Welcome to the Pilbara

Photography

Lately I have been getting into photography a lot more seriously. That means I've stopped being safe and only using the functions I know how to use (aperture and exposure) and started experimenting with things like shutter speed. I've also started using manual focus again after realising that my new camera has a very cool extreme close up for focusing purposes.

You may remember that a long time ago I posted some photos from the "Swell" sculpture exhibition that is held every year along the beachfront at Currumbin, on the Gold Coast. That was the start of the photography bug. This is the next step for me. I didn't go and buy the fanciest camera with the biggest lens. I got one that was right for me, after lots of research. The Canon 7D doesn't do what I want it to do the most: be portable enough to fit in my video camera bag. I sacrificed a few mega pixels, a viewfinder and the ability to sneer at people who don't have a 7D and got a compact Sony NEX-C3 instead. Entry level camera for that range. I figured if the hype wore off, I wasn't going to be that much out of pocket. Plus, I did enough research to realise that Sony also have a video camera which uses that same kind of lens, making it an obvious option for my love of compact gear. Which is to say- my love of not lugging heavy things about with me.

I'm not going to talk about which settings I've used for each photo, because to be perfectly honest I was experimenting. I believe art is created with passion and the ability to break the rules. Technical ability will not replace artistic merit for me. And for me, this is art. I would encourage anyone to ignore the rules and do something they love to do just for the sake of doing it.

I've posted my favourite photos in this blog. They're from either a Sony Cybershot TX5, Canon Powershot or Sony NEX-C3. I challenge you to be able to tell me which is which. None of these have been edited in Photoshop but they have been cropped so they look wider. The videographer in me prefers a wide screen version!

Great action shot at the Pannawonica Rodeo in 2011.

Out of the several events I saw on the day, this photo turned out the best. I like the way the bull is about to lunge forward to knock the rider off his back. It only took a few seconds for the rider to fall onto the ground so I was lucky to be able to get this shot as they came out of the gates.

Burned out car off one of the dirt roads behind Back Beach in Karratha.

My friend and I took a wrong turn to get to Back Beach when we first moved here. We ended up on a track that would have led to the industrial estate, had we continued our journey. Satisfied with our photos of a few burned out cars, we turned back the way we came.

A recent sunset looking over the back highway in Karratha.

I was busy watching a documentary when my partner came and told me to look at the sunset. Glancing out the sliding glass doors, I could already see it was pretty. After the ad break started I took my camera outside, only to be gobsmacked by what the sunset actually looked like!

This is the water dragon who ate my lunch with me, then stopped for a photo.

I went back to the Gold Coast to visit my parents in January and decided to go to my favourite park and have some coffee and food there. Something made me take my camera, I sort of knew I'd get some really good photos. This is my favourite one.

How to make a song: Sarah style... Part II

Here's an updated version of my song. Still working title: Mind Games. Not really sure what to call it, actually.

Anyway, who cares about that part. Here's the part that I think is exciting...

I recorded all the guitar parts as electric now, so it sounds more rock. I also programmed the drums properly, which actually took a few hours to do. When I say a few hours I do include coffee breaks in that. So real time probably about an hour. Whatever. I added a bit more synth to make it sound like a siren before the synth break/bridge.

And. I added some nice "Oooh Oooh"s to the track as my backing vocals. Which I recorded properly and they're keepers. I use a Rode NT-2A which I set to cardioid pattern with the roll-off switch set to 80. That's because the room isn't soundproofed and the road outside is noisy. Works really well on those settings for me. I also use a pop shield but I don't have a shock-mount for the mic. It's just on the arm it comes with.

Having trouble trying to create a lead guitar part for the key change part before the last chorus. Everything I try sounds cool when I just play along but when I record it, it seems to clash like red wine and milk.

Blah blah finished. Here's the track:

Mind Games by phoebeashmore

How to make a song: Sarah style...

