During our time in workshop early in week 3, the class was introduced to Afraid So, a 2006 piece directed by Jay Rosenblatt. Constructed from a series of clips which all appeared to be found footage, the short film was an intense accompaniment to a poem that although previously read was otherwise of little impact and memorability to myself. Yet, the unusual pace of the editing in Rosenblatt’s rendition, extended pauses in visual stimulus, and confrontational nature of the shots provided in tandem with an emotionally charged reading of the poem not only captured my attention but also left a lasting impression.

The exploited footage presents essentially as a series of observations of varying character, nature and purpose that are contextualised both by the poem but also largely by each other. This montage lead me to realise the potential for a documentary observational style to be manipulated so that it may function in a non-documentary manner. By this I mean to say that an observation may be re-contextualised so that it may adopt an alternative purpose which may not have otherwise been evident. This may derive perhaps from the invitation of emphasis upon elements of an observation that may otherwise not have been subject to such, or it may operate in a more literary sense by establishing potential functions, symbolisms and psychological undertones as underpinning factors.

I am aware that such is not a new thought or approach to observations or making media, and such approach has been particularly common in experimental cinema for a very extended period of time, however a more targeted and purposeful awareness and acknowledgement of the technique has invited me to realise the importance of nuance in how an observation is translated and the capacity for redefining the subject of observation by the particular emphasis on a certain element that may be achieved in re-contextualising an observation. I hope to attempt to apply this realisation in the future by taking greater care in production and explore the potential of composite pieces that address several observations so as to lend greater ability for varying appreciations of written pieces.