“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” Eleonora Duse

Research Question: How can I best evoke emotion and meaning from a field of long grass with a subject running through it at dusk in strong sunlight?

Week Seven 7️⃣

Exercise One: The first filming of long grass ‘wet and wild’ (True to Form) 🎥🌾

April 17, 2017

Weekly Quote: “B.O.M – Bureau of meteorology, I ask you this, does 14 degrees Celsius, partly cloudy, 40% chance of light showers also mean 11 degrees celsius, 110% chance of rainfall and 35-40mm of rainfall mean the same thing?” Michael Serpell 8.4.2017

Shot by Shot Analysis Director, Cinematographers notes 8/4/17

Filmmaker Journal Entry 8/4/17

Hello there,

I am writing from the dry confines of my holden commodore which is getting absolutely drenched by the beautiful Melbourne weather, I write on our first ever long grass experiment, I am here with Sarah McKenzie, she is helping me out with the filming of my experiment as her project based around the ‘East Meet West’ concept is related to the filming of grass and how nature combines with man made structures. We have had no real break in the pouring rain, we huddled the equipment and managed to film about 30 minutes of riveting footage. We are here in Footscray just near the Victoria University Campus near the Maribyrnong river. There we have found an ideal location to experiment with filming long golden reeds. These reeds are moving uncontrollably due to the wind, rain and water movement underneath them. This has created some really impressive effects in the movement of the reeds. We tried a few pans, tilts, and various angles and focused on how the reeds were moving and what meaning they would represent.

Also despite the rain, the sun did come through and created the most incredibly coloured sky, it was really quite beautiful. We managed to even film a rainbow having the reeds in the foreground and the rainbow out of focus in the background showing the array of colours. It was a beautiful shoot capturing colour, emotion, movement and turbulent weather conditions.

It was a successful day of filming, a warm cup of cocoa, some dry socks and and an itchy blanket are all in the forefront of the mind.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Serpell (8/4/17)

Shots that were taken during the experiment that are worth discussing in greater detail

Shot 1

(MLS, Action: Wind moves rapidly through a contrast of green and brown reeds)

Captures colour contrast
Capturing of grass as it moves uncontrollably as winds blusters grass from left to right
Messy movement can exaggerate moods and emotion of rage and anxiety
Pan tracking downwards capturing all the different shapes, sizes and movements
Learnt how to track the movement of the reeds however the movement isn’t smooth, the reeds will be more golden in my final, this was just an experiment to see what I could capture, this shot is more focused on the movement rather than the aesthetic value of the clip.

Shot 2

(Still shot, XCU, Action: Still shot of dried out grass standing still and tall with the beautiful rainbow out of focus in the background)

Capturing in deep focus the sharpness of the grass
Dark grey sky juxtaposed with the colourful fading rainbow
The contrast of beauty is evident in this clip
The rainbow colours and fills the background as the grass captures in focus an ageing beauty
Still shot fixed on tripod
Movement is subtle, the grass moves ever so slightly, it is enthralling and intriguing
This is what I want my final projects grass to look like, the colour is almost exactly what I visioned with more orange and direct sunlight on the reeds the grass would be more golden and therefore achieving my vision. The rainbow was an unplanned phenomena which occurred as the rain became lighter and the bright sunlight unexpectedly shone through briefly. It would be a dream if I had a day of sunlight, light drizzle and a beautiful rainbow like this one for my day of filming my final project but unfortunately you can’t control the weather but this shot was an example of what beauty that can be captured when you least expect it.

Shot 3

(Tilt down (tripod) captures movement of grass in MS)

One of my favourite shots I took on the day
The colour of the grass is near perfect to what I want on my final project shooting day
Golden coloured grass, skinny contrast between browns and golds and the occasional fresh green grass
Tilt down
Movement: swaying from side to side gracefully very small confined movements almost like a small shake
Slow paced tilt downwards
Background filled with straight golden grass is in focus the front foreground grass is out of focus which works with the composition of the shot, it gives this effect of the more important older grass being prioritised
I am proud of this shot, it is very cinematic, the movement is simple and emotive

Shot 4

(MLS, Action: captures rain falling in quick succession on an acute angle)

Rain falling in an acute angle
Captures the movement of the rain falling upon the reeds that is main focus of this shot is to capture the movement’
The camera is static
The movement of the reeds is quite abrupt, there is a green fresh reed in the foreground very close to the camera lens out of focus, it moves in many different directions throughout the shot duration.
The effect of this is prioritise importance, the shot captures in focus the rain falling onto the reeds, therefore the single strand of green grass is deemed unimportant by me the cinematographer and instead I articulate each drop of rain as it is intriguing and graceful to watch despite the rapid movement of the reeds. It can explain the differences in speeds, the rapid unpredictable movement of the reeds compared to the consistent and steady falling of rain
Although rain is not intended in my final project, I found it fascinating to film and it works well to compare and exaggerate the movement of the reeds/grass
The full version of the clips is available here to watch so you understand the movements I am explaining in this shot by shot analysis.

 

Research on Long Grass: TTF 🎥🌿

April 17, 2017

Symbolic Meaning of Green (Grass) 🌿

• Health
• Wealth
• Well-Being
• Generosity
• Abundance
• Love
• Growth
• Expansion
• Connection
• Health/Healing
• Fresh new growth, the promise new hope brings, the eternal nature of love and the ability to share that love for the common good.

Interestingly, grass is also a matrix spanning its growth in much the same way energetic heart patterns radiate out in subtle vibrations.

Locations 🗺️

Kiata, Country Victoria

Kiata is a town in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia. The town is 359 kilometres north-west of the state capital of Melbourne, on the Western Highway.

http://www.gowildimages.com/Landscapes/Australia/Victoria-Other/i-XfrvKsQ

Rushworth and Nagambie, Agricultural region

Rushworth is a township in Victoria, Australia. It is located 157 kilometres north of Melbourne

Nagambie is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Goulburn Valley Highway north of Seymour and in the Shire of Strathbogie

Warracknabeal, country Victoria, near the creek, plenty of long grass

Warracknabeal is a wheatbelt town in the Australian state of Victoria. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek

Avoca, Country Victoria

Not hugely far from Ballarat near where I stayed before there is incredible golden fields of long grass there if I can get access to it, it’s brilliant for filming weather needs to be right too, because it is a fair way from Melbourne

Avoca is a town in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia, 71 kilometres north west of Ballarat. It is one of two main towns in the Pyrenees Shire, the other being Beaufort to the south.

Ben Nevis is a mountain nestled in the Mt Cole National Park south-west of Avoca.

Right: Ben Nevis viewed from the road. Red Rocks is the rightmost cliff. There are climbs at the leftmost cliffs too

Filming the moment 🤞

Girl Running at Sunset Through Tall Grass Field – Stock Footage

Stock footage little girl running cross the wheat field at sunset slow motion high speed camera 3

Woman walking in wheat field at sunset

Hand on wheat field 2

Hands in the wheat field

 

Week 8 8️⃣

Production Meeting a success, the grass is greener looking greener on our side 🌱 TTF
April 27 , 2017

Production Meeting 27/04/2017

Overall positive outcomes from the meeting the aim of the rest of the project is quite clear find some fields to film and for the next three weeks allocate one day to experiment with both holding a camera, filming different aspects of a field from the grass to the subject (s) running through the grass to the variety of shots. Handheld, still shots, tripod movements and steady cam shots, gyroscopic gimbal shots, tracking, panning, and dolly shots. The locations have been pretty clearly established and the camera choice will be one achieved through experiments comparisons and trials. Once the right camera is established and the first raft of carefully planned shots are achieved then I can pick my best shots and refine them, make them greater, and improve the quality of the short narratives, the sequences and of course my filmmaking and technical skills throughout it.

Notes from the True to Form Tuesday Consult 02/05/2017

Go out and film Bacchus Marsh, (You Yangs National Park) supposedly a lot of long grass along that way

-Train between Airplane and Laverton (long grass there)

-Property next to mine at Nagambie/Rushworth (factor in travel times hour 1/2 one way)

-Park ranger (Victoria) get permission through them, will be able to get easier clearance than going through National Park Victoria

-Private property (permission) allocate a day, if you see a good piece of property with a house do ask the owner

-Clear list (not too complicated) of shots and tasks to complete

-Scientific experiment – hand holding, look at it as a simple task that can be managed and achieved over several weeks of production

-EX3 (slow it down) (experiment with it)(FS100 super 35 sensor)

-Higher frame rate (for a slow motion running of the subject in the field)

-10 shots (different focal lengths) (correct exposure)(sun behind and in front of you)

-Different ways to hold the camera, shoulder mounts, hand held shots and using rails potentially (don’t overcomplicate it)

-Tripod as a gyroscopic gimbal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyroscope

-Tracking a person (important to do, through the fields)

-Tighten up the shots, then run them together in a sequence

-Exactly the same film then after that do them better, three permutations of the experiments (three different orders or sequences)

-Pull in examples (collect examples)

-Terance Mallick – Days of Heaven (film with cinematography capturing long grass and mother natures relationship to man), Thin Red Line (cinematography, also long grass is a major feature of cinematography)

Overall I have taken a lot out of this meeting and the future of the project is looking a lot clearer and there is a lot of work to be done, but I am confident it can be achieved through persistence and experiments and consistently hitting the right spots and improving each shoot until I get the desired results, which will be a beautiful looking set of shots, bringing out deep emotions and capturing the beautiful of the movement of long grass.

Week 9 9️⃣

How Malick’s Days of Heaven is my film’s inspiration: TTF focus🌾

May 1, 2017

As we approach the crunch time to the project I discuss with you today what exactly I intend to achieve through this project and what exactly my focus is and how through the influences I’ve had I will bring these ideas to life.

“You could cover the whole earth with asphalt, but sooner or later grass would break through.” Ilya Ehrenburg

This quote isn’t a direct motivation as to why I began my endeavors to film long grass however I believe it is symbolic to the way we view grass and growth, in our world which in suburban areas is a concrete jungle we often forget about nature and its growth, however when you cover a planet once filled with natural beauty and then one day that natural beauty finds a way to grow back it’s an epic phenomena. Much like how a field of grass reflect Mother Nature itself, it flows with the elements, changes color with the light, moves wildly in the wind, lays ever so peacefully in the dawn of a new day, and is naturally pure and wonderful and poetic.

In a world where natural beauty is hard to come by and we often get trapped and lost for inspiration I find some of the greatest inspiration is quite simple. If you look at the movements in a field of long grass you can reflect and watch every separate strand move independently then in a mammoth breath of fresh air move as one, it could mean anything but to me it’s a reminder of just how beautiful nature is and when you’re out in the element, in rain, hail or shine, thousands of emotions are conveyed through just one field of grass.

One film that is poetic and is filmed so beautifully is the Days of Heaven by director Terrance Malik this is a film told as a screen poem about life in America at the turn of the century. A story of love and murder told through the voice of a child and expressive images of nature in 1916. What is so impressive about this film is Malick’s use of natural light and shots expressing the beauty of nature and mans relation with the elements.
There is a scene in Days of Heaven when Malick depicts nature in such a poetic way that it takes the narrative far beyond what was originally intended in the smaller confines of the narrative. There was a scene in the film that stood out to me as a plague of locusts storm the wheat fields. The bursts of orange in the night are staggeringly beautiful, and at one point Malick notices and chooses to dwell on a locust on a stalk of corn with the contrast of fire and night making the image. It’s almost as if one of the ranch hands desperate to save the ranch’s crop had suddenly stopped in his efforts and his hostility to the locusts and said: “wow, have you ever really looked at a locust before, and just sat and admired it? They are amazing and so beautiful you feel there must be some design in their making. The extreme close up of the locusts are pristine, you can see them in exquisite detail and their presence blended with sound effects (foley sound) and the farmers spread across the field desperately trying to save their crops are both eerie and spine tinglingly beautiful.

The plot is full of tragedy, loss and separation, and of a briefly glimpsed paradise that cannot sustain human shortcomings. But heaven is there in the light on the grass, in the romantic aura of a house and in a few people in a place where there is no one else. This is what amazes me the most, despite tragedy through nature and through the cinematography in this film wonder, beautify, tranquility and true sense of heaven is portrayed through the long grass at the peaceful time of dusk where it is at its most symbolic best.

Malick is interested in the interplay between man and the natural world in this film. Although the open plains and vast panoramas provide a marked contrast to the dirty poverty of industrial Chicago, we are reminded that, for all its beauty, the farm is also an industrial landscape. It is a landscape in which man and nature collide and have to share the space.

The panoramic shots of the massive harvesting machinery in action and the detailed depictions of men and machinery laboring together to gather in the natural bounty reinforce this idea. But perhaps the most forceful image is of an old-fashioned tractor driving through a wall of flames, symbolic as it reminds me of black beast moving through hell at a rapid rate it is truly fascinating it almost demonizes industrial machinery and man made creations and shows the inevitable downfall of peaceful once untouched nature.
But equally as man may try to control this nature, Malick reminds us of our own insignificance. He does this not only through a major nod to the power of nature, but also through a clear depiction of the cycle of changing seasons in the wide landscapes of wheat and just how vast that land really is.

This is all enhanced by an almost obsessive desire to capture the glorious light of an impassive, immortal sky. The relationship between the expansive wheat fields and the expansive skies is beautiful and inspiring for my project. If you have a small figure running through the grass with a large colorful sky and a huge expansive field spanning over the horizon, it makes any life in the field, insignificant, it places the person as a small piece of a huge and never ending universe of beauty and wonder. Unlike many film-makers, Malick (and his cinematographer Nestor Almendros), wherever possible attempted and succeeded in using natural light to film their masterpiece. Days of Heaven was largely shot in the hour preceding dusk, the so called “magic hour” when natural light is at its most beautiful and at this time you are faced with some of the most incredible colors coming from the sky but also from each separate strand of grass.

This made filming rather long as the shooting time each day was severely limited, but the results are spectacular. Experimentation, it seems, is part of the search for perfection and by pushing the accepted boundaries of film-making, Malick gets to his goal. Thus inspiring me to do the same in my project. It is all about achieve some sort of perfection watching and moving with a field as it encounters all the elements, I’ve seen rain, hail, and glimpses of glorious sunshine glimmer across the field, it expresses so much emotion and when I eventually bring my subject in, like the Days of Heaven it will explain through cinematography and sequences of shots, her relationship to nature.

In Days of Heaven the sky seems to provide a glow over the film, like a reminder of an alternative power. One might even describe it as God, if that’s what you believe it represents, in the films reflective nature does make you question from one of the most simplest of locations some of the universes most complex thoughts.
Natural light in Days of Heaven used almost exclusively by Malick serves to give the film a very realistic look and also to give it the rose-tinted wash of memory. Since most of the film also takes place outdoors, it somehow takes us back to childhood summers, to carefree days in the sun. Through the girl running through the field it takes us back to our days of innocence though the times where every thing in nature was noticed and appreciated, everything seemed dreamy and wonderful and where you moved with the elements and became a strand in a field which would grow, move with the times and become a symbol of peace. Linda’s narration of the events also makes it clear that she is telling us this story. We see it unfold through her immature eyes, which explains the almost fantastical elements. Is my film through the eyes of girl? I will leave that up to the audience the camera captures the subjects experience wandering through the field, walking with a spirit, moving with Mother Nature.

