Month: July 2017

Screening: ‘Out of Body’ – Irish Film Institute, Tuesday 25th July

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Last night I attended a screening of nine experimental films from 1943 to the present day at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin. Curated by Irish artist and filmmaker Susan MacWilliam in response to the exhibition As Above, So Below: Portals, Visions, Spirits & Mystics currently showing at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Out of Body presented a selection of films that explore the psychic and physical spaces of body and landscape.

The theme of ‘physical spaces of body and landscape’ is of interest to my own practice as a filmmaker, particularly in light of my first two assignment films ‘Blue Jacket’ and ‘Ataraxis’, in which I was exploring ideas of person and place, though not as effectively.

The nine films screened, of which only Maya Deren and John Smith were names with which I was familiar, were:

Psychic Edit, Susan MacWilliam, 2008, Ireland, DCP, 14 second looped

Witch’s Cradle Outtakes, Maya Deren, 1943, USA, Digibeta, 10 minutes

State of Mind, remix #4, Mairéad McClean, 2005, Ireland, DVD, 10 minutes

Faint, Susan MacWilliam, 1999, Ireland, DCP, 4 minutes

The Black Sea, Jordan Baseman, 2010, USA/UK, Blu-ray, 3 minutes

Mountain Mist, Susan MacWilliam, 2002, Ireland, DCP, 8 minutes

Om, John Smith, 1988, UK, 16mm, 4 minutes

Ray Gun Virus, Paul Sharits, 1966, USA, 16mm, 14 minutes

The Last Person, Susan MacWilliam, 1998, Ireland, DCP, 11 minutes

Although the ‘psychic’ aspect of the theme of last night’s screening doesn’t resonate with me as a filmmaker, the nine films were excellent examples of experimental moving image practice between the 1940s and today. Using a variety of techniques, the films challenge our perception of the physical body and physical place/landscape.

One particularly interesting technique that figures in many of the films is the use of repetition and pattern. For example, the 14 second looped Psychic Edit (MacWilliams, 2008) establishes a pattern of images that repeats over time, building into a repeated extended sequence of family footage and a woman’s smile; a female figure repeatedly fainting beneath a tree in Faint (MacWilliams, 1999) establishes a pattern of movement and action that builds into a mesmeric, trance-like sequence; the single-shot of moving waves in The Black Sea (Baseman, 2010) generates its own graphic repetitions and patterns which, over time, appear to take on the appearance of a living, breathing form; and, by contrast, the highly charged sense of pattern and repetition that is established in Ray Gun Virus (Sharitts, 1966) exerts a strange hold over the viewer in a trance-like retinal experience that seems to engage with your own body in a way that none of the other films do.

In Mountain Mist (MacWilliams, 2002) the use of time and space plays a key role in the film’s structure and form. In a single-shot, in which the camera is locked down on a view of a mountain side covered in trees, space remains constant throughout, while time is manipulated through the use of time-lapse. We see birds flying, mists dispersing and rain storms passing in real-time, intercut with changes in the landscape such as clouds passing, fluctuations in light, and a sunset, in time-lapse.

Some of the films have no sound attached to them at all, such as Witch’s Cradle Outtakes (Deren, 1943) and The Last Person (MacWilliam, 1998). As a result, the absence of sound places all the emphasis on the visual experience of watching the movement and action within these two films. Even to the point that you become more acutely aware of the sound of your own body in the silence of the room.

To see these nine films in their original formats as they were intended to be viewed on the cinema screen was a real treat. Particularly, the 16mm prints of John Smith’s Om (1988) and Paul Sharits’ Ray Gun Virus (1966), which I now realise is a rare privilege.

This screening has left me with plenty of food for thought. Once again, as with my discovery of Vivienne Dick’s work a couple of weeks ago, a whole world of moving image practice has opened up for me.

References

As Above, So Below: Portals, Visions, Spirits & Mystics, Exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, 13 April – 27 August 2017

Faint (1999) MacWilliam, S. http://www.susanmacwilliam.com/faint (Accessed on 26 July 2017)

Psychic Edit (2008) MacWilliam, S. http://www.susanmacwilliam.com/psychic-edit (Accessed on 26 July 2017)

The Black Sea (2010) Baseman, J. http://www.jordanbaseman.co.uk/the-black-sea (Accessed on 26 July 2017)

Ray Gun Virus (1966) Sharits, P. https://vimeo.com/17173209 (Accessed on 26 July 2017)

A2: Summary for assessment

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My staring point for this moving image was the sense of tranquility I often feel when taking the dog for a walk. Working with the theme of identity and place, my aim was to make a moving image that explores solitude in a hyper-connected world, in which humans are constantly ‘plugged-in’ to their social setting.

Adopting a more poetic feel than a straightforward narrative, the film depicts a character’s journey from the distractions of everyday life to the tranquility of the beach where she finds refuge.

I used a range of techniques, including natural light, colour to create mood, the rule of thirds when composing frames and a mix of static shots and handheld camera movements.The choice of shot was influenced by Doug Aitken, whose ‘Black Mirror’ gave me the idea of the close up shot of the woman profiled against the side window of her car.

I think the film goes some way to achieving my aim of creating a mood through the contrast between the busy urban landscape and the open space of the beach.

Cross-cutting between the motorway and empty beach, the engine noise and silence of the landscape works well. As does the shot through the windscreen as the car moves onto the slip-road, suggesting the transition from urban to natural landscape.

The range of shots and their juxtaposition with each other works quite well. For example, the contrast between close up on the character in the car and the extreme long shot of the beach; and the mid shot of the woman standing on the beach succeeds in showing the visual relationship between character and landscape.

