Film: Catch

This film was an experiment with slow motion (in both visuals and accompaniment) to create tension.  I decided to once again use fire as it had proved to be a successful visual in my film 'Strike'. This film looks specifically at Level 5 of the '7 Levels of Tension'.  The slow motion effect in this film, to me, made me feel quite uncomfortable as matches being lit is quite an ordinary thing to see, however, in slow motion you are able to fully see every spark and every slight movement on the match head.

I feel that the use of slow motion was successful in this film as I was able to create an uncomfortable tense atmosphere. By slowing the footage I was also able to correlate the pace of the video with the pace of the accompaniment (Lady Gaga's 'Bloody Mary' [Acapella]) which I slowed down by 75%  (100 beats per minute to 25bpm).

Overall I feel that this film worked well at creating tension. However, if I was going to do it again I would use a tripod to ensure more stability in the visual material.  I don't feel like stabilisation was a huge issue in this film but I do believe that the film would have benefited from having a smooth and fluid shot.

Film: Strike

This film looks at aural tension. This film looks specifically at level 4 of the '7 levels of tension'.  I decided to use the track 'Crashes and 8's' from Philip Chambon's soundtrack created for Swansong.

This track's melodic structure and chord progression creates tension for the listener and I have paired it with slow paced imagery to complement the fast the tempo of the track.

Fire is a natural element that cause deep instinctive and primal discomfort due to its destructive nature - It was because of this that I chose to use fire as a visual in this film.
During the storyboard process of this film I knew that close up shot would be predominantly used throughout this film as I wanted to bring the viewer even closer to the flame than they would in real life.  In this film I also experimented with the angle of the footage.  Every shot in this film has an angle offset of at least 14 and -14 degrees to give the film an uneasy feeling as not everything was lined up correctly (deliberately).
I left this film in a 16:9 framing format as I felt that it would enable me to get the best shots.
Overall, I feel that this film was very successful and I plan on using more fire imagery in more of my work.  I also plan on experimenting with making my own accompaniment for my films.

Film: 'After Invisible man' [Green Screen]

This film looks at the idea of placing the subject into tense imagery. The aim of this idea was to enhance the tension rather than create it myself as I felt the Jeff Wall had already created stunning visual tension in this photograph (After Invisible Man). 

The use of green screen was an entirely new visual effect that I had never used before and it was this that pushed me to experiment with it. I first had to learn the theoretical side of green screen videography before beginning the shoot (Involving Colour correction and Chrome keying)

Chroma keying is a visual effect in which the editor selects a colour (and a tone) that is within the video (usually green or blue depending on the use of backdrop).  The progamme will that completely remove that colour from the image.  Whatever is still left on screen is turned into a digital mask ready to overlay onto another image.

I used this effect on myself to put a video of myself onto Jeff Wall's image. When placing the video of myself onto the photograph I also had to make it smaller and crop my legs out to make it blend in well.

I feel that this experiment was successful, however, I think I will move onto using the 'Chroma key' effect to green screen more naturalistic elements (water/fire/e.c.t.) to enhance my own imagery as opposed to enhancing someone else's work.

Research: Philip Chambon

Philip Chambon is a critically recognised composer most notable for his soundtrack that was created for 'Swansong' by Christopher Bruce in 1987. This dance piece was inspired by the work of Amnesty International. Chambon created the electro-acoustic accompaniment using naturalistic sounds (screams/ birds/ bells/ trains e.c.t.) found objects such as pots/ glass/ doors e.c.t.

It was this soundtrack that he had created that had been the reason behind the underlying tension created within the dance piece. This was done through the melancholic composition and the use of minor notes/ chords. A short sample from Swansong is below.

"Crash and 8's" – Philip Chambon

This piece of music begins with a loud crash that immediately sets the mood and creates tension within the work. Once the crash sound has faded a fast paced melodic track begins (created using pans, pots and a synth). This track's fast tempo makes the listener feel rushed and uncomfortable.

