Final Video-Virmond Park

This video could take about 1-2 minutes to load. Most of this was done at Virmond Park in Wisconsin about 10 miles north of downtown Milwaukee. I recorded all of the sounds nearby, mostly at a jungle gym. After recording on the Sony Walkman they went into Sony Soundstage. I then sent all the sounds into Audacity and made a variety of "one shots" to go along with the ambient sounds. I didn't get the greatest long ambient sounds so I did a couple simple beats. I loaded the one shots in FL Studio into the step sequencer sampler channels and played around with them, and then to the Piano Roll for some melody. I wanted the overall sound to be sort of natural so didn't use filter sweeps, phasing, flanging, or multi-tap delays. I did use equalizing, compression, limiting, and convolution reverbs. After getting a variety of sounds to work with I used Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum to assemble the video and audio.

3 Rough Cut Videos and 2 Stills

Click on the image to the left to see and hear my WIP. I decided to use some sounds I got close by to do a simple beat.












Here is a very interesting building that is by Lake Michigan close to downtown Milwaukee.












I can't resist railroad tracks. I spent my childhood on the "tracks".












I should have gotten more shots of the sky. This is one I like in particular though it may seem a bit dull.









Mosquitos live here. All of them I think. I took many shots of this swamp. Next time I will stay away from stagnant water if I can.

Production Strategy

1. After reflecting on your experiences on Drift 1, and after generating your Ten Questions, specify a promising place in your Drift area you plan to explore in more depth for Drift 2. This area may or may not start from the same point you used in Drift 1, but the area explored must be different than the area you explored in Drift 1. Make sure the location is precisely identified on your Drift 2 Drift Map. Explain why this site (or series of sites) seems promising.
I chose Virmond Park for the variety of scenery. I also wanted videos and stills from 2 other locations so I chose some train tracks and a mansion by the lake which is close to downtown.
2. Describe a new Drift Strategy (different than the one you used in Drift 1) that will help you navigate your Drift 2 area in new and unexpected ways.
I wanted to go somewhere on drift2 that would be new and take longer to explore. I also decided to shoot some video of a big house by Lake Michigan.I had no plan other than to go to the park and wander around and take my time.
3. Describe how you will limit your image-capturing activities in order to generate enough quality material with which to work.
I decided to try and keep my videos short. Around 30-40 seconds. I planned in advance to cut back and forth between the panoramic video or videos, and stills.

Image Capturing Strategies

I decided to come up with my own.

a) I wanted to have several panoramas to work with, to experiment with the natural light. I went to 3 locations by Lake Michigan but spent most of the time at Virmond Park..
b) I also wanted to have many close-up stills to create a contrast with the panoramic videos and stills.
c)I wasn't planning on recording sounds to make a beat or some kind of music but it must of been in the back of my mind. I saw a jungle gym close to where I shot a lot pictures so I started tapping on things there.
d) I wanted to incorporate some silence in my final video.

10 Questions

1) Is there anything original I can do with the sounds I record without taking anything away from the video and stills?
2) Is there a way to tie in the different locations I've chosen using all the gathered material I have?
3) If I'm not really happy with my materials should I go back or just make due?
4) How much is too much as far as processing of my materials?
5) How much time should I devote to stills-videos and audio respectively?
6) Should I be thinking in terms of very fast moving images or going at a slower pace for my final video?
7) Should I be looking for some connection between drift1 and drift2, as in a common theme?
8) If I have to make creative decisions on the spot should I try to be conservative?
9) Should I try to have an overall theme to the final video?
10) How can I make my recorded audio sound fairly natural?

Drift Assessment #1

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.
There were a lot of mosquitos. The stagnant creek water in the area I went to seems to have little life in it besides bugs. Not even minnows can be seen anywhere.

Drift Assessment #2

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
a) There was a clearing about half way down the trail that had some tall grass surrounding it. I like the sound of grass blowing in the wind so I just hung out there for a while and listened.
b) When I reached the end of the bike trail and got back on the street I got a very nice sound of an airplane. At that point I was relieved so I took my time walking the rest of the way back to my starting point.

Drift Assessment #3

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I found out the next day that you can never have enough source material. It doesn't pay to be in a hurry when you are doing field work so it's a good idea to be prepared. Bug spray is important depending on where you are headed.

Drift Assessment #4

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
This one is easy. The last time I went to the park there were a couple people there and I saw they had a Didgeridoo. It's strange because I remember my instructor saying something about it just a few days before. As soon as I saw it I told myself NOT to ask them to record it. The situation was simply too perfect. They were hanging around right at the edge of a bluff so there was very little ambient sounds except for the lake down below. I did ask him to play it just for a few seconds and he sounded very good. He was very proud of the instrument and he had just bought it in Australia. It was signed by the maker and it was very nice looking.
I didn't feel right asking to record him even though I thought it would make my video much better.

The Park by the Lake

My drift strategy was to get panoramas and also close-up shots to create a contrast. I spent most of the time at Virmond Park by Lake Michigan and most of the sounds came from there. Many sounds came from a jungle gym.





I don't know what this place is here but it reminds me of the movie The Shining. It has a great garden as you can see in the video.










A few stills came from my backyard. I decided not to use them.