Project 1: Time (proposal)

Here's what I have so far for the 'time' project...

I'm working on some time lapse footage, shooting with my Canon Powershot SD750. The resolution is set at 640x480. Frame rates are either 1 frame every 1 second, or 1 frame every 2 seconds.

I will also use my Canon HV30 high definition camcorder for some shots. I'll set the camcorder to standard DV 640x480, 30 frames per second.

The footage will be combined in Final Cut Pro. Shots with a green screen background will be superimposed on various shots from the time lapse footage and the standard footage.

The sound will be voiceover (and music), and some sound effects recorded separately.

Titles on a black frame will separate each sequence.

“TIME”

Script:

-(voice over)- 

Time passes slowly.

As I wait.

I count the seconds.

Time to get going.

Time speeds by.

It’s moving so fast.

Trying to keep up.

Stuck. Move on.

Time just gets away.

The secret of youth.

Forgotten.

Time is illusion.

Shot List:

Title - “Waiting”

Me staring into space, waiting.

Close of my fingers, thumping...

Close up of clock, ticking. Tic, tic...

Me staring into space, waiting.

Title - “Morning”

Close up of alarm going off.

Close up of me waking up.

Close up of putting on a shoe.

Me looking up, look toward the clock.

-(time lapse)- Medium shot, the clock moving fast.

Close up of putting on the other shoe, starting to tie it.

-(green screen)- Wide shot of me leaning out of the bottom of the frame to tie my shoe. My face is in the bottom of frame as I tie my shoe. 

-(background shots)- The wall behind me. -(dissolve to)...

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- Close up the clock, moving fast.

Title - “Going”

-(time lapse)- Extreme close up of the hands of the clock moving fast.

-(green screen)- (HANDHELD SHOT.) Wide shot of me looking up, face still at the bottom of frame. As I look around, I seem bewildered by what is going on around me as time speeds by in the background.

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- The view behind me as I get up, move through the hall and out the  front door, to the car, getting in the car...

-(time lapse)- (POV SHOT)- Time speeds by as we drive away.

-(green screen)- (HANDHELD SHOT.) Wide shot of me looking forward, face still at the bottom of frame. As I look around, driving the car, I am intently focussed and scared as time speeds by in the background.

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- View looking out the back of the car as I drive down the road.

Title - “Secret”

-(time lapse)- (POV SHOT)- Time speeds by as people move around the scene.

-(green screen)- Close up of me as I sit, stunned and slow.

-(background shots)- (time lapse)- View from the other direction as people move around in the background.

-(time lapse)- (POV SHOT)- Time speeds by as people move around the scene.

-(green screen)- Close up of me as I sit, girl approaches from behind and whispers something in my ear.

-(background shots)- The background freezes.

-(green screen)- Girl smiles as I open my eyes, aware.

Smooth Transitions (editing tips 2)

When editing multiple shots into a sequence, a smooth transition from one shot to the next will create a seamless edit, leading the viewer through the idea without drawing attention to the editing. Sometimes the effect of an abrupt, unsettling, or jarring experience may be desired, however, such edits will be more effective if well placed in a sequence of shots tied together with smooth transitions.

A smooth transition can make a cut from one shot to the next practically invisible. Our brains have a tendency to draw relationships between adjacent images, allowing two separate pictures that tie together in a logical (or illogical) way to appear as part of the same image, or part of a whole. The brain wants to put everything we see into a tidy package. If we see a man walking down the street, then a close up of his face as he walks down the street, we perceive two parts of a complete picture, assembling them into one image in our minds. Our focus is drawn to the action, while the differences between the two shots fade into the background of our perception. We simply see the man walking down the street. If the action and direction of the man walking matches from one shot to the next we won't notice the cut.

Our persistence of vision will enable the editor to guide us through the idea, captivated by whatever concept, mood, thoughts, or understanding the editor decides to convey.

A woman reaches for a mug of coffee as the sun rises in a window behind her. Close up of the coffee mug as it is lifted from the table, backlit by the rising sunlight. Close up of her mouth as she sips the coffee, then lowers the mug. Close up as the coffee mug moves down, landing on the table. Wide shot of the woman letting go of the coffee mug and turning to look out the window. A shot of the view through the window, someone walks down the street two stories below. Close ups of the actions happening on the street, etc..

Movement from one shot to the next will tie the shots together. If the subject looks down in one shot, then in the next shot the camera is moving down toward the subject's point of view, the shots will blend together. The timing of the cuts will affect the flow of the action. Matching the action in one shot with the next will preserve the persistence of vision.

What is time made of?

I've been thinking about how time seems to move faster as we get older. There seems to be a connection between our sense of mortality and the passage of time.

Einstein showed us how time would vary relative to mass and velocity. What if it goes deeper than that, fluctuating on a molecular level? Our current understanding of time would seem to be naive, awaiting all kinds of new discoveries.

