researchandideas

New ideas videos brainstorm

Storyline with begin and end or scenes that can be in any order and change order randomly.
Storyline can start with tv and/or drinking from head.
Can end with mirrors on floor and/or sound scene.
Maybe without subtitles, leave text for thesis.
Slow moving camera (drag on piece of paper f.e.).

Soundscapes
City noises, voices backwards, distorted noise, drone, dripping water, previously recorded sounds,
The ‘shows’ with weird disturbing tune songs.

New video, documentary
Person with mask moving around the house, about one or two masked personas.
Slow scenes with disturbing factors (subtle things that disturb the normal reality).
Trapped in the house. Day in the life of this person, sometimes shortly surrounded by all the versions of their self.
With a shot of all the persons (masks) standing in different positions in the room, edit them all together.

New video, sitcom
Sitting on the couch having conversations with audience laughter in background. Someone new enters and there is clapping.
Daytime, bright setting, coffee table with coffee and couches, lounge chairs, or big table.

New video, make-over show
Video of a persons face projected on a live person’s face. Going through different facial expressions, face projection is slowly changing and distorting and morphing into the face of the live person.

New video, talkshow
Talking about their articles in the thesis magazine.

The different masks that have set pronouns, but are still played by other gendered models sometimes, keeps shifting.

Or a talkshow that evolves into a documentary that evolves into a sitcom

Notes feedback from video:
Good points:
- Lighting
- Colour edit
- Slow movements

Bad points:
- Video quality in some parts
- Framing, background clutter
- Not in any kind of frame yet (sitcom, etc.)
- Subtitles with text
- The quick edit footage

To improve on:
- Possibly borrow camera media department
- Think about background noise in image
- Slow movements from different angles
- Make notes while watching talkshows, documentaries and sitcoms
- Fix lighting in a sturdy spot
- Film or edit the quick switch parts better
- Use subtitle text in interviews in the thesis and/or in the talkshow, documentary or sitcom

Combining all the formats (documentary, talkshow, sitcom) into one things, sort of like a reality show, with several episodes. 10 min each.

Can start as a talk show, intro, interviewer asks guest(s) questions about topics, then goes into guest standing up, green screen is just green again or falling down, and it goes into home situation, following guest in home situation, sometimes explaining about things, then when another guest comes into home situation it turns into a sitcom, conversation with audience laughter etc. then in the end the ‘problem’ is solved and the samples of audience laughter etc. are glitching.
Combining all the formulas together. Put the formula in different orders for other episodes.

Questions:
Social media
- How do they express themselves online.

Appearance
- Ask to explain outfits, masks.

Beliefs/feelings
- Opinions and feelings about their current situation.

News/actualities
- About current situations, political, pandemic.

Background (family)
- Growing up, school, family life, friends.

Inspiration
- Where do they find inspiration.

Music
- What genre of music they listen to.

Mask characterisations brainstorm (still in process)

A: always smiling, with only a little bit of humanity left
Everybody always knew A to be smiling. He is a very good listener and soft spoken. Even though he is very cuddly, he is often misunderstood.
Soft and creepy, thoughtful, hidden anger
Social media:
Expresses himself on social platforms in online communities
Appearance:
Combining cute aesthetics with darker items
Beliefs/feelings:
Nature driven, lonely, hopeful
News/actualities:
Worried, taking precautions seriously
Background:
Growing up lonely, with an attraction to nature and online communities, mid-class
Inspiration:
Online and nature
Music:
Kpop, ice peak,

B: He looks right at you with his piercing eyes. He is sweet but has an edge. His brightly coloured whiskers often fail to conceal his big mouth and attitude.
Social media:
Only sharing glimpses of disturbing content
Appearance:
Cowboy, punk, goth
Beliefs/feelings:
Angry, pessimistic
News/actualities:
Angry, involved
Background:
Lower class, big family, friends community
Inspiration:
Music
Punk, metal, hiphop

Interview structure:

Introduction about person

- (Possibly) choose a focus topic
- Choose aspect of the interviewees life that is remarkable and fits interests of the reader
- Add few extra questions with a twist, more spontaneous answer, unexpected