Okay, I'm going to do something relatively useful with this blog. I'm going to use it to demonstrate how I make a song. But I'm going to have to start with a semi constructed song otherwise it would be incredibly boring and you'd stop reading after about 4 seconds. Which most people will still do anyway.

The song I am working on has a working title of "Mind Games" but has been called several other names in the past. It's a song that is nearly 5 years in the making and started off as a spoof of The Veronicas. Here's that spoof:

It's pretty bad, hey? But it actually has a really good pop foundation, which I have used in the new version. What I started with was the drums, because obviously I already had the chord structure from "Key Change". And that song was written while very drunk, on an out of tune Behringer guitar made of cardboard. The beats were made in Fruity Loops and so was the synth.

For this new version I have thrown together a basic beat in Reason using Redrum. When I go back and edit drums I will probably play them in using my Dr Rhythm 606 as a controller. Makes them sound more live and can quantise them later if they're slightly off beat. I also did a rough bass line as a guide, which has been replaced by real bass in this version I'll demo below. So, using the beats and the guide bass I did a whole pile of acoustic guitar parts. I do acoustic guitar because if everything sounds good on acoustic, it will usually sound pretty epic on an electric guitar. Sometimes I make the lead parts into piano or synth or whatever instead of keeping them as guitars. I just noodle about for a few takes and keep the bits that I like and delete the bits that are stupid or don't fit.

Finally, I do a rough guide vocal. Now, these are generally 99% in tune, but I am naughty and I don't bother to warm up and I always do them in one take. Warts and all for demo vox. This song is placed within the centre of my range so it's pretty easy to sing and doesn't sound out of tune that much. Most people can't tell when it is anyway.

So that's where I'm at now. I've done my rough vocal and a quick backing part for the middle 8, just to remember what I want it to sound like.

Here's my first demo:

I'll update this in about a week or so. However long it takes me to record an electric guitar for the rhythm part. This is a song I'm actually going to work on properly, I usually just stop at the demo phase, which is what I just posted.

Peace. xx

Cracks in the Pavement

This is a new version of another old song. I rarely write new stuff these days, still trying to find my creativity. Have a weird feeling that it might be packed in a box somewhere, or run away with the man in the moon. If you see it, send it back.

Anyway.

I found a really crappy version of this during a long boring hard-drive clean up. Which made it totally worth it, by the way. I never wrote the verses for it; or if I have written verses for it, I did not sing them and have long since lost the paper they were written on. Or someone threw them away. More likely. Because I like to leave things everywhere... (This is a note for the ladies. Do not date me, for I am messy and I do not like to be told to tidy up)

So this is a one take demo. Meaning. Everything I recorded I did in one take to see how it sounded. I did, however, program the drums properly. Because drums are super awesomely fantastic and they also change the whole mood of the song. That's how awesome they are. Drummers are Gods/Goddesses. I hate drummer jokes. Bass player jokes are another matter...

Again, strangely, blogger doesn't allow audio files so it's shoved in a lo-fi 4:3 ratio (horridhorridhorrid) video shell. With really bad audio compression. Sorry.

Enjoy. Or not. That's your prerogative and you'll have to work through it. Something. END.

This is Goodbye Video

I thought I would link the video I just mentioned in my previous blog. It's (obviously) called This is Goodbye and I filmed it on a Kodak zX1 mini camcorder on a day out in Brisbane. I was waiting to go to a meeting about the Cine Sparks festival so used the opportunity to play with it a little. There are no options for anything other than a point and shoot style of filming, but that's what you get when you want convenience as opposed to a huge bag of great video gear!

I'd been playing about with This is Goodbye in Logic to just learn more of the advanced tools in it, as I'd already recorded this song for an EP years ago (and was never truly happy with it as I didn't have any production input- just sat and played guitar and sang) and could have picked another song to record, but it felt right to pick this one. Pretty happy with how the new demo turned out. I'm changing the vocal lines slightly and have come up with some fantastic harmonies (well I think they're fantastic, I suppose it's debatable) to put in the last choruses.

