Experiments with Pedestrian Footage

Inspired by some of the ideas that came up from a recent tutorial, I’ve started playing around with cutting the screen in three fields. I like the plains of view this creates and will use this to better direct the eye. Further work is needed to the general visuals of the project to avoid things from becoming to busy. Next I will experiment with creating fixed points of focus.

A study in rhythm

In developing my cinematic language I have been exploring a little more with rhythm and pace. This will become useful when trying to visually represent flow that parallels the viewer’s heart beat. Below is a collage of short clips of flowing traffic. From early on in the project I have been fascinated with the geograhy of the traffic light and how it represents a liminal space where people are physically in one place but mentally moving to another. This works well with my themes of migration and diaspora where community members are often living in one place but thinking about another.

Stan Brakhage and the ‘non-narrative’

I have also been doing some reading and researching around the American Avante-Garde film maker Stan Brakhage. Brakhage’s filmography is massive but I am particularily interested in his approach to the ‘non-narrative’ in his work. This concept applies to my project as I intend to use a series of non sequential clips that will triggered randomly from interaction of the viewer. I wish to create some cohesion and ‘visual logic/narrative’ but I am not looking to create a traditional linear plot in my work. Brakhage has successfully created a simialr ‘non-narrative’ that has cohesion in a very fresh way. His technique has a rough and weighty feel due to his hand-held camera work, overlays and painting on the film. I hope to incorporate some of these concepts in my own work some time soon.

Developing a cinematic language

The videos below are some studies in splicing clips, timing and use of hot and cold montages to develop a narrative. I like the image of the mango because it is a ubiquitous fruit in the Philippines and one that speaks to a tropical climate. The cutting of the fruit in quadrangles is one that many Filipinos practice as an easy way to eat a mango. In theory I  would use short clips like these along with moving image clips that will be played randomly by a sketch (program) I write in Pure Data… to be triggered by some sort of sensor.

More Richter!

I was very happy to come across more examples of Hans Richter’s work that explored more photographic elements. He uses deconstructed images of the face and eyes in a similar graphical fashion to his Rhythm Studies which gives the work an eeirie surreal aethetic. Thank you Jean-Baptiste for pointing me to more of his work.

I chose this version of film, that uses a modern sound track (obviously not chosen by Richter), to illustrate the longevity of Richter’s work. Although this piece was made in the 1920’s, the work seems to fit seamlessly with contemporary electronic beats!

Theo Angelopoulos

After a discussion with a colleague  regarding cinematic influences I was suggested to look at Athenian filmmaker Theo Angelopoulus. He was a student of Eisenstein and I am impressed by his patient use of long shots. Thank you Bill for the great lead!

Wan Kar Wai and Stanley Kubric

Further examples of my research into the development of a visual aesthetic in moving image include closer investigation of the works by Wan Kar Wai and Stanley Kubric. I’m particularly impressed by the length of time each of these film makers puts into each shot. It shows a confidence and care into the composition to be able to let a shot linger for a few seconds. Sometimes it’s those lingering moments that allow for the viewer to take in the richness of what’s happening. I’m trying to slow things down in my image making and value the examples of these two film makers

Tutorial Feedback and fresh new directions

I just came back from a tutorial that has me thinking more about the visuality of my work. Until now I have spent a lot of time contextualizing the project and working through  back end technological aspects (ie. ensuring feasibility of hardware and learning to code). Things have progressed quite well these regards and I am now shifting my focus on the refining the aesthetics of my work.

In particular I’m trying to build a visual narrative with my moving image that does not aggressively assault the viewer as my earlier trials have. To find this subtlety I’ve started to look into the work of Sergei Eisenstein. His use of the frame, movement, transitions and sequence of events are simple but elegantly effective.

I initially started this project with aspirations to do moving image as a natural progression of my 2D digital montage practice. A surprising and fulfilling discovery is that in the process of developing a moving image aesthetic, I am starting to learn the mechanics of cinematic language.

Hans Richter

I’ve just come across German Avant-Garde artist, Hans Richter (1888-1976). His film work with Viking Eggeling is of particular interest to me as his cinematic experimentations with sound and fragmented plains hold relevance in my own practice. To date, these are the earliest examples of this kind of work that I can find (1920s) and it is useful when contextualizing my visual aesthetic historiographically.