Choose the perspective
- Literal: write down questions, followed by the literal answers (Q and A)
- Narrative: describe what the interviewee says in third person
- Hybrid: leave out questions and combine narrative statements with direct quotes

- Strong start and ending, provocative answers in the beginning, keep interest
- Make it attractive
- Try to give it a narrative structure without making it too linear and logical

Possible questions:

Introduction: where you took the interview, describe place(s), what the conversation will be about. “Opens up about…” Or quote by someone else describing person.
Describe how the person comes in, what he/she is wearing, saying, attitude. Some small talk. As a story with some dialogue. More of a conversation in a certain setting, describe surroundings etc. Describe the person in between questions/dialogue. Interview them in their houses and describe those. Describe body language, voice, laughs. Or go to other places, bar/restaurant etc, order something. Also possibly opinions and things other’s had said about the interviewee. End with their own concluding thoughts about their life.

Question topics: social media, appearance, beliefs, feelings, news/actualities opinions, background (family), inspiration, music
In general about how people end up in subcultures and/or other self-expressive forms.

- How do the masked characters fit in the normal world, were they always like that, or evolve into them, or assumed the whole world is like that? Is it in the normal word, or in another universe?

They should be separate creatures in the normal world, evolved out of several subcultures that came before, shaped in the same way subcultures are shaped (by what is happening in the world, social position, media coverage of the subcultures and books and films where they are portrayed (sometimes differently), by subcultures before, clashing and/or taking elements from them).

Inspiration: https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2016/10/adele-cover-story

Feedback for myself
Mix fiction and reality more, more disturbing aspects, in between the serious.
Disturbing aspects in the characters (and surroundings?)

Media research

Equipment needed: two or three cameras, clip on mics, open mic or tape recorder, tripod, possibly gimbel, lights.

Talkshow: Koffietijd
Morning show

Livingroom with kitchen set, cozy, colourful and trendy. Big windows, combination of natural and artificial light. Screen behind hosts seats at the table, pink background with sentence about the subject they are currently talking about, changes during the conversation with guest. Several more screens showing the same thing all over the studio.

Tunesong
Start with personal anecdote that connects to actualities in the news and/or subject of item in the show of the day (like an editorial). Newspapers laying on the table. Like a personal talk between the two hosts.
At the end they state the date and welcome the viewers to the show.

Then to the kitchen with one host, cook and guest, talk about the drink made for the guest (coffee, etc.). Talk about personal life guest, small talk. Host asks according to things they have read/heard before. At the end host introduces the next item and guest.

Then over to the table with the other host, host coming from the kitchen sits down. Slow turning zoom out at start. Images (personal photos) in between. Talk about personal family life with guest. Shot of two hosts and switching closeups of hosts and guest and wider angle of all three from different angles. Slow moving wide angles. Also slow moving wide angles including the kitchen as well. Some close ups of the person listening. Quick switching between different cameras and angles. Going into conversation of the main subject of the guest (book). Website and social media handles at the bottom of the frame for about 15 seconds. Logo is always on the left bottom, semi-transparant.
Cook comes over with dish/drink that fits the subject, brings it over to the table. This introduces the next subject in line with the item. At end of conversation, links to guest in bottom of frame. Then a more information link. Then the hosts introduce next item.
Then short tune song with logo before the commercial starts.

After commercial tune songs with logo again. Then one host welcomes you back. Introduces guest that was shortly introduced in the kitchen. Then a clip regarding the guest starts. Then wide angle of the three people sitting at the table. Name of guest on the left bottom. Splitframe with clip regarding guest on the right, in two frames with pink background. Also clip on screen behind the two hosts, switching with images of cut out faces of people regarding the host with coloured background with flowers and phrase regarding subject. Slow zoom in wide angle. Reading things from magazines out loud regarding conversation, asking guest about that. (Subject with guest is about presenting shows, also talk shows, bit meta). Using quotes of colleagues of guest as statements, asking guest if he agrees or not. Personal life in between talk about work, also bringing conversation to actualities. Read statements of guest from interview in magazine out loud to ask guest to comment more on that. Asking about hopes for the new year. Logo on the screen in the background at end of conversation.