In Days of Heaven the audience are constantly reminded that they are watching a story told through the filter of a small girl’s eyes and understanding doesn’t stop them from feeling the tragic outcome of the tale. The audience are at once inside the story and removed from it. Much like my experiments we see the worlds through the eyes of subject walking through the beauty of nature, through the changes of music and camera angles through the sequences it places the audience in different positions to view the action. The music turns to a dark, ominous, uprising tambre where the girl in a tracking shot from behind may be in danger, being followed… this change in soundtrack and angles can change the meaning of a sequence of shots. Whereas if the girl is being tracked from behind, with light, glittery, pleasant piano and strings as she in slow motion runs through the grass, it’ll depict a peaceful and beautiful scene where a girl flies a kite through a large field filled with dreams and adventures.

Malick is telling the audience about a small world but he is also telling us about the whole world. And a great deal of this telling is done without words. The dialogue is kept to a bare minimum, sometimes giving the film a silent-movie feeling and yet the characters are complex, the acting nuanced. My sequence of shots do not rely on narration rather they rely of the audience to interpret two different sequences of shots whereby a girl runs through the grass, once seemingly in danger and another occasion assumably having a joyous time flying a kite, exploring in her own little sacred world full of adventures and beauty. Long grass with natural light letting natural element move and shape the story is a form of poetry, many impressions and meanings can be understood through nature and I intend to show the beauty of long grass with Mother Nature combined with humans relationship with nature and the meanings the two bring together when combined.

I am excited through my experiments to capture a large field of long grass and through the elements display with wonderful and expressive cinematography a small narrative where a subject prances in her own world in a dreamy environment filled with meanings that go beyond just a beautifully lit field of grass, the possibilities of narrative are endless and the meaning expressed through mother natures destructive and nurturing force cannot be undermined.

Below is a scene from Days of Heaven, most of the scenes from the film I was explaining originate in this piece of footage, admire the cinematography, the detail on the long grass and the locusts and admire the use of natural light when capturing a large expansive field. This clip is inspiring and the way it has been filmed is the way in which I am going about filming my own film experiments. Enjoy.

Week 10 🔟

Exercise Two: Quite literally a ‘field exercise’ (True to Form)🎥🌾

May 8, 2017

“Found a field, found a camera, found some grass, found a weekend to film, found the freedom to experiment, I’m fantastically flabbergasted” Michael Serpell 13.5.2017

Exercise 2 was a crucial exercise for the outcome of my production, two elements that needed to be clear by the end of the proposed filming on Saturday was the location of filming and the type of camera I was going to film my final experiment with.

Exercise un,deux. Bacchus Marsh and the You Yangs were locations strongly suggested by the class and Paul our True to Form Studio teacher.I departed on the two hour journey up the western ring road hoping for some long aged grass at the proposed location or better yet on the way there.

Following the familiar trend, the weather was not great. It was overcast with light showers, heavy at times but overall poor lighting and really no clear idea where to film. Incredibly driving through Caroline Springs and Rockbank my eyes were fixated on a large allustrious field of long grass, the right sun-tinged colour and thankfully not too far from Melbourne either. I couldn’t resist… I needed to see it close up. To my amazement, it was exactly what I needed, long enough grass for my subject and about leg to waste high in sections for a subject at my height, I was very impressed to say the least.

The aim was to find a location and to experiment with the Sony X70 which I was using for the first time. I had an idea of proposed shots in my head which I wanted to film, I brought a tripod which allowed me to focus on separate strands of grass and then use the steadiness of the tripod to move the camera slowly through the grass to give away the perspective of the subject .

The X70 has a large sensor which allowed to capture in detail everything in frame, the close ups and extreme close ups despite being more clearer than what I expected weren’t as clear, crisp and in depth as the SLR, probably due to the larger sensor size of the SLR however the X70 sensor wasn’t too far off., the autofocus and filters deals better with contrast and produces in my opinion a better image.

The high frame rate although not experimented and tampered with on this particular shot will be of interest in future weeks when I film with my subject. My subject will be filmed running through the long grassed field potentially in slow motion, and the X70 can film with high frame rate slowing down the subjects actions. Depending on the editing and the clarity of the slowed down footage it may aesthetically look better to film on the SLR and slow down the footage however if the movement doesn’t look natural enough and too stagnant then the high frame rate on the X70 may be able to improve the movement. Another consideration is slowing down the footage when editing which although it may look shaky at times may be a lot easier to achieve.

Factors affecting the film was natural light, I wasn’t too fussed during this filming as this filming intended purpose was to find a location and experiment with the camera however desirably a sunny day in the dawn or dusk would be most pleasing as the light through the grass and movement of the grass will be properly lit up and as far as beauty is concerned with sunlight the grass will be at its poetic best.

Weather is an uncontrollable element but on this shot I did manage to film a minute worth of sunlight which was better than what was expected on this particular occasion.

I am confident that this is a location that can work effectively for future shooting the next exercise is to film much of the same but with an SLR camera to give the film a different look.

Planning:

Best variety of shots taken during shooting Exercise 2 13.5.2017

Grass in deep focus (pay attention to the movement of the wind through the grass and the finite details of the grass)

Golden Grass (best bit of lighting I received all day although it was a short shot, the exposure was high and did work blending out the background)

Grass pan (simple pan over the field, saturation tampered with, a good idea of the space and vastness we’re working with)

Grass still shot (field in a still shot, notice the movement of the grass and how it moves independently and as one)

Grass pan across the field (again saturated again slow pan commenting on the vastness, comparing the sky with the grass and how the two opposes blend together as one)

Grass (slow zoom into the grass focusing on one strong point of grass)

Grass in detailed pan (grass in close up, tight framing pan through the repetitiveness yet diversity of each strand of unique grass)

Yellow grass in detail (although not the most yellow grass, same focus on grass in close up, static shot)

Grass close up detail Part II (Grass again in a tight close up this time specifically focusing on a small network of grass strands)

Grass Movement change in exposure (short but powerful shot of changed exposure and saturation of grass in still shot, lower angle)

Grass close up detail (grass static shot in glass up following movement of grass)

Timelapse Grass (experimented with turning 15 minutes worth of footage into a 0:22 second time lapse beautiful to see the rapid moving grass and ominous clouds moving as one)

Walking through grass quickly (perspective of the girl running through the grass similar shot may be used in final)

Walking through golden grass (best burst on sunlight we received on this shoot, walking slowly admiring the varsity of grass and beautiful colour which is emphasized with full sun exposure)

Link to full experiment 2 playlist

Week 11 1️⃣1️⃣

Exercise Three: The grass is always greener when you water it (True to Form)🎥🌾🌱

May 15, 2017

“The grass is always greener when you water unless of course you’re like me who grew up during the drought and we had to shower in a massive bucket until it was filled to our ankles then try and water plants with that. In others words I want my grass as gold, and as lifeless as it possibly could be” Michael Serpell 20.5.2017

Exercise three was a great opportunity to return to the previously decided location for the filming. At the location I brought with me a Canon digital SLR which I have used before in past filming assignments. The newer 5K Mark III films in higher resolution and I brought two lenses which both will be used for different purposes. The EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens used to capture the shallower depth of field whilst the .EF 50mm f/1.8 II. lens to capture a deep depth of field. This is important as I will use the larger focal length lens to closely capture the separate strands of grass and their relationship to eachother. The hand brushing through the grass and the sun light glimmering through the close up/extreme close up of the grass will work to great effect. In comparison the smaller focal length lens will be effective in capturing the girl running through the grass, tracking her movements from a distance, whilst also capturing the full beauty and vastness of the grassed field.

The filming was successful in capturing these two diverse elements. In my opinion the use of the SLR created a more aesthically beautiful imagine as opposed to the X70. Although the X70 can film in a higher frame rate, the image is a little more grainier and less in depth and looks more like a documentary journalistic piece than it does an artistic and poetic experiment.

The filming overall went really well, the weather was disappointing and light was dimming quickly as I was aiming to film the sunset. Never trust the Bureau of Meteorology. These things happen however after filming some extreme close ups of the grass I am convinced that filming with the SLR will look more visually engaging and aesthetically beautiful.

The close ups of the grass will be important to establishing the setting, the hands running through the grass will be gentle, tranquil and poetic.

The next step is to bring the subject in and use the same filming techniques and camera to achieve the same poetic beauty. The hope is to have sunny weather to highlight the subjects bleached hair, and the sunlight incorporated in the shots peaking through the grass.

Link to full experiment 3 playlist

Week 12 1️⃣2️⃣

Final Exercise: Epic Afternoon of Sunshine (True to From) 🌞🎥🌾

May 22, 2017

The final exercise was my final chance to get everything right, achieve everything I set out to achieve and hopefully with a bit of luck get the desired results.

With my trusty tripod, a very impressive Nikon DSLR and the X70 on standby and of course a list of shots and an idea of exact location I wanted to film in, I was ready.

Arrived and despite not having much luck with natural light in the first half an hour, the sun came shining through the dark clouds and incredibly stayed upon for the next hour and a half. It was unbelievable. Our subject was ready and with the strong sunlight shining on our field of long grass and glowing n our subjects long white bleached hair, with the camera rolling true cinematic beauty was captured.

What I wanted to achieve was shots of great poetic clarity, shots which were filmed with the in depth Nikon DSLR, the Nikon D500 DSLR was the perfect camera for the exercise, the detail it was able to capture in on this particular exercise in my opinion was far greater than the Canon 5K Mark III. The filter was slightly different and I didn’t have to tamper much with the settings in order to achieve great lighting continuity.

What made me most proud about this project was through my ongoing research I was able to refine my cinematography skills in this exercise being more precise with what I was capturing and instead of trying to film every little minuet detail, I had planed shots, when the time was right with the lighting and movement of wind through the grass I would shoot. If we messed up a take I would do it until I got the desired result. Precision and clarity were both lacking from the first three experiments however they were important and vital platforms to launch into the final exercise. Clarity in understanding what needed to be done in this shoot, how I could learn from my previous mistakes and trials and tribulations and more importantly with quickly fading light and limited light how I was going to be time efficient in filming what I needed.

