(For some reason, it wouldn't embed or post directly on here.)
Director's Commentary:
In creating this video, my goal was to portray the panic that accompanies performance preparation, especially as pieces fail to come together. I began with a shot of a calendar, with the impending performance highlighted. Then we see shots of the music, followed by going back a month in the calendar. I wanted to convey how overwhelmingly much there is to learn. Each of these shots is kept brief. They had to be long enough that the viewer could actually take them in, but the brevity of each of the shots is designed to encourage the sense of panic.
Finally, there's the speed-warp practice sessions. I had originally intended to show my ineptness at each piece. However, that would have been painstakingly boring, as I still play the pieces far too slow. Not at all the feeling I was aiming for. Instead, by speeding up these videos, I ended up looking far more competent, but I feel there was a greater sense of panic and urgency.
Throughout the practice scenes, I jumped to new shots of the calendar, showing time progressing, and the performance flying nearer. This was supposed to help create a feeling of impending doom, as well as urgency. I ended up not showing any sort of final performance for a couple of reasons. First of all, since the final performance hasn't happened yet, it was logistically impossible. But I also felt that the current ending, in leaving it open-ended, made the video scarier. Instead of a nice, happy resolution, the viewer is left wondering how things will work out.
I experimented with the zoom feature in my video editing, and found that zooming into and then out from my hands made the video more interesting. It emphasized that the hands were the important thing, as indeed they are. If only my hands do things correctly, at least the music will come out sounding as it should.
While I know this project was not supposed to be about the music, music is a vital part of video. Coupled with music being my area of competency, I wanted to have at least one aspect of this video be successful. Finally, I was loathe to play the actual recording of my playing, as, well, it's not great. However, Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" suited this video perfectly.
Overall, I would say my video is
largely successful in portraying what I wanted it to. However,
looking back on it again, I thought of some ways I could perhaps make
it better.
One thing that bugged me today, is that
the idea was that I was practicing this music over a period of time.
I showed different calendar dates to demonstrate this. However, I
did all the recording in one day. So I was wearing the exact same
thing. If I had thought this through a little better, I could have
done some costume changes to help enforce the idea that time was
passing. Not a huge deal, but costuming is a tool that movie makers
have, and one I did not use.
After watching it again, I suddenly
noticed the cars driving by in the background. This last time, that
was a huge distraction for me. I think, in retrospect, I should have
moved my piano against one of the walls, so there wouldn't be a
distracting background.
In addition, I did nothing with the
lighting. Truth be told, I'm not sure what I could have done, or how
it would have changed it. If I had more time, that would be an
interesting element to explore. Perhaps darker lighting could make
the situation seem more dire?
From this project, I learned the
importance of considering many elements in creating a compelling
experience. For my bird show, I can create a more compelling
experience if I have an appropriate location. While this isn't
something I'm in direct control over since I go to my audiences, I
can request smaller, quieter rooms, which will allow my audience to
focus on my small birds, rather than a lot of distractions. I also
learned the importance of using the right tool for the job. In this
video, I had to discard a lot of film I took, because it just did not
work. Similarly, I should carefully choose which birds I will bring
to which program. Not all birds are a good fit for the educational
experience, and though it is tempting to bring every bird possible,
it may be more compelling to only bring birds that will do their job
well.
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