DANCE VIDEO: Getting Pre-Production Done

21:34 Dance Video , Innovation and Interference , Research , Year 2 0 Comments

Synopsis

This collaboration between contemporary dance and film will attempt to convey the emotions associated with oppression through the combination of repetitive sequences and improvised movement as well as an exploration of the reflection on the self through the use of mirrored images, colour, and lighting to create a loosely narrative based piece which will see our dancer travel from a point of complete submission to one of emotional and physical freedom.

Treatment

This film follows the basic idea of attempting to convey oppression through movement. The dance will begin from a state of submission to the ‘norm’ with repetitive actions, and evolving throughout the film to a state of full creative expression. The idea stems from the desire to play with the evolution of dance from one state to another, and to play with mirroring and time. The idea of oppression comes from the ever present negative feelings in society towards creative degrees and career choices that both ourselves as film-makers and dancers may experience alike.

The film will begin with a continuous repetitive sequence of a few actions which are rigid and expressionless. The dancer will be repeating these mindlessly in front of a mirror. The mirror image will eventually become wise to these motions and act as a catalyst for change in the dance. The mirror will begin to affect the real life image by adding movements into the sequence and attempting to get the attention of the real person. The real person will eventually become fully aware of this ‘other person’ and then become aware of their own situation. This will allow the real person to break free from these repetitive actions into completely fluid motion.

Our production design is taking a minimalistic approach, as we do not want to be too literal in our relation to real life. Therefore we are designing our set around opposition of colour, attempting to represent either side of the mirror using different colours or tints to distinguish between the two. Our lighting aims to be a mixture of light and shadow using only one or two lights on our subject to create a moody atmosphere, yet lighting our subject softly to enhance the shapes and movements made through the dance.

Our soundtrack aims to focus on the movements in the dance. We have decided to mostly use the movements of the dancer to create the soundtrack, using the repetitive actions to create rhythm and using also the breathing and sounds coming from clothing etc. This type of sound design draws focus to the subtle movements of the dancer and gives the film a personal edge, and draws attention to the evolution of repetitive motion we are trying to create.

Also during our tutorial with Vicky after she had given us some very useful visual refrences, such as "Dancer In The Dark" by Lars Von Trier, or even "Modern Times" for it's mentality, she pointed out a few things that i found very important as the camera operator: