Author: Ran Xu

Visual Metaphor- A Perfect Women Competition

1.   Concept & Story

The story in my project is about an interview at the Perfect Women Competition. It is about gender discrimination and the male gaze that generally exist in society now. I am inspired to create this project by the courses I have learned in EAP and GPS classes and the news I have seen. I found that women have received a lot of social expectations that they need to take care of their families. In addition, the current aesthetic of women is solidified as “white, thin and thin”, especially in Asian countries. The standards men set for so-called “perfect women” hold women down and objectify them. So we decided to create a video with black humor to show this topic.

At first, we want to show the interview process directly. After communicating with the professor, we learned that it doesn’t work. So we decided to use objects to show the interview by giving these objects symbolic meaning.

I want to explore this topic because women have been trapped in the cave created by the male gaze for so long and their aesthetic tendency to monotony. They do everything they can to conform to the mainstream beauty of society even if it doesn’t suit them and at the expense of their health. So maybe this video can let women realize that they are not men’s objects. The criticism they have been subjected to is not their problem and they can just be themselves.

 

2.  Creation Process & Execution

Our storyboard helps us to confirm which camera angle we should use and the order of scenes. It makes the process of recording quicker.

At first, we decide to use the white wall, log colored and white tables, and staircase of the school. We try our best to find somewhere that looks clean, but it is hard. We used light in small size and two mobile flashlights for lighting and bought roses, slime, ice creams, sea baby ( a kind of toy that can grow up when it is soaked in water) We shot our video with both phones and cameras. After the class, we found that the setting need to be changed and some scenes doesn’t work. We also need more stable scene. So we bought different kinds of background paper, holders, reflectors and other objects to help us. And we lent three lights from ER to make sure that the shadow isn’t clear. The small light also is used in the process of shooting. And we decided to use the camera for our final project so we also lend a rack to make our scene more stable.

During the content creation, I think the most difficult part is choosing appropriate objects and designing the scenes. We talk about the story together and ask our friends for advice so that every scene can be more reasonable. And while shooting, the lighting and the shooting of ice cream are difficult. We shot the whole afternoon of Saturday and the light was out of power one by one. And at the end of shooting only one light and the small light works. We worried about the shadow of objects, but actually, it looks fine. The shooting of ice cream is really hard since it melts much more quickly than we have expected. We bought two ice creams from Mcdonald’s (The reason why we choose to do so is that the hand-made ice cream looks better, and their matcha flavor ice cream is green, which goes well with the orange background paper we’re going to use), and rushed to the place we shot, they are already melted halfway. So we quit the plan to shoot the scene of eating perfectly good ice cream bite by bite. We decided to shoot the melting process of ice cream. But there is only one strong light surviving, so we could only shoot part of that process and the scene of ice cream being eaten to the little.

In the first version, we edit the color to make scenes look more harmonious. And the last version we edit the size of the different scene and try to use mid shots and close-up to make our video looks more interesting. We use the technique of adding subtitles and changing the size of scenes to create split screens and changes of mid shots and close up.

(Sorry for closing Premiere too quickly and we can’t find the editable file now, so I upload some screenshots of the video to show what I have talked about above) 

3. Collaboration

I am responsible for writing part of the story, drawing part of the storyboard, editing the audio, buying materials, shooting some scenes, and editing part of our videos. Actually, we did almost everything together. I am particularly grateful to Christine. During the final week, both of us have a lot of work to do but she is still patient and would like to reshoot with me. Her editing is very creative and the quality of her audio is perfect!

I think the collaborative process and exchange with my partner make our project more creative and technical. We can exchange ideas with each other so that our video can be more interesting and we can spend more time on shooting and editing to improve the quality of our video. In addition, we can try more since there is the power of two people.

I have learned from my partner Christine that the coordination of sound and image is very important. When the change of sound just matches the change of image, the video will look much better.

 

4. Aesthetics & Results

We use both mid-shots and close-ups in the video. Mid shots can show the whole figure of the objects and the close-up can cover up the fact that the video has some wobbles and make the video be more interesting because of the change.

We adjust the color of every scene with colorful background. We want the scene to have more contrast in the color and look brighter. We want them to make a contrast or coordinate with the story we have written. Our story is satirical.  Bright colors contrast with the dark irony of reality.

The pace of the video is natural since we create a plot of interviews. The pace just matches the speed at which people normally speak and think.  

Final Project:

       

 

 

Christine&Charlotte’s Visual Metaphor Proposal

 1. Project Title: Interview for Perfect Woman

2. Team Members:   Christine Liu & Charlotte Xu 

3. Concept | Storyline:

       1). Who are you going to interview? Or What is the piece (article, poem, story) for the narrative voice-over? 

     One woman and several men( we are trying to find actors and an actress)

       2). What’s the story about? 

        There is an interview for Perfect Woman and some men are invited to be interviewers. They are judging a candidate now. 

       3). Which part of the story are you going to focus on? 

       The process of the interview

       4). What kind of style/aesthetics are you going to pursue?

