Industry At Its Finest: An independent table top video production

Table Top Video: Demonstrations and Declarations
Monday March 10, 2008 - 11:30AM
Title: "Industry at its Finest"


Initial objective:
The theme of my project is how industry continues to grow and overtake woodlands.
My goal: To have a landscape with some small artificial trees planted on it to simulate that of a forested area. I will attach two pieces of fishing line to each of the corresponding trees as they relate in size. Once attached, the lines will be used to "tug" at the trees to imitate the form of wind. A flashlight will be held at an angle against a white piece of card stock to softly reflect light upon the scene. The room will be as dark as it will allow through the use of the existing shades on the windows. Music and "fog" will be accompanying the piece by way of a CD player and dry ice in a warm container of water. Compiled, the first scene will mimic the wind slightly moving the trees on a dark foggy moonlit night.
The trees will then be pulled out of the frame.
The next scene (transition between scenes) is of two small toy trucks: one a cement truck, the other a log/dirt hauler. They will enter the frame one at a time beginning from the left and exiting on the right. The cement truck will start first.
Note: I chose the cement truck to start because I want the viewer to think about what it symbolizes without giving to much away. The truck with the "logs" in it will then be pulled into the frame using fishing line. Crossing somewhat slowly through the frame will allow the viewer to comprehend what is being displayed. After both trucks have exited, a scenic with houses will be moved into the frame. Lines resembling a road are drawn between the houses. This is an important detail because after a few moments into this scene, I will place two trees in the middle of the road on opposite ends of the scenic. The placing of these trees in the road will represent where they once stood (in the forest). As the video nears its consummation, the light from the flashlight will dim and deplete altogether as a result of the "flashlight holder" turning it into the paper from which the light is being reflected. At this point, a light will come on in the house that is the furthest distance away in the frame. When the music ends, and nothing but the light in the house is visible, the light will go out and the video will end.

The Result:
Most of the scenes, as described above, were performed to my satisfaction. However, I was displeased with how my hands accidentally entered the frame at one point. I was also a bit unhappy with the fact that my first scene didn't "fill the frame." You could see a portion of the table which was not my intention, however I don't believe it distracted the viewer from the content being displayed.
As I am my own worst critique, I believe that although there were parts of the production which I foresaw differently from that which actually occurred, that overall my piece was a success.