We have been thinking about the shoots and batting around ideas on what exactly we could film and have come up with two ideas for two separate super 8mm loops.
The first stems from our earlier research into the idea of three people in a photograph meaning the inevitable early death of the middle person. It will involve a shot of three people, and we will scratch out on each individual frame the face of the middle person. If we can, this could be presented in the shape of a triangle to match the theme of three.
The second is a sort-of side narrative. It involves a cult-like 'paranormal activity research group' who have sensed activity in the area of the room which we are creating. They approach our character one day and notice the blueprints over his shoulder as he answers the door to them. Overexcited they try to enter the house but our character refuses and shuts them out. After obsessing over whether they hold the answer to the blueprints meaning he eventually decides to head out to their camp, which he had earlier noticed. On arrival he finds them all dead from an organised mass suicide in the style of the 1978 Jonestown massacre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown). Why? Our character does not know, however here he finds their bizarre equipment and research, which he steals and tries to decipher their relevance to his machines.
The footage itself will be of the aftermath that our character discovers, it will involve a quick pan of the group lying face down and clearly dead. It should look as if it is the point of view of our character, either footage he shot himself or a memory that is repeated again and again in his mind (as it will be presented as a loop)
Shoot ideas
Boiler Strip
Today we stripped the foam off of the boiler and underneath the copper looks great.
IMAGE
After this we sawed off the bottom so that the praxinoscope will be able to fit inside. When doing this we were encountered by a wave of turquoise sludge and crystals, which we assumed to be a serious case of limescale! We intend to get a mop and clean it up so that it is fully hygienic and also does not flake during the installation. Inside the copper has turned a nice green colour and hopefully this will colour the light inside the machine.
The Space
We have moved into an artists studio in Hackney. It is part of the 'Old Peanut Factory' complex, which James and Faysal are already familiar with as they have a friend who lives there.
It is obviously a step back from the original intention of building the installation in a derelict and empty space, however it was necessary at this late stage. We will continue to pursue the goal of moving into such a space, but for the sake of this project and the deadline we decided it would be better to cement a definite location and concentrate on the project itself.
We had a choice between two studios, one which was 230 sq ft but in an inconvenient location, below a bedroom and surrounded only by thin plasterboard walls and a 190 sq ft room which is obviously smaller but has a second room next door which is 90 sq ft for our use and has solid concrete walls and ceiling meaning us making noise will not be a problem. For this reason, we decided to go for the 190 sq ft room and we are confident it will house the installation well.
Here is a link to see this space http://www.amazing-space.org.uk/e3oldford-280.htm the pictures currently show it with screen printing equipment but this will be moved out very soon.
Wimbledon Car Boot 4
Great again as per usual! We mostly tried to collect research this time as this is the main thing we are lacking, so books, illustrations etc were at the top of our priority. We left with a fair few interesting books that can be put into the installation either as ripped-out pages or in their entirety.
Other things we got include:
Super 8 Camera
A eumig which looked in good working order but we have later realised it has a cracked and loose filter inside. We may try and use it anyway.
Speakers
A pair of 1970's sanyo speakers in great condition for only £1, not necessary but couldn't resist! Im sure we will use them in some way or another.
Trunk
Lamp
Materials
We have now collected a few key bits of scrap metal to build the machines out of.
Square Tank
James got this square metal tank from near his home in Somerset, it will be great for the boot machine due to its size and aged aesthetic. The fact that it is metal will ensure we attain the sound we are looking to achieve through this machine.
Boiler
I got hold of a boiler from a family friend back in Southampton. It could be used as the body of the Praxinoscope machine. It is copper and it would be interesting to investigate ways of ageing it prematurely so that it will tarnish and become greener in colour.
VHS Loop Testing
We spent today testing various ways to loop VHS tape and it turns out it is a lot harder than we anticipated.
Following our schematics laid out in our research and pre production folders we took apart a VCR and tried to create a loop in the same way that a film or reel-to-reel audio loop works. Our tests were unsuccessful as VCR's are cleverer than we thought! They really do not like being manipulated and are not as simple as older projectors and reel-to-reel players.
For this reason we have decided to instead use vhs tapes and record the footage over an over again in extended play, on a 4 hour tape we will be able to squeeze 8 hours into it doing this. The work will not be exhibited any longer than 8 hours a day so this works out fine, we will just rewind the tapes over night. Another advantage to this is that it takes up less room than a loop so we will not be prohibited by any possible issues with space.
All in all I am a disappointed we will not be having the visual aesthetic of a loop but I am happy that we have a solid back up, guaranteed to work.
Wimbledon Car Boot 3
This time round Wimbledon was the best yet! We got hold of an incredible amount of stuff and for unbelievably cheap.
8mm Viewer
This viewer is interesting because it has a large screen like a television monitor, could be a great bridge between the various technologies within the installation.
Box of vinyl records
Not sure if this will be relevant with this project but a proposed project we have been working on outside of this one involves the gramophone we used in 'Waiting Room'.
Various Books
Journals on Supernatural Topics
Mannequin Arms
Again, we are not sure whether these can be used in this project but they look fantastic.
Binoculars
These will be built into the praxinoscope machine.
Weighing Scales
These could work well with the DIY tools on display.
Magnifying Lamp
We had an idea where we could play a VHS through the viewfinder of the camera and magnify it using this lamp. It would have a Brazil-esque look to it which would work nicely with the bizarre and unnerving environment we will create.
schedule