            Black humor

1. Execution Plan: 

       1). What equipment are you going to use when shooting the movie? (cell phone, DSLR camera, sound recorder, stabilizer..)

             Phone or DSLR camera, sound recorder, and stabilizer 

       2). Which locations will it be shot at? When is it? Day time/night/unknown? Why?

             An empty room.

             At night (because we are only free at night)

       3). What are some challenges you might encounter and how will you prepare?

1. We want a clean background but we need to make full preparations for it in advance.
2. Light 
3. Narratage written in advance

     4). How will you collaborate? How will you divide work? (Gantt Chart)

           Collaboration: Decide the story, buy materials, borrow things from ER and IT, final adjust

 

Task	Owner	Start Date	Due Date	Duration	PCT of Task Complete
Write narratage	Charlotte	21 November	23 November	3 days	10%
Write narratage	Christine	21 November	23 November	3 days	10%
Record the voice of the men	Christine	24 Nov	26Nov	3 days	15%
Deal with the audio	Christine	24 Nov	26 Nov	3 days	10%
Record the video	Charlotte	27 Nov	30 Nov	4 days	25%
Edit the video (first time)	Charlotte	30 Nov	1 Dec	3 days	15%
Edit the video (second time)	Christine	2 Dec	4 Dec	3 days	15%

 

Storyboard

 

Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAKsZ26SabQ

(0:00-0:31)

Memory Soundscape

Concept

  At first, I want to use the sound I have recorded to create a scene of a weekend morning. But I found it is hard for me to use simple sounds to express happiness. So I decided to describe my dream. In the dream, I heard that someone’s footsteps, knocking at the door, opening the door, and coming closer and closer. I use the sound of knocking at the table to show the footsteps. In order to show the feeling of the dream, I try to it sound like it’s coming from a distance and make it even more ethereal. Then, I can just hear my heartbeat and faint noise. I use the combination of the slapping of a pillow, the slapping of a biscuit tin, and the tapping of glass to slow my heartbeat. My heartbeat went from small to loud to show my inner anxiety. The faint noise is from my hairdryer. And then I was awakened by the sound of opening the door and I am sure I am awake but I still lied on the bed. I hear the noise of dust cleaner and my mum come to pull back my covers and at last, she walked out of the room and closed the door. I chose to turn the scene from dream to reality with a clear door-opening sound. I chose not to use special effects to make them sound more realistic. 

 

Process

I did all my recording work in my dorm room because I didn’t envision outdoor content. I chose to record the sound of opening and closing doors, the sound of banging on different things, the sound of rubbing different things, some human voices without meaning, and water sounds of varying lengths. I think these sounds are very common in daily life and they will be fit for my project.

 When I first started recording, I found that I couldn’t hear the recorder with my headphones. I thought it was because the equipment was broken. But later, I found that I made a mistake with the earphone jack. When the grey plug of the double jack earphone plugs into the sound recorder, it works. I use the shotgun condenser so that I can focus on the sound in my surroundings.

When I was editing the project. I found it is really hard for me to create something with sounds without meaning. I also found it hard to switch scenes with sound. So I decided to create the real scene at first and then change to my dream and half-awake state. I chose to use a strong tapping sound for the transition. After the recitation, I know it doesn’t work and the two parts become separate. The sense of the dream is not so obvious.

So I switched the sequence of dreams and reality as suggested. Using vocal repetition to show the feeling of being half awake and half asleep. In the dream part, I chose mastering to show the ethereal feeling and increased repetition of heartbeats to make this part less jarring.

 

Conclusion

I will try to figure out why my recording always comes out of one of the two headphones even though I haven’t changed anything. That is also one of the problems that the professor has figured out on presentation day. The project that I resubmit sounds all right in my earphones and computer speakers now. But I am not sure that it works on sounders.

On presentation day, I received feedback from two professors and my classmates. They told me that maybe my project has two parts and they seem to be separate from each other. Changing the order may be better. And the heartbeat part is a little bit like music, it sounds nice. So I change the order of my project and use repetition of similar recordings to represent the feeling of being half awake and half asleep. I keep the heartbeat part of the precious project.

Image of Audition  

 

      

the image of the first draft

 

the image of the project now

Memory Soundscape draft (resubmit)

I want to describe a dream of mine. In the dream, I heard that someone’s footsteps, knocking at the door, opening the door, and coming closer and closer. I can just hear my heartbeat and faint noise. And then I was awakened by the sound of opening the door and I am sure I am awake but I still lied on the bed. I hear the noise of dust cleaner and my mum come to pull back my covers and at last, she walked out of the room and closed the door.

In order to show the feeling of a dream, I try to it sound like it’s coming from a distance and make it even more ethereal. My heartbeat went from small to loud to show my inner anxiety. I chose to turn the scene from dream to reality with a clear door-opening sound. I chose not to use special effects to make them sound more realistic.   

Reading assignment of The Uncertainty of Documentarism

1. Steyerl talks about how the “unbroken belief” of the documentary form is challenged. How are Steyerl’s ideas about truth and fiction represented and expressed in Abbas Kiarostami’s film? How does truth inform the fiction in Close up? How might fiction inform the truth?

