Influences for short films

On the 30th of April I posted a brief post about research into short films, at that point in my project I had looked at Tracey Emin as a source of inspiration. I used her use of voice overs as a lead to use them in my set of three videos, it eliminates problems such as filming and sound difficulties because volume and imager/film can now be edited separately so when affects such as slow motion are applied sound does not get distorted. Now I have looked at various films, both long and short to influence me as far as my own set of three short films are concerned. I have been influenced by Francesca Woodman once again, after watching a short video clip of Francesca writing her name on a large piece of white paper that she stood naked behind, then walked straight through. After watching this clip I watched it again and again, wondering what its significance was, what on earth was she doing? What did she want me to think? What was she symbolising? Then it dawned on me how beautiful the clip was, how delicate, raw and truthful the whole 48 seconds of silence was. How it was completely open to my own interpretation  I chose to use a similar process within my video, I asked everyone other than my Gramp to write down one word of their choice underneath their full name that they would call themselves, this could've been: mother, father, child, son, aunt, cousin, lover, wife, widow, husband... any noun that applied to them. I thought not only would it loosen them up and get them into the right frame of mind to be interviewed and talk freely but it would kick start the video with a very bold statement that the audience could interpretation as they want to. 

The first 48 seconds of this youtube clip are the 48 seconds that i have spoken about above. I first saw the film whilst watching the film 'The Woodmans'- a documentary from the Woodman family and friends about Francesca in all her entireties.

Second edit of Mum video

This is the second edit of my short film concentrating on my mum's memories. I have repeated the video of her writing her name instead of using a still freeze frame to accompany the voice over. This is an experiment to see if it helps the viewer stay interested, and enhances the viewing experience. Is the repetition more or less powerful than the still image? I have also used colour rather than black and white, again to enhance the viewing experience, was the black and white hiding the details that colour reveals, or did having the film in black and white help focus the audience, and create a more emotional piece? I will need time to review these questions in order to create a their image in response to this one. I will re-watch this edit a few times to be able to understand what I need to do next to improve the video.

You can view the short film here:http://youtu.be/mAbxVPydBQk

Music options for Mum's video

When creating my video responding to my Mum's memories the music choice was obvious as she had mentioned Simon and Garfunkle's 'Bridge over troubled water' in her questionnaire as well as her voice recoded interview. She also mentioned 'Lord of the dance'; out of the two 'Bridge over troubled water' suited the video more for several reasons, firstly it evokes emotions as a stand a lone piece let a lone whilst accompanying such a powerful interview, secondly it is much longer than 'lord of the dance' so it would not need to be repeated for very long, nor would it need much editing (or at least I thought it wouldn't). I made the video by combining the voice over and the video clips as well creating a freeze frame (still) for the imagery to accompany the majority of the voice over. I then added the background music, I lowered the volume level of the music and lifted the volume level of the voice overs to make sure they were more prominent than the music. Alternative music options that i will consider to use include, Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' because its a piece of music that relives a specific day, obviously relating to my theme of 'memory' well. 

Responses to first edit

In response to my first edit of my video responding to my Mum's memories, I have made a list of things i should experiment with to improve the final video. These adjustments are a process of trail and error i suppose, trying out various changes then reviewing the video again and again to see which changes i should keep, or loose, depending on their positive or negative impact on the short films. The adjustments I am thinking about making after reviewing my first edit are: Colour instead of black and white, would the use of colour enhance the short film's emotional impact on the audience or does black and white symbolise the sadness of the subject, and create a more powerful, hard hitting experience? Repetition of the video clip in slow motion rather then a still image throughout, would the audience feel like more was being revealed about the person if the slow motion clip was repeated throughout all of the voice over, rather than one continuous still image. Or does the black and white image give the audience time to really study the person who's memories they are listening to, which would have a more powerful impact on the audience, also which would help capture the audiences attention for longer? Positioning/timing of background music, could I position the background music differently so i could avoid the slight repeat at the end of the video to ensure that it fits to the time of the voice over? Would this create a more professional finish to the outcome? Is the music choice correct? Is there another music option that would suit the video better, possibly one that is the same length as the voice overs, or without any lyrics as to not distract the audience from the narrative of the video, or maybe combining two or more pieces of music to make the video more interesting?

First edit

Today I have created the first edit of my first of three short videos that will be exhibited as part of my installation for the end of year exhibition. The video explores my Mum's memories of having children, her wedding day, being with her granny and singing with some students that lived above her when she was little. The video was not scripted although her original questionnaire was on hand as a prompt for both me and her. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHvKbSmbrLM&feature=youtu.be

A shell of a life together

With only three weeks untill my final deadline everything is starting to come together this weekend I have been photographing my Gramp's empty home, this was a surreal activity as I realised that since my Nan's death I haven't been in rooms of the house, yet there they still stood, with her belongings just as I remembered them, all jumbled, cluttered, abandoned. I felt lonely in the disowned rooms, one being the attic, this was where I'd sleep if I ever stayed there, my bed however was gone, the dresser that I used to play with, run my fingers across it's top, pretend to dust its mirror, hide things in it's draws, still stood there, but not so loud and proud as it used to, this time covered in boxes or piles of stuff for people to take. The room was bare, just a few boxes, bags and several piles of memories. Underneath the window I used to sing out of when I was little stood a chair, with a box of wraped up porcelain. How strange, the things people chose to keep. Down in the kitchen I found a cupboard that I have never opened before, I've never had too I suppose, but inside was a real shock, all the couple's crockery stacked neatly, this has probably been the same since Nan died. In a way it was nice to see, but it became unbearable after a while, almost like being smacked with the reality of death over and over again. In her wardrobe hung a cardigan with a tissue still tucked in the pocket. Her draws still held folded table clothes, doilies, and napkins. All televisions remained still, quiet and switched off, regardless of their age. Pictures still hanging, their chairs still able to be sat in, beds still made, curtains undrawn, kitchen still longing to be cooked in,and a bathroom that nobodies washed in. A whole house full of memories that soon nobody alive will remember half of, just a shell of a life together left.

Things are coming together

With only three weeks untill my final deadline everything is starting to come together this weekend I have been photographing my Gramp's empty home, this was a surreal activity as I realised that since my Nan's death I haven't been in rooms of the house, yet there they still stood, with her belongings just as I remembered them, all jumbled, cluttered, abandoned. I felt lonely in the disowned rooms, one being the attic, this was where I'd sleep if I ever stayed there, my bed however was gone, the dresser that I used to play with, run my fingers across it's top, pretend to dust its mirror, hide things in it's draws, still stood there, but not so loud and proud as it used to, this time covered in boxes or piles of stuff for people to take. The room was bare, just a few boxes, bags and several piles of memories. Underneath the window I used to sing out of when I was little stood a chair, with a box of wraped up porcelain. How strange, the things people chose to keep. Down in the kitchen I found a cupboard that I have never opened before, I've never had too I suppose, but inside was a real shock, all the couple's crockery stacked neatly, this has probably been the same since Nan died. In a way it was nice to see, but it became unbearable after a while, almost like being smacked with the reality of death over and over again. In her wardrobe hung a cardigan with a tissue still tucked in the pocket. Her draws still held folded table clothes, doilies, and napkins. All televisions remained still, quiet and switched off, regardless of their age. Pictures still hanging, their chairs still able to be sat in, beds still made, curtains undrawn, kitchen still longing to be cooked in,and a bathroom that nobodies washed in. A whole house full of memories that soon nobody alive will remember half of, just a shell of a life together left.

Mums stuff

Here are some of my mums dresses, underwear and old shoes, I've experimented with composition, light, and I've edited them using the after light app.

Popping the question

Today I had to pop the question to my mum about whether or not she would mind me photographing some of her clothes and shoes, including some underwear. I have an immensely close relationship with my mum, I would call her my closest friend, yet the one person who I can accept discipline from, she's taught me right from wrong and I have looked up to her for as long as I remember. Part of this project is having to ask people uncomfortable questions and create uncomfortable situations, I want to document these in the form of writing, because I think its important to respond to feelings, emotions, and thoughts that some questions provoke. So before asking my mum what I could photograph I actually chose for myself, this way I felt that I would get a true representation of her, rather than what she wanted people to see, not that she really cares what people think, but subconsciously I think any normal individual would chose their Sunday best over their loungewear. I had to ask my mum when she was in a room with her best friend and her best friend's mum, purely because I had run out of time to ask her before hand, I walked into the room and she instantly asked what was up, I said 'nothing I'm on my way out now, I'll see you later' she didn't pester, then after she said goodbye I turned around and asked if she would mind me photographing her underwear, her first response was laughter although her friends were obviously un sure, she simply replied 'as long as they are clean'. Simple! I would have understood if she'd have said no, but the fact that she couldn't care less, as long as they are clean just represents how easy going she is.
I will be posting these photographs later on.