The intention of my self portrait was to explore the transition I am currently experiencing from High School to University. The one minute film clip is intended to showcase my clouded mindset as I move into this new phase of my life. As I move through this process into adulthood I have often often felt overwhelmed by the many things changing in my life. However, as I reflect on my experience I realise that I need to just go along with the flow, acknowledging that it is not going to last forever, so grasp it while I can.
During the editing process I attempted to capture this by juxtaposing still shots of nature such as water, to shots of me spinning. Sounds such as the train and strong wind in the background are meant to showcase my fast paced and clouded mindset during this time. Likewise, the shots of the water and other natural elements such as flowers are meant to depict my need to slow down, relax, and acknowledge that this is a natural experience that every person goes through. Furthermore, the light present in the shots of water, correlates to my need to see the light at the end of the tunnel and enjoy this experience whilst it lasts.
In addition changing the shots from black and white to colour allowed me to figuratively portray the way I have been torn between my past dependence on others to run my life, (black and white) to this new found freedom where I am able to decide what my actions are (colour). For me I think I succeeded in depicting my flustered mindset through the use of fast spinning and layered sounds that illustrate all the thoughts running through my head. One thing I could’ve done better is having more variety in the shots I used in order to showcase more material, giving me the ability to juxtapose more shots to convey how I was thinking and experiencing. Perhaps, this would have illustrated my ideas clearer by having more visual material, however, overall I believe I was able to effectively portray these concepts in the time constraints given.
Self Portrit Brief (2) from Lucas James on Vimeo.