a note to robbie about video

in response to your thoughts and questions about the film:
i think we will move at this faster pace, except for in the formation of that line, which i think should be slower. and in the line, the collapse action and the hold in that, that could be longer.

i had the opportunity to look for the first time at your set up of the video last night. i think it is great to work with the black screen over all. this is a great draft. the images are great and i think we are on our way, with likely MORE than we need. i have now looked again and watched with music. i wish i could watch with the dance, at the same time. but none the less...

Please let me imagine another draft of this with you. what informs these notes is the feeling that there are a bit too many trees. also, that i want to undo the power of the frame as a focusing tool. that there might be too much. OK, an imagined sequence in response to yours follows:

it begins with a frame that comes up center. it shrinks a bit, and moves down left corner.

a tree comes in from the right side of screen and travels into the frame. it turns brown, sheds leaves and disappears.

some other objects move down the black in the path of the up to down tree. i don't know if this should be the previous objects (spoon, glasses, necklace, ear piece) or if they should be more simple, like an apple, a pair of shoes... at this point, i think we have enough of our little beautiful tree. it should not pass up to down. perhaps the gold frame disappears? we don't want to give it too much power.

perhaps a shot of just tree branches, whole frame? have a look at this: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=2385&picture=tree-branches OR http://www.pixelperfectdigital.com/free_stock_photos/showphoto.php/photo/6076

your dad in frame, and as soon as he arrives in the frame, move the frame swiftly, to another corner, so dad doesn't have a frame around him but remains in lower left corner.

birds in frame, growing out to full screen,

frame around planes. (i love that!)

kitchen image with frame around birds. (i LOVE this idea, but don't love the kitchen. should it be a window in something else? what do you think?) (skip the second kitchen image with the framed door. i think you accomplish best what you want to accomplish with the first image.)

Jumbo store (i love this, and with the tree coming in.)

road.

(I don't think we need the buy and save as it is so like the Jumbo store. what do you think? )

the lot.

i'd say skip the desert scene, the airport and the train station.

not sure how to end.

thinking through sequence

tried to think through the dance as it is, thinking through it's problems. to consider interruptions, to imagine the visual material, even though i don't know. this will help me prepare for tomorrow.

come in. look at audience. back up. turn away. look back at audience. back up differently. MUSIC ENTERS AT FIRST LOOK BACK?

reaching movements carrying downstage. FRAME first APPEARS?

walk upstage to line, one by one. collapse. ONLY HAVE FIRST CHORD CHANGE AS BEGIN TO ENTER LINE? TREE APPEARS AND MOVES THROUGH SEQUENCE? OR

diagonal line with nestling.
vertical line with marina on floor and michel on top. others stepping sidewards, away. tida/Dorothy solo…
big diagonal line. what happens here??? michel moves away figuring out position he had. he stops and marina scampers upstage. Dorothy/tida continue? Dorothy stop and she and michel race madly for marina position? tida go ot michel and lie on top of him? POSSIBLY DURING THIS SOME OTHER NON TREE THING HAPPENS. OR MAYBE FIRST IMAGE JUST TAKES A LONG TIME? OR??

Marina rumba. which explodes and then gets smaller and smaller. TREE LEAVE FRAME IN VIDEO? CONTINUE ACROSS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT?

walk to grid. either rotating in grid or eyes open/eyes closed. Keith only moving? doing what? arm reaching? SOMEONE WALK ACROSS WITH A TREE PICTURE (STAGE HAND?)

walking downstage, backwards. first three do artifacts washing. just arms (what is this), and tumble weed downstage. second three (only) leaving Lai and having keith walk backwards. (could the other person, alexx, do a stomping pulsing dance facing downstage??) THE SCENES? AIRPORT? VACANT LOT? LONG WINDING ROAD TO INFINITY?

one by one walk to the circle. circle crumble. (lai continue solo). Michel sticky tape to where pile will be.

one by one, walk to lie down in pile. as they arrive in pile, Michel stickey tape, bouncing move around upstage and over to upstage right. stand and shadows of marina dance.. 3 times. then leave? or nearly leave? STAGE HAND WALK OUT AND DUMP A PILE OF LEAVES ON THE STAGE.

NOW need to get out of this world which is feeling pervasively rhythmically the same…

ideas:
get up one at a time. as rise, see audience for a moment, as in beginning? go to grid positions? with back to us. begin a dance that has down up down up down up and pulsating. quick changes in direction and rhythm, that can be set in parts that change, that can begin to travel around the room? that is fun. that is goofy.

ecstatic dancing? arms, core? kind of crazy.

go to clump upstage with backs to audience or looking at sleepers. arms up. some part of up.

all turn to audience, walk forward and take a bow, a goofy one. turn and look at lai, who does arms to audience.