Dave Myszewski Drift 3

Final Cut

2008-04-27T20:25:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately my Quicktime Pro gave me many problems during this project. I would have liked to have added more filters and fades as well as had the quality be much better, though my program would constantly shut down. That said however, some interesting quirks have emerged from the final product. Some of the audio was intentionally "digitally choppy," yet the rendering of the video to a pixelated quality added to the theme. Though I was forced to make some rash decisions on this project I'm satisfied with the outcome.

Rough Sketch #3

2008-04-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Rough Sketch #3

Rough Cut #2

2008-04-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Rough Cut #2

Rough Cut #1

2008-04-23T10:23:00.001-07:00

Rough Cut #1

Production Strategy

2008-04-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

On Drift 3 I intend to compare and contrast the chaos and serenity of the freeway and surrounding nature. The freeway is conveniently located right next to the road, and there is a pleasant supply of surrounding trees and wildlife. Sound and imagery used will generate an interesting piece. Images will be limited to the freeway, cars, and trees/shrubbery. Sounds will be related to the freeway and traffic. I will also capture natural ambiance as a form of contrast.

10 Questions

2008-04-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

1. Can you find any sounds which twist your previous expectations?
2. Did you see any animals you didn't expect to see?
3. Is there one particular spot with constantly changing sounds or images?
4. Is there a quiet, vast, or barren area that can generate an amazing epic sound?
5. Where is the most chaotic area on the entire Drift?
6. Where is the most serene area on the entire Drift?
7. Is there a place you shouldn't go (for legal reasons) yet might yield interesting results?
8. Is there a spot where you feel you're risking your safety for and image or sound?
9. Where is there a spot that takes a chaotic sound and quiets it down to a comfortable, interesting level?
10. Where can you find interesting water?

Drift Assessment #4

2008-04-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

My favorite experience was me recording under the overpass. I climbed right up to the wedge between the bridge and the hill, and if you’ve never done that before I can only describe it was terrifying and fascinating at the same time. The sounds are so quick and powerful like gunshots. As quick as they come they are gone, and you don’t hear the car before and after. I think this is such a memorable experience because I have never done that before. I’ve heard an overpass from the road level before, but it isn’t until you’re right underneath the road, separated by only several feet of concrete that you really receive a proper rush. Even though the bridge has probably been standing for 40 years I was terrified of collapse - a truly invigorating experience.

Drift Assessment #3

2008-04-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

At first I felt it would be rather embarrassing walking around on the side of the road holding out two wires wearing headphones, but as I got into it that feeling lessened and I rather enjoyed it. There are rarely any strange or out of the ordinary occurrences in my area, so I’m sure I received many weird looks from passers by. Another thing which surprised me during Drift 1 was me picking up on the natural ambient sounds of nature. I’m a fan of ambient music, which relies on subtle tones and sounds with often unpredictable and unnoticeable changes, and I realized nature is the same way. The whole drift was like an ambient piece. On Drift 1 I was also surprised by the way particular sounds contain their own story – beginning, middle, and climax. My “passerby” clip had a slow build up, quick middle segment, and long climax which intrigued me and made me pay more attention to the structure of sound.

Drift Assessment #2

2008-04-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

On Drift 1 I felt peaceful and contemplative towards the end of the walk, which resulted in the ambient airplane sound. After passing the freeway and cars passing me violently at 45+ mph, the quiet serenity was soothing. An airplane itself is rather violent and chaotic in the right context, but considering it was thousands of feet in the air its tone blended with quiet nature down on the ground.

I shot a lot of solid or melting snow on Drift 2 which soothed me as it signaled the end of our annoyingly long winter (though I remember it snowing the day after shooting). It was close to sunset and there was a lot of rushing water flowing through culverts, which made me feel a bit at ease.

Drift Assessment #1

2008-04-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

The distance of the walk stressed me a bit. I’ve gone that way many times in my youth but as the years have passed I’ve forgotten how long the walk is. About midway through I realized I still have over a couple miles left to go. Another thing was the lack of many natural sounds. Usually the area is very plentiful in sound, but for some reason the back road I walked along was lax – possibly because of the weather.