2. REFLECTION
•What are you making?
My final project is a podcast that I will make myself. It will be the
main area of a set of items, each one linking back to the main piece. It
will include an episode from the podcast, a logo, and a piece of
merchandise.
Why?
I've chosen to do this because I feel like it's important to do what I'm
most passionate about as my final project, simply audio. The reason I
chose this course was to go on to do audio, so I want to get another
audio project made, one better than anything I've ever done before.
There are also several reasons why I've chosen so many extra bits to
go with it.
9. PODCAST TITLE
To begin with, I need to think of a name that works with my story. I'm
having trouble think of one so I'm making a moodboard with all my
ideas and I will choose one in the future.
10. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER BACKGROUND
•The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest
surviving monogatari, though its exact date of composition is unknown.
•A poem in the Yamato Monogatari, a 10th-century work that describes life in
the imperial court, invokes the tale in reference to a moon-viewing
party held at the palace in 909. A mention of smoke rising from Mount
Fuji in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter suggests that the volcano was still
active at the time of its composition; the Kokin Wakashū indicates that the
mountain had stopped emitting smoke by 905. Other evidence suggests the
tale was written between 871 and 881.
•The author of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is also unknown, and scholars
have variously attributed it to Minamoto no Shitagō (911–983), to the Abbot
Henjō, to a member of the Imbe clan, to a member of a political faction
opposed to Emperor Tenmu, and to the kanshi poet Ki no Haseo (842–912).
It is also debated whether the tale was written by one person or a group of
people, and whether it was written in kanbun, Japanese kana, or
11. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER NARRITIVE
•One day in the bamboo forest, an old bamboo cutter called Taketori
no Okina ("old bamboo harvester") comes across a mysterious,
shining stalk of bamboo. Upon cutting it open, he is surprised to find
an infant the size of his thumb inside. The old man and his wife,
having no children of their own, decide to raise the infant as their
own daughter, and name her Nayotake no Kaguya-hime ("Shining
Princess of the Young Bamboo"). From that moment on, every time
the man cuts a stalk of bamboo, he finds a small nugget
of gold inside. The family soon grows rich, and within just three
months, Kaguya-hime grows from an infant into a woman of ordinary
size and extraordinary beauty. At first, the old man tries to keep news
of Kaguya-hime away from outsiders, but as word of her beauty
spreads, she attracts many suitors who seek her hand in marriage.
12. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER NARRITIVE
•Among the suitors are five nobles: Prince Ishitsukuri, Prince Kuramochi,
the Minister of the Right Abe no Mimuraji, the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no
Miyuki, and the Middle Counselor Isonokami no Marotari. They eventually
persuade the old man to have Kaguya-hime choose from among them.
Uninterested, Kaguya-hime devises five impossible tasks, agreeing to marry
the noble who can bring her the item specified for him: the stone begging
bowl of the Buddha, a jeweled branch from the mythical island of Hōrai, a
robe of Chinese fire-rat skins, a colored jewel from a dragon's neck, and
a cowry shell born from a swallow.
•Realizing the impossibility of his task, the first noble presents a fake stone
bowl made from a blackened pot, but is exposed when Kaguya-hime notices
that the bowl does not glow with holy light. The second noble presents a
branch created by the country's finest jewelers, but is revealed when a
messenger of the craftsmen arrives at Kaguya-hime's house to collect
payment. The third noble is deceived by a merchant from China, who sells
him a robe that burns when it is tested with fire. The fourth noble sets out to
find a dragon at sea, but abandons his plans after encountering a storm. The
fifth noble falls from a great height while reaching into a swallow's nest.
13. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER NARRITIVE
•After this, the Emperor of Japan comes to visit Kaguya-hime and, after
falling in love, asks her hand in marriage. Although he is not subjected to an
impossible trial, Kaguya-hime rejects his request for marriage as well, telling
him that she is not from his country and therefore cannot go to the palace
with him. She remains in contact with the Emperor, but continues to rebuff
his proposals. Three years pass as they continue to communicate by letter.
