Content

Each clip in this Korsakow film is based around two questions. What is your proudest moment and if you could relive one moment from your life what would it be and why? It is a very simple and direct idea, a talking heads style interview exploring themes such as identity, memories, relationships and happiness.

The introduction is very direct outlining the purpose of the film and expectations for the audience. No interaction allowed from the audience, no pause, no rewind. The intro includes a forced engagement so that all viewers have a full understanding of the works intentions and importantly exactly how it works. The opening of this piece is very controlled to show the filmmakers clear contention and direction of the work.

The main part of this work is of course centered on the participants; a range of people of various age, occupation and gender each providing answers to deeply personal questions.

There is text accompanying each clip providing a name and a couple of significant and defining characteristics about the person.

Delwyn, an older eccentric looking lady is characterized by: [Art teacher, Has travelled extensively] however her character becomes interesting when she begins sharing the moment she would most like to relive. We discover much more about the death of her husband and how she felt on the day of his death, how others reacted to her and why she would want to relive it.

The main part of this work is of course centered on the participants; a range of people of various age, occupation and gender each providing answers to deeply personal questions.

There is text accompanying each clip providing a name and a couple of significant and defining characteristics about the person.

Delwyn, an older eccentric looking lady is characterized by: [Art teacher, Has travelled extensively] however her character becomes interesting when she begins sharing the moment she would most like to relive. We discover much more about the death of her husband and how she felt on the day of his death, how others reacted to her and why she would want to relive it.

I think this example highlights what the intended message of the work. The work pushes the importance of human interaction and engaging in conversation with others. The text covers the surface of the person; although important, basic characteristics. Sometimes I didn’t even bother to read them. However the truly engaging part of the work comes from the clips themselves as they explore deeper and more personal aspects. The clips can be funny, sad, moving or boring however regardless allow us into an area that one line of text just simply could never cover.

The shots are at time invasive. The shakiness and perhaps amateur nature of the hand held camera work adds to the authenticity of the film. It sort of acts like a wandering eye to give the impression of natural, authentic human interaction. They aren’t consistently framed or consistently shot but hint to the audience that these are conversations with a friend.

What I find most interesting about the construction of the shot is that the audio is layered on the video. The subject may appear to be talking but the audio does not match. This was done to relax the participant and make for a more authentic response.

 

Interface

The work opens with the title ‘Life Revisited’. It is overwhelmingly large and is the only content on the page as if to make a bold but simple statement about the purpose of the work.

The whole work is aesthetically unified by the black and white used for each of the small clips. Perhaps simply to add consistency aesthetically as there is little consistency in other formal elements such as framing or camera angles.

When the crux of the work begins it has a very clear layout. A character from a choice of eight must be selected and becomes the central character. The story from this character begins immediately.

Upon discovering how the work would unfold I chose the character that looked most interesting. I was surprised when all of the other previous five choices changed. I actually found that quite unsettling. There was no systematic approach and I could not systematically work through all of the videos. Instead I had to use a real gut feeling as to which one I would select next. The choices based on a small square image, actually were quite difficult to make. I wondered if I would get a chance to come across this story again. I think this reflects a real life situation. You cannot simply and systematically work through a group of people. You have to invest, and on a smaller level this film mimics a small investment with a particular person that you want to learn about.

 

Pattern 

It was initially difficult to define pattern in this work as the work intended to show variation in responses and the depth and breadth of individual’s answers to these difficult questions. There is, of course patterns in the aesthetic of the work such as; black and white and they all only involve one central character, however I wanted to find more significant thematic patterns.

The whole piece is based around two questions, which really unify the work. Obviously the answers range from deep, sad responses and happy trivial moments so despite consistency in questions this does not create consistency in answer. However this collection of responses is important for the work – they want us to be intrigued by what each person will say.

Perhaps smaller patterns in responses may be able to be sought out if enough exploring of the work is done. Particular themes arise from the work and these themes are only notable when there are several responses of the same nature. Subjects such as; life, birth, children and family becomes a notable pattern from the piece.

 

Putting it all together

I don’t know if I will remember the particular stories from this film over an extended period of time mainly because they are short clips, giving a snapshot of many people rather than engaging with one. I also think the filmmakers have used the interface to mimic real life and of course the content is based around human conversation. As the film is interactive in nature and therefore makes you think about what you would say if asked about your proudest moment. Particularly as family came up a recurring amount of time I also found myself thinking about my families responses to these questions and whether or not they would be happy to share a part of themselves. This film is reflective and inherently forces you to reflect on yourself too.

 

1. The impulse to make a film may stem from any number of interests and desires. The initial idea for a film may take any number of forms ‒ some, highly abstract. A plan to make a film that will ultimately be identified as a work of fiction or as a narrative drama need not necessarily begin with a plot. The frequently expressed desire to “tell a story” does not, of itself, justify the use of any particular medium. Indeed, if our starting point is (even the bones of) a story, we should consider the best medium for that narrative. Might it be better told in print, in song, on the stage?

The content of a story told on film will be shaped by the medium itself.

2. Narration is how a story is told.

 

I like both of these point about narration. Telling stories is the crux of this course. I have done a lot of traditional story writing – pen on paper type stuff. I’ve also just started an internship where I am responsible for writing stories for online mediums to appeal to corporate clients. Story writing for film is a whole other medium and requires a whole other treatment. It will be interesting to create story for film. It will be challenging however I think if the narrative is kept in the forefront of the films priorities I think our group will have success.

I found this film is legitimately scary. The sound design is effective in creating the eerie mood of this short film. I like how non-diagetic sounds are utilised for dramatic effect.

I recently watched the film Gravity. There is one scene where one of the central characters breathing dominates the the whole sound design of the scene. However rather than notice this as abnormal, it had the effect of increasing the panic and stress of the scene.

This film was shown to use in a week 3 tutorial. I thought it was incredibly well done.
What I mostly took from the film was the amount they did with it in 5 minutes. It was an incredibly simple idea; two characters, two settings.
It was not overly dramatic, no twists and turns and not a whole lot of mystery, however was still engaging. I think the piece was incredibly well scripted with nicely timed dialogue and silences. The performances were good from the central characters.
Overall the look of the piece was aesthetically pleasing with great attention to production design. I would describe it as understated, however that suited the nature of the short film, as it was based simply on one conversation.