Final Clip - "Judgement Day Jogger"

(Click on Image to View movie, 57 sec)
For my final clip I decided to expand on idea of a near death experience and the balance between good vs. evil/heaven vs. hell in an everyday event such as jogging. Most of the idea behind it came from my previous work in trek 02 and thus is a further dive into the idea of a "bullet train to hell" and a "stairway to heaven," and the conflicting balance between the two as one nears death.

Rough Cut #3

For my third rough cut I experimented again with the concept of near death experiences and a runner. I re-shot some similar scenes from my previous trek and tried to improve upon it both visually and with audio. This cut will be the basis for my final and I plan on expanding further with this concept.

Rough Cut #2

For my second rough edit I mixed in audio of water and its movement into an edit of a waterfall. This was more of an exercise in matching audio with image and making the entire piece fit.

Rough Cut #1

For my first rough cut I experimented with panning around an object in focus while juxtaposing that action with the sound of a circular saw. I found that the natural circular feel to the sound enhanced the sped up version of the panning action.

Production Strategy

1. My production strategy for trek 03 is to go back to Jacobus Park in Wauwatosa, WI and expand on my ideas for trek 02. I will also trek out to areas in Milwaukee to further expand on images and sounds. My goal is to find images and sounds that help represent the balance and relationship of "life versus death" and "near death experiences," which corresponds with a short film of mine from trek 02. I believe going back to that site will be promosing since I've already been there a few times and know what types of material to expand on. However, to get even more material (in particular sounds) I will also need to trek in other locations.

2. To limit my image capturing activites I will use the same strategies as trek 02 (dutch angle, things cirular in nature) I will also add in "things that look heavenly, and things that look hellish."

3. To limit my sound capturing strategies I will record things that sound "heavenly and hellish" and also use a clothes hanger as a mic rig.

Ten Questions

1. What is at the end of the tunnel, where the light is showing?
2. Where did those deer come from and where are they headed?
3. Why is sometimes the waterfall turned off but other times turned on?
4. What would it look like if I filmed while moving the camera in a circle (around) the object in focus?
5. Where was that train headed?
6. Where did that golf ball in the woods come from?
7. Is there a better way to film the motion of running without trying to find a jogger and film him/her?
8. What makes the splashing of the waterfall/moving water so serene?
9. If the waterfall looks/sounds “heavenly” what recorded would have a “hellish” quality?
10. What would the same scenery look like at night?

Trek Assessment #4

My favorite experience from taking these treks was when I was filming at a playground. Not only did I capture the innocence of a kid playing on a playground, but I was also able to capture amazing movement of these roller toys on the playground. There were about 30-40 rollers with alternating colored sides that a child could spin. This may not sound very interesting but if a person quickly tried to spin as many as they could on the opposite side anyone viewing would see this amazing assortment of moving colors. It sort of made random patterns and reminded me of the green blinking numerals used in the movie “The Matrix.” It could also be compared to a kaleidoscope. For some odd reason this viewing affected me. It showed that I could make really cool “special effect” type scenes without relying on computers or editing software. It made me feel like a stronger and more confident filmmaker.