Essay Film
The concept of this Essay Film is the relationship between the cost-of-living crisis and the record-breaking profits of big banks and mining conglomerates. Silas and I searched through the newspaper, stumbling across the ASX 200. The idea expanded as we made the link between this table of companies, their numbers, and ultimately the housing and cost-of-living crisis.
Technically, the sketch consists of one newspaper scan, some pictures of houses, and an audio track. The latter was played over a black screen, melancholic (if not accusatorily) in tone, it reads profit statistics over the last year or two, acting to expose the profits of several leading banks and mining corporations. The first half utilises only the initial newspaper scan, zoomed in to obscure the table’s structure and encourages the viewer to inspect the image for more information. The mid-point-change begins with a short pause before the speech continues to read out statistics, this time, about house and rental prices, homelessness rates, and wage increases; this was spliced in between images of several houses (which were placed according to the speech). The editing allows viewers to make certain deductions about what is being said. From a newspaper slapping sound, to a small highlighter effect, the images between the black screen create a sense of urgency and transforms the sketch into an exposé of sorts, exposing the disparities between corporate profits and salary rises. I do think that the final sketch is slightly more complex than a “proof of concept” but isn’t massively hindered by this fact.
Socially, the sketch went well. Silas and I collaborated to develop the concept. I edited the sketch while Silas did the voiceover on a better microphone for production quality. I did struggle slightly with the editing as I wasn’t too confident in making a decision without prior communication. Typically, with group work, there’s several frontiers to get through in order to make a decision though, despite this lack, I think it will better enable viewers to create certain connections.
Live Action
The theme of my live action media sketch was regimentation, routine, and schedule. Initially, I intended to use visual performance to complement the audio elements. However, this approach didn’t fully meet the task’s requirements and was too time-consuming to execute. I instead decided to think beyond my idea of “performance art” and explore a more abstract representation of “regimentation.”
I started by contemplating different ways to convey routine, patterns, and memory, which eventually led me to the concept of a puzzle—a metaphor for how we, as humans, fit into predetermined spaces. To build this puzzle, I repurposed an old film theory reading about writing on film, specifically about the process of evaluation (much like what I’m doing here). I flipped the paper over and drew rough lines to cut into puzzle pieces. After cutting them out, I set up a small tripod for my phone to record the assembly. Despite not being parallel with my surface, the setup captured the entire process. I recorded myself completing the puzzle, which took about two minutes. As I reviewed the footage, I considered when to cut the start and finish. The original clip fit with the theme of regimentation, but I wanted to introduce a more cynical tone. To achieve this, I spliced in an image of a “the power of positive affirmations” printout throughout the video, creating an overbearing presence that reflects how external forces impose regimes on us. The final sketch, titled One Mighty Puzzle, became a metaphor for the task itself, challenging the conventional definitions of “performance”.
Although there were minimal social engagements beyond in-class discussions, the sketch did make a broader social statement. It suggested that, whether through societal norms or psychological conditioning, we are often forced into specific “boxes” that create pressure. These boxes could represent the rigid boundaries of what is considered performance art or broader societal expectations. Ultimately, the concept highlighted how our minds are regimented, and how society evaluates and categorizes everything—often in ways that may not always align with the true nature of human experience.