FIELDS FRAMES RESEARCH

FIELDS & FRAMES
EXPERIMENTAL FILM



After doing further research, I began to look at examples of experimental media to better my ideas and conceptual designs for the piece. That I wanted from this was to explore different techniques, ways, I could communicate my project to the audience and perhaps for me to learn some new tricks!

I came across this particular art film that is an experimental short film called 'Colouring Love.'  This short film is a political digital art by Nino Fournier about the Anonymous workers who died -and die - at work in horrible conditions.

It drew me in with its overlay and vibrancy of warm and cool colours and its psychedelic use of editing to compliment the scenes of romanticism in the short film. Giving off connotations of love lost and paused in time or perhaps colours in which could symbolise life and death, two ends of the spectrum that meet together in natural harmony. This may not be accurate to its purpose and design but naturally invoked other meanings to me, which then inspired me to create!

It gave me the motivation to work with more video effects in premiere pro and After Effects. Such as exploring mirroring, horizontal reflection, zoom, colour distortion, overlay and multiplying etc...

And so with my first experimentation was to be a continuation or a follow up of this piece done so in my own style. focusing on the

My intentions for the piece was to draw you in by the familiarity of faces. I did this, instead of using less known people as this possibly would've had a stronger backing to my art film in terms of visual strength in this film.But,  I wanted the audience to relate to people they can identify with, To get the audience as a whole to sympathise with the people visually and more intimately, celebrities seemed to fill the gap of communicating these emotions to the viewers on a large scale and in some way, strengthen the feeling  allowing them to share the moment with them. As we often can feel more when those closest to us are hurt or in pain and this for me was the best way of conveying this point.

More importantly, this was my chance to explore my skills in post-production and elevate my understanding of art film!

DANCE FILM RESEARCH

Dance videos


Continuing on with my project I am researching further into studio and stage performances for art and contemporary dancing, but also exploring the use of camera angles and space with fewer lighting.

TWILIGHT 
Directed by Motimaru Dance company

https://vimeo.com/187248081

RED ON RED
Directed by Dayburn

https://vimeo.com/39402979

RATTE FASHION FILM

Directed by Charlie Wan 

https://vimeo.com/35996342

LEAN ON ME 
Directed by Charlie Wan

https://vimeo.com/67622122

WEEK RECAP

So this is just a recap of the week and some of the pointers learnt and discussed through lectures and talks. Our lecture began on Tuesday and this was discussing 'Vision, Surveillance, knowledge and power.' Part of our theory which is Cultures of convergence. We conversed with many ideas relating to this subject, such as ideas of Utilitarian, Ocularcentrism, movement and voyeurism. Even studying examples such as Bentham's Panopticon prison as a form of visual control over a large radius. This then progressed to the famous '1984.' George Orwell novel and ideas of Totalitarianism and the formation of ideas of having the 'Big Brother.' (Not the show widely known, but this was also a form of control we discussed as an example to totalitarianism.) 

It was then up to us to speculate about the ideas proposed to us and converse with our groups about the many ways this could be interpreted and even our understanding, could be developed through group opinions. 

I did find the conversations informative and it did land perspective on ways I as an individual could translate this knowledge into my own work. As we went on we viewed an artist recommended to us by a fellow colleague of ours called 'How not to be seen.' By Hito Steyeri as my tutor put it; being an excellent counterpart to the lecture previously. I did find the concept interesting. This rebellion against a global power was intriguing and at times confusing but it landed perspective on how we as a generation commit ourselves to this virtual world, it is perhaps seen as an Eden. Escapism in some aspects from a world we're not happy in or feel overwhelmed with. Although this short film by Steyeri tells us we can leave it behind. Steyeri is clever to insinuate through to the end you cannot leave completely. That a part of you still exists within the system, a series of data trails to your history so it's almost saying we are trapped. We cannot leave. But, we can hide. 

