Research and Ideas
Another individual artist whose work I have been studying is Daniel MacGee. One of his premier videos was for a Document issue done for the Blueprints Company's Big Push edition where he constructed a series shots for the intro where he used a number of dollies and tracks to create a very visually edited special effect where the background swirls around the foreground due to the motion of the camera whereby one zooms in whilst moving out making a very striking surreal effect. This technique was first employed in Stephen Spielburg's "Jaws" in a very memorable scene where the main character is looking out to sea while the shark attacks. This is a very effective shot to get the audience's attention. Also, this technique has been used on various "slowed down" commercials produced by the Government which is exactly like Danny MacGee's scene and this is probably where he got his idea from. The idea is to catch the eye of the target audience and get the message across as clearly as possible. Another style which I have also been inspired by is the old fashioned vignette-ing effect used by Danny MacGee in this production whereby the outside edge becomes darker to replicate the hand-cranked film camera of the late 1900's. I intend to use this for my dream-like sequence as this is a clear visual ident for the audience to tell which state of mind my subject is in as it has a non-linear pattern narrative. Also, the connotations of this editing effect help to establish the mood and atmosphere that I want to create for my film eg. the insanity/isolation. Also, the vignette-ing replicates many motion pictures that try to encapsulate dream sequences as dreams are often portrayed in this way. I have also noticed that a lot of mainstream and prime time television programmes such as "Top Gear" and "The Apprentice" and many other reality T V shows use this vignette-ing effect to create glamour and expensive-looking shots but this is not what this technique was originally intended for as it was in fact a mistake which occurred due to the poor quality equipment available in the early days of filming. Also, this method is at least 100 years old and one wonders why these effects now have these con notations