Pre-test test shoot

This weekend I went in to get some test shots with the lighting set up and the falling process in the chair to see if it will work. I also planned out a few different outfits to get some stills of to see if they will look right on film.

Image of lighting

...and the chair











Here are some shots of the outfits I have in mind. I think that it will be stronger if there is a variety of changes to show time passing so that the process doesn't read as one day. Varying from dressed up to very casual. Things I would wear from day to day.

Footage:

This first video is the building of the chair as it was the very first time we put it back together, but the more we did it the better we were able to figure out how to keep it stable. 3 toothpicks are better than one!


building from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

The next two videos are of me falling. In the first one the chair started to break before I even fell down and because of the angle it still looked pretty believable. Which got me thinking that this could be a way to execute the shots. If I can get the chair to start falling and I fall just after I may be able to land without hurting myself or the chair but it could be tricky.

fall 1 from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

The problem in this film is that I hesitate when I sit down. Pretty much every time I sat down I did that. So, I am glad that I figured this out before the real test shoot coming up next weekend. I think I am going to try to tape some padding under my clothes. Most of my outfits are not fitted so I am pretty sure that I can conceal it so it doesn't show of film. Maybe with a little extra padding on my body I will be more confident when sitting down on the chair. It needs to look as normal and natural as possible!

fall 2 from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

At the end of the shoot there was an unexpected student that came into the studio, Jonah, we asked him to sit on the chair that was already set up. He did and it was good because the chair didn't break right away. He knew there was something wrong with it but for a brief moment I think he thought he was safe. The chair did break and he said it hurt but that he was ok. Sorry Jonah! I did discover what I was already thinking which is that he landed on the back of the chair with his back. Once again I need padding!

unexpected from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Artist Lecture- Matthew Robbins

Matthew Robbins a former MCA student came to do a lecture on Thursday 9/20 in Callicott at 6:30pm. Matthew Robbins is a blogger and editor for Martha Stewart Weddings as well as the Huffingtonpost.com and StyleList.com. He give lectures around the world and has been on the Martha Stewart Show and the Today Show. He is known for his extravagant event planning and party arrangements.

I thought it was great to see a former student doing commercial art work and getting paid well to do so. He is still able to tap into his conceptual and artistic side but he is doing it with flowers and party favors. I was very impressed by the images of his work from former parties and weddings. During the lecture he spoke of inspiration. I found it interesting that he would take something as simple as a piece of candy or a vintage tin and use that object as his inspiration and color palette to decorate a whole room.

He was a great speaker because he is used to doing so for large crowds, media and the wealthy, but he did not go into a lot of detail about his process of getting to where he is now. He talked about his time at MCA as a painter, then he transferred to San Fransisco. While he was in school he worked in a flower shop and he also said something about doing events for a company when the big boss was away, who later found out that Matthew was behind the wonderful arrangements. After that he moved to NY and started his own business where Martha Stewart ask for him to be on her show based on a flower arrangement she saw in a magazine.

I guess that is it, it takes a lot of work and ambition. I just wanted more. I realize he worked his way up. He probably had a few connections from his places of business while he worked in college and he was just good at it.  

Here are some images of his work and a link to his website.
     

Test shots in lighting studio

Over the weekend I went to the lighting studio to plan on where I would like to set up and get some shots of the chair documenting the way it breaks at this point. I am still trying to figure out a way to make the chair fall apart a little bit better so that it isn't a surprise at what direction it goes each time. I'm getting a little worried about making it happen. Ideally I want the cushion to fall straight down so that I am not falling on to the back or legs of the chair. I do not want anything to snap on the chair to the point where I can not use it anymore or snap anything on me for that matter.

The chair is in 3 pieces: the ladder back, cushion, and front legs. My helper and boyfriend, Randall, and I rigged the chair up with toothpicks because that is what we had conveniently at the house. After trying that out in the lighting studio we realized that it was working but something a little thicker would be better. So, we went by the home depot and got the smallest dowel rod and stained it to match the chair.


Here is some footage of what we did. This was all shot on my iPhone with a tripod.

 

I did not mess with lighting just yet because I am still trying to figure out the construction of the chair. I have to admit that I was a little scared to test out the chair myself due to either hurting me or breaking the chair too much before I even start shooting the project.

Here is a picture of the dowels stained.

