Dance Video Research;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r801idgt0E4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwWvWr96s24&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiJhRjBEm6o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ERSLuUW6SQ

Video - 'Ballet in a Box'

The Director (Daniel Pi) uses a simple but clever technique from the outset of the short film. He has recorded the dancer and then repeated the footage at different areas of the screen, the footage then comes together and creates a layered blur of the dancer as she moves.
The sound and footage are well syncronised as a new instrument is featured, a new piece of footage of the dancer is played.

I am going to use these techniques in aspects of my video. The effect of layering the same footage on top of each other just slightly out of time will help with the 'dream' aspect of my video.
As my short film is called 'A dance of shadow/a dance of light, I want to show a varying depth of reality (between the shadows and the light). I will do this through the use of lighting techniques as demonstrated within the videos featured.

'Ballet in a Box' (1.33) uses the technique of having the dancer behind a white curtain with a spotlight revealing the dancers shadow, I will not use this exact style of shaddowing, however, I will make use of spot lights.

Video - 'Cupidita'

The director (James Dyer) uses varied angles of light to created numerous shadows on a plain back drop. The shadows give off the appearance that there are more than just the two characters danciong within the scene.

As the dances performed tend to be quite complex, the driectors make storng use of close-ups for emotional establishment to the spectator. I will use this technique quite frequently as I want to establish an emotional connection the dancer and the spectator even thought the spectator will probably not fully undertsand what it is like to be the character.

Video - 'Radical Dance Project/ Alone'

Although the video is not footage of Ballet, a very clever technique is used at 1.12 minutes into the video, the dancer stretches out her hand and as he draws her fingers in the camera tracks closer towards her in sync.