Title: ‘Actuality’
Definition: The state of existing within reality
I feel the title ‘Actuality’ really draws upon the themes within my piece, subconsciously forcing the audience to begin questioning the realism and perception of the audio and visuals
If I were to exhibit my dream sequence, I would have to consider an number of display modes to compliment thew idea of consciousness and ‘uncanny’.
I love the idea of laying the audience flat on a bed as if they were dreaming and displaying the work either upon the ceiling or a developed personal immersible cinema such as this homemade iPhone cinema almost as if it were a ‘Dreambox’,
I feel this would be the best way in which to immerse the viewer with their perceptions of the dream, no distractions from their peripherals, the screen would also be bordered by blackness, connecting them to the content moreso.
After a great deal of time spent in post production; removing the green screen, masking in after effects, editing out the wires hanging the window frames and tinkering with sound, the final piece is now ready to be exported!
The sequence loops to portray how the character is consumed by the ideas/ desires represented within his unconscious dreamings.
I have used a great deal of repetition both within the audio and visual elements of the piece, which I will delve into further in the evaluation.
In order to create the ‘strange’ perception of reality for the viewer I have manipulated sound files to obscure and differentiate them from their original forms, all of which to create a parallel obscurity with my visuals.
I have altered the files by;
Echo
Pitch
Bass/Treble
Speed/Duration
Tempo
I experimented with these effects until I felt thew sounds resembled an eerie interpretation of their original, the echo was the most effective tool I used, referring to repetition seen in many dream sequences.
To obtain the audio files I need to manipulate for the sound effects I’m using Freesound.org to download copyright-free files.
In an ideal world, I would record the audio myself, but due to lack of time and a vehicle to travel to different locations, this option is much more realizable, the files are also of great quality too.
This audio piece was constructed by Lucier recording a narrative named ‘I am sitting in a room’, he then re-recorded the sound by playing it aloud, he repeated the process until there was no evidence of voice, merely a strange collaboration of mysterious sounds that filled the room.
I love the way in which the manipulation of the sounds create a completely different interpretation of the original narrative, the same way in which original feelings/ ideas are masked in dreams by the unconscious.
For the audio effects included within my piece, I will manipulate audio files via repetition and looping, in keeping with Lucier’s work to create an eerie association with the visuals, again, linked to the uncanny valley
Douglas Gordan created ’24 Hour Psycho’ (1993), slowing down Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ increasing the duration to 24 hours.
Exploring many themes as; recognition and “repetition, time and memory, complicity and duplicity, authorship and authenticity, darkness and light” (http://www.theguardian.com/arts/pictures/image/0,8543,-10204531576,00.html)
Slowing the sequence completely alters the audience’s perception of reality varied from the conventional 25fps.
Gordan Stated that “The past continues, and the future never happens, so everything remains in the present. The present is where the future and the past converge continuously”, he is referring to the slow pace of the images, it is impossible for us to remember the entirety of the frames that are displayed over such a great deal of time, allowing the viewer to focus more upon the present.
This is extremely reliant in terms of the unconscious; whilst we dream we do not question how we arrived at the dream, we are only concerned with the occurrences of the ‘now’.
I feel the use of slow motion will allow me to create an abnormal perception of reality, hopefully allowing the viewer to associate my dream sequence with their unconscious perception of dreaming.
“Black is a mysterious Colour associated with fear and the unknown” (‘Colour Wheel Pro’, ‘QSX Software Group)
This is exactly the feeling I initially set out to create, anxiety generated from the unknown, I was thinking of creating an eerie background to layer behind the visuals, but black does create this sense perfectly.
Using black to fill the negative space will help portray the mystery and lack of control over the dream world for the viewer.
After a a catch up with my tutor for the module, I was present with the workbook of a former student, Chris Edwards, who had a similar project to mine; reflecting on the ideas of dreams and psychoanalysis in film.
He created a very unique piece of work, capturing footage of participants laughing, slowing the slips down dramatically and re-recording the sounds until the sound of laughter is no longer audible, creating an eerie, unclear sound that closely resembles the ‘strange’ feel I also wish to create.
His workbook has great references to elements of my work and other practitioners. His research explores elements of audio and visual that are in keeping with my project
Also referring to ‘American Beauty’ I wanted the theme of love, lust, passion and most importantly desire;
Freud stated that our unrealised desires are unconsciously projected within dreams, this I will unconsciously communicate to the viewer with the dominant use of the color red, as with the rose petals seen in Lester Burnham’s dreams.
The main character within my dream sequence is entering a mind state that allows him to visualize his hidden desires, but these desires are masked by other objects/ sounds/ images.
His sexual and sensual need for a women is unrealized within his waking life, the color red aiding this symbolism
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