Revised Pitch

"Elevator" Line- Visualization of perseverance through constant struggle and defeat in a seemingly hopeless situation

Explanation of Theme- As a metaphor, I will use falling from a chair to show how life is a constant battle.

What is the central point you are trying to make with this film? The point is to show a person’s emotional determination toward an obstacle by not giving up no matter the level of difficulty.

What is the central goal of the film? The goal of this film is to give the viewer a sense of sympathy toward the main character, as they will be able to relate to the emotional feelings of overcoming obstacles in their own lives.

Why should we care??? This project will allow me to create a short film using a portable camera to have freedom in experimenting with hands free camera angles, as well as allow me to focus on performance, installation, and most importantly allowing time to improve my editing skills to fully be able to execute my vision.  

What is your project about??? This project will elicit feelings of sympathy thru struggle but bring attention to determination.  

Does your film have a premise? The premise is to not let interruption stop you from moving forward. In life there will always be a hurdle to conquer.  

Short synopsis- The film will show the repetition of a person, myself, sitting in a chair that will collapse causing me to fall each time. I will keep going back to the chair rebuilding it and sitting again only for it to break. I will focus on the frustration and defeat but highlight my commitment to keep trying. The footage will be presented in its usual display on a computer screen, but I will place the same chair from the film in front of the screen as an installation, giving the viewer the option to experience the uneasy feeling of the unstable chair.

Place- a nondescript setting indoors, clear, empty, blank walls and floor. There will be one low focal light source to cast a heavy shadow on the side of the character’s face. 

*Note: I have been thinking about the location and the way my character should look. I am still pretty set with the idea of the location being as plain and nondescript as possible. The location will be in my home in a plain corner. It will be lit dramatically to one side casting a shadow on the character and assisting to darken the room giving attention to the performance by not distracting from its surroundings. As for the character (me), I think it is best to keep the clothing simple, neutrals- gray top and black pants maybe blue jeans. I do not want the audience to read into what she is wearing. I do not want the clothes to distract either. 

     
Time- unidentified time  
Atmosphere- lonely/ empty  
Character- Late-20s female- dressed simply/plain   
Tone- sympathy, empty and lonely

Execution- To execute this, I will be using my iPhone camera. The size and weight of the phone will allow me to rig it on different parts of the body as well as let me strap it to overhead objects and furniture that I will be using in the film to help me achieve different angles and perspectives. In correspondence, I will use the Canon D60 locked down on a tripod moving around the subject on all sides shooting only at angles and perspectives that the camera and tripod will allow. That way I can accumulate footage in both abstract and focused form to see which works best for the aesthetic I am trying to achieve. The video will be edited in Final Cut Pro set on a loop and presented in digital format on a computer monitor screen.

  
Structure Breakdown-
The film will be on a loop:
Fall
Rebuild
Rest
Fall
Repeat 

 




I am having trouble thinking of a movie to show as a good example of how I would like the movie to look but a interrogation scene is kind of what I keep thinking about when I picture the look. Maybe not as dark as this picture but close.

Chair Reupholstery Step 1

So I got started on the reupholstery process, and I recorded the steps along the way. I only finished the stripping down of the old material. I still need to figure out how to properly add the new cushion which is a lot thicker than the old cushion since I will be falling on it. I do know for a fact that the new 2" thick cushion is going to save my bum because I was falling on it in the store before I bought it. :)

Also, I realize that I could have left the staples in the underneath part of the chair but there was something kind of satisfying about pulling them out. I got all of the staples but three which is pretty good considering that the wood seat has been covered twice and who ever stapled it up went a little staple happy.

Here are all the pieces, the middle fabric is what I will be covering both seats with. I like it because the print isn't as loud as the original. It's just a cream and beige pinstripe.

Back of seat- look at all those staples.

Layers of dirty old materials.











Layers and thin cushion.








 

Rusty staples.











Finished! Yay!











My next step will be to do a little research on reupholstering so that I do not mess up the ten dollar cushion that I purchase. 

Researching the fall

I took karate when I was real young, I sort of remember learning certain ways to try to land and brace yourself when falling, so I decided to save a few links to refer to when I start filming. I realize that I should not look prepared in the film when I am falling over and over but there are ways to safely land without looking too obvious.

http://www.wikihow.com/Fall-Safely

Falling Down Without Breaking Bones - These bloopers are hilarious

Revision to pitch

I am not changing much to the original outline of the pitch except for the way that I plan to execute my film. I would like to try shooting in my original form with my Iphone so I can get creative with perspective but also shoot with the Canon D60 to bring out the focus on the person and the chair. I think it will benefit me to have two versions that I can edit and decide which will work best for the project.

