Last week I came down with a really awful spat of glandular fever.

After emailing my tutor in the morning, informing him that I’d be unable to attend yesterday’s workshop. I proceeded to idly and tried to think of something witty to discuss on my blog post regarding the Workshop, considering I hadn’t attended it.

I worked through the workshop activity and it got me thinking about the decisions I had made throughout the pre-production of my portrait. I had a very distinct idea of how I wanted it to look and sound, I knew exactly at which angle I wanted to shoot Connie and Darren from, I had already decided the exact location for each  spot, and I had been unaware of this entire mental process, going completely unnoticed by my conscious thoughts.

But then I pondered further: do each of those subconscious decisions have distinct meaning that my brain had given to them?

I want my portrait to be highly emotional, an ode to my best friend. And there are few things that sound sadder than a sorrowful piano tune, so I need to find a licensed track on keys. I want Connie and Darren to be close to one another within the shot so that their spacial distance will convey and denote the fact that they are close both physically and emotionally. I want a mid shot so that the viewer could directly engage with the emotions on their faces, while also providing the distance that a close up doesn’t provide in order to evoke a sense of personal involvement in their private life. I want to shoot them in their house, in the corner of their L-shaped couch for two reasons: one, I have so many beautiful memories right there with Ricky and two, I wanted them to feel as comfortable, open and respected as possible while discussing such a sensitive topic of conversation.

I can’t wait to shoot this film and hopefully do Connie and Darren’s incredible story some justice.

This week’s optional reading struck me the most.

Michael Roemer, philosopher and filmmaker, makes the controversial suggestion that “plot is really the rules of the universe at work”. In other words, the way that life unfolds follows a similar structure to that of film, and it is for that reason that we relate most profoundly to heroic characters, because each of us as human beings has audaciously overcome a form of hardship on some scale, from womb to tomb.

The reading goes on to discuss the Greek’s theoretical layout to theatrical performances, that which almost every linear film follows: establishment, the rise of an issue, and conflict resolution.

That is where I begin to disagree with Roemer’s notion about plot.

In everyday life, some problems do not have resolutions, and there aren’t always happy endings. Problems rise and we, as a protagonist in our own story, aren’t always able to solve them.

Life is non-linear, and that makes it so much more entertaining.

So now that I have made a decision on who I will be interviewing and have received permission from both Connie and Darren to pursue this interview, it is now time to start working around both my production constraints and the personal constraints that come with an interview of this nature. I comprised a list of things that I must be mindful of when constructing interview questions and subsequently when I am asking the questions. I had to make decisions about the kind of answers am I looking for without showing interviewee bias, in order to give the video a structural flow.

• Due to the obvious sensitivity of the topic, it is important that I approach the questions in a careful way that isn’t too direct, blatant, or harsh.
• The interview will be conducted in Connie and Darren’s home, in order for them to feel as comfortable as possible, in addition to conveying a sense of voyeuristic insight to the viewer.
• The questions will be posed in an almost conversational manner, however, they must be open ended enough for the interviewees to speak candidly without restraint, but also guided enough so that the responses ultimately all relate to the same topic.
• When editing the interview, I will not include my questions, only their answers. Upon my request they will repeat my questions in their answers so that the interview is central to their responses and emphasises the importance of what they have to say.
• Also when editing, I have decided to layer a melancholy piano piece that is fully licensed over the interview, and adjust the levels to be softer when there is dialogue.

Following Louise’s lecture on The Art of the Interview, I had a really hard think about the kind of person or people whom I wanted to give insight into. I thought about the way that I wanted my audience to feel and the kind of information that I wanted to provide. I thought about how I was going to incorporate licensed or found footage into the interview in a way that was relevant and didn’t take away from what the interviewee had to say.

And then I had an idea.

Losing my best friend to cancer at the beginning of last year was the most emotionally-challenging ordeal I have ever had to overcome, but there was no one who was more traumatised by Ricky’s death than his beautiful parents, Connie and Darren Taylor. In the aftermath of his passing, Ricky’s parents started a foundation to aid teenagers in hospital and provide the kind of resources and support that Ricky needed when he was fighting his hardest battle.

