The Decline of Nature (Final Cut)

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Final Clip

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NOTE- first half of clip has very poor image quality.

Rough Cut # 1

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Rough Cut # 2

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Rough Cut # 3

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Production Strategy

I plan to explore the area around Bradford Beach more extensively. This beach is located off of Lincoln Memorial Drive in Milwaukee Wisconsin, by the Art Museum.

For my image capturing technique I will be using the same procedure I used for Trek 02, in that I will be trying to capture shadows and color.

For my sound capturing technique, I will placing my mic extremely close to my subject to try and capture the best sonic quality possible.

Ten Questions

1) Are there any places that I can make a 180 degree turn and see only nature?
2) Do current weather conditions make this trek any harder to execute?
3) Is there an area that could be explored more extensively?
4) Are there any specific monuments in this area?
5) Where can I go in this area to find the least amount of noise?
6) Are there any secret or unexplored paths I could find in this area?
7) What differences are there in this area from when I went on my original two treks?
8) Are there any other bodies of water besides Lake Michigan in the area?
9) What is the most impressive or interesting thing I can film in this area?
10) What is the most impressive or interesting thing I can record sound wise in this area?

Trek Assessment # 4

I think my favorite experience was when I was on Trek 02 and I found the balloons. I just really thought that it was a beautiful thing to see these colorful balloons tossing and turning through the wind, trying to break free from where they were tied down. It reminded me of the scene in American Beauty where the two kids are watching the bag blow through the wind, talking about beauty in the world. To me, these balloons represented the greatest beauty imaginable, trying to break free from everything ugly in the world. I hope that I captured them in this way.

Trek Assessment # 3

The main overall surprise that I found on my combined Treks was the feeling of how much nature is vanishing in the contemporary urban world. Having just moved to Milwaukee this last summer from a smaller, more rural community, it really struck me that someday, maybe even in my lifetime, nature will be gone forever and all that will remain will be a cold steel world. It made me realize that I need to enjoy it while I can.

A particular surprise happened when I returned home from Trek 02, when I realized that my footage actually corresponded to my feelings of nature versus industrialization. The contrast between the lake/field footage and the constant buzz of the city really stood out.

When I was on Trek 02, something unexpected occurred. I was walking around looking for something magical to shoot when I saw a bunch of balloons tied to a string, which was then attached to a sign. There was just something moving about seeing these colors blowing around forcefully as if they were trying to break free from their string.

Trek Assessment # 2

On Trek 02 I think I was much more confident and at ease with gathering footage. There was something soothing about Lake Michigan (I’ve never really been near it before) that made me very contemplative about its vast size and how small I was in comparison. It made me long to see the ocean. (I’ve never seen that either)

Trek Assessment # 1

I was pretty stressed out during Trek 01 with the type of footage I was collecting. In my mind, everything I was getting was pretty average or just not interesting.

Trek 02 was somewhat bothersome to get going on due to the poor weather at the time. Not only had it been raining on and off for about a week or so, but the sunlight was limited so this made my shadow light capturing technique nearly impossible. But I was able to get what I needed in the end.