•That summer, whenever Kaguya-hime views the full moon, her eyes fill with
tears. Though her adoptive parents grow very worried and question her, she
refuses to tell them what is wrong. Her behaviour becomes increasingly
erratic until she reveals that she is not of the Earth and that she must return
to her people on the Moon. In some versions, it is said that she was sent to
the Earth, where she would inevitably form material attachment, as a
punishment for some crime, while in others, she was sent to Earth for her
safety during a celestial war. The gold was a stipend from the people of the
Moon, sent to pay for Kaguya-hime's upkeep.
14. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER NARRITIVE
•As the day of her return approaches, the Emperor sends his guards to
protect her from the Moon's people, but when an embassy of
heavenly beings descends upon the bamboo cutter's house, the
guards are blinded by a strange light. Kaguya-hime announces that,
though she loves her many friends on Earth, she must return with the
beings to her true home on the Moon. She writes sad notes of
apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gives her parents
her own robe as a memento. She then takes a little of the elixir of
immortality, attaches it to her letter to the Emperor, and gives it to
the guard officer. As she hands it to him, a feather robe is placed on
her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people
of the Earth are apparently forgotten. The entourage ascends into the
sky, taking Kaguya-hime back to Tsuki no Miyako ("the Capital of the
Moon") and leaving her earthly foster parents in tears.
15. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER NARRITIVE
•The old couple become very sad and are soon put to bed sick. The officer
returns to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime gave him as her last
mortal act, and reports what happened. The Emperor reads her letter and is
overcome with sadness, and asks his servants, "Which mountain is the
closest place to Heaven?"; in response, one suggests the Great Mountain
of Suruga Province. The Emperor then orders his men to take the letter to
the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would
reach the distant princess. They are also ordered to burn the elixir of
immortality, as the Emperor does not wish to live without being able to see
her.
•Legend has it that the word for immortality, (fushi), became the name of the
mountain, Mount Fuji. It is also said that the kanji for the mountain, (literally
"mountain abounding with warriors"), are derived from the Emperor's army
ascending the slopes to carry out his order. It is said that the smoke from
the burning still rises to this day. (In the past, Mount Fuji was a much more
active volcano and therefore produced more smoke.)
16. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER LITERARY CONNECTIONS
•Elements of the tale were drawn from earlier stories. The protagonist
Taketori no Okina appears in the earlier poetry collection Man'yōshū (c. 759;
poem# 3791). In it, he meets a group of women and he recites a poem to
them. This indicates that there previously existed an image or tale revolving
around a bamboo cutter and celestial or mystical women.
Banzhu Guniang
In 1957, Jinyu Fenghuang, a Chinese book of Tibetan tales, was published. In
the early 1970s, Japanese literary researchers became aware that "Banzhu
Guniang" one of the tales in the book, had certain similarities with The Tale
of the Bamboo Cutter. Initially, many researchers thought that "Banzhu
Guniang" must be related to Tale of Bamboo Cutter, although some were
skeptical.
In the 1980s, studies showed that the relationship between these stories is
not as simple as initially thought. Okutsu provides an extensive review of the
research, and notes that the book Jinyu Fenghuang was intended to be for
children, and as such, the editor took some liberties in adapting the tales.
No other compilation of Tibetan tales contains the story.
17. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER LEGACY
•The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a popular folk tale in Japan. It has
been adapted, updated and reworked into numerous modern media,
especially Japanese pop culture media such as manga and anime.
•The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter has been identified as proto-science
fiction. Some of its science fiction plot elements include Kaguya-hime
being a princess from the Moon who is sent to Earth for safety during
a celestial war, an extraterrestrial being raised by a human on Earth,
and her being taken back to the Moon by her real extraterrestrial
family. A manuscript illustration also depicts a round flying machine
that resembles a flying saucer.
•Kaguya's story also has similarities to a modern superhero origin
story, particularly that of Superman.
18. THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO
CUTTER LEGACY
•The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a popular folk tale in Japan. It has
been adapted, updated and reworked into numerous modern media,
especially Japanese pop culture media such as manga and anime.
