Sonic Performance: Week 3 – Cinematography Prep

This week has been really exciting. I attended a photography and filming workshop on campus, which got me thinking more deeply about how I want to present my performance visually. 

It was incredibly helpful and pushed me to start considering the cinematography and overall aesthetic of my piece, not just the sound. 

One of the main decisions I needed to make was whether I wanted to perform outdoors or indoors. 

Initially, I imagined performing in a serene woodland setting, which I felt would perfectly capture the fantasy, ethereal atmosphere I’m aiming for. However, there are quite a few practical challenges with that idea, mainly transporting a lot of equipment, needing extra help, and managing weather risks. Living in the UK, the weather can be unpredictable at best… one minute it’s sunny, the next it’s pouring with rain. 

Because of this, I’ve decided to film indoors. This gives me much more control over the environment and removes a lot of unnecessary stress and uncertainty. 

Once I made that decision, I moved on to one of my favourite parts of any project, creating a vision board. I started building a Pinterest board to explore the visual direction, and honestly, I’m feeling really inspired by it. 

The aesthetic I’m leaning towards is earthy, ethereal, and otherworldly, something that will complement the music and help elevate the overall performance. 

So, it’s official, I’ll be transforming part of my dining room into a filming space! This might mean a few weeks of eating dinner on the sofa with trays, but I think it will be worth it. 

Over the next few weeks, I’ll start collecting props, textures, and visual elements that will help bring this space to life. 

I’ve also started exploring and experimenting with Ableton Live 12 and the Push 3. It’s taken some time to get familiar with the workflow, and I’m still in the process of figuring things out, but this clip shows an early exploration of live looping ideas. I feel like I’m starting to find the vibe I’m aiming for.