I also have been thinking about the location and the way my character should look. I am still pretty set with the idea of the location being as plain and as nondescript as possible. The location will either be in the lighting studio or at my home in a plain corner both places will be lit dramatically to draw attention to the performance and not distract from its surroundings. As for the character (me), I think it is best to keep the clothing simple, neutrals- gray top and black pants maybe blue jeans. I do not want the audience to read into what she is wearing. I do not want the clothes to distract either. 

"Elevator" Line- Visualization of perseverance through constant struggle and defeat in a seemingly hopeless situation

Explanation of Theme- As a metaphor, I will use falling from a chair to show how life is a constant battle.

What is the central point you are trying to make with this film? The point is to show a person’s emotional determination toward an obstacle by not giving up no matter the level of difficulty.

What is the central goal of the film? The goal of this film is to give the viewer a sense of sympathy toward the main character, as they will be able to relate to the emotional feelings of overcoming obstacles in their own lives.

Why should we care??? This project will allow me to create a short film using a portable camera to have freedom in experimenting with hands free camera angles, as well as allow me to focus on performance, installation, and most importantly allowing time to improve my editing skills to fully be able to execute my vision.  

What is your project about??? This project will elicit feelings of sympathy thru struggle but bring attention to determination.  

Does your film have a premise? The premise is to not let interruption stop you from moving forward. In life there will always be a hurdle to conquer.  

Short synopsis- The film will show the repetition of a person sitting in a chair that will collapse causing them to fall each time. She will keep going back to the chair rebuilding it and sitting again only for it to break. I will focus on the girl’s frustration and defeat but highlight her commitment to keep trying. The film will be presented in its usual display on a computer screen, but I will place the same chair from the film in front of the screen as an installation, giving the viewer the option to experience the uneasy feeling of the unstable chair.

Place- a nondescript setting indoors, clear empty, blank walls and floor.  
Time- unidentified time  
Atmosphere- lonely/ empty  
Character- Late-20s female- dressed simply/plain   
Tone- sympathy, empty and lonely

Execution- To execute this film I will shoot with my Iphone camera but also with the Canon D60 locked down on a tripod moving around the subject on all sides shooting only at angles and perspectives that the camera and tripod will allow. That way I can accumulate footage in both abstract and focused form to see which works best for the aesthetic I am trying to achieve.
  
Structure Breakdown-
The film will be on a loop:
Fall
Rebuild
Rest
Fall
Repeat

The Chair

Over the long weekend I set out to find the perfect chair for my project. I spent all day on Saturday driving around town looking for garage sales, Goodwill, and thrift stores. I was hoping to find a cheap set of four identical wooden chairs. I wanted the chairs to have a standard "chair look" to them. I did not want them to read kitchen, office, or lawn chair. Believe me there were plenty of lawn chairs on clearance but not exactly what I am going for. Well it is pricey to get a set of 3 or 4 chairs and there were not any chairs just hanging out in the cheaper places like Goodwill, but I did find two chairs that have the overall look that I want. They were at a thrift store that I went to early on in the day. I did not purchase them right away because I was hoping to find a larger set but after running around to more places I ended up getting the two that I found because at that point I just felt like it would be better than nothing. They were ten dollars each so twenty for both. I am ok with that considering that I know I have spent way more on a school project before. I just hope I do not break the already broken one too much to where I can not use it again when filming. I know I need to get started on this project to make sure to work out all the kinks.

Here are some images of what the chairs look like:

Today I dismantled one of the chairs to help me start thinking about how I am going to rig it to make it fall when I sit on it. I am thinking that I am going to carefully remove the fabric from the seat and replace the wood bottom with some foam board, cushion, or something a bit softer. Also, I will be adding more stuffing. I made sure to save all of the screws that were removed as well as the wooden pieces just in case.

       
On order are four of those foam mats that interlock to make a big piece. I have been wanting some for the house anyway but thought that I may be falling on those to help cushion my fall as well. They are black on one side and gray on the other. 40 dollars so far on this project! I hope I can make everything come together the way I see it in my head! I am excited and anxious about the breaking and falling part of this process!

This is the mat: