After watching our PB3 portraits in our workshop, we split into groups and discussed our reactions and thoughts. I will be making “green hat” comments because its my favourite colour and I feel that alternative solutions and seeing other wise of doing things is great for learning and improving. “Red hat” thinking comes most naturally to me and what the we are feeling is central to what the film is trying to say.

Adrian Lapiz

He established a good relationship with his subject Brandon, defining him as a “distant” but fascinating person. His use of colour and and lighting was very distinctive he says he “turned up the contrast and the brightness.” His use of stock footage was very well implemented and it related to his metaphor of building boxes.

Green hat: I would have made Brandon’s voice as loud as Adrian’s for more balance.

red hat: This made me feel inspired and intrigued by the architecture.

Blair Conway

As usual Blair takes a more interesting alternative approach to his briefs. His use of rainforest stock footage created an appropriate serene mood as his questions were more abstract and emotional. Also it linked well with his setting as he shot in the backyard lawn.

black hat: don’t tell death jokes. good music more questions

Blair said that his subject wasn’t as confident on camera and was an emergency step in. So I thought his approach was good in not making her too on camera too much. The clips of her dancing and moving showed her quirky side without it being too explicit.

green hat: He could have asked more questions

Matthew Duong

Matt’s introduction was very good in showing his subject in their natural setting. His symbolistic use of stock footage was great in creating meaning for example to represent his subject’s relationship with her pets he showed baby lambs and their mum.

His final shot of Tina and her husband cuddle on the couch all made us go “aww” and summed up his theme of love and care.

green hat: I would have added an emotive turning point about something in Tina’s past or had something about her husband for more depth.

red hat: His portrait made me feel very happy and reminded me of family values.

Eloise Large

She had excellent use of stock footage which conveyed deeper meaning and added to her subjects emotive story. Particularly the discussion on gender binary where she had a drawing of a man and a woman in chalk (stock footage).

Eloise had good lighting and composition creating a formal interview style.

Her use of POV in showing the process of graphic design added variety to her shots.

red hat: I felt that she did a fantastic job in subtly touching on a bigger issue by intertwining her subject’s story with her struggles with gender and her outlet in creating art.