To my amazement the shots were quite beautiful, the movements through the grass, brilliantly executed by the subject Phoebe, a very obedient young actress, her movements through the grass were crucial to the final projects successes. Her hands brushing the grass, her hand moving from side to side on her shoulders as she, at times, sprinted through the fields, her eyes looking out, and her arms spread apart as she felt all the small bits of long grass move through her fingertips was really well staged and I’d like to say well directed by myself.

The sun of course plays an important role in this project as the natural sunlight lights grass like no other source of light can. The way the unpredictable movement of wind swirling the grass uncontrobbaly distorts the light and creates incredible patterns and contrasts through the grass. This kind of effect cannot be achieved without potent sunlight. The sunlight created profound patterns and colours on the grass, the grass is notably more aged and golden with direct sunlight and instead of looking lifeless and grey. The sun plays an important role in lighting the subjects bleached white hair. The hair stands out in any conditions but the way the light manipulates her hair is quite wonderful. It really stands out and with every different angle used through the pans her colour subtly changes. The sun has helped the final exercise project my original idea of the project.

This project takes a lot of inspiration from Terrance Malick’s Days of Heaven, the way beautiful cinematography and the marvelously captured relationship between Mother Nature and man. The sky in dusk scenes of Days of Heaven, seems to provide a glow over the film, like a reminder of an alternative power. In the films reflective nature does make you question from one of the most simplest of locations some of the universes most complex thoughts. Through the vastness of grass in my exercise and the girls relationship to her world and the world beyond as the large expansive sky is shown above glowing, her dreams and imagination seems to transcend beyond her unescapable field of dreams.
Natural light in Days of Heaven used almost exclusively by Malick serves to give the film a very realistic look and also to give it the rose-tinted wash of memory. Since most of the film also takes place outdoors, it somehow takes us back to childhood summers, to carefree days in the sun. Through the girl running through the field it takes us back to our days of innocence though the times where every thing in nature was noticed and appreciated, everything seemed dreamy and wonderful and where you moved with the elements and became a strand in a field which would grow, move with the times and become a symbol of peace. Although we need no narration, no real introduction, all we need is to see the world through the girls eyes, feel her living her experiences and the joys but also the dangers that present themselves through this world of hers. It may not always be bliss and full of sunny beauty but it’ll always be hers to explore, hers to experience and hers to marvel at and dream in.

Through the glorious sunlight there is a dreamy filter explored, as sunlight fills up the screen we think back to when we were young and we could run for miles and never lose energy and never get tired of chasing our dreams. That is the beauty of this experiment, it can make us feel different ways as it’ll relate to us on different levels. Long grass specifically is poetic the attention to detail of the grass will prompt many thoughts from the audience and whatever you feel is significant and sacred to you. I cannot tell you how to feel but what I can present you with is an experiment that will definitely effect you in a unique way.

Important shots to achieve

Plan A (in a perfect world all goes to plan)

• Sun shining through grass at dusk
• Subject, young girl wearing long white dress, bleached blonde hair so the sun changes the colour depending on what angle its hitting the hair
• Sunset shot with grass in the foreground
• XLS grass, static
• LS grass, static
• LS grass pan, static
• LS grass girl running tracking hand held
• MS grass girl running tracking hand held
• CU grass girl running tracking tripod
• XCU grass static
• CU grass static
• MLS grass girl running tracking
• CU-XCU grass girl tracking pan
• LA girl running hand hand tracking
• HA girl running hand held tracking
• MLS tracking grass girl running
• MCU tilt in focus out focus grass girl walking
• LA LS Clouds colourful and orange
• CU-MCU Teddy Bear in field
• MLS girl running with teddy bear tracking hand held

Plan B (if the weather is grey)

• Close up at grass at dusk
• Subject, young girl wearing long white dress, bleached blonde hair so it stands out in grey conditions
• XLS grass, static
• LS grass, static
• LS grass pan, static
• LS grass girl running tracking hand held
• MS grass girl running tracking hand held
• CU grass girl running tracking tripod
• XCU grass static
• CU grass static
• MLS grass girl running tracking
• CU-XCU grass girl tracking pan
• LA girl running hand hand tracking
• HA girl running hand held tracking
• MLS tracking grass girl running
• MCU tilt in focus out focus grass girl walking
• LA LS Clouds grey and ominous
• CU-MCU Teddy Bear in field
• MLS girl running with teddy bear tracking hand held

Week 13 1️⃣3️⃣

Collaboration Post ‘when alone, do what the loners do’ (True to Form)🎥🤹🎯

May 28, 2017

“When alone, do what the loners do which is stand out and productively get their work done. Although I am an extrovert (Aquarius) moments of solitude can often be moments of clarity and inspiration and discovery of self worth. To the loners out there I say it’s easy to join a crowd but it is harder to stand out. Stand out make amazing work and when the times right collaborate’ Michael Serpell 27.5.2017

Collaboration is an important element in any large assignment and experiments that need more than one set of hands. Practically and convenience is probably the main reason why I flew mainly solo on my search for the right location to film in along with the best shots to take. Admittedly with carrying the equipment from the city in rush hour home, some expert opinions on site, a different perspective whilst filming and some expert knowledge particularly towards the technicality of using some of the expensive equipment may have been quite handy and arguably time efficient. However despite the temptation to have many people at my disposal I decided not to for these clear reasons.

