually adjusting them to get a sharper and more effective 3d image. I have tried to copy and paste motion attributes but the clips are still slightly different. If I want the ghosting eradicated as much as pos then this is what I need to do. I am going to use the footage I have now, and try not to film any more, and spend the rest of the time getting them edited well and choreographing for the dancers.
The music should be done next week and is 10 mins long so that's my length for the show so I can edit the clips accordingly. I have arranged the 1st lot of stills into 1 min, which is how long the drone is at the beginning of the track. My title for the show is called 'PRETTY UNREACHABLE' I decided this as pretty relates to the vanity issue and unreachable are the goals we attempt when it comes to how we want to look.
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