The Shape Shifter (Final Cut)

This is the final cut of my trek 03. This is basically all three of my rough cuts put together through a transition shot. Then parts were added and taken as a result from the suggestions I was given.

Joy (Rough Cut #1)

All images were taken downtown. All of them doing with Christmas, but placed in a way to make them seem sort of creepy. The sound is also taken from the downtown Milwaukee area. The atmosphere is mainly dominated by a jackhammer that is heard from a variation of distance.

The Shape Shifter (Rough Cut #2)

I based this rough draft off of an affect I produced with my own hands. The image of a still object was placed next to n image of the exact same object. Except the second time you see the object I am shaking the image wildly. The effect of bright lights on a nighttime backdrop helped me achieve this effect. The objects almost look like they are shape shifting into each other. The sound of children screaming was manipulated by the stretching of the digital film's time and space continuum, and then placed in a reversed manner.

The Devil's Face (Rough Cut #3)

I wanted to create an atmosphere of no ups or downs. Almost like hallucinating and falling into a dimension with no ground or support. I use the trick of blackness to create this hallucination. Some of these clips look like they were connected, as if taken in one shot. However, this is just my editing taking advantage of, and matching the black colors that these lights fall into. I shake my camera in my third shot to give the effect of stretching the tracking on my film. The sound is composed of noises I found while walking from Brady Street to Water Street. The sound that leaves you in the end of my clip is the sound of a leaf blower in separate takes. Each take is closer and closer. You also hear the sound of a drawbridge that connects the third ward to the fifth ward down town Milwaukee. Also, If you watch this clip frame by frame and look into it a little deeper you may find a haunting surprise.

Production Strategy

This time I will go downtown at nighttime to see what it looks like on video. It must be different than the daytime. I originally wanted my project to include flowers, but since it is cold they are certainly all taken out of their plots downtown. So I will take images of the Christmas lights in a close up manner to make them more abstract. Then I will use the black of night to make a transition in the editing process.

Ten Questions

1. Is there corporate art structures that look interesting next to actual artists pieces that you can compare in your photos?
2. Do you see any plants that are located next to a tall man made objects?
3. Does the city have more photogenic opportunities during the day or the night?
4. Are there seasonal decorations that were hung by the city?
5. What building is the tallest downtown when viewing it from the ground?
6. How many different art forms can you fit in one stand still Frame (i.e. architecture, statues, garden arrangements, etc.)
7. What sort of interesting things do you find in back alleys?
8. At anytime can you spin around without seeing another person?
9. Are there older buildings or newer buildings?
10. Can you catch a view of the city skyline from where you are, even if you are still technically in the city?

Assessment #4

The time I felt most excited during my projects I was downtown. The lights at night were exciting, the places I visited were all so interesting, and sites I saw were perfect. I wasn’t just downtown doing my trek. I was drinking at tea shops, or eating sushi at the Milwaukee Public Market. Also, on every trek I stopped at Bw3’s for chicken wings. However, the best time I had during my trek’s was when I was by myself on top of an artsy stairwell that curved itself to look over the River that ran parallel to Water Street. I let the cooling air refresh me as I watched boats sail on passed me. It made me feel like sitting there all day and just gaze at the people that pass me by.

Assessment #3

It was interesting to me that when I was downtown I was asked less for change then when I was near the dorms. On my second trek this man was bugging me for money E North Avenue. I remember thinking to myself, “Oh great I can not wait until how many homeless people are going to bug me downtown.” However, when I was down there I did not see any. I could only conclude that most of the homeless people stay over by us kids at UWM. Another social issue arose when I was downtown though. There was a lot of vandalism everywhere. It was actually interesting. On the side of almost any wall you could find a different picture sprayed by somebody. On South Water Street somebody with the tag name of “RAT” is everywhere. Another social issue I came across is an obvious one. The river is a beautiful thing at first glance, but if you look closely there is a lot of pollution inside of it. Mostly under the docks if you look you will see plastic bags and beer cans that had drifting beneath the docks.

Assessment #2

Before my trek #1 I was dreading the fact that I needed to cross the city on foot. My goal was to walk from the dorms to the point on Water Street where the fifth ward meets the third ward. When I made it to the city my attitude changed. I sat down by the river that goes through the heart of downtown, I began to record the sounds around me, but subconsciously I put the microphones down, and just sat there. Being distracted from the flow of the river I began to notice how nice the downtown area is. My mind was no longer on my project, but it was set on exploring the city around me.
While I was on my trek it was a particularly nice day. The sun was shining over the city and I believe the temperature was still in the seventies so naturally I was already at peace with the day. A certain moment of the day struck me. I did not notice how it affected me until after it had happened. I was sitting in Cathedral Park with my sound recorder rolling. The bench that I was sitting on was located on the edge of the park closer to the city street. The ambient sound of nature still peered in my headset. The busy sounds of the city were quieted, and took second to the chirping of birds. I did not notice how long that I was sitting there, and listening very closely to the sounds that were being recorded. I kind of got lost in the moment.

Assessment #1

The first frustration I crossed happened before I even captured my sounds. I could not decide where in Milwaukee I would like to record my sounds and my footage. I was relatively new to this city at the time. I had previously lived in Waukesha, which is actually located just outside of Milwaukee. However, I had never actually explored Milwaukee like I was getting ready to do. I had a choice of recording in more rural settings or more urban settings, or even a more suburban setting. The rural areas I think are better for isolated sounds, but the city is exciting to be in with a wide spectrum of imagery. It took me a long time to decide my starting point. Yet, I finally went with the city so I could explore the place I just moved to.
Another frustration arose while I was actually on my trek. The city was fun to explore, but there is this overriding sound everywhere. That sound is the sound of business, cars, and people rushing through out their day. In every sound byte I captured you can hear the rumble of cars, or the constant chatter of peoples’ voices. Yet, I overcame this frustration, I just had to be picky about which sound bytes I chose.