So for the past few days, I have been filming for the audio-visual aspect of my Assignment 4 around my home. A key aspect of my film is sound, and how sound can add meaning and get people to read between the lines of a shot and notice new things. And for that reason, a majority of my shots need complete silence, including from me. While most of the filming sessions have been done whilst people are out of the house or tucked away in their own rooms, silence has been hard to maintain. I have been recording with my DLSR, and while I will probably replace the audio linked to the video with the mic I have borrowed to record sound with, it’s always good to have backup sound.

One of the biggest things I’ve learnt from these sessions about filming your subjects in complete silence is how much more you notice in and out of frame. There’s something about not utilizing a sense that enhances the others. For example, one of my close up shots an audience member can view is a dusty record player, hidden away by plants. After framing up my shot of the object and pressing record, I noticed a soft spinning noise and saw that the record player was spinning a record without the needle pressed down to it, creating this mesmerising cycle that audience members may not pick up on.

Two things I love about this discovery is the previously touched on subtly of it. Not every viewer is going to notice that in their first viewing, maybe even at all, and is there for the people noticing and paying the most attention to what’s on screen. Furthermore, the idea of a ‘broken record’ spinning with no intention plays into the subsequent narrative/theme of my final piece, in which the house suggests a broken home and a lost marriage. Again, two things only the people who are truly noticing will pick up on, and something I definitely wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the silence.