Assignment 1

IDM- Project

For my first Semester, my project will involve me creating a video based on the theme I have chosen.

I was given seven themes, include: 

•          The Edwardian Period - England
•          The High Victorian Period - India
•          The Roaring Twenties - New York
•          The 1950’s Nuclear Family - USA
•          The Swinging 60’s, Mods and Rockers - UK
•          Post Disco, 1970’s Punk – London
•         The Grunge Scene, 1980’s Seattle - USA

I have chosen to ‘The Roaring Twenties’. Using a series of research I will produce a piece that will include 6 still images, taken in that era.

Research

For my research I started looking on the internet to gather a basis, so I knew what I was looking for. I came across several websites such as:

•          http://www.1920-30.com/ (Accessed 18/11/12)
•          http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties (Accessed 10/12/12)
•          http://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Hooverstory/gallery03/index.html (Accessed 10/12/12)

I also watched documentaries:

•          The Great Depression--New Deal/New York- USHistory (Accessed 20/12/12)

•          USA 1920s - Boom and Bust- History channel (Accessed 20/12/12)

•          The Roaring 20's- Cosmolearning History (Accessed 20/12/12)

Books:

‘The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror’- Beverly Gage, Oxford University Press, USA; Reprint edition (September 13, 2010)

The USA, 1917-45 (Heinemann Advanced History),- Davy & Susan Willoughby, Heinemann; 1 edition (27 Oct 2000)

I also referenced to photographs:

• http://www.worldbook.com/content-spotlight/item/1188-lights-cameras-action/1188-lights-cameras-action?start=1
• http://wallpaperswide.com/empire_state_building_new_york_city__monochrome-wallpapers.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Warren_G_Harding_portrait_as_senator_June_1920.jpg
• http://thruthelifeofnick.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/cristian_m/page6/
• http://www.netl.doe.gov/newsroom/100yr/history.html 

Project

When starting on my project I looked at some newspaper headlines during the era, Such as " PROHIBITION SWEEPS THE STATE!" and " PRESIDENT DECLARES WAR ON GANGS". These were important headlines that influenced my project, as it directly linked to what was happening in the twenties. With these headlines I then used them to transition across images related. 
For the audio I used the first radio broadcast of the 1920 from KDKA as it was an historic moment in radio history. For the background music, I used Duke Ellingtons- Rockin' n rhythm as he was a very influential jazz musician at the time. Six images were used in total, chosen to reflect the era and the headlines. 

Evaluation

Coming to the end of my project I thought that it was looking good. When replaying the video the sound was at a good volume, as you could hear the KDKA radio broadcast over the background noise.  
However I felt that if I had more time it might have been a better option of experimenting with a 20 second motion piece rather than six images, I also noticed that at the start the pictures relate to the "Bust" of the 20's. With more experimenting and time , I could have mixed the pictures up instead of the viewer having to wait till the end to see the "Boom" of the 20's. I also feel that the transitions used are repetitive, and so maybe it would have been a better idea to use other transitions to make it more interesting. 
Overall I think I have created a good motion picture that reflects the era I had chosen.