Backing Music

For my dance edit, I needed a backing track and I had to make sure there was either no copyright, or i had permission to use it.
I used a website called Mobygratis, which basically provides independant film makers with free music for short films that aren't commercial or make any profits.

You have to sign up and apply for the piece of music you want, giving your reasons and what you'll be using it for, then they'll get back to you with an email and a downloadable version of the piece of music you selected.

The piece of music I chose is called 'The Violent Bear It Away'

Dance Shoot and Rushes

Two professional contemporary dancers came to our studio and performed a dance for us to shoot.
We spent the time with them going over different parts of the dance and trying out different angles and directions to shoot from.

It was interesting trying to experiment with the XF305 Canon camera properly for the day, and in different conditions that we had to adapt to.
For example, we were using two cameras at once which we hadn't had the opportunity to try before, and something we had to keep in mind when trying to get different shots was that we had to make sure that the other camera was out of shot. This became difficult at times as both halves of the team wanted to try different shots.

Dance Video Research

Sia - Chandelier

     
I used this video as a source of inspiration for my dance video because I really loved the way it was filmed using one continuous shot. I couldn't use this in my dance video as we were experimenting with different shots and angles and using the tripod, but I knew after watching this video I wanted a sense of progression in my final cut.

Final Image

Practice Photo Edits

Second Photoshoot Images

I decided to do another photoshoot in with more control over what I was wearing and what I looked like. I wanted to do a series of images where I was wearing make-up, wearing lots of jewellery and a nice top, looking like I was ready to go out, and then a second set of images with no make-up, in a hoodie and no jewellery looking like I would if I was relaxing at home. 

I wanted these two versions of myself to clash, yet also reflect that it was still the same person just different aspects of them.

I wanted to show a bit more confidence in my body language for the above image, as after spending time on how I look and being out with friends relaxing, I'm generally more outspoken than I would be in a more formal environment with people I don't know that well.
This next image was intended to show me as more conservative in my body language and a bit more wary of my surroundings. This is me on a normal day, and as I'm naturally quite a lazy person I don't usually tend to make much of and effort with my appearance preferring to spend extra time sleeping, so I have no make-up on, and haven't picked out a nice outfit or anything, just thrown on whatever. This does however make me more self conscious about my appearance so I wanted this pose to look more insecure and withdrawn.

I was thinking of doing three characters in the final image, so I directed several photos to be taken where I had my hands out either side palms out, so if I wanted to I could edit that into an image.

I enjoyed shooting outside for this photoshoot as the wind and the greenery in the background made for a more dramatic atmosphere to the images.

Developed Ideas

Senayt Samuel - I found this image whilst researching my theme, and I was instantly drawn to it. This image is really creepy and unnatural because the Samuel's reflection in the mirror is turning around of its own accord. What is even more sinister is the fact that whilst the 'real world' woman is looking into the distance, the woman in the mirror is turning to look at the audience directly which I found really unnerving.

Kehinde Wiley-These pieces of work I thought were interesting from several different perspectives. Wiley is known for his highly naturalistic painting style and portrayal of young black men in heroic poses, and addressing the issues faced by them in contemporary cultures.
I was attracted to his work because I am looking into reflections of yourself, and I've liked the effect of having more than one version of himself in one piece, in different positions.

This piece I particularly liked, and I found it liked almost perfectly with what I wanted to show. I liked the connections between each of the men, the fact that they were palm to palm and all wearing the same clothes. I also like the backgrounds to Wiley's work, I think the almost abstract designs give the pieces an individual and unique quality to his work.

The Art of Football

My first photoshoot edit - I'm thinking at some point I want to incorporate mirrors into my work, but for now I'm going to keep it as duplicates in the image. I wanted to create the same eerie mood as Samuel's image with the reflection, and had several different photos of me edited into one frame, all looking at each other. One thing I would like to improve upon is the background. I think it's too plain, and I think adding something to it would improve the mood of the image.