24/04/23
Proposal form presentations were today. I felt that mine went well, couldn’t fit the equipment list and questions for staff within the 10 minutes but based on peer feedback, the presentation was solid. I felt confident in my project and it obviously showed. Upon reflection I wished I could of had a blank room to hold a mock takeover exhibition but sadly I couldn’t make it happen due to the amount of stuff I’d have to transport to uni. Yes I could have achieved this in a smaller capacity of less props but it wouldn’t have been close to what it would look like at the takeover anyway.
I feel that not using a script has actually given me an advantage when it comes to presenting, the general feedback forms all state I have mega confidence especially considering I haven’t used a script. I lost the last minute due to showing an example of the work, sounds preview but I feel that having a form of media or work to show can strengthen your argument as to why your work should be picked in a professional environment. So even though It didn’t fit into the 10 minutes, I still believe it was a strong presentation/pitch.
I unfortunately forget to grab photos today of the class/general as weren’t allowed phones so I haven’t much to post for today. Everyone else’s presentations were interesting. Unique projects and concepts.
25/04/23
I was let know during my presentation that was sniffing. Today I have a viral infection…makes sense now. I haven’t managed to do any physical work today at all and had to skip university. So this evening I just tweaked some more of the soundtrack.
I thought I would explain some of the processes within a sound editing process/ For instance a process known as doubling up in simpler terms – this allows a sound to sound natural but also hold a more normalised type of reverb. When you put an effect or filter on top of a sound within a DAW or sound editor it is a good advise to double up or bus send your sounds to an effect so that you have the normal sound on top of the reverb.
During my presentation, when I started my preview on the speakers in the Soddy room. I noticed that my voice was mixing with the bass track a lot, this isn’t noticeable at home but I thought id rectify the problem before the takeover. So below I have shown the process. I have dipped the low frequencies of my voice and brought my voice track forward above the other sounds, making clearer.
27/04/23
More progress on the soundtrack today. Adding footsteps etc.
A Quick Reflection:
This time last year I reflected on my 1st year as a student and the projects I undertook. I felt that it was useful so I decided to do it again for my 2nd year.
With year one, semester two, our theme was home. So I decided to try and be adventurous and make a short claymation film, obviously baring in mind that for one person to do this can be time consuming and fairly overbearing. The film was loosely based around my mother’s miscarriage and the intense emotion and reaction that a person/family can feel from the loss. At the time I had never attempted a claymation before, let alone sculpting clay but I went with the absolute basics and tried it out with the animation app.
I found it to be quite stressful at times and for the whole of that semester and within an eight month period, I lost my hearing in one ear due to a ruptured eardrum/middle ear water infection. It was absolute agony and I was very scared about whether it would leave permanent damage. But the support I had from my family and my other had was massive and my peers were extremely sympathetic. In terms of the overall completion of the film and whether I deemed it a success or not was honestly down to the audience reaction. The music I composed for the film fitted well I found to be the strongest aspect of the production. The clay on the other hand, not so much.
In the end I also missed the film being presented at the takeover due to having COVID so I couldn’t physically attend, which was heartbreaking. But I spoke to the cinema in the arts centre and made it possible for it to be scheduled and shown on the day. My parents attended and other people came away from the viewing with a lot of emotions, all positive. They found it to be quite deep and surprisingly effective, especially with a subject that isn’t spoken so in your face. It got a good reaction and I’m happy with that and deemed it a success for the short time I had.
Year 2, Semester one I wanted to try something completely different. The theme was TIME and I ended up delving into photography as I was studying it in another module to much enjoyment. In the summer I purchased a CANON EOS M50 and bought a zoom lens for wildlife photography, I ended up using this to much success and created a book of photographs about how people look around the university at certain times of the day, 9am 10am etc.
This was a much more fluent, approachable project and was much more of a relaxing process. Even inDesign and MIXAM were surpisingly user friendly to use. And the printed book was passable (should have used a hard cover, one spelling mistake) and was really rewarding. Students were really happy to see themselves printed in a book involving university, and gained success to the point that the photos are now being showcased in a slideshow on open days for the school of art. But towards the 2nd half of the semester I did face a block of creativity and was getting sick of photography, which was understandable as at some points it was all I was doing and the hundreds of photo sessions were piling up but thanks to tutor feedback and personal tutorials, I managed a breakthrough and started taking photos. the school of art itself (empty rooms, aspects etc). This also was my best mark to date and was really appreciative of that.
What do I take away from the past year overall?
x Try to be consistent with your work output
x Don’t be afraid to be ambitious but within your own limits.
x Personal tutee sessions are crucial to your learning.
x Collaborating brings a balance to your work and builds connections.
30/04/23
For the last week of this notebook I feel that I haven’t had much to post. I was still unwell for days so my voice wasn’t the same for the recording. Today I have felt moderately better so I have continued the narration. As I stopped the drawings at 12 A3’s I thought that I would add even more narration then what is just within the book as originally I was just going to narrate the findings within the field sketchbook. So now I have added more narration to go alongside it to bulk up the project for the takeover even more.
I have shown my recordings to other peers and my family/other half and they have responded well to it. They found that the bass track adds a lot of ambience and intrigue to the overall atmosphere. I found personally that it reminded me of the audiobooks I used to have on cassette as a child, especially with the synths.
Conclusion
At the end of the 10 week mark, I feel that this semester has been the most ambitious I have been in terms of churning out creativity. When I started this degree, I never imagined myself to be a person to try an instillation due to lack of creativity or general interest in the process but things seem to have changed. I am now really looking forward to The Takeover, much more than I was when I was installing a film into the cinema. The work load has been quite enjoyable as I feel that there has been a lot to do anf my checklist has been very full of points.
The soundtrack feels well produced, needs some final tweaking before the takeover date which I have time for. My narration is bettrer than I expected, one feedback I had is the feeling it would present with a different narrator. If I knew this project was the direction I was going to go in sooner, I would have thought about a different person to narrate. Below is the finished track:
The props are passable to my eye but they are hard to make, the tissue paper is very delicate and needs a lot of care when using the sellotape but the lights create a decent effect in the dark with the projector. The tent will be made on the day so I can’t comment on that but I am confident with that too. My only regret this semester is not being able to present it within a blank room but wasn’t easy to transport everything to the project room near Soddy. But next year If I do another instillation, I will think of a better way to have the project made to order so it can be moved quicker.
On one last note, it is important to know that the finished project will require the Takeover. So because of this I haven’t been able to stage the finished project properly. In my 500 word statement post, which will be posted Tuesday night – this will be reflected with photos and videos alongside the statement.
Onwards to the takeover! I cannot wait.
Self-confidence can limit your learning sometimes – what do you want to get out of your presentations? If you don’t leave time for staff feedback it’s you who’s loosing out. Writing a script is a hassle but you don’t have to stick to it (use it as a guide to timing) and the process of writing it I find helps to focus on what is most important.
I did leave time for staff feedback? We all had feedback from staff and peers at the end of each presentation. So I’m not sure what you mean on what I am missing out on…?
And yes script writing can help focus for sure.
When I said I didn’t have enough time for questions for staff, I’m referring to the section within the proposal form for the arts centre staff, which has already been answered.