•The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter has been identified as proto-science
fiction. Some of its science fiction plot elements include Kaguya-hime
being a princess from the Moon who is sent to Earth for safety during
a celestial war, an extraterrestrial being raised by a human on Earth,
and her being taken back to the Moon by her real extraterrestrial
family. A manuscript illustration also depicts a round flying machine
that resembles a flying saucer.
•Kaguya's story also has similarities to a modern superhero origin
story, particularly that of Superman.
21. SOUND EFFECTS
Sound effect needed How I will create the sound
Forest ambiance Downloded from freesound
Shiny sound effect Downloded from freesound
Glittery or sparkaly sound effects Downloded from freesound
Dragon sound effect Downloded from freesound
Swallow sound effect Downloded from freesound
22. MUSIC
Artist name Track name Link
Joe Hisashi One Summer's Day https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Zv-r4g2txZs
Joe Hisashi Carrying You (Cello, Violin,
Piano) | Laputa
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=GAkz6mDzubA
Joe Hisashi il porco rosso https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=iKMHCmDdJ2U
Joe Hisashi Requiem https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Me6qPQmn9n4
Joe Hisashi Sen to Chihiro no
Kamikakushi: Always with
Me
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=R0IZMwOxeU0
Joe Hisashi Princess Mononoke Theme
(Orchestra)
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sfrPHwoON2E
24. WEEKLY PRODUCTION PLAN
Week 1
I'm planning on getting the recording done at the begging of week one. It
hopefully shouldn't take more than a day but it could take a couple
depending on me reading my script with making mistakes or pauses. The
rest of the week will be beginning editing. I won't be getting into anything
too complex yet, just sticking all the recordings together to get a basic
timeline.
Week 2
The second week will be for the more complex areas with my editing. I'm
hoping to get the main podcast episode finished by this week so I can move
onto editing a audio trailer. This shouldn't take long as really it will be a
cutdown version of the episode, leaving out the all the important bits and a
bit more voiceover to explain what type of podcast it is.
25. WEEKLY PRODUCTION PLAN
Week 3
The third week of production will be spent making my logo. I have
some solid ideas for what I want to do with it, so hopefully it shouldn't
take much time. If I have any time left over, I can look to improve
everything I've done so far, tweaking it all to make it better.
Week 4
Week four will be all about peer feedback. I will get people to see what
I've made so far, and ask them what they liked, and what I can do
better. This is a very important week as there's only so much I think I'd
be able to improve upon so getting other people's opinions will be
very valuable.
26. WEEKLY PRODUCTION PLAN
Week 5
I will begin improvements. I'd probably start with the logo, because as soon
when they're good as they can be, I need to stick the design on a t-shirt and
get it ordered, as it can take a week to come
Week 6
This is the final week of production. I will finish off all my improvements and
make sure everything is as good as it can be. I will have to upload and make
sure everything is on my website so it can be easily be seen by anyone
looking for it.
This schedule will hopefully allow me to balance my work load, allowing me
to not feel too overwhelmed with my work. This will hopefully allow me to
take time to make plenty of improvements, both in production and everything
I've done before.
27. CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Problem How to overcome it
Coronavirus: College closing so I will be
unable to work on the macs.
This is one of the biggest problems that I
could face. I have older versions of Premier
Pro so I haven't got access to the newer
versions with better tools.
Internet goes off This will make me unable work at college, so I
will use my memory stick to take my work
home where I can upload it on my personal
computer.
Corrupt saves Save work in multiple places and create
several backups. I have my home macbook as
well as a memory stick to go along with this
mac I'm working on, so I can save versions in
all of these places.
Electricity goes off Saving frequently means I won't lose much
work, and it should be fairly easy to write up
28. HEALTH AND SAFETY
Problem How to overcome it
Fatigue from staring at the screen Every now and agin take a short break if you
feel like you need it to avoid this. Also keep
eyes level with the top of the monitor to avoid
eye strain.
Back and neck pain When taking short breaks, stand up and move
around a bit, try not to be kept in a chair the
whole time.
