In this week’s workshop, we presented our highly anticipated Project Brief 3 portraits. It was so interesting and inspiring to see how my peers represented their chosen subject through the use of various media. The stand-outs for me were those produced by Emily, Rose and Annie (Annie’s is embedded below); they all embraced different styles of presentation, yet I felt like I got to know their subject on a deeper level- who they are, what their story is and their individual characteristics.
When it came time to screen my film, I was overcome with emotion which made it difficult to give a brief overview of my portrait prior to its screening. I was proud of the finished product to an extent, I mean, it was a difficult thing to execute and I had trouble letting go of it, as I wanted to make him and my family proud.
I was really humbled by the reception of my portrait. I received some feedback on the positive aspects of my portrait, such as the themes weaved throughout and the incorporation of images from my Nonno/Grandfathers’s youth. My feedback group also highlighted that I could have included some photos of me with my grandfather that were a little more recent, to express that he was an important part of not only my childhood, but my teenage years too.
I was lucky enough to be in a group with Annie, who was also honouring her Nan who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. I am close friends with Annie, and we collaborated frequently throughout the PB3 creative process due to the similarity of our subjects and the circumstances surrounding the production of our portraits.
Her portrait was absolutely incredible. It encompassed so much emotion, but was presented in such a touching way. The highlight of her portrait visually was the layering of the time-lapse with the footage of Alice in Wonderland trapped in the Rabbit hole. It was such a creative way to exhibit the pain and helplessness that is felt and associated with degenerative mental conditions. The sound was also such a beautiful element of the portrait- it was so simple and expressed her Nan’s ability to remember a tune after hearing someone else sing a few lines.
Annie- you are amazing.
PB3 really made me think about songs that have a similar purpose as the portraits- depicting traits and behaviours of individuals. The song that came to mind was ‘Brianstorm‘ by Arctic Monkeys, which was written after the band had an encounter with a man [who they labelled Brian] left them ‘in awe of his presence’.
I’m also very glad this song came to mind, as I love it when I get to incorporate Alex Turner into anything 😀
Enjoy!
