Prompt 1 – Films
Film 1
Film 2

Prompt 2 – Text 

My short film will open with old home photos and videos of myself and others as kids. The idea will be to capture the childlike innocence and freedom of being a kid, before things like self-consciousness, judgement, expectations etc begin to change who people are. 

The bulk of the short film will be more focused on the audio, with stories of shame and judgement being read, paired with visuals of individuals in crowded trains, rooms, footpaths etc. The idea here is to create a jarring contrast between the joy shown in the images of our younger selves and a certain isolation and closed-off-ness that comes with being aware of how every action of a person is perceived by others, in the case of what I want to film, those others are strangers. I am debating whether or not to interview someone in this middle section or have someone do a drastic (harmless) stunt in public to wrap up this second act. I also have had the thought of making the second act faceless, for the purpose of showing that “veil” of shame and hiding one’s identity behind a mask/wall. 

The purpose of the third act is to bring a bit of hope back into the picture, with a focus on healing your inner child, and having fun with people who want to see the fun side of you. This sequence would be a flurry of images of friends and family paired with more hopeful music. This is so that the film does not end on a super low note, and is more focused on how to shape your future to re-experience the best parts of the past. 

Prompt 3 – Text – 500 words

In the two micro-films I made, I did almost no practical filmmaking, but there is a reason behind this. A large chunk of my piece is going to be focused on using old videos and photos to create a nostalgic feeling, and I wanted to focus my energy on practising editing in a way that I could achieve this. The intention in the first piece is to make a first draft of an intro for my final piece, in which the imagery captures childhood innocence before things shift in teenage years and adulthood. One of the very first readings this semester, from Rasacaroli L (2019) states that “an essay film makes an argument”. I think this is one of my key takeaways from the semester thus far, and will reflect in my final piece, which will make the argument that the feeling of being a kid doesn’t have to disappear when you stop being a kid.

In regards to other learnings from the assigned course readings, my takeaway from Richter H (1940) The Film Essay: A New Kind of Documentary Film was that the essay film format allows filmmakers more freedom to explore ideas through a mix of representations, from realistic to allegorical, providing a richer artistic palette. This format could attract young filmmakers, who might find it more rewarding to engage with thought-provoking content rather than conventional feature films, thus contributing to film as a more profound art form. I’m not entirely sure if this also counts as a reading so I am taking a bit of a risk, but the screenings of Do You Want to Go for a Drive (2016, Gallagher), and The Gleaners and I (2000, Varda), provided essential insight into the different ways essay films can be made, and inspired me to take a different route with my final piece than a standard documentary format (which even I find can be boring sometimes). 

In terms of the in-class filming we did, although this may seem like a small thing, the practising with a camera and getting a variation of shots reminded me to have variety in the things that I do capture in my final piece. The filming under the advisory of Rohan Sprong, in which we filmed a mid shot, and a variety of close-ups helped me practice having to figure out a shot on the move, that creates diversity on screen, without ever breaking the world that has been created within the film. The things we shot during that class are also very similar to what I want to capture for the second act and bulk of my final piece, which will be individuals in public spaces, surrounded by people, and yet still isolated. What I am trying to achieve through what I film in these parts is a sense of isolation in a crowd, which almost every person has ever felt, but it is near impossible to describe.