The next week coming up would be dedicated to viewing exhibitions happening in London, gathering research and references to contribute to my studies and inspire me to produce content relatable and also appropriately challenging my theme for both my theory of cultures of convergence and also presenting an opportunity for my short film piece. 

ANDREW KOTTING

ARTIST RESEARCH

Andrew Kotting is known for his peculiar and wildly made short films. Over the years he has created experimental films such as Hoi Polloi (1990) and Smart Alek (1993) for which he has best received the audience's praise for. Kotting has even created a feature-length movie travelling the British coast with his mother and daughter, meeting new people and exploring new places. Though it has been said that he aims to explore more of the darker sides of his childhood memories. Elements of sentimentality and thought-provoking moments can also be said to be involved in his pieces. Revealing an underlining emotional intention.

A consistent theme has seen him collaborating with his daughter Eden, who suffers from an uncurable speech disorder. It is interesting to see that Kotting uses the imagery by his daughter to accommodate his pieces accordingly to the sounds being produced even saying in an interview a lot of what he does aims to facilitate the sounds going on in the background. Now, this is only an observation of his work and perhaps an interpretation of the two but I can see a correlation between his sounds and his daughter. Knowing Eden is unable to convey her meaning or intentions across orally. Is Kotting's work with sound a medium in which gives his daughter a platform to speak through? Using ambient sounds, natural or synthetic and recordings of speeches. Is this the vocabulary he has taught his daughter, shown in his pieces? after all in my opinion its a wonderful touch. I favour this notion because sounds can say a lot much like the saying  'One image can speak a thousand words.' It has a powerful definition of the world around us. As someone who has a family member who suffers from autism. I know the wonders sound could do and say on behalf of an individual.

What I like about his work most of all is his use of sound that in a sense brightens up the background with a translucent form of audio colour. It reminds me of my first soundscape pieces I originally did for my first year in uni, whereupon I based my piece on the painting 'Dulle Griet.' A rendition of hell being plundered by the mightily powerful hordes of women. In the piece itself, I had to consider carefully the interpretation of this image. Right down to the sounds of the elements and the noises echoing in the distance. It really did bring the image to life and can be a powerful addition to a screen project. This is a feature I share in common with Kotting as he himself once said;

"I like to sculpt with the sound in the same way I like to sculpt with the picture and the ideas, The story may change just to accommodate a sound."                                                         

                                                                               

When I really think about how the theme Maps & Networks can relate. I tend to think about two ends as it was, separated. By the distance between them. Trying to join, to create a fluent current running to its destination and back again. So when I bring Kotting's work into this I really interpret this as being a bridge between his daughter's impaired speech and the sounds he brings together to form a vocabulary. For her to connect with the world in a way that our networks have, that she's been denied. It shows that even sounds can have a story to tell just as much as a visual one could.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Andrew Kotting - Vimeo:

https://vimeo.com/user7237586

Andrew Kotting website:

http://www.andrewkotting.com

Andrew Kotting image:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/lighthouse.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/233/original.jpg?1321888251

Andrew Kotting - BFI:

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/578008/index.html

Andrew Kotting - The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/18/andrew-kotting-this-our-still-life

SUMMER PROJECT

Our summer project's theme was political awareness. We had to develop and research a concept for 3 to 6 related digital images.

In looking for inspiration I began searching for ideas that could help influence my piece and perhaps inspire me to create. I visited a site called 'short films of the week' which is one of my favourite places on the web to go, in order to find some of the most entertaining and informative films done by fellow film makers from around the world. Upon searching I came across this short called 'Alzheimer's: A love story.'

Alzheimer's: A love story,' is a short film that tells the story of the challenging struggle a couple, 40 years together, faced in their lives as elderly people with Alzheimer's. The test of endurance in a relationship is perhaps not at the beginning or middle of a couple's companionship but at the end. In this 17-minute documentary film, you really begin to understand the gravity of the seriousness of such an illness and the damage it can inflict on loved ones and family members.

