Kaelen Ohm Film Maker | Documenteur
First off I have to say that it has been great to see such a positive response to the inlayers videos. I have been asked to fill you in on my process and what goes into each of these ‘webisodes’ so here it goes…
My job during these 5 weeks of inlayers rehearsals is to basically be a fly on the wall, in a creative way, and to capture important moments that occur in the studio. After five rehearsals a lot of ground has been covered and although I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to execute these videos before the process began, I am definitely learning as I go. Each rehearsal offers something different and inspires me in a different way. Having said that though, I am trying to keep a common aesthetic within the work. This is focussed on in the editing style and colour correction.
Because each rehearsal is four hours long, I have to be selective about what I shoot. 240 minutes cut down to 5 is madness, so I try and shoot between 60-90 minutes of footage per rehearsal. This can be tricky because at any given time something interesting or important could happen. About 98% of the material shot is completely authentic and captured moment to moment as the rehearsal unfolds. Because I am only one person with one camera, if I miss something that Taryn or one of the dancers says that I think is important for the edit, I may get them to repeat it. For example if Taryn says, “okay we are going to run the solos one at a time and then teach each other” and I miss that on camera, I will get her to repeat it if I think it is needed for the story. Aside from that, nothing is reproduced, redone, or ‘cleaned up’ for the camera. Episode #3 is so far the most important example of this process and how real and raw it really is. That entire improv was done only once. I took my shoes off and basically danced with them for 45 minutes. I do think that the way these videos are being shot and edited definitely adds to the dramatic element of what they are doing, however, I believe this is integral for viewers to actually be drawn into the process. If a camera was set up in the corner of the room and the rehearsal was covered in a wide shot, you would have no emotional connection to any of this work as an audience. Having been a dancer, I know that exercises like improv are so internal and deep. I need to get as close to the dancers as possible to even begin to give their work any justice. I have to mention though, that even with 12 years of dance experience I have never been through a process like this to create work. Ever. Taryn’s process is like nothing I’ve seen before and if there is any show to capture the process of in such detail, I think this is the perfect one.
So to paraphrase, I attend every rehearsal, turn on my camera when I think it’s necessary and get right in the middle of what is happening. I interview Taryn and the dancers on the sidelines as we go, to capture some context, then hit up my computer the next day and piece together something that I think represents what happened in that rehearsal best. These webisodes could EASILY be 30 minutes long, but in that case I would need a few more people on board with me. I think the blog (in partnership with the videos) can accurately answer any questions you may have about things that were only touched on on my end. Please feel free to ask me any questions. I’d be happy to answer anything regarding shooting, editing or working with the dancers.
Donate Now!
