Following the ideas mentioned in the lectorial, the exercise in this week’s workshop was designed to ‘prompt’ us to consider the narrative structure of our PB3’s. We were given a list of questions that linked to the elements of narrative, specifically relating to our PB3’s.
QUESTIONS:
What is the controlling idea?
The controlling idea is to uncover life from an actor’s perspective and what inspires them both generally and in their work.
How is your portrait film structured?
My portrait film is structured initially with the interviewee answering the questions as the base accompanied with a montage of shots that define her as a person. This includes her paintings and artwork, her house and her family (photographs). Each answer includes her actually answering the question, as well as a montage of these shots.
What do you want your audience to make of your interviewee?
To gather inspiration, being assured that they too are great in their own way and are capable of amazing things. Saying this through an actor’s perspective is really important as they are figures whom we as the audience look up to, seeing them on screen etc. I want the audience to feel empowered after watching this video and keep my interviewee’s words of wisdom in their heads, idealistically every time they are faced with a challenge or any suggestion that they aren’t good enough.
How is your portrait being narrated?
My portrait is being narrated through first hand answering from my interviewee, not just the use of voice over. Throughout the entire video her answers are used as the narration and the cut away shots are the most important feature.
What role will the found footage play in your portrait?
The found footage is actually incredibly necessary in my particular portrait. The found footage (not including the music) is made up of previous clips from my aunties work in either a television show, film or stage production. Most of them relate to particular answers my auntie gave where she either described a certain part as a highlight, or just about acting in general. I wouldn’t have included this sort of footage if the answers didn’t require a visual. I feel as though the visual provides the portrait with an extra quality that is needed in order for the audience to fully embrace themselves in this almost back stage experience.
Does your portrait have a dramatic turning point?
My portrait unintentionally does have a turning point, not necessarily dramatic but definitely a change of mood and momentum.
When does this turning point occur in your portrait and why?
At the beginning my interviewee was explaining the positives in acting and why she does it. When it got to the question ‘what inspires you’, again she answered with positives. After explaining how her family and art itself inspires her, she specifically said that her dad inspires her more now than when he was alive, which lead to her thinking about her dad more and more to the point of being overwhelmed and crying. I was not expecting this as I was filming, and when it occurred, my immediate instinct was to pause the video and give her space and time to breathe. After this (which was one of the last questions), the interview’s vibe became much more intense, dramatic and deep, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I let it happen however and it ended up providing an incredible quality to the entire piece. In the end she explained what she would say to her younger self, which I thought would just consist of basic advice, however it seemed to lead on from the deep and dramatic aspects originated in the previous question. This advice ended the video on such an inspiring aspect to think about after watching.
So essentially this turning point occurred due to Dee thinking about her dad who inspires her.
Does the portrait have a climax and/or resolution?
Yes, the “resolution” is present at the end of the film where she gives younger people advice on how to be happier and more confident through her own personal experience. I guess in a way it is a resolution as it is a nice, simple and meaningful way of summing up her career as some final advice.