Editing Analysis - Birdman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xoj1SKkvj8E

The film "Birdman" by director Alejandro González Iñárritu is entirely shown in what appears to be a single-shot, but is in actually a series of seamless cuts. This editing style perfectly complimented to the linear narrative throughout the film. In this particular scene the cuts are so seamless that it is nearly impossible (for the untrained eye) to catch them. For this particular scene the erratic energy of the argument is heightened due to the camera's close continuous movement and following of the actors.

This argument is also foreshadowed by the jazz music which plays as the main character walks into the room. The music is used once again to signify the end of the argument.

There is also various different lighting atmospheres created. The start of the scene starts in a dim and eerily blue cast lit room. As the actors move rooms the colors become less ambient and more realistic. Signaling a shift in mood from the beginning to the end of the argument, which ends in a physical brawl. Overall however the lighting remains dark, with dark shadows obscuring the faces of the actors, even in the close-ups.

Since there are no clear cuts, the camera moves in and out for close-ups and long shots with out noticeable delay. Panning back and forth between objects and extra people to change perspective and point of view.

Audio Portrait

https://soundcloud.com/user-832793135/audio-portrait/s-qKZf4


Subject: Ava

The Soundwalk

I decided to complete my Soundwalk around my hometown of Glen Head and Sea Cliff on Long Island. I took a walk by the beach front, directly parallel to a busy road, I knew this location would provide an array of mixing sounds. In the general background the sound of car tires on the pavement in most notable (the way the sound changes as the car moves toward and away), there are also many bumping sounds as the cars hit pot holes. Also in the background is the sound of the wind rushing by my ears. It’s odd because I feel like this is a sound which my mind would usually edit out, however I was actually aware of it on this walk. Since the beach front was in a bay the water was still and shallow and didn’t make much of a noise, except for a soft rushing sound as the wind rolled over it.

In the foreground, there were many people walking dogs, so the sounds of jangling dog collars and the tapping of the dogs’ nails on the sidewalk stood out. Occasionally there would also be planes flying over head, not close enough to be loudly heard, however the rushing sound of engines were audible whenever one flew overhead.

My favorite sound occurred as I moved off of the main road and down a suburban street towards a quiet boardwalk. The background of the cars could not be heard, and instead the wind pushing the leaves in the bushes and trees took over. While walking down this road there was the sound of a wind chime, in what seemed to be a minor key, “soundmarking” the entry to a quieter area.  

Define A Space: Our Common Area

Define A Space: Our Common Area from Alyssa Maley on Vimeo.

Artist's Statement

What happens to a person's behavior when you put a camera in front of them? It seems that as soon as someone becomes aware of being filmed or watched, their behavior is altered slightly. This makes it almost impossible to capture truly candid and "real" shots. Even the best actors in the world go through intense training just to appear as if they are behaving in a natural and realistic way.

I my work I want to explore this delicate change in behavior that the camera can cause. A camera brings not just a single gaze, but the gaze of many who will watch the film and alter the reality of the subject. I want to explore a hyperrealism in narrative film making, mixing scripted scenes with candidly documented ones and discover when real behavior become constructed acting.

At what point, in the course of committing a person's action on film, does the reality become constructed by the hand of the director, the editor? We see this commonly in reality TV shows. Where even in the events may have happened, they have been heavily edited to portray a particular narrative. Nonetheless, these scenarios are presented as examples of real life behavior. So, at what point does "reality" film making become scripted narrative?

As an actor I have trained for many years to commit to a style which appears as natural as possible. This training has in many ways forced me to blur the lines between the constructed space of a scene and my actual emotional state. As both and actor and a filmmaker, I am inspired to push these limits and to a new window of realism in art.