We are starting to understand that time as we know it (simplified to the microcosm of our existence), is an interpretation of the reality of time, which is actually part of the fabric of the Universe. In a way, time is a substance, immeasurable by our current understanding, yet woven into our existence with connections we have yet to discover.

Could it be that time is a flexible membrane which varies depending upon our perspective? What if the neurons in our brains have some influence on the nature of time?

Potential Project - Time Lapse

Using my Canon PowerShot SD750 (a simple point and shoot digital camera), I discovered a "time lapse" feature. I can set the camera to record one frame every 1 or 2 seconds. VERY COOL. So now I'm experimenting with this feature. At one frame every 2 seconds, the resulting video will play a minute of real time in one second. If I record for an hour, playback will be one minute. I'm thinking of things that would be interesting at this time rate...

Three minute movie- (three hours of footage)

A clock?  No, too slow.
Flower blooming- still too slow.
Sun setting? Too slow unless other stuff is happening in the picture.
Traffic- Good.
Crowds of People? Also good.
People in general- should be good.

The trick would be to write a storyboard using several time lapse ideas and combining them in a meaningful way.

Thoughts on Editing, Time and Timing (editing tips 1)

When it comes to producing video projects, time plays a huge role not only in the conceptual process, but in the editing- great timing makes better editing.

When we get to the editing, we can easily assemble our video footage to reflect our thoughts and ideas. Computers make it easy to manipulate the order of events, or shots- that's the first step in the editing process. The next step is the usage of timing to lead the viewer through the ideas.

Deciding when to cut a shot- when it ends, when the next shot begins, is critical to creating a seamless viewing experience. If we cut on action, matching the action from one shot to the next will move the ideas forward, hopefully making the editing invisible so the viewer will be drawn into the content. Our goal with editing should be to emphasize the content of the experience, (disguising all our hard work and focus on detail) through the usage of movement and sound.

Chopping up footage and assembling it has become very easy with the use of computer assisted non-linear editing, (Final Cut Pro). Working with timing gets more advanced and can be tricky. We must begin to think about the editing even before we begin to shoot the video footage. How one shot will lead to the next, and so forth. We can start this process when creating the storyboards.

While creating the storyboards, or series of ideas, think about how the separate shots will eventually tie together into the expression of the whole idea. Though each storyboard will be drawn separately, we should consider the whole idea of the separate images as one fluid experience.

When we are shooting the video, consideration of movement within the shots will lend itself to the editing process. It can help to begin to think about editing before we start shooting. As we do so, movement of the subjects within the shots becomes relevant, as does movement of the camera (if any). If we think about these things ahead of time, we'll be ready to take our editing to the next level.

Timing plays a critical roll in the editing process. Matching one shot to the next at the right time will help the shots either flow together seamlessly, or create an abrupt transition to the next image, depending on the feeling we choose to emphasize. For maximum impact, abrupt cuts should be used sparingly, while smooth transitions make the rest of the editing appear seamless (and invisible).

Topics for further discussion:
Smooth transitions.
Timing in editing.
Usage of movement in editing.
Precision editing.
Usage of sound in editing.
Timing with sound.

Will There Be Condominiums in Data Space?

Some thoughts and ideas inspired by Bill Viola's essay...

Idea: The Ultimate Mnemonist:  
What if one could flip a switch to turn on mnemonic recall for a set period of time, accessing parts of the brain with the precision of a computer. The Ultimate Mnemonist would have access to memory, seeing it as a "data space", where all points in time are available at once. What would be the consequences of such a power?

This individual need not go mad, given that they have the ability to determine when and how much they wanted to recall. Could there be a spiritual element to the power, beyond the natural ability of the senses, including various perspectives of everything around the observer? Could time be observed by this individual as something more than a linear series of events? For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time could be more like what it really is: A property of a single state of being. For the Ultimate Mnemonist, time is not linear, nor is it made up of a set of separate events. Everything, every time, simply IS.

Relative Time
Albert Einstein theorized that time is relative to the viewer. Our perception of time would differ depending upon our location and movement through space. It has also been observed that our perception of time would vary depending upon our experience. According to theoretical physicist and bestselling author Dr. Michio Kaku, without the use of a clock, people who are relatively (relative to human life expectancy) young, usually experience a set period of time differently from those who are relatively old.

When compared to a fixed rate of time, such as a one minute period as measured by a clock, the older person seems to perceive the minute passing relatively fast, while the younger person perceives the minute passing relatively slow. As a result, without the aid of a clock, a person would calculate the passage of time differently depending upon his or her relative perception of time in relation to their perceived mortality. In other words, time seems to move faster as we get closer to the end of our life. The idea of time as a fixed reality, as measured by our clocks, was invented by us. Could it be that time actually does pass at a different rate depending upon how old we are?