Ecotone (aka Rough Clip #2)

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Machine (aka Rough Clip #3)

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Production Strategy

I will explore the beach at Atwater Park in more depth, using both with image and sound.

For my image capture limits, I will use a combination of extreme closeups, indiscernible objects, and nature shots.

For my sound capture limits, I will record sounds very up-close. I will also try to get sounds that are unidentifiable.

Ten Questions

1) Can I combine images and sounds that are vastly different?

2) Are there any objects that look totally out of place?

3) How many different types of trees can I get?

4) Can I record sounds that seem unearthly?

5) Is there a place with no human presence?

6) What is the oddest subject I can capture on camera?

7) Can I record any ambient music?

8) Are there interesting-looking rocks in the area?

9) Can I capture intriguing sounds from people?

10) Where could I diverge from the main path?

Trek Assessment Four

I don't know if I have a single favorite trek moment, but there was definitely one that sticks out. During Trek 01, I was recording sounds at a park near the woods (it was the chipmunks, actually) when I kind of strayed off the path. I was on a bridge near a very shallow stream when I left the main walking path and went down into the woods. There was a very crude dirt path through the woods, but it was one that probably wasn't as popular as the main one. It was just very interesting and somewhat mysterious to be off the central path and wander through the gauntlet of trees. There were absolutely no people when I was there. This kind of removed me from civilization - I really couldn't even hear any people back at the park. I walked around in the woods for a while not recording any sounds. I almost forgot that I even had the mics with me. I really like forests and masses of trees, so this slightly aimless wandering was enjoyable. In fact, now that I think about it, I don't recall recording more than maybe one sound while I was off the path. Eventually, I made my way back to civilization and continued on with my sound seeking. But for about twenty minutes, I really felt like I was somewhere completely different.

Trek Assessment Three

There were a few pleasant surprises that I discovered while working on both of my treks. First off, on Trek o1, I spent a while recording sounds near a playground. I happened to capture an exchange between a father and son - the son being Nicholas. While I was actually recording this, I didn't think much of it. It wasn't until I listened to it again on my computer that I discovered a sort a narrative unfolding between these two. The story was all about the infamous pricker bush and Nicholas' fascination with it and his father's warnings. This surprising narrative really added a much needed dynamic to this particular sound.

After going on Trek 02, I really didn't think that I had enough good material. Once I loaded it all onto my computer and looked over it again, I realized that much of what I thought was 'bad' material on the actual trek appeared to be much better upon second viewing. There things that really went together well, things that I previously didn't think would amount to anything. For example, I wasn't all that happy with some of my 'blowing in the wind' videos. It wasn't really until I edited them that I saw there were much better than I had earlier concluded. That was a nice surprise.

Also, with Trek 02, I almost inadvertently took several picture of light posts or poles at a very slanted upward angle. This wasn't even one of my light capture strategies. I just happened to take these types of pictures every so often when I came across such an object. I really didn't think I was even going to use them. But once again, when I looking through my footage on the computer, I saw just how many I had and found out that I could string them together to make a pattern in one of my silent films. It's always great to find uses for things that you previously thought had none.

Trek Assessment Two

When I was on Trek 01, recording sound of the water right at the shore of a beach, there was definitely a sense of peacefulness around. Although it was a fairly windy day, the water at the spot I was recording seemed and sounded very calm. It was relaxing to hear the water gently splash up on the beach and then slowly recede back. It was a nice sound to hear.

On Trek 02 I took a series of picture of small purple flowers followed by shots of a gray, dismal background. I was certainly in somewhat of a contemplative state while doing this. I was trying to tell a story with these pictures, and it sort came with ease - the taking of each picture kind of flowed into the next. I was in my head for much of this, trying to think deeply. And, in a way, this kind of created a certain kind of peace.

Trek Assessment One

During Trek 01, I wouldn't say 'shocked', but I was definitely amazed at just how close I got to the chipmunks I was recording. They were mulling around beneath a bird-feeder, and I just walked right up to them and dangled the mics above them. Even though I was inches from them, they didn't seem disturbed or frightened because they kept going about their business. They were sniffing around my shoes as if they really didn't care that I was there recording them.

During Trek 02, nature was slightly against me, and it was pretty frustrating at times. One of my light strategies was to get videos of objects blowing in the wind. However, as I was trying to do this, the wind was incredibly erratic. It would be perfectly windy for a moment, and then I would quickly get my camera ready only to find the wind dying down. I would have to wait for long periods of time in order to get the right objects blowing with a good amount of wind. After a while, this became very tiresome.