rlindleymajorone2020

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Reflective statement

This project has been a very hectic experience, lots of hurdles and many problems. Although that being said I feel as though it has taught me a great deal about how to problem solve when it seems like not a lot is going your way. I started the project by turning my focus onto documentary, looking at artists such as Frank Lebon, Tyrone Lebon, William S Burroughs, and Adam Curtis. These artists shared one thing in common, that was the way they edited/reworked their footage very detailed, meticulous and beautiful. 

I wanted to work out how the modes of these films were created, so I started to look into 16mm and 35mm, this is the point in the project where I felt I was developing as an artist, learning how to use the Bolex and how to develop 35/16mm was rewarding and the project seemed to have a clear focus. 

This was stopped at a halt when the studios closed due to Lockdown, but before this, I had encountered problems with restrictions and how/where I wanted to film. My idea was to follow my mum through different areas/locations of her life, going to Devon, Manchester, Bristol and possibly Dorset. I managed to travel to Dorset to see her, here I took some footage but mainly used it as an opportunity to develop my skills in 35mm, this, however, would be the last time I had a chance to film with her in person. Unable to make the documentary I wanted, so I decided to focus my efforts and develop my idea. Originally I had started looking at the mother-son relationship, I decided I should look at relationships as a whole and research the more unheard-of types of relationships, this led me to research into people who have strong emotive attachments to inanimate objects. This is where the idea for my narrative piece came from, I put together my research of motherhood, and how nostalgia played a big part in my relationship with objects those that reminded me of my mum, I decided to shift that idea onto a narrative character. 

I think the outcome of the film has turned out well, I am happy with what I have made and think it is some of the most cohesive work I’ve done, I still want to experiment with 16mm/35mm but I managed to incorporate some 35mm photos into the narrative piece as well. Things I would improve on is being able to use more pieces of equipment, I would have loved to have more lighting to experiment with and a stabiliser to make my shots and composition more dynamic. I think I would also like to get better at planning the actual film, looking into improving my storyboarding and scripting skills. 

I would say that I am happy with the result and think that with the resources I have at hand I have made a film that I am proud of. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

The final form of my film. 

The film follows a woman who is longing for a feeling of purpose and nostalgia, the same she felt when she were a child. She attempts to re-ignite the flame of play and happiness in her life by buying an old baby doll. At first the doll is the perfect antidote to her boredom and yearning for her childhood days, but after some time the relationship becomes sour. The doll starts to remind her of what her life has become, lifeless and still. 

This film has developed and shifted so much throughout my process in this project, I am really proud of the final film and think it does a good job at conveying my narrative concept. I think it would be great if the film could be shown in a cinema, and I could watch the reaction of people trying to work out the intentions of the character, hopefully this can happen in the near future. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

First draft of the film before the soundtrack and voice over. This version of the film is very long and just seems to drag and drag. I think I need to cut it down by a couple minutes and also make sure the film is more flowing. I think the voice over will defiantly bring it together. One thing I am glad about is I think it does make sense without a voice over, I wanted to make sure of this because its important that the camera is telling the story rather than the audio. What I mean by this is that I don’t want to have to explain everything through the voice over, because this seems to me that the film isn't strong by itself, the voice over and soundtrack should enhance the film and compliment it. 

I have decided not to use the found footage as I think it clashes with the footage and makes it seem a cheap, has no real purpose and feels gimmicky. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Using my own synth sounds to create a subtle soundtrack for my film. Im using a simple synth to create some background music. I want it to be not jarring or distracting from the film, but I also want it to follow the emotion of my character, so I’ve used major chords at the beginning of the piece which shift onto minor as the piece continues. I think this adds a really nice touch to the film and shifts it in a more cohesive direction. It makes it much more watchable and also attracts the viewers emotions. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Covid

If I’m totally honest, covid-19 and the lockdown/restrictions and more have totally derailed me at points in my project, I feel as though I’ve managed to navigate it fairly well but at times its been really demotivated and hard to move past. To list a few things, I couldnt film any of my subjects, the university closed the studios so I couldnt develop my 16mm, or my 35mm, I couldnt use the studios anymore, and I couldnt film my mum in any of the locations which I wanted to. I think I’ve managed to develop through out the project and come out with a project that I am happy about, although it isnt originally what I was aiming for I think I have navigated the pandemic and managed to make something I’m proud of and is still related to my research 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Jenny suggested I look at Cindy Sherman, and her work with ‘play’. I think this is really interesting work and how she becomes the characters and in a way gives her more confidence. It’s fascinating how clothes objects and sort of meaningless things can give a person such confidence and excitement. This idea really resonates with the character I’m trying to create, the idea that she wants to go back to that time of play and does it through a doll, and how that becomes negative and a reminder of her reality. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Tutorial With Matt and Jess