I plan on using a few of these tracks to create tension and also to create my own compositions inspired by Chambon's work to use in my films. The use of minor chords/notes create a sad atmosphere and Majors create an uplifting vibe. Chambon cleverly combines the two in unison and turns the melodies into distant uncomfortable compositions.

Research: Mind Map

Visual:

 Speed/ use of contrast/ brightness

-Slow pace draws out narrative (creates anticipation)

-High contrast for more defined tone (black creates tension as it has a feeling of uncertainty)

Aural:
bass/ broadchurch/ war of the worlds/ film composers/ volume and velocity/

-Philip Chambon swansong soundtrack

-Bass creates underlying tension

-Increase in volume can build suspense

Drama: 
 7 levels of tension through performance

Physical: 
 tightness

-Muscles

-Elastic (films going back and forth through cam ang.)

-scientific diagrams

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Research: 7 Levels of Tension

The 7 levels of tension (created by Jacques Lecoq) are used within performance as a guideline to the amount of tension in the body.  These levels can easily be adapted and manipulated to created any desired effect that the artist/ performer wishes to portray.

I will be exploring each level throughout my work ranging from still/ slow movement (Level 1/2) to quick cuts and fast paced editing (Level 6/7).  I feel the these 7 levels will give the project a coherent structure and as a result enable me to explore my ideas in a structured way.

1 Exhausted or catatonic. There is no tension in the body at all. Begin in a complete state of relaxation. If you have to move or speak, it is a real effort.

2 Laid back. Many people live at this level of tension. Everything you say is cool, relaxed, probably lacking in credibility. The casual throw-away line – “I think I’ll go to bed now”.

3 Neutral or the “Economic”. It is what it is. There is nothing more, nothing less. The right amount. No past or future. You are totally present and aware. It is the state of tension before something happens. Think of a cat sitting comfortably on a wall, ready to leap up if a bird comes near. You move with no story behind your movement.

4 Alert or Curious. Look at things. Sit down. Stand up. Indecision. Levels 1 - 4 are our everyday states.

5 Suspense or the Reactive.   The crisis is about to happen. All the tension is in the body, concentrated between the eyes. There’s a delay to your reaction. The body reacts. 

6 Passionate (opera). The tension has exploded out of the body. Anger, fear, hilarity, despair. It’s difficult to control. 

7 Tragic.  Body can’t move. Petrified. The body is solid tension.

Research: Jeff Wall

Jeff wall is a Canadian artist and photographer. His photographic work capture movement and tension.  Many of these are staged and refer to the history of art and philosophical problems of representation. His work's compositions often pay homage to other artists (E.g. Diego Velázquez, Hokusai, and Édouard Manet, or to writers such as Franz Kafka, Yukio Mishima, and Ralph Ellison).  He presents his photography work as installations as opposed to photography shows/ exhibitions - I believe that he does this as he wants people to be involved in his work

Whilst his work is technically easy to create, artistically his photography and film work are challenging as it requires capturing the 'right moment' among movement.

One photo that really draws me to Jeff Wall's work is his piece "After Invisible Man" (See below).  This photograph's stimuli was the prologue in the book "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison. Jeff Wall took the design of the room seen in his piece from the description of the character's room. He has said that designing the room took a lot longer to create than actually building the set for the shoot.

In our society, it is not unusual for someone who is black to experience the feeling that he does not exist in the real world at all. He seems rather to exist in the nightmarish fantasy of the white American mind as a phantom that the white mind seeks unceasingly, by means both crude and subtle, to slay.    It is through this idea that the work gets it's undeniable tension.

Due to time and expense I am unable to recreate or invent sets on this scale myself I will film shots of myself in front of a green screen and place myself into Jeff Wall's work.  My intentions on doing this is to make the tension come alive even more through subtle movement. In addition to adding myself to 'After Invisible Man', I plan on adding myself into his other works 'Milk', 'a sudden gust of wind', and more.