One hosts stands up and walks over to the kitchen. Asking cook about what he’s making. Phrase about what he is making appears in the left bottom of screen. Ingredient list appears on right side of screen. Close ups of ingredients and pans etc. At the end asking cook about upcoming item.

Then over to other host close up. Slow zoom out. Repeats.
etc.  
After commercial break it starts right away with singer.
Then conversation on couch with two hosts and singers.  
Then going to winning selfie (viewers can make selfie with their tv screen watching koffietijd).

Then singer starts with a whole song to end the show. Different lighting scene, pink lights combined with pattern lights. Hosts in the background nodding along with music.  
Hosts and cook clap and tell viewer to have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Documentary

- Research
- Create a list: based on research, make a list of potential characters/interviews, basic storylines, areas of potential conflict and emotion. Ask yourself “What is at the heart of this story and how do I show that visually?”.
- Get style: decide the look, feel and style of your documentary.
- Write a ‘shooting script’: script can’t really be written until after the footage has been shot and you start piecing the story together based on what you “discovered”. But writing an outline in the beginning can be a good guid to point you in the right direction.
- Get creative: Think about unique and creative ways to spice up your movie. Special elements like stop motion, time-lapse, animation/cartoons, recreations, etc.

Script after shooting:
1. Transcribe footage
2. Review big picture: what are the main elements; characters and plots, the key moments
3. Create scenes: take these moments and divide your documentary into mini-stories; scenes
4. Build a roller coaster: take these scenes and create a roller coaster ride for your audience, what kind of ride?
5. Villain and hero; determining the villain(s) and hero(s), can e person, thing or event.
6. Beginning, middle and end
7. The ending: everything else leads up to this
8. Start strong: establish the core message, create curiosity
9. The middle: scene/stories that move the story forward and lead to the ending conclusion
10. Script template

Vice shorts: Eddie Huang x Jared Taylor

First b roll of city. Then introducing where we are, footage of outside of place, then shot of host talking, then footage of place and owner. Host coming in, shakes hands with guests. Footage of place, shot of guest and host talking. Walking together to another room. Host sits down with guest. Asks: tell us about yourself. Footage of guest reference. Shots of person talking, or overhead. No stable camera stand. Sitting down, eating, while having conversation, footage in between from kitchen. When two people are in the shot, one is in focus and one is not. Viceland logo is in the top right corner always. Serious conversation. Then last statement from host and then it’s cut of and whole screen becomes gif logo with tone.

Sitcom

Minus commercials: 22 minutes long, script of 25-40 pages. There is a main plot and one or two subplots. Three main acts, divided by two commercial breaks, with 3-5 scenes per act. One distinguishing characteristics of sitcoms is that the main protagonist(s) barely change from one episode tot the next, or season to season. Whatever happens in the episode, the situation must end largely where it began. The whole story has to be on fast-forward, so simplification is key.
All plots: beginning, muddle, end. Each episode start with protagonist stating a goal or problem that must be solved, and which we understand will be solved by the endow the episode. The first attempt at reaching the goal or solving the problem must fail (the muddle), requiring a new approach, before the episode ends and the protagonist either does, or dos not, achieve what they set out to do. When writers prepare an episode, many literally map out what will happen in the main storyline and sub-storylines, filling in jokes later. First teaser (intro), then the trouble, then the muddle, then the triumph/failure, then the kicker (outro).
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/cracking-the-sitcom-code/384068/

