Director’s Commentary for Overhead
First off, this commentary is more a shot-by-shot identification guide than a look at the deeper significances and motivations found within. This was not a student art project; there are few, if any, hidden meanings or deeper allegorical insights into the human condition.
Opening Shots – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca souvenir store, where I worked all summer. This was shot on an SCCA weekend shift (and don’t worry, the store was empty – primarily so I wouldn’t have to endure weird glances from people as I drummed my fingers on the counter in time with the music on my iPod – and I gave myself a 15 minute break, so I’m not that much of a slacker). It should also be noted that these and the following driving shots were all filmed in September. Yes, four months ago. So when I say I’ve been working on this project for a while... well now you know.
Driving Shots – Filmed the same day as the store shots. These show parts of my drive home from work at the track. For those concerned with the speeds at which I am apparently driving (especially taking that final turn), you should know that all of these shots were filmed at low speeds and then sped up on the computer.
Me at the Computer – One of my two least favorite shots in the video! This is supposed to be me getting an email saying that I finally got my work visa, and my resulting shock and happiness. Notice instead the bad acting. Bad, bad acting.
Andrea Finally Cleans Her Room – This is a time lapse of me cleaning and packing, taken from the the top of my bookshelf on December 7th. I took pictures every minute or so, then strung them all together using the same program I used for my animation videos.
Sunset Time Lapse – This was taken on a bitterly cold (by my standards) October evening on Seaside State Beach, looking back toward the Cannery Row region of the Monterey Peninsula.
Nighttime Driving Shots – Taken from the back seat on the way to the Oakland Airport. For those trying to identify silhouettes, Dad’s driving and Mom’s riding shotgun. Note the excessive rain outside.
Airport Shots – Taken at OAK in the still of the night. My flight was just before midnight, so the place was pretty dead. As I was concerned with TSA-induced death, I kept my interior filming to a minimum.
Plane Window Shots – So I was watching the TV show Mythbusters a while back and they did a segment on having to turn off all electronic devices during takeoffs and landings. Turns out the only thing that could potentially cause interference is a certain kind of rarely-used cell phone. I, on the other hand, was using a digital camera to shoot all of this. Completely Unrelated Fun Fact: Airplane stewards have to retreat to their lair during takeoffs and landings, leaving the entire cabin unpoliced during that time. I’m just saying.
First Footage of Arrecife! – Actually, that’s not entirely true. I did shoot some streetside footage, but, as I am not a steadicam, it didn’t work out so well. This footage was shot just offshore of Port Royale, along 17 Mile Beach. In fact, as I pan across the beach, you see a large clump of palm trees, then two white buildings with long horizontal balconies and windows across the front. That is the condo side of Port Royale (the nice places that people rent when they’re staying for a week or two or have wads of cash). I live just behind those buildings in the hotel section of PR. The beach and reef you’re seeing is my backyard.
Gratuitous Andrea Shot – Actually, this one isn’t as gratuitous as it may seem. If you’ve been listening to the song (“Over My Head” by The Fray), you will have noticed the repeated phrase “Everyone knows I’m in over my head”. That line was originally what made me decide to use the song in the first place, as I wanted to include as many shots that could be deemed examples of being in “over my head” as I could. I had storyboarded plans to have shots of overhead compartments on the plane, but I couldn’t work up the nerve to film myself playing with my suitcase on a crowded redeye flight. As it is, there are still many shots that follow the theme: the time lapse of me packing my bags, which was set up to look like I was being monitored from above, the altitude shots from the plane ride, and the many underwater shots, where I am quite literally “in over my head.” The goal of the video was to show that, while there are many people stateside that are worried that I might be in over my head, there are a lot of other ways that phrase could be applied to what I’m doing, and they’re really not all that bad after all.
Long Tracking Shot of Boring Reef – This is my other least favorite shot in the video, but it was the only decent one I had that I could use for the timing change in the middle. This was shot at the Port Royale reef (all but one of these fish clips were shot there, actually), which is not known for its water clarity.
The Sing-Along Fish – This is actually the very same Unnerving Mystery Fish that I mentioned in one of my first posts from the island. I included it because it looks like he’s singing along with the words when I slow the footage down a bit, and I think that’s funny. Leave it to me to think that singing fishes constitutes as classic humor. Anyway, I have since identified the fish as being a Chub, which are fairly common fish around here, and they all exhibit the same level of friendliness as this one.
One Fish, Two Fish – The fish with the yellow tail is a Doctorfish, and the blue one is a Blue Tang. The two species are often found living together, presumably for safety in numbers.
Chubs Fading into the Distance – Pretty self-explanatory.
Stoplight Parrotfish – This is the only fish clip that was not filmed at PR Reef. It was instead shot during one of the underwater photography programs for CAOS (I gave the videos to the kids too, so this sort of thing is still within my job description). Note the dramatic improvement in water clarity.
Fish Roundabout – This clip of three Barjacks is actually about 30 seconds long, and pretty funny. My friend Thales was snorkeling with me that day and we watched these three fish swim around and around that rock at least six times before finally taking off (the part you see in the video). It’s honestly one of the more ridiculous fish behaviors I’ve seen around here.
The Slideshow – This was again compiled using the same program I used to put my animation together. It looks a little haphazard uploaded on YouTube, but it’s considerably cooler in the higher definition version I have on my computer, and the high speed flipthrough is very much intentional. I originally wanted to restrict it to just photos I took at home and with the family this summer, but I had to include some graduation photos, apartment pictures, and a few photos from winter quarter to make it long enough. Talk about a flashback...
So that’s about it. I’m still looking for good topics for my next video (and I do plan on making one at some point), but nothing has struck my fancy significantly enough yet. We’ll see what happens. Stay tuned!
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