Making Vibrate

We managed to get the filming done in one day, wiht the help of Reiss Portman (technical) and Helanie Moore (performer).

Recording Equiptment:

Zoom Recorder,
Boom mic,
Lighting,
Tripod,
Cannon D600

Previously I had thought about filming from behind and having a keyhole boarder by this restrained the view of the actions of the ritual so I decided to try shooting the video from a side angle. Below is a screenshot of this video:

First Video (tester), Screenshot

After replaying this video I had decided that I wasn’t very happy with the shot, when Helanie moved in to do her makeup it would often cut out her face or other parts of her body, I also didn’t feel as if as a viewer I could connect with her as a performer like this. I also found her hands crossed over the camera too much when picking up objects.

I then moved the camera closer to the mirror and slightly higher this allowed me the closest shot to front on as possible, we also moved Helanie’s make up to her right side so she wasn’t putting her arm across the camera, this shot worked a lot better, we were also able to aim the lighting so that when it would be switched to black and white the background would have more contrast and appear more grainy. This also allowed me to make further links with early erotica I had previously researched for the installation Sex, Lies and Videotapes. The following shot is from the final video:

Final Video, Vibrate

 

I was able to do all video editing on Final Cut Pro, which is software I have never used before, and I am extremely please with the outcome, however when reviewing the sound recordings I had made to go with the video I had various problems the main one being the Boom Mic had picked up every noise, not just the vibrations when necessary. Firstly I cut these recordings down and tried every possible way of reducing the background noise but this didn’t help at all. After a brief chat with the tutors, it was obvious the sound was really letting the piece down. The next day I booked out just a zoom mic, I spent the day in my room, sat watching the video and imitating the movements with the vibrators, moving the sound closer to the mic when Helanie moved the mic closer and doing flick movements when necessary. This worked better than I ever could have imagined. The only issue was that there was still fair amount of background noise, and in future it would be a better idea to book out a sound booth as a lot of recordings were ruined by talking downstairs. After making over 60 recordings, I went back through and played them alongside the video to see which ones synced the best and had the least background noise. I used the remained of the recordings to cut and make by own white noise to be played through the video. I really enjoyed learning to use new software for this project and although at times I was a little out of my comfort zone, I feel I thrived and have produced a better piece than I had even imagined. I am definitely hoping to work with video and sound again on future projects.