- Friends
Entering apartment, conversation in living room. Different angles of people talking.
First short scene, then intro song with images from series, introducing actors, starting scene in coffeehouse, sitting around conversation. Wide angles to close ups of person talking. Next scene, person coming into living room, two people conversation. Static shots combined with moving shots moving with person moving. Fade out to other person in other house walking, two people conversation. Next scene cross fade of outside building, then person entering other house living room, two people conversation. Cross fade to other living room, two people sitting down talking, one sitting down when scene opens. Wide angle for audience laughter. Next scene person walks into coffeeshop, zoom out in shot. Cross fade of other place, restaurant, zoom in of two people sitting, talking. Wide angle when two other people enter. Muted conversation at end of scene while audience laughs. Next scene of person entering living room, two people conversation. Person always in the middle of the shot, face pin pointed, moving camera along with face. Tune song in between two scenes of different storylines. (Started out as one story, then split up in three storylines.) If one person leaves scene, camera stays with people on which are the focus. People moving around the room talking. Pausing for laughter. Cross fade to shot of city, then person walking into coffeehouse, sitting on couch conversation. (Wider angle, then pin point face movement in edit?) Camera zoom out and moving backwards at end of scene. Cross fade of footage outside of building quickly moving up. In the end everyone is in the same apartment again, start of scene last person entering living room. Then two people move to the hallway. End credits, then last part fade black, scene in airport and on the phone in the apartment. Final credits.

Reality show
- Bling Empire

1. Footage of city
2. Quick interviewee footage
3. Footage of characters
4. Song in the background
5. Quick footage of interviewee introducing
6. Switching characters for interviewees
7. Parts from the reality show, clips
8. Multiple shots in one frame with border in between.
9. Craziest moments
10. Logo from show
11. Footage of city
12. Semi-closeup of interviewee
13. Introducing characters in home, one other coming in through the door, greeting other
14. Always same angle interviews, same room, names underneath
16. Images as references, twisting into frame, quick zoom in and out to another image
17. Moving camera, no stable shots.
18. Shots of city and outside house
19. Close up from behind of another character. Sometimes quick, short zoom in to person talking or listening.
20. Introducing new characters moving or walking into room.
21. Filming characters in their normal daily life, filming picture frames.
22. Normal conversations between characters.
23. Naming new places, footage city and outside house.
24. Characters explaining about their past and present life with reference footage.
25. Fades to white, to black and white image of work situation.
26. Sometimes introducing new character as doing something unexpected, another interviewee introducing the person.
27. Then character talks themselves as interviewee.
Continues
28. Problem presents itself between characters.
29. Footage of joined event, all the characters together.
30. Talking about problem.
31. Close ups of faces of reactions.
32. Interviewees talking about problem.
33. Then fade to out of focus.
34. Song with end credits.

Script talkshow

Set up lounge chairs in studio in front of green screen. Set up two tv screens in front of green screen for visuals/logo. Coffee-table with cups (or glasses with coloured sand as drinks) and a book.

A and B talking to each other about actualities in the news and their lives (similar to the interviews).
Normal images on green screen of a set, bright. Tv screens show normal visuals, with weird disturbing images in between.

Disturbing soundscape tune song for the show.

1. Tunesong and logo, simple animation
2. Masked host on the left starts with personal anecdote as an intro to the show, semi-close up, only host in frame with the table, switching to close up of face in between, edit of images/videos of subject in between. Sometimes host will hold up magazine/newspaper in reference to the subject. Screen in the background shows the logo.
3. Then camera slides slowly to the right and zooms out, showing the guest. Screen in the background shows the name (and cropped out face?) of the guest. Screen will show keywords of conversation during the talk. Frame switches between wide shot of guest and host, close up of their faces when talking or listening and semi-close ups of body-language. Footage in reference to subject comes in between.

Options ending/transfer
-
4. Host announces commercial break, semi-close up of guest and then host.
5. Tunesong and logo animation.
6. Wide shot of host fussing with the table and guest standing up and walking off. Green screen glitches back to green.
7. Then it ends, or switches over into sitcom.

-
4. Host tells viewer/camera “let’s take a look”.
5. Then it switches over into sitcom.