I want to shed light on the hardship that his parents have endured since, the effect of the Ricky Taylor Foundation even in it’s early days, and especially the legacy that Ricky has left behind, and there is no better way to do so than providing a platform through which his parents can speak about their son openly and hopefully provide closure not only to them, but to me also.

Today Louise gave a really interesting and engaging lecture on interview etiquette and the kind of content we must include in our PB3 interviews.

I’m so grateful that our lectures aren’t dry content and our lecturers actually make the effort to keep our attention throughout. It makes me significantly more obliged to want to learn, which I think is really important in uni, when no one is ‘forcing’ you to do so.

The most daunting thing for me at this point is deciding who I will interview and whether or not they will deliver in front of a camera. According to Louise, as an interviewer, you must give your interviewee questions of an open-ended nature, in order to get the most interesting and wholesome answers. The following are notes that I took during her lecture:

The Who:

• Do they have something to say?
• Are they credible?
• Can they deliver on camera?
• Are they good “talent”?
• Who is my audience?

The What:

• What are you going to ask them?
• Research: reading, speaking, observing
• Write questions: simple, as short as possible, open ended, check wording (bias)
• Practice

The Where:

• Location – Home, work, other? Why? Permissions?
• Things to think about:
• Light: is there enough? Will it change?
• Sound: background noise, interruptions
• Background: What does it say? Will it change? Artworks?

The When:

• Remember to brief the subject (clothing, questions and answers, repeat your question in the answer)
• Maintain eye contact
• Listen (use nods and facial expressions)
• Be flexible/adaptable
• Be respectful and show empathy
• Stay focused
• Be quiet, it’s not about you

This week’s optional reading was based around looking at photographs and deriving meaning from what we see. The excerpt by Victor Burgin analyses what makes a photograph and how it must be looked at in order to reap it’s most profound meaning.

Photographs surround us in day to day life, and as Burgin says, to miss seeing photography around you would be “unusual”.

Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols, and the way in which they are applied to every day life in a conventional way. However, according to the excerpt, there is no definitive regiment for the way in which photographs are interpreted.

Which, to an extent, I agree with. Not every culture perceives certain symbols, shapes, colours, objects and people in the same way. A naked woman in Western culture is often perceived as sexual, however in countries such as South Africa, a topless woman is customary, it’s the social norm and the furthest thing from a subject of objectification.

In spite of this, there are some representations in texts that are recognised as having a general meaning on a worldwide scale, which can tie into stereotypes and archetypes.

Stereotypically, red rose petals are associated with passion, love and lust. Men like the colour blue. Women like the colour pink. Asians are smart. Blondes are dumb.

And media-makers tend to play on these universal stereotypes and generalisations of objects and cultures in order to attract a certain audience and aid in audience understanding and engagement.

I’m going off on a tangent here. The point I’m trying to make is, when reading media texts, photographs in particular due to the fact that they are usually framed in a way that creates meaning, it is important to be mindful that each individual will perceive that photograph in a different way. However, there are codes and conventions that must be understood to interpret it in a profound way.

This week’s topic of textual analysis really got me thinking about the meanings behind forms of media that I am constantly being exposed to. I took a specific interest in the texts that consumers are exposed to and the kind of advertising that sells products in this day and age.

I did a quick Google search of advertising in 2015-16 and found the ancient and controversial debate to rise once more: does sex sell?

I chose one of the less-raunchy men’s fragrance advertisements and decided to give textual analysis a go.

I interpreted the below image from a connotative and denotative prospective:

Denotative:

• Black and White Photograph
• One caucasian male, three caucasian females
• All are dressed in black formal attire
• All females wear lustful facial expressions, male wears an expression of flippancy

Connotative:

• The male has spritzed himself with the Armani Diamonds fragrance and attended a formal event
• He is not necessarily surprised by the flock of beautiful women who throw themselves at him
• He is dignified by the masculinity boost of having three women all over him

Through textual analysis, it can be said that the intention of this advertisement was to convey the supposed effects of wearing this cologne. While it is not necessarily a realistic prospect, the advertisement is suggesting that by wearing this fragrance, you are instantly more attractive to women, which is desirable for men.

Moreover, attractive and young talent has been chosen for this shoot, as people of all ages generally desire to either be beautiful or youthful, leading viewers to believe that by purchasing this fragrance they will become both, and smell good as well.