BVA703 Research - Week 8

08/05/2020

Online class
Title is a subtitle to your work, not the title of your project.

The purpose of doing the same format is for us to get used to the format, especially when comes to our exegesis. It's also to help us have our research under control when our practical projects are underway.

Rationale - How can my research can contribute to my field and what makes it unique. 1 or 2 sentences

Introduction - no more than 2 paragraphs. Limit and summarise your words.

Organisation - outlines the order of your argument. Full sentence, not bullet points.

Body - Every argument has an explanation, an example. Argue the relationship between your explanation and project

Conclusion - remind your reader about your research aims and question and summarise your findings. Outline your findings, what you have discovered as a result of your research.

6 annotated sources are needed to be included
It hasn't been easy finding new examples for my research, but I will likely watch Before the Flood on Disney+ later on.

Assessment 2 deadline - 12th June



I looked on Beamafilm in search of documentaries that I may like to watch and review for my research. 



Exhibition video

I managed to complete my video throughout the day. I changed the subtitle font to a Roboto font and it made it stand out more and look more professional. I also added credits to acknowledge footage from Flickr, music from Filmmusic.io, and general credits for New Zealand Parliament, Flickr, and Pexels. 

I didn't credit the Pexels footage properly because it's almost in the public domain and their licences don't require you to credit the footage and their creators. I also didn't credit exact Pexels footage because it would make it longer than it should.

The final video ended up being two minutes and 10 seconds long and the sound mix was okay as well.

https://www.parliament.nz/en/get-involved/information-for-the-press/parliament-tv-terms-and-conditions/

https://www.parliament.nz/en/footer/copyright/

https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/parliamentary-rules/standing-orders-2017-by-chapter/appendix-d-rules-for-filming-and-conditions-for-use-of-official-television-coverage/#_Toc490063270

Parliament footage
I took another look at parameters of using Parliament footage, which is a big gray area. In the standing order, it allows you to reuse the footage as long as it is not for commercial or political advertising purposes, or to misrepresent individuals. However, it has no formal process, contact, or license to follow. 

I'm trying not to overthink it.

The footage is my is for the purposes of presenting both sides of the political argument of this social movement. Most of their content is protected under Creative Commons, with the exception of Parliament footage and third-party content.
All their videos are available to download on Vimeo with the option available for every video. I was every conflicted about the copyright aspects because of the gray areas, but I may look more deeper into it if used in the final cut. Things should be fine for the exhibition video.

WeTransfer
I informed Danny Stephens that I would be sending the James Shaw footage to him through We Transfer, which he was fine with. Receiving files through We Transfer are easy compared to Google Drive, which can always play up.

Because of the file sizes (4.1 GB in total), I bought monthly subscription to We Transfer. I managed to send the video files to Danny with no issue tonight. 


Artist statement
I tried spending the day writing the artist statement, but I was incapable of doing so and had mental blocks, so it took all day. I was worried that there was a 5pm deadline because James was giving me mixed messages throughout the week about the artist statement. In the end, I sent my content for the exhibition to James through We Transfer just before 7pm.

I also created an A4 poster of aspect ratios to give people a basic visual idea of what my research is about; aspect ratio. The images in the poster were from camera framing tests that I had done prior to the lockdown.

10/05/2020

I found some documentaries on PS Store that I cannot find anywhere else 

• Won't you be my neighbor
• Roger and Me

I purchased a pro subscription to Zoom last night, but today I will be doing a test meeting with my niece, Makayla to test filming interviews online. I recorded for a few minutes on Zoom and OBS. Recording on OBS at the same time as Zoom allows me to have backup footage to the recorded interview, in the event that Zoom footage doesn't work or somehow gets corrupted.

The recorded test interview came out okay... to an extent. 

I watched some video tutorials on Zoom last night to understand how to use Zoom, but there was nothing needed to learn it turns out. It's pretty basic to use. I did try using a virtual background, but it blends right into me because it doesn't suit my environment.

Looking back I could had done it on the desktop version. I downloaded it a while after the test meeting and came up with that realization then. I thought I need do another test meeting because recordings from OBS wasn't compatible to import into Adobe software, but it depends on when my niece is free next and it's not really a priority because OBS is used to record backup footage for online interviews. I have changed the recording format from mkv to mp4.

I have figured out from doing online interviews is that the audio and video quality from each individual is determined by the individual's computer. For example, my PC laptop had SD quality video and wasn't good enough compared to the niece, who was connected through her MacBook.

I could get contact with Ashleigh Putt-Fallows and ask her for footage and potential contacts to also interview later on, but I just need to get my mind together first and need to organised interview questions. I could look into the local climate strikes to get more informed questioning about last year

School Climate 4 Strike has started advertising their online NZ climate strike this weekend. 
I will eventually get in contact with them for footage of climate strikes from last year.

12/05/2020

I was meant to send the emails, but I lost confidence in them for now and have been putting it off since then.