What I find most moving of all about this story, in particular, is that unbeknownst to me until half way through watching this documentary, is that the couple are same sex partners. This invoked a sense of hardship on me because as we all know same sex rights and marriage have only become accepted and legalised in the last 20 years and that is only speaking about a handful of countries who have welcomed this way of life. This has all developed within my lifetime! When the fight for rights has existed since the early 1900's. So considering the difficulties they likely faced as a young couple simply because of their nature around a time of hateful prejudice, to endure a fight such as theirs. They must now fight Alzheimer's to keep those memories and battles fought. from being forgotten. As one of the partners 'Greg.' had put it: 

"Alzheimer's will accept anybody and everybody,

 no matter what.

 Male, female, young, old, gay, straight.

 Alzheimer's doesn't discriminate." 

This made the story all the more powerful but equal in cause and at times difficult to watch but it is a problem that now a vast majority of people face in their lives.  To those who are unknown to the illness, Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia. Which often leads to memory loss and difficulties with thinking and problem solving, something I'd like to call 'death for the living.'

It is a disease that affects the brain and progressively deteriorates the brain tissue causing immobility in some primary functions and in the UK alone over half a million have been diagnosed annually. It is also said that on average the illness affects those of the ages 65 and upwards, but those under it are not exempt from such an illness. Those under are known as 'early- onset Alzheimer's disease.' 

Now, if you've been wondering how this is relative to the theme for my summer project or perhaps you already know, here comes my little political rant. 

The age range on average for world leaders and government officials, and those with political governmental power has been said to be 40 to 65 and as of last year that range has increased from 45 to 65 from past analysis. I highlight these statistics because I think it's worrying to know that those with the most power in the world are also susceptible to this crippling illness. Theresa May aged 60, Vladimir Putin aged 64, Angela Merkel aged 63, Xi Jinping aged 64 and Donald Trump aged 71, all Heads of State and have maximum authorisation to create and condone laws and repeal acts, exercising the full extent of their power.

Every country has their own laws and rules to filter the power but this is a worrying factor for those whose lives hang in the balance, the aspiring youth and other citizens of the world. It may not be our place to know their well-being but for argument's sake, let's say one of these leaders had Alzheimer's, how could we determine that the right course of action is being made or the decisions agreed in government are the matters most needed attending too and are being handled rationally. How could we know if the minorities are being taken into account in matters of state affairs?

As I said earlier Alzheimer's can cause dementia and create difficulties in problem-solving, so how would we know the choices these powerful people are making, are made in our best interest? Surely we couldn't know as it may well be a kept secret, but regardless of this, the choices made will reciprocate and we'd be liable no matter.

From this, I'm  inspired to create a concept from the documentary. Instead of taking memories I want to photograph politically relevant issues at this moment and using the smudge effect symbolically display six Polaroid image in an overall photograph of them and how the possibility of their importance fading away or becoming forgotten. 

If you'd like to watch the documentary or browse the collections click the link below!

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Short film of the week:

https://www.shortoftheweek.com

Gabe Schimmel website: 

https://schim106.wixsite.com/edit/work

Alzheimer's: A love story documentary:

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2017/04/08/alzheimers-love-story/

EXPERIMENTAL FILM

CONTEMPORARY FILM - TRUMP

The purpose of this short film is to touch down on the situation thats been happening over across the atlantic and the recent protests against America's 45th President Donald Trump. Considering Trump is the most talked about issue of late with his new foreign and domestic policies, I wanted to comment visually by merging the protesters against the voice of Trump. Personally I liked the contrast this film created with what we see on the news and how American society depicts him. In my short video those who stand against Trump, silenced by the overwhelming voice which is ironic as Trump being the leader and spokesmen for his country is meant to be singular voice speaking on behalf of his people to the world. 

The image below is my own propaganda pieces made to accompany the short contemporary film about the conflict today with Donald Trump. I used the Statue of Liberty because it signifies freedom and felt this was a interesting contrast to play upon. To complete the propaganda piece I added elements of trump to symbolise control over freedom which relates back to his immigration bans and Mexican wall policies.