PB2_s3589530_BronteGodschalk from Bronte Godschalk on Vimeo.

Reflection:

I am an oxymoron– someone of balance.   I am an extroverted introvert who expels confidence with a side of secrecy. I am also completely Libran with an inability to decide.

Using the typing audio at the beginning reflects my personal silence. There is no such thing as silence in my university life. There is always typing and colourful thoughts distracting me. The first video image is a peek into my life. I filmed trees and a blue sky (with enhanced vibrancy) to insinuate my optimism and love for being outdoors. Health and exercise is a major part of who I am as a person.  I think the artificial enhancement of colour was the least successful part of my representation as it added a false, unnatural element.

Next, the sequence of photographs features important themes. I’ve taken a photograph of a Polaroid, which creates texture and a balance of inside and outside. Being involved but not completely. I thought this was poetic to capture my life of balance. I’ve used the window as a background to indicate my connection to the outside world and with age, my connection to the outside world grows. My thumb is visible in the photograph to create a personal link between the Polaroid, my environment and myself. I wasn’t sure if the photographs worked in a sequence but after trialling, cutting, editing and moving around my footage I decided the have the project in halves– photographs then video footage. Each photograph represents an important aspect of my life. Images of a person who has helped me develop, my health, my creative and study space and my computer–the passage to my heart. While these photographs are on screen, I’ve added an audio of a camera shutter. This shows my appreciation and respect for photographs. Capturing a moment is something that conveys security to me– an unchanging reassurance.

I used slow-motion in all my video footage to allow myself to expand abstract ideas while learning new editing skills. Also, slowing life down and enjoying the outdoors is something I value (as you can see by my expression). It is also about being an endless traveller. Sitting on the tram watching the world fly past as my brain is flooded with thoughts. The slow-motion describes another element of myself as an over-thinker–that I’m not always present in the moment: that I’m seeing the world fly by but I’m engrossed in a creative bubble of my mind. I think slowing down the footage is quite poetic and sincere in what I’m trying to convey.

The piano as background music introduces another reflective element. I am a thoughtful person who tends to see the bigger picture, yet balance arguments in my head. More than this though, I use music as an emotional outlet, thus important to include an improvisation of my own.

This project has been a huge learning curve for me. Starting with no knowledge of editing I am quite proud of what I have produced. It may be basic but I’m still learning and have found this experience endlessly useful.