Written proposal:
For my media project I want to use a compilation of videos along with my soundscape to portray the many feelings associated with the public/ private realm. I plan to start with warm, golden shots of public areas. These shots are meant to give off a positive, good feeling of community- When you are in public and feel connected to the people around you, even if you don’t know them. This will be the good mood walk through public space. Then when the sounds become more chaotic and muffled I want to use colder shots of more disorderly scenes. The feeling of anxiety when you walk through a crowd during rush hour commute home, when everyone is in a bad mood. Then, as the sounds become more private the shots will be still. Maybe shots of a subject writing in a journal, secluded. I have a general idea of what I want, but I think once I go out with my camera and tripod in spaces around the city, I might find something new to add or change. My original location was Union Square, but I plan to use different locations to convey similar feelings of public/ private.
Once I went out and starting shooting for this project I looked for busy interactions walking through the streets, and also looked for private desolate spots for the public/ private contrast. I was having trouble thinking of/ getting chaotic shots so I decided to focus more on the editing and how I could manipulate the feeling conveyed in how I edited the sequence. I used a lot of in and out points along with the siren noises, and layered different moving images over each other, changing the opacity of one to let the other show through. I think this was really effective in portraying the more chaotic feeling of disarray in a very public place with crowds of people passing by. I then transition into the more still shots of Tompkins square. Compared to the other shots of lots of movement in the frame, these show little movement of fewer subjects. I chose to do this to show the journey from public to finding private space.
Overall, I am happy with what I’ve created. I really like the moment where the subject on the right crosses paths with the woman and the yellow purse. I think I can definitely edit more and get more footage, but for now I think the visuals work well with the audio and are not directly associated with them which makes the combination a lot more interesting. I think using in and out points and layering varying opacities worked well in transitioning feelings. I also enjoy how the over saturated shots work with the layering. I enhanced the vibrancy in the colors to emphasize the stimulation of the busy environment and I think it comes across that way.