Anyway. This is the video. I used a really basic colour matte with an opacity of about 15% to add in a great orangey yellow tinge to it, giving it an almost nostalgic look.

Burn Like Water

Hi. I haven't blogged in a while for a few reasons. Mostly because no one bothered to read it and those that did were my friends who heard it in person anyway. I've also renewed my obsession with audio and although I've vastly tweaked my Burn Like Water vocals and guitars, they have not changed in the video version. I'd like to redo the video so that it is a little more exciting and a lot more "live" instead of done on green screen. Finally, I've been busy storing up multiple folders worth of rejection emails from employers who are very happy to point out that they want experience but whose companies do not bother to offer work experience or internships. This nonsense has got to stop. But anyway, that's a diatribe for another blog.

I uploaded the final version on to YouTube a while ago, but never got around to actually linking a blog to it. So I'll do that now.

Annoyingly it keeps the tag on it, but you can see it on YouTube without the tags if you search Phoebe Ashmore. You can also see my other video, This is Goodbye, that I made in one day on a trip to Brisbane. It was filmed exclusively on a blog type mini camcorder- the Kodak zX1. I'm ok with how this whole thing turned out. It taught me valuable lessons regarding how to handle myself when the project falls to bits. Let's just say crying DOES help, it's almost cathartic in a way and lets you let go of the emotions you've built up from frustrations. It also lets you move on with the project. So don't ever deny someone having a bit of a teary about their work. Especially if it's such a personal piece, like mine was. That song is about a really hard break up for me and although I wished I hadn't used it many times over the course of the project, I'm glad I did because it helped me get over the break up in a twisted kind of way.

Production Diary Part 4.1

I just wanted to upload the very rough edit of the video clip I've been working on. All it is, is the cuts of the footage I am using. You can still see the green background etc. Some of the cuts are slightly out of time with the beat because of lag from the hard-drive. This has been fixed in the final version.

Enjoy!

Production Diary Part 4

Well, today has been extremely productive for me. I decided to skip learning Apple's Motion for now, as it is just too close to the assignment due date for more hiccups. What I did instead, was to focus on getting a pretty good chroma key out of Final Cut Pro, using the edit suites at TAFE with the proper broadcast monitor and also a big 42" Samsung LED TV to really be able to see how it will display as a final product.

I must say, I have been fairly negative about this project, because nothing has gone right for me in the making of this film clip- but I am really pleased with myself and my nearly finished product! Anything that looked a bit yucky after I keyed it, I just added a squillion FX (disclaimer- you can't actually use a squillion fx as there are not that many in FCP) to so you couldn't tell the green screen was still partly there. Plus I have a really good grasp on the inbuilt Chroma keyer in Final Cut Pro, which means I don't really need to go and spend money on a 3rd party suite for this, but it would still be beneficial eventually. Perhaps when I get a proper video capable MacPro with the Final Cut Suite and stuff...

Yes, I most certainly do take endorsements. :)

Anyway, I think everyone will be happy with the final film clip when it's done. I really only have to work out how to keyframe in some background colour changes and also do some opacity changes for a couple of nice little effects I have going. Shouldn't take me all day, and then I shall be done with an entire day to spare in case something goes wrong. But I'm hoping nothing else will go wrong...

Production Diary Part 3

I have now filmed the green screen part for my music video, and let me tell you that I am regretting it now! Because I didn't get to use the green screen for my other filming it looks a bit silly just being against the fake gothic background I drew in Adobe Illustrator and then cutting to my characters in a nice green luscious garden setting, next to a river. I might have to go back there and film 4 minutes of a background plate to make it look like I was filming my parts there. Nothing has really gone to plan with this project, so been thinking while running a lot! Good experience, I suppose, but I would have liked something (or anything!) to go right during this final assessment. Having a nice finished product is lower on my list than actually finishing the project.