I spoke to matt and jess (the university technicians) about how I can go about filming, the things they suggested is that I keep the ISO between 100-400, and the camera aperture as low as possible, this is because my house it pretty dark and the best way to let the light into the camera without affecting the iso is to let as much light through the lens. This will give my film a very clear crisp look. They also told me to shoot on a flat colour setting so that I can correct and grade the footage as I like. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Looking at where I could film potentially, here is the scenes I could think of for my film. Like some of my first films I want to look at repetition as a key part of the film. Focusing on what the character does day to day and how the attitude of the character develops. The problem with my house is that it is very narrow, so is pretty difficult to get a well composed shot

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Using found footage might help me to solidify what I am trying to say with my film, I am looking at using this advert and also old pictures of my actor (Tabitha) which she has kindly given me. I think using these ‘dated’ formats will make it more obvious that the character is trying to relive her childhood and regain her relationship with play and nostalgia. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Uncanny

Previously on the course i have looked at Freuds and his work on the ‘uncanny’. I feel this work reflects some of the themes in my film idea. Specifically the idea that there is a thin line between something familiar, comforting and something scary and unnatural. On this scale, I think the doll fits somewhere around the stuffed animal area, its still but can be moved and has human likeness. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Simulacra

This is the start of an essay in which I had the idea of simulating a feeling through an inanimate object. It took me a bit of time to read but I think this essay is incredible, its short and concise and has made me think about how we perceive and put meaning onto objects and possession. This essay is sort of the driving force behind the story, a girl looking to simulate the real through the fake. 

The story about cartographers who create a world covered in a one to one map version, the world falls as people do not know what is real or the map. I think this story is so simple and also so complex. It’s incredible what you can convey in such a short excerpt  

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Her

Her, directed again by Spike Jonze, has a very interesting and beautiful story line, it follows a lonely card writer, who falls in love with a computer (boiled down plot). This film is interesting in my research as it has some similarities to my film in terms of relationships with ‘inanimate’ objects. 

It also seems to touch on ideas of Otaku (a Japanese word for a nerd or a geek, usually someone that's obsessed with video games and anime) less so with video games or anime, but someone who is so detached from the grounded reality that his only console is that of a virtual one. 

Referencing back to my film this is something that I would like to explore through the narrative, looking at a person who can not express themselves with another person but only something that is virtual or ‘unreal’. 

Futher from this I love the way it is shot, and although a completely different palette to Being John Malkovich, is follows similar camera movements. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Spike Jonze

I’m looking once again into the master that is Spike Jonze, in this project I need to look into different films which explore the dead pan comedy/drama look that I am going for, and I think Jonze is the best at this. He is incredible at adapting different tones and is able to shift between genres easily. Specifically I’ll be looking at ‘Her’ and ‘Being John Malkovich’. 

One of the many things i love about Spike Jonze is his simplicity when it comes to cinematography. I often find that I am torn between two styles, one similar to Frank Lebon, chaotic, detailed and complex and then the more simple, such as Spike Jonze. Jonze’s use of dark palettes and controlled camera work really lend well to his films, especially in ‘Being John Malkovich’ where the story is so complex and deep. 

Having these simple shots where the camera is still or very controlled allows the audience to digest the story and narrative. Giving audience the still that is sometimes needed when a complex storyline is given.

Jonze also uses a shallow depth of field for a lot of the shots in this film. This again lends it self to the story as it allows the viewer to focus on one point at a time. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

When looking for different approaches to how tight spaces are filmed, I looked to the bath tub scene in Gummo. Initially when looking into scenes involving bath tubs, I pretty much only got horror genre. But this scene stands out massively for me, I love how the colours pop and the closeness and intimacy of the shots. 

I think this scene will help me to work out what type of shots would work well in my bath scene, thinking of how tight spaces can display intimate emotions. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

Looking through my previous work has given me some source of inspiration, im finding it hard to visualise how I want the film to look, because I only have such a small filming environment to work in, its becoming increasingly hard to work out how to get around the narrowness of my house. The reason I look back to this film is to see how I structured my first piece of work, how simple but effective it was in its delivery. I think I need to shift back into this simplicity.   

[rlindleymajorone2020]

First Draft Script

This is basically just to give myself a clear idea of the first scenes and how they are going to be shot and presented. 

[rlindleymajorone2020]

This is just a simple test shot, trying to workout what lenses and angles work within my house. I think I need to use a more wide angle lens as my house is quite a tight space, i also am finding that maybe having the camera on my shoulder would be better rather than a tripod, a shoulder mount gives me much more freedom of movement, and also allows the film to flow better. I think the next steps interms of my film is to start a proper script and to write down the storyline.