Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Creative Content Neigbourhood Portrait

The recordings Crystal and I made were a combination of sounds of motion: cars, walking, swinging, and streeter interviews. There was also a small recording of a Church sermon, which didn't make my final cut. I always had in mind the use of narrative for the neighbourhood portrait, which would either be interview and sound concrete-based or with use of voice-over. I didn't have an idea as to how the pieces would fit together, which is just as well, because any kind of narrative structure is often not recorded in order.

The choice of voice-over is perhaps a favorite of mine for documentary work. I didn't have enough material or time to make it interview based. There is a snippet of music concrete where an interview with two friends playing soccer is overlapped on itself, so it sounds as if five conversations are taking place instead of one. A sort of Row, Row, Row your boat scenario.

We recorded the data on a DAT machine, and a REEL to REEL (of which I didn't use). Microphones included dynamic and capacitor mics of directional and omni-directional usage. It is interesting to note that the capacitor mic used for the 'bowls' interview seemed to have no greater reasonance than the dynamic mic (both directional).

The DAT machine is a little more clumsy than the mini-disk, but the sound seems more inclusive, less taut, more natural: catching all the little burps that are omitted by mini-disk.

Emily Gan is my voice-over for this project.

Post production taught me a lot about how to plan my next production and what I will need to include, and measure the rhythm a little more.

Blog me, I'm tired!

Saturday, October 09, 2004

I never done good things, I never done bad things

Listening to CBC radio slaughtering Bowie. Its sacraligeous. Brent Banburry, you frickin' jerk. Ahem, excuse me, I seem to have lost my mind. If you have seen it, can you email it too me. I'm sure its small enough to send through a telephone wire. Anyone who is old enough to listen to music ie 1 yrs old, should start with a steady diet of David Bowie, The Who, Janis Jopelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, Chaka Kahn, Stevie Wonder and Mose Alison. Further to be schooled in The Cure, The Band, CCR, Queen, The Clash, Bob Marley, Bob Marley, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd. Actually, this might take some time. Just stick with David Bowie for the moment. Anyone reading this must go and find a David Bowie tape and put it on, and they will realise they are doing the funky chicken. Uncontrollably.

Folks, I have to admit, I am kind of stumped on my second project Neigbourhood portrait and all that. Any suggestions would be groovy. I would be grooved by them. And where were y'all yesterday anyway. For those of us who showed up, we experienced, I experienced the thrill of jumping off a building and landing on my feet, which thankfully were not embedded in my skull. I saw the light of EQing. It was profound. WE then went out to a marvellous vegetarian-oriented restaurant and savoured the charms of the waiter and the exquisite Vietnamese food. It was generously provided by our leader, who took it upon himself to give me another nick-name, which I dare not utter here.

I'm supposed to be reading a book on Propaganda, I have to go now.
replies are welcome. pies are welcome.