Steyerl argues that “Paradoxically, documentary images are so powerful because there is no more unbroken belief in their truth.” in the article The Uncertainty of Documentarism.

He implies that the line between truth and fiction is becoming increasingly blurred. It can be shown in Abbas Kiarostami’s film. Taking Close up as an example, this film uses the method of documentary to tell a story about an unemployed painter posing as a famous director, gaining the trust of rich people, borrowing money from them to make a film, and being caught at last. Even though the film is shot in a way that makes it look like a documentary, we can’t confirm that the story is true. This allows the work to strike a delicate balance between truth and fiction. Abbas Kiarostami’s films, not just Close up show theory of Steyerl: the truth of contemporary documentary lies in their impression. They are perfectly true documents of that general uncertainty, so to speak. They reflect the precarious nature of contemporary lives as well as the uneasiness of any representation. So by telling fictional stories through the use of documentary filmmaking, truth informs the fiction in Close up.

I think it is hard for fiction to inform the truth because the fictional form of expression makes its own credibility is greatly reduced. Truth means reliable to some extent. But maybe using fiction to show something that is accepted as true by the public can work.      

 

 

2. What is the significance of the authenticity and representation of the truth in the media that you consume on a daily basis? What is the role of a live broadcast?

From my perspective, the significance of the authenticity and representation of the truth in the media that you consume on a daily basis is authoritative news and news and the various forms in which news is delivered TV shows, news feeds on mobile phones. I think the role of a live broadcast is to reflect the truth constantly. Since it can’t be edited, it is reliable to show what is happening outside. Although the angle can be controlled artificially, it is still one of the most reliable ways to show the truth.

 

 

Memory Soundscape

I just remembered a recent weekend morning. I wake up in the morning and because of the roar of the vacuum cleaner. I felt a little bit irritable. Soon the sound faded away I’m no longer fretful and enjoy the good time lying in bed. Later, Dad knocked at the door to call me to have breakfast. Sitting at the dining table, I enjoyed the smell of food and the leisure brought by the weekend.

I would like to use the sound of a hairdryer (easier to control the sound) to show the process by which the sound of a vacuum cleaner diminishes. At the same time, I want to add the sound of rubbing fabric to show off my irritability gradually. As this sound fades away, I want to use a blank and the gradual sound of a slow slap on the throw pillow to indicate the amount of time lying in bed. Then, I will tap on the table and the door panel to show footsteps and knocks. At last, I want to use the tapping of a glass or the sound of the wind to show the feeling of enjoyment.

 

Diptych Project–《Sweet Dreams and Nightmares》

Instructor: Inmi

Creator: Ran Xu

Name of project: 《Sweet Dreams and Nightmares》

Concept

In the photograph, I choose to put the doll on the quilt and use warm light to create a warm and lovely atmosphere and show the feeling of sweet dreams.

In the photo-shop picture, I changed the background to black and white, keeping only the doll and book colors. In addition, I used the top light to shift the focus to dolls and books, giving the picture a ghostly feel like a horror film. In this light, the doll’s unchanging expression and wide eyes were even more ghastly. In this way, I want to show the feeling of nightmares.

I use the same doll to let these two paired pictures relate to each other. I tried to use two different dolls to show sweet dreams and nightmares respectively. But I found that the relation between the two images will be too weak. The same doll will be better. In addition, I change the light background of the two images to let them have a different atmosphere and let the theme of sweet dreams and nightmares respond to one another.

 

Process

In staging and photographing part I, the doll I use is different from the one I use now. I use a doll sleeping on the bed. I try to use different kinds of light to show the feeling of sweet dreams. After I take the class, I found my concept is too simple and I don’t have the inspiration to do the photo-shop project. So I decide to choose Choose another more storied character to help me set the mood.

the first contact sheet I have made

So I decide to use the little red riding hood as my character and let her sitting on the piano and use the light to show the atmosphere of nightmares. After the class, I learned that my two images are too similar and I need to make some changes. So I think maybe the initial concept: sweet dreams and nightmares may be better than the concept of nightmares only. So I let the doll lie on the quilt to create a fairy-tale dream scene. After this, I put her and the fairy tale book on the piano and use the top light to show the nightmares. I changed the focus to focus on the doll and the book so that the picture became more diversified

the second craft photo

In creating part II image, to show the atmosphere of nightmares, I changed the background to black and white. What’s more, with the top light, both the doll and the book are partly in shadow. I adjusted the brightness and contrast of the doll and book sections to make the light contrast more obvious. At the same time, I twisted the keys to show the doll telling a story with music.

the part II image

I think the most significant step I have taken is that I change the part I image twice. I wonder how to express the feeling of sweet dreams and nightmares. I also wonder which concept will be better. At last, I found the contrast will be more appropriate for the diptych. So I used the background and warm light of the sheets from the original photo and change the character to keep the two pieces in touch.  

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, I try to use the theory I have learned in the classes to finish this project. I will find another background to show the concept of sweet dreams if I have more time because the sheets in the background are a little monotonous

Image of Diptych