Have lots of work in Apple Motion lined up for me on Tuesday- so hopefully a rather large Zarraffa's coffee and a lot of self discipline will get me through. I have to learn how to chroma key in Motion, too. So that should be interesting. Final Cut Express does a decent job of keying surprisingly, but when I start to move and shadows come in and out of nowhere it leaves a little bit to be desired. Fantastic for when I'm not moving about, however! And I would recommend people get Final Cut Express and a Mac over Sony Vegas for PC for this reason alone. If Apple read my blog- Yes, I would love a copy of Final Cut Studio's latest incarnation. And perhaps a nice shiny Mac Pro. Not too much to ask, is it?! Thanks in advance.

At any rate, my song is 100% finished and I even entered it in the Q Song competition yesterday just minutes before the deadline! I also put Making Things Worse in the competition, too. Only after I spent 6 hours tweaking it to make the mandolin sound more in time since I no longer have a mandolin to play and couldn't record it again. Hopefully they will not notice all the timestretching I did to it...

Wish me luck for 10 hours of chroma keying on Tuesday. Or maybe just pop in with a nice steaming hot short latte for me. Cheers.

Production Diary Part 2

So, I have pretty much finished my song. I will probably do a few more edits and really tweak the guitars with EQ and compression and maybe throw a bit more distortion on them- even though I used a pedal to start with, because you can never have too much distortion! I also DO NOT USE ANTARES AUTO-TUNE. Therefore, I sound ever so slightly out of tune, because the human voice is not designed to be perfectly in tune like a sine wave. It is supposed to sound emotional, organic and beautiful. Which is hopefully what I have achieved. I think this is what I have achieved, at any rate.

I have also started editing the video portion of my music clip. This is sort of hard right now because I am missing over half of the footage I need- the parts where I play guitar and sing to the camera! Hopefully when that part is finished, life will be slightly easier in that regard.

Here's the more finished version with a rough mastering job done on it. I won't be posting a final mix until I put the entire video up here when it's completely done.

Production Diary: Part 1

Suppose I should start a blog diary for my final project at GCIT... It's been a bumpy ride to get here! I have shot half of my video and recorded the bulk of the song I am using for my Music Video Clip/MVC. The video turned out alright- bit shadowy in some places, but still usable.

I will upload some photo's when I work out how to get them out of iPhoto. In the meantime, hopefully this MP3 will upload so you can hear *half* of my song.

Taiko Drumming

Over the Summer holidays- on the 16th December and the 13th January, Kizuna Wadaiko were kind enough to provide locals with a free workshop and performance at Thrower House. This is a shortened video of the second workshop they did in Summer which had a pleasing turnout. I was lucky enough to attend both workshops and the first one had a far smaller crowd than the second, which meant I got to have a rather long turn at playing every drum they had brought with them! And I wasn't completely terrible at it, which was nice.

Being able to play normal "rock" drums, I found the Taiko to be a lot more demanding technically and physically. The drummers took us through a series of stretches to warm up, as well as a few simple drum patterns to play as a group. At the end of the first session, my arms were sore and my legs ached from the drumming stance! It was worth it as it's a great way to get a feel for part of another culture. Plus, they had just got brand new drums shipped over from Japan and one filled the entire back half of the trailer by itself! I could have made a house out of it.

Filmed on a Canon HV-40 MiniDV camera and edited in Final Cut Express 4.0, with mild colour correction.

"Swell"

"Pacific Ocean Furballs" by Marcus Edwards

"Cocooned" by Kelly-Ann Lees

"Winds of Resistance" by Brett Allen

"Portal" by Craig Medson

"Outcrop" by Shelly Kelly

"Flower Power" Lynne Adams and Currumbin Primary School

Although this picture was taken while at Swell, you don't have to wait for the festival to start to see the beach like this. Almost every day of the year you can watch the waves roll in, crystal clear. Every year there is a fantastic display of talent, and I'm looking forward to this year as it seems to get better each festival.

These photos are all taken on a very compact, but feature heavy, Canon Powershot SX110 mostly using the aperture function.

For full website go to:

http://www.swellsculpture.com.au/