Semester A: Week 4
Student: Tai Ser Yeet (22064351)
Programme: BA (Hons)(SW) Digital Media Design
WEEK 4
Tutorial with Steve
Steve and I had an hour-long discussion about my idea and how I was going to execute it. He showed me some of his film pieces from decades ago, and some of his works sparked a few ideas for my project. I've attached my notes below:
- Look up Rosemary Butcher, who is a dancer
- Dancing to a voiceover could be a cool idea
- Music could be the sound of the film rolling or the kettle boiling
- Repetition in your piece - Steve showed a work based on this principle, where the dancers repeated aggressive movements for a full hour, and that was essentially the entire performance. God knows how tiring that must be.
- Pinpoint a theme/concept, and it doesn't have to be complicated. For example, the theme could be repetition or abstract, etc.
- Olympics and dance could be a thing..? The juxtaposition of two completely different things, something paradoxical
- Bring elements of Malaysian dance and try adding Western elements
- Explore Malaysian poems
- The way you express how you feel or how something is - after all, that is what dance is all about
- Good to do a project that challenges you instead of sticking to creating a website or an app, and it is your last year, so take advantage of the creative freedom you have
- Learn Touch Designer for 3 weeks and see how it goes; create a quick piece
- Think about how you can integrate English literature with music, rhythm and story
- Read John Keats, a poet and reimagine his poem in a modern manner or in the context of Malaysia
After Tutorials
I found the idea of incorporating elements from my home country (Malaysia) very intriguing - it totally slipped my mind. What if I referenced familiar sounds in my piece?
Example of Sounds of Malaysia
- Traditional Malay Music from royal ceremonies and during storytelling sessions
- Local advertisements playing their own unique tune (Paddle Pop, the ice cream man who stops by most primary schools to sell snacks and the dedicated lorries going round neighbourhoods collecting old newspaper)
- Gamelan - an instrument commonly played in events
- The rooster screaming in the morning
- MRT announcement (the metro) - Anda akan tiba di Taman Connaught (You are now approaching Taman Connaught)
- Hawker stalls - the cook scraping his/her wok when preparing food
- Advertisement for Malaysia's Tourism Board
I found a few videos that captured the many sounds of Malaysia. Have a listen.
I'd get teary-eyed whenever this played on the flight back to Malaysia. "To all Malaysians, welcome home." This makes me wonder how music can touch someone so deeply - very fascinating!
This is a fun advertisement by Digi called "I Will Follow You". Until a couple of days ago, I didn't know that this catchy song came from an advert. Regardless of its origin, I really enjoyed singing this with my friends in primary school.