Sitcom part:
6. Same guest from talkshow enters apartment, camera moves along with subject and shows another character sitting at the table. Clapping sound.
7. Conversation starts with guest standing and character sitting at the table, wide shot. Then goes over in close ups from faces, subject always in the middle which makes the frame move a little bit. Guest picking object from bookshelf and sits down as well. Close up of object in hands. Laugher sounds in between.
8. Intro song with short clips from characters in the show.
9. Scene starts with wide angle of two other characters in another place, studio room upstairs. One character comes in with clapping sounds again. Other one is sitting at the desk. Another conversation with close ups, semi-closeups and wide angles. Laugher sounds again
10. Cross fade to images of the exterior of the house outside, short tune song
11. Fade to black and then to new scene of two other characters in another room, living room. Both sitting on the couch. Laughter sounds again. Conversation with different camera angles. Then they do something strange/unexpected.
12. End credits with short tune-song.
13. Fade to black then last short scene. Two other characters are on the floor with weird objects.
14. Fade to black, final credits that are also intro credits of documentary

15. B roll of city. Voiceover of host introducing, footage of building outside, which (footage and VoiceOver) moves over to (another) host standing in front.
16. (Another) guest sitting on a chair, first closeups, background out of focus. Then semi-close up, without talking. Name underneath in the frame and occupation.
17. Shots of dollhouse. Macro close up of one item, rest out of focus. Flashing lights as from a tv from the side.
18. Shots of dollhouse outside, with lights coming from the windows.
19. Macro close ups inside, slowly moving forward, focus shifts.
20. Shot showing (with masking) tv images on the dollhouse tv.
21. Then same framing images of normal size tv, slowly zooming/moving out.
22. Close ups shots of normal size house and surroundings, focusing on certain items and keeping rest out of focus.
23. Sometimes switching back to interview shots from two different characters, voice over stays over all the footage.
24. Close up, last statement of one of the characters.
25. Cut off and going into short tune song and logo animation.

Can be all one video or three separate.

Other option: reality show

All the characters live in the same house. Interviews with them about their past and present life, about each other and their problems. Observations in their daily life, living in the house. Quarantining. Mostly open ended, like other reality shows. New characters can always be introduced further along in the show as well.
With the lockdown in mind, I should be acting out all the parts with the different masks, and editing it in one. Or with one extra person, if that’s allowed. One camera on tripod, other camera possibly on other tripod or held by someone else.
Either only me playing out all the parts, or two, three or more persons from different genders and ethnicities.
Interview conversations written based on my observations, theory about subcultures and masks. Also based on lyrics from music in a combination of subcultures that make up the mask, ran through ai text generation which (when edited a bit) comes out as relevant, poetic texts.

Episode one can be an introduction to all the characters and introducing the first problem.
Episode two can be a deeper dive into the characters and the problem.

Basic setup:
1. Footage of weird aspects and places in Groningen, and empty places connected to subcultures (venues, bars, shops, etc.)
2. Montage of clips of interviewed characters, footage of observed characters, short parts of upcoming footage from the show, craziest moments, possibly multiple shots in one frame, song in the background, one interviewed character introduces the show.
3. Logo of the show
4. Footage of the outside of the house and/or dollhouse. Dark outside, lights on inside house.
5. Semi-closeup from one character in the interview setting; chair to the right of the frame, living room as background but out of focus.
6. Footage in between from childhood photos (kid’s photos with masked photoshopped on) etc.
7. Character from the interview walks into room with another character. Greeting and having small talk. Close ups, no stable shots, moving camera with moving person.
8. The other character was in the middle of doing something and makes the other character join in.
9. Other character now in the interview chair, introducing himself.
19. Macro close ups inside dollhouse, slowly moving forward, focus shifts.
20. Shot showing (with masking) tv images on the dollhouse tv.
21. Then same framing images of normal size tv, slowly zooming/moving out.
22. Close ups shots of normal size house and surroundings, focusing on certain items and keeping rest out of focus.
23. Problem presents itself in observed scene.
24. Interviewees talk about problem
25. Close ups from the reactions on faces.
26. Last statement for now about problem
27. Back to observation.
28. Fade out of focus
29. End tune song with credits.

In this option I can combine all the formats and it’s also easier to make several episodes. Another pro is the word ‘reality’ in reality show. If it is combined with the magazine, they can refer to their interviews in there in the show, comment on those.

Reality show about situation now. Magazine about situation before quarantine?