Update #10: Final Cut Pro Editing, Operation Shitbox and Modelling.

We've hit the double digits, madness. It's been a wild one these past two weeks so I'll cram it all into this update for you nice and concise, capisce?

Personal

Firstly, Operation Shitbox is a success, happy to say I've bought a lil Red Renault Clio and I'm excited to start relearning to drive since last march and soon to get driving license and open myself to more opportunities I can't yet reach without a car. This is more special to me as lately I have been feeling very stationary in terms of progression in my career and work, and getting a car was another step towards being more optimal once the pandemic is over.

I also bought some new specs, so can actually see clearly now, it's something.

I've been recording a lot of footage currently, and in progress currently on the winter Case Study: Forests, and also some video performance projects currently, which is a pleasure to be able to explore this new medium and see where the focus and difference between the other mediums. Hopefully to show you all soon.

After becoming infected and recovered from COVID-19, I am now able to donate plasma for the antibodies to hopefully be used for someone else who is in need of them.

Final Cut Pro editing and filming

So through the past 2 weeks I have been incredible busy filming, both for outside, filming the gentle snow and the ancient trees in the cold weather. Soon in the later few months I will be releasing it with for the second chapter to the project, hopefully more fine tuned than the first chapter in terms of editing and filmography. I have also been working on lighting and top-down filming for another project, and messing with effects and overlays on Fina; Cut Pro, this included the pixelate overlay.

Some of the challenges I had was using lighting for this clip, this was used with a tripod and a ring light on another tripod, making sure the lighting was correct so the footage wasn't overexposed and correctly shot from directly above.

This was something I enjoyed creating, throwing paint on paper as splats, then ensuring the right about of pixilation in the footage with a few cropping and tweaking in terms of the overlay and timeline. This will be used at half opacity in a later project.

In terms of Case Study Forests: I worked on more winter filming, it was -3 which was pretty angin, but nevertheless it was quite a beautiful day to film. From what I have learnt from doing the filming for these case studies is to see the beauty in which we overlook everyday. I am quite lucky in the location I am based as it is quite rural and a lot of desolate fields and off-beat tracks past farmhouses and dense forests.

This overlooked beauty is often something I focused on when filming, such as the snow reflecting sunlight, the crashing of water in the lodges and rivers, the calm sway of leafless trees, and the moss that sits calmly on them.

Modelling

As a strange turn of events, I signed up half-assed to a modelling shoot, and even more strangely they saw me as viable. I never really saw much of modelling for me, nor do I really like the idea of the industry but gave it a shot regardless. It was a laugh actually, and I came back with a few professional photos and a few casting companies wanting to sign me up, this is something I am mulling over and be deciding by money next week. On one hand I see it as a chance to work and bring notoriety and attention to

myself, which could be useful for my foot in the door especially with the Manchester agencies, whilst also morally I am not too keen on the idea of my physical appearance being the factor in which I gain notoriety to, either way it is something to think about for sure. Either way, here are some of the images from the shoot I am pretty happy about.

SOTW- Hak Baker - Conundrum

Sweet and simple, reverb guitar and vocals about growing up in East London. This some romanticizes a rough upbringing in East London in the guise of nostalgia and a simpler time. Beautiful and incredibly human truthful lyrics.

AOTW- “Site of Reversible Destiny — Yoro Park,”

(Source:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/20/t-magazine/reversible-destiny-arakawa-madeline-gins.html)

The architecture created by Arakawa and Madeline Gins are focused in a the realms of Avant Garde and surrealist nature, focusing on the idea and philosophy that people who become comfortable in a environment in which starts the deterioration process in the body starts when we are comfortable. They created rooms and villas in which subvert expectations and keep rooms retaining the uncomfortable atmosphere focusing on not using many straight edges and lines, obscure shapes and colours in the rooms. The way of keeping stimulation prevalent in the room was one of the features to extending the lifespan providing stimulation.

Mad Max (1979)- 4/10

I'm not sure why but upon looking at the reviews, I am not sure why in any way this was highly rated. It felt very much like the direction of the films was uncertain, the performances mediocre, and continuity errors galore. It looks as if budget was minimal, which is taken into consideration, however with shoestring budgets it some films can have a incredible amount of charm, this however I did not feel with Mad Max.

Either way, it may have had a cultural impact of the 80's low budget action scene, but it did not slap. 4/10

O Brother, Where are Thou? 6/10

A comedy set in The Great Depression in America, 3 escaped criminals embark across America in search to recover treasure. The characterization of the 3 main protagonists, contrasting between a slick talking yet arrogant atheist, and humble, dim hillbilly-esque characters. The chemistry, morals and intentions between them are different yet bonded through being wanted.

There is a running theme of singing that remains prevalent in the film, usually for moments of connection, or groups, be that the ethereal singing of the baptisms they come across, or the malicious cultish KKK meetings they stumble into.

Religious figures and notable people of the era also make a unexpected appearance in this film, and I found it quite a refreshing addition to the Great Depression setting. This along with notable famous people encountered such as Babyface Nelson and Robert Johnson. This helped immerse the characters into the time period.

Overall, I enjoyed this film, and was a good film to sit back and watch, with some excellent scenes of tension, absurdist and heartfelt moments. 6/10

There we have update #10, the double digits, and hope to catch you all for the 11th, catch you later folks.

- S (21/02/21)