Sin Ae, K., Yang Kwon, M., & Young Hwan, J. (Producers), & Joon Ho, B. (Director). (2019). Parasite [Motion picture]. CJ Entertainment.

Themes - class divide, social inequality, poverty, wealth, morality

I managed to get a copy of Parasite to watch from PlayStation Store

Parasite is a brilliant social thriller that starts off as a universal story of poverty and it reminded me of the show, Shameless, only for the film to change its tone to a thriller with many unexpected twists and turns. There seems to be no tangible drama until half way through the film.

I quite like how the cinematography differences between the poor family's house and the rich family's house. It is used to compliment and for them to become hand in hand with production design.

Cinematography used in the Kim's (the poor family) house consists of stationary camera, and cramped and claustrophobic framing, whereas cinematography used in the Park's (the rich family) house consists of wide and open spaces type of framing and dolly camera movement.

What makes the film engaging in the first half is how the Kim family perfectly executes in hustling and coning the Park family into getting employment.

I like to think of the Kim family as more like antiheroes than protagonists.

Cho Yeo-jeong as Mrs Park is a great performance to watch, especially her over-the-top reactions and emotions she expresses, which adds an extra dimension in portraying a wealthy, yet gullible character. Her character in the first half almost gives comedy to the film

I quite how Mrs Park reacts to TB (manipulated by the Kim family) like as thought it's covid-19, which makes the scene more relevant this year than it was last year.

13/05/2020

Davidoski, T., Davisson, J., DiCaprio, L., Guirgis, M. T., Krapels, M., Packer, J., & Ratner, B. (Producers), & Stevens, F. (Director). (2016). Before the flood [Motion picture]. National Geographic: RatPac Documentary Films.

Themes - nature, corruption, humanity, science vs capitalism

Before the Flood is an insightful, engaging and informative documentary on the subject of climate change, how it is affecting the world, the Paris Agreement, and famous people put their ten cents in on the subject. The information that expressed in this documentary not only of An Inconvenient Truth, but also of the information that shocked and intrigued me concerning climate change.  

It delivers a strong message about our society and economy blindly ignore climate change and outside our own backyard.

The documentary essentially applies conventional uses of aspect ratio. It primarily uses 16:9, but also uses 4:3 for the sake of archival footage.

Opposition represented by conservative and biased media, misinformation, and right-wing politics

Conflict and drama in interview subject e.g. discredited by the media, death threats

I was surprised to see Elon Musk in this documentary and hear his take on climate change and carbon tax

New working title (Steamed from the Industrial Revolution): The Green Revolution

Much more powerful working title than Climate Fever, but sound like it shouts on the lines of anarchy

Due to budgetary restrictions, I don't think I will have as much reliance or amount of stock footage or image like this documentary

Surprised to see a glimpse of John Key (then-Prime Minster of New Zealand) at the Paris Agreement signing

The documentary address the positive and negative impact and perspectives on the Paris Agreement e.g. significance, but also its flaws like not enforcing a carbon tax.

I could do the same with the school climate strike movement to make the argument two-sided

DiCaprio even talks with a Republican (a political party with a majority of conservatives and climate change deniers) who believes that climate change is a real threat and that a carbon tax should be enforced in the United States.

Fun Fact: Martin Scorsese is credited as one of this documentary's executive producers

The most open and natural interview of a power figure I have seen. DiCaprio and Obama walk, talk, and stand in the gardens of the White House. I don't see myself implementing something like this for my documentary at this stage because of covid-19

I could try to interview Sir Tim Shadbolt and ask him about his views on climate change and the school climate strike movement and how he would compare it with social movements in his youth e.g. opposing Vietnam, nuclear disarmament, Apartheid in South Africa.

I think I saw Helen Clark

The closing credits gave me more ideas for interview questioning like ending fossil fuel subsides, investing in renewable energy, and a carbon tax

A carbon tax was included in the documentary's budget through CarboTax.

14/05/2020

Capotosto, C., & Ma, N. (Producers), & Neville, M. (Director). (2018). Won't you be my neighbor? [Motion picture]. Focus Features: Tremolo Productions.

It relies a lot on archival footage which is feasible for this documentary because 9of the subject (Mr Rogers)

Most archival footage that would likely had been 4:3 has been enlarged to fill a 16:9 frame. Some like the first episode of Mr Rogers' show is still shown in 4:3 in the documentary and not enlarged to fill 16:9. This is used quite randomly throughout the documentary.

Finding a reason for this really racked my mind. I cannot find a reason or purpose for it.

It's an interesting personal profile on Mr Rogers, his life and career. The documentary is nothing special, but this great figure of empathy is special. 

The drama comes from a minority of this documentary e.g. the odd self-doubt, controversies and hate from conservatives and biased media because of his personality and inclusiveness.

It's horrible to see and hear. He's a type of person the world needs at the moment. Jacinda Ardern is closest person we have of that type.

I think I was expecting a bit more or something that is missing, but I can't put my finger on it.