With experiments like this I feel like the control, flow and general decision making needs to come from the creator. The creator knows exactly what he or she wants to achieve and through this are able to articulate a strict plan and have a clear vision on where and how they will take the project. I had a vision well before I began drafting the plans for the experiments to film a subject running through long grass, with the sun shining at dusk and really capture the sheer beauty and poetics of the moment on screen. I found venturing out into the country down the western ring road was a real search for me for those poetics and as ridiculous as it may sound, finding a location that reflected the beauty of the moment in full sunlight where the grass moved such a way that evoked true emotion. I found the perfect location and find the right people to talk to. One of the most enjoyable parts of a project like this is the freedom it gives you to explore your subject matter and delve in locations and themes you were never able to overcome because of project restrictions.

As mentioned before group work does have it benefits but working with yourself and your own skills you do discover more about yourself as it is a journey finding your perception of perfection and being true to your own form. I wandered through grass land and I felt a connection, I spoke the owners of the land in the nearby church, they were very friendly people and more than happy to help with my project, they brought me in for a cuppa, I showed them my work and we shared ideas.

My subject, the girl running through the grass, is a member of The Aussie Hands Foundation Inc, the organisation my parents created when my brother was born with three missing fingers. You may not notice my subjects hands but if you do it’s quite unique. Young Phoebe was outstanding as our subject, she was very obedient and you could say a natural at running through long grass. Her enthusiasm and energy lifted the morale for the project, and many treats in the form of cordial and lollies certainly kept Phoebe motivated and energized.

Stories like this are sacred as years by, down the track I often forget about the exact final product I produce, I may not be able to recall the project in shot by shot detail but what I do remember is the journey compiling all of the shots and having all the wonderful experiences on the way. Meeting the sensational people, listening to their stories and sharing your own story whilst creating something special is in my opinion all a part of the journey. I love it and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I would like to thank on this note, Sarah Kate Mackenzie for all of her hard work in helping with filming my very first experiment. It was lousy, wet and cold weather and yet despite all the odds stacked against us we managed to film something quite wonderful. Paul Ritchard and Trong Nguyen also played very big roles in deciding on locations, focus, finding the right inspirations ‘Days of Heaven’ the film about grass and also soundtracks for the piece, thank you for your help with making my project the best it could be.

Collaboration, helping eachother out is very important, but never underestimate solitude and finding your way, staying true to your form and searching for that inspiration and perfection your way.

Photograph: Michael Serpell pondering endless possibilities that can be captured on film

Week 14 1️⃣4️⃣

Final Reflection (True to Form)🎥🌾

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” Margaret J. Wheatley (1992)

The vision that was clear from the very beginning was at the peaceful time of dusk in a desolate field far far away, the wind quaintly but equally harshly tussled with the long golden grass below and through these diverse patterns controlled by Mother Nature herself through the ever moving earth comes an innocent young girl with a spring in her step bounding through the grass with all the freedom in the world. The young girl is a free spirit living her fantasy, dreams as vast and diverse as the grass field itself and never deviating but always walking towards the light. This beauty, this poetry, this moment of peace, this moment of light, moment of innocence, moment of deep emotion and dreaming are things I wanted to capture through the camera. Showing how long grass can act as a cinematic device for conveying deeper emotions, deeper meanings and deeper possibilities through the audiences perception of the beauty captured on screen. To truly capture the poetics of long golden grass through the way it moves to way to stands still and independent of the next strand. Also to make reference to the relationship between humans relationship work Mother Nature and truly give a perspective of our size in comparison to the varsity of the world and our dreams.

The scene was always there playing on replay the next decisive step was through the platform of these important True To Form experiments and investigations I was going to construct a list of shots, find the most appropriate location and take time through three or more experiments to trial with different cameras, angles and movements so then I could capture the scene in the best way possible.

Through the first experiment I first embarked to film the longest grass I could possibly find, which came more in the form of weeds, this however didn’t phase me. It came me first an opportunity to film on an X70 in the elements and secondly see how long grass/reeds reacted with Mother Nature, on in this case very strong winds and heavy rain. Despite the violent weather conditions I managed to capture a variety of beautiful shots purely focused on the movement of the reeds. It established how to properly set up a camera like the X70 in harsh conditions, utilise the tripod in the right way and also export and analyse footage taken so I could better go out into the field and amend some of the mistakes made in the first experiment.

The second experiment was quite different from the first, more time was spend before embarking to film to actually plan a detailed shot list and find some appropriate locations for filming. The camera was used again this time a more updated model of the X70 camera with a larger sensor. The You Yangs beyond Bacchus Marsh was the recommended location in their national park to find long grass and work in with the landscape. Thankfully on the way there I found a very impressive location, a vast field of long aged grass, golden in bright sunlight and long enough for our subject to run through. After gaining permission I set out to film a variety of shots with and without the tripod. Without a subject available I went about thinking of practical ways of filming in the field for now and particularly in the final experiment. I managed to get a huge variety of shots and when I say huge I mean over 9.5 GB worth of footage. Great variety yes but an absolute pain to go through in post and find the shots which I wanted to analyse in closer detail. A lesson I definitely learnt for the next experiment was definitely be more decisive with my choice of shots, saving time filming, space on the card and more importantly saving time editing. Overall the shots filmed were models to build on and pieces of footage I could work with to get the desired result in my next experiment.

