Audio Search (CM)

http://freemusicarchive.org

A great website for music available to download. Access for publishable use will need to be checked by the curators.

There are a number of genres which I believe may work well with the images I've taken so far. 

• Spoken/voice
• Old antique phonograph style
• Ominous soundscapes

It's considered that effective audio will compliment the visuals, rather than duplicate it. 

Starting shots (CM)

An initial shoot with the mannequin, to test for the right aesthetic and light. 

All images were shot at night in the city centre for the 'urban' theme. 

This doll is about a toddlers age, but I have access to another mannequin of about 7-10 years-old, if necessary. This younger mannequin is less bendy than first thought to be, but still able to use. One of it's leg wires had already been snapped, but I should be able to work around it. If not, the other doll is a back-up. 

The lighting is moody, with no extra lights used but the street lights. This leads to high contrast between darkened/shadowed corners to spotlighted areas, highlighting the mannequin and moving the viewers focus to what is in spotlight. 

Long exposures were necessary for the darkened images to be exposed properly, but it also led to the blurring of passers-by. This however, adds positively to the story, by complimenting the fact that this mannequin is continually being ignored/passed by.

Unfortunately some street lights give off an awful yellow/orange light, so these will need retouching in editing.

It's important to photograph multiple angles for narratives, needing to show multiple perspectives as any film/video would.

This was an unplanned shot, but I just stumbled across a lost wellington boot on the floor and it looked to fit the mannequin well. It helps to strengthen the story that the lost mannequin is looking for something. 

A thought that came into play whilst shooting is to have a video shot of one scene. The camera will be on a slider, moving slowly. I want to be able to show the entirety of a scene by having the realistic audio with it, and thought it would be an effective 'interval' of sorts, going from the standard video audio to the silent hum of cars driving past in the distance, or echoes of people walking past in an underpass. I'll give it a go on my next trip out. 

James Mellers - Thismanslife (CM)

James Mellers - Thismanslife
http://www.thismanslife.co.uk/projects/photonarratives/

An established UK-based designer, previously for companies such as Microsoft and Adobe - studied photography. His website doesn't hold much in the way of video work, however he's created a number of photo-narrative video's as side-projects. 

He's included the use of animation, video manipulation and text - to boost and perhaps create the entire narrative from the photographs. A useful tool to emphasis/assist with storyline. 

Richard Vantielcke - Cardboard Box Head (CM)

Richard Vantielcke

http://www.ludimaginary.net/index-english.html

Cardboard Box Head

http://vimeo.com/18394471

A video that tells a story with conceptual photography. His conceptual work is inspired by the surrealist painter Rene Magritte, while the narrative/storytelling is inspired from current cinematic mechanisms. 

Much of his work focuses on the use of light and shadows and night photography, giving it a touch of mystery and strangeness. 

His images stand out for their poetic, dreamlike approach, sometimes humorous. 

I'll likely use this story technique for my own Converging Media assignment, creating a photo-narrative in video format with audio. 

Storyboard (CM)

Images will be shot at night and naturally lit with dim moonlight/streetlights and surrounding glow/light pollution for more realistic images. This lighting set-up will give a natural moody glow and shadows to the images. 

Here will be a few introductory images of the baby mannequin (BM) slumped in an alley on its own. Shot lower to the ground to gain its perspective, so the audience may sympathise with the character and we see the story from a closer point of view to the character at hand. A wider shot will be included for context of placement.

Straight off we follow BM along its daily struggles being alone, ignored and lost. Here included may be a frontal shot of BM waiting at a bus stop. A bluntly framed shot, so we are forced to see the awkward/lonely situation BM in placed in; more so specifically here, obviously small and alone yet being ignored by the adult bystander. 

Here a sequence of images will be placed, the camera unmoving (placed on a tripod). A slightly longer shutterspeed will be used to capture passers-by in multiple images, blurring their figure to signify time going by. These sequences may best be put together with blunt jump cuts, as so the background stays the same yet the figures cut in and out of frame. Likely best cut to a beat/rhythm for emphasis to the cut.

Another ambient image of BM, this time hungry and longing for food.

Here a small sequence of images will take place, again the tripod static in place. The viewer (alongside BM) is now introduced to a secondary character, a smaller doll (SD) sitting along in an alley. First we see BM passing by on its own, next we see its intrigue in the doll. 

Finally we see two holding hands and walking off to the distance together.

Shots of the pair walking along, lonely but together, will be placed in sequence, until we see the pair walking and a larger mannequin (LM) is sitting in the distance. Small depth of field shall be used, so most of our focus is still on the smaller pair, but we are given a small background clue as to what the next shot may be.

We now get a closer view of LM and BM stops, intrigued. 

BM approaches LM for attention in the background (in focus), whilst SD is left at the front of frame but out of focus, so the initial attention is pushed towards the two mannequins finding each other.

Another shot will be taken, with the tripod static, but this next shot will have SD in focus, so our sympathies move to it instead.

A shot will be taken of the two mannequins walking into the distance together, holding hands.

The cliffhanger shot - we are taken back to the very beginning, in the same alleyway we once saw BM in, yet this time the small doll sits in its place, to replay the story all over again.

Starting notes/Basic Plot (CM)

Basic Plot

A personified mannequin doll is lost and alone, with nowhere to go and living from the city streets. Looking for some placement in its 'life', the story goes through its daily struggles. 

• Intro - lost mannequin, establishing shots
• Complication - the struggles it faces
• Resolution - it finds a friend/family member
• Cliffhanger - leaves the toy/doll it finds, then the story circles with the smaller doll looking for a companion

Introduction

We start off in a pedestrianised underpass at night. The mannequin doll is slumped on the floor, dimly lit by the city lights. Its cold, lonely, lost. There's a sense of sympathy, yet estranged mystery with the character being peculiar, a doll and its surreal personification/animation. 

List of possible complications/Events/Visuals (so far)

• Over the underpass on the bridge, looking through, over the road with hands on the bars. Long exposure to capture the car lights.
• Train station/bus station/bus stop, watching them/the people go by with their busy lives. (will need permission to shoot).
• On a bus/train, sitting on its own, completive.
• Walking down the street for middle shots. 
• Looking through windows for food.
• Some attempts to try and get help/attention, try to tug/reach for a human passing by, but get ignored.
• After being turned down again (include shots of mannequins' rejection), it returns to its sleeping place (underpass/bins?)
• Small doll thrown/dropped on the ground, obviously forgotten about, the mannequin will be walking by and look down to notice, think for a moment (shot of face/shoulders) and then pick doll up.
• Eventually finds the friend/family member (larger mannequin)
• Leaves the toy/doll it finds, last shot of the circling story emerging.

Resolution

I'm unsure, as of yet, whether to close the narrative or not. To create a happy ending? Or to leave it on an unresolved note, so the story was simply a window into this surreal fictional characters' life and its daily struggles. 

If I am to resolve the story however, one of these idea's are to come into effect:

• Finally finds a place to belong
• Finds their mother/father/friend (another mannequin)
• Finds their lost body part (head)

Shooting Schedule (CM)

Nov 18 - 24: Plan/research/storyboard + search for audio

Nov 25 - Dec 1 : Shoot + search for audio

Dec 2 - 8: Shoot + shoot audio

Dec 9 - 15: Edit

Dec 16 - 22: Edit

Dec 23+: Holiday break

Jan 2 - 5: Finish off/tweak/add to R+D

Jan 6th: Hand in.