The third experiment was similar to the second where I had my location locked in, had my equipment tested and had an idea of what I wanted to film and how I would film them. The third experiment was a shorter experiment to trial the Canon 5K Mark III, I have always loved the crispness and detail the Canon SLR films in so my intentions were to film with the SLR and see how differently the grass would look and whether that was the way I would like to go with my project. Although the natural lighting was difficult to work with I managed to get really beautiful shots of the grass, learning from the previous experiment I went about filming less, completing the task more efficiently and effectively. The footage was easier to sort through and analyze and the overall look and meaning arising from the shots made the decision easier to choose an SLR for the final experiment.

The fourth and final final experiment consisted of bring everything I have learnt over the semester journey in class and out in the field through my experiments into the one shooting. The aim was to achieve everything I had set out to do in the first place, find a day where the sun would be shining through potently onto the grass and really bringing to life the scene and its subject. I had acquired a subject which was also a tenuous task but through some forensic networking I found the perfect candidate. With a Nikon D500 DSLR at my disposal I was able to experiment prior to the day of the filming by filming the orange clouds in the sky. I quickly realized this was the perfect camera for the project capturing light beautifully without much manipulation and quite easy to use for a person without much technological knowledge like myself. To my amazement in the afternoon of the final filming the clouds parted and was gifting an hour window of strong yellow sunlight and as the sun slowly descended I was left some truly captivating shots of the subject running through the grass. The wind picked up as well with gave some really great variety to the shots, my subjects hair went from almost a darker shade of blonde on arrival to a pale white with full sun exposure, it was quite remarkable. The final filming was an absolute success, I was able to film in full sunlight, achieve some wonderful sunset shots, be able to contrast mother natures power and humans size difference to it, the poetry of grass through wind moving and sun peaking through separate strands of grass to create the poetics imagined in the first weeks of the True to Form course. The editing of the shots was difficult as many beautiful shots had top referenced for the sequences as the most emotive and powerful which meant some I just simply couldn’t fit into the sequence. But having that freedom to chose your best shots from your absolute greatest shots is a good problem to have, it means you aren’t scrounging around in the lower end mediocre shots. I was then able to construct a sequence of shots with powerful, uplifting, inspirational, reflective, beautiful and shallow music to accompany this subjects dreamy journey through the vast grassy fields.

Editing despite the difficult deciding which shots would work best in the overall final sequences wasn’t too difficult as the beauty already conveyed through the shots didn’t really have to be altered and the pacing of the running was almost exactly as I had imagined. Fears over slowing down the running through high frame rate did spell potential hurdles but with the footage outcome it almost isn’t a necessary element as you’ll see when you watch the final product. The only real change to the original focus through the shots that I produced in my final exercise was really just having a very strong narrative. The narrative through the experiments progressions to the final product doesn’t really need to be that profound. The meaning, symbolism and emotions from the sequence come from the poetics of each separate shot in the sequence, they will be put in the temporal duration in chronological order but the amount of time between each shot can be worked out through the dimming light and the sunset at the end to signal time has gone by. Through the dreamy aspect of the piece, the following of the girl through the grass and things from her perspective, many of shots acts as the girls eyes which is evident through the editing and placing of the separate shots. The narrative was going to originally involve two subjects who run through the grass, meet in the middle and then through an elliptical edit show the two children subjects all grown together in the middle of the field, it would however take away the poetics from the field, raise too many unnecessary narrative questions and possibilities and would be significantly harder to film. It is sacred having a stand alone subject in a field, the comparisons to nature and one lone subject are easier to make and the poetics of tracking one subject are more significant. Therefore I opted to go with one subject and although the narrative idea of two was raised early in the piece was also dismissed more strongly as each experiment was executed.

Overall I am very proud of the final outcome, the sequence looks beautiful and it best reflects my original vision of the piece. It has been a pleasure learning more about camera techniques and how to better enhance my skills as a cinematographer and more broadly as a filmmaker. Through the experiments I have grown my skills, planning, efficiency, effectiveness with the camera, and by the end of the experiment these improvements were evident in the quality of shots I took. The freedom to go out and capture what I wanted was a freedom at first I found difficult to cope with , the broadness of my project did spell some potential trouble with my focus, but through my inspirations of ‘Days of Heaven’ by Terrance Malick a film where the cinematography is beautiful and the comparison between man and nature is profound it gave me plenty of direction on how to film long grass and make the shots more emotive. Once my focus was straightened out I found the freedom to capture the poetics on long grass was easier with a refined plan, with better planning of individual shots and improved skills with the camera equipment. The vision in my head of the young girl running through long grass at sunny dusk has been achieved on screen and it has been an incredible journey learning every step of the way, staying true to my form and being able to bring yellow dying grass back to life and more poetic than ever before.

Final Experiment Long Grass

To be shown at the screening

SHORT

FINAL VERSION

FINALLY VARIATION II:

Michael Serpell