I successfully managed to isolate the actor within the landscape, as the beach became increasingly busy as the morning progressed. Finding angles in which people, children and other dogs were not in shot was important and required moving the camera to achieve the shots wanted.

The sound effect of the curlew call makes the shot of the bay feel more three-dimensional.

A number of things did not work. The opening shot of the motorway would have been stronger if it had been filmed in the middle lane during rush hour with more traffic, constant stop-starting and red break lights creating a greater sense of stress at the start of the film.

A major failing was the inability to achieve a shallow depth of field in the close ups and medium shots. Even though the camera’s inbuilt ND filters were on full, the sunlight on the beach made it impossible to set the aperture below f8 to achieve the effect I was looking for.

I also think the second part of the film feels too static.

Several things did not make it into the final film. For example, none of the other ideas relating to tranquility, such as the lake shore, library or cathedral. I had also planned to use music, but felt the contrast between natural sound and silence worked better.

Influenced by Vivienne Dick’s ‘Felis Catus’ (2016), I had intended a shot of the sleeping dog at the start of the film. But did not feel it was necessary to preface the film with this image. I was also in two minds about adding a voice over constructed out of quotes by writers, similar to Dick’s approach in her latest film ‘Augenblick’ (2017).

I have learned that getting it right in pre-production is key to a film’s success. That visual storytelling begins with a story I believe in. I’ve learned how to use sound effects within a sequence, but that in using silence (no audio) can be effective too. I’ve also learned the importance of using tide tables and sun direction when planning a shot, and how to use colour in a moving image. I have learned that different shot types can be used to manipulate audience engagement.

There are a number of things I would do differently next time. I would spend more time generating alternative storyboard images and ideas, however odd they may first appear and not stop when I think I have finished exploring. I would be more prepared to be playful in the early stages, doodling with ideas, creating sequences of images and re-imagining them. Also, if making a poetic film, follow a more association of ideas approach in much the same way as a poet works, rather than being literal.

A2: Creating atmosphere – ‘Ataraxis’

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‘Ataraxis‘ (2017)
Running Time: 2’ 14″

Camera:  Sony PXW-FS7
Lens:       Sigma Art 18-35mm f1.8

Brief:  Create a short film with a strong sense of atmosphere and feelings.

  • Choose an everyday scenario and an atmosphere or mood in which to represent it.
  • Storyboard a short sequence.
  • Include diegetic sound and music or any non-diegetic sound.

For this assignment I decided to take the everyday scenario of someone taking the dog for a walk and the mood of tranquility in which to represent it. My initial response to the assignment brief was to create a straightforward linear narrative showing a character leaving the house with her dog, walking along the pavement to the park, where she plays with the dog, before returning home again.

I started out by looking back at the work of two moving image practitioners whose work I had been inspired by on the course so far, Jonas Mekas and Doug Aitken. I particularly liked the way in which Jonas Mekas captures everyday situations in his film ‘As I was moving ahead occasionally I saw brief glimpses of beauty’ (2000), a film diary spanning thirty years, in a blur of images, shifts of thought and bits of music. Combined with his gentle, meditative narration, the film has a very poetic feel.

By contrast, Doug Aitken adopts a more cinematic approach in his films, which are often designed for multi-screen installations in galleries. What I particularly liked about ‘Black Mirror’ (2011), for instance, was the way in which Aitken explores the alienation of people in non-stop motion, through the fragmented stages of the character’s journey.

As a result of looking back at these two films, I decided to adopt a more poetic approach to my assignment film rather than follow a straightforward narrative.

I began brainstorming ideas based on tranquility. First by recalling places where I felt tranquil, such as lakes, cathedrals, libraries and beaches, which provided me with a range of possible locations for the film. Then by playing with the idea of solitude and its various manifestations.

During my research I discovered a recent article in the online edition of The Atlantic magazine by Brent Crane about the virtues of solitude, which offered an interesting view on the benefits of solitude in today’s hyper-connected world.

Logbook 2, pages 169-170

 

Logbook 2, pages 171-172

I also liked the look and sound of the word ‘ataraxis’ (meaning ‘to be free from stress; serene’), which I discovered while brainstorming ideas around the mood of ‘tranquility’. It was a word I had never heard of before and thought it might make a good title for the assignment film. So I decided to re-imagine what I had found so far with the word ‘ataraxis’ in mind.

Logbook 2, pages 175-176

As a result of this research, I decided to make a film that depicted a character’s journey from the distractions of everyday life to the tranquility of the beach where she finds refuge.

This gave me a vague sense of how the story might flow. So I went on to make a preliminary list of shots for the film. My aim at this point was to create a sense of the character leaving the urban world behind and seeking refuge in the natural world. So I decided to start the film with the character driving on the motorway and then cut to her arriving at the beach and playing with the dog.

   
   
‘Black Mirror’ (2011), Doug Aitken

An early sequence in Doug Aitken’s ‘Black Mirror’, in which the Chloe Sevigny travels by car through the desert, provided me with a template for the opening sequence of my film. In particular, the close up shot of the character profiled against the side window of her car and the shot with her reflection in the rear view mirror.

Part way through preparing for this assignment I went to an exhibition of Vivienne Dick’s films at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. What I found particularly interesting about her work is the way in which she uses the spoken word, often constructed out of extracts from texts by writers and philosophers. I was fascinated by this additional layer of sound, particularly in her most recent film ‘Augenblick’ (2017) and thought I would try this for myself. Drawing from a number of quotations by several writers and musicians talking about the importance of silence I had found on Austin Kleon’s blog, I constructed a short piece of text and recorded it.

Although I decided not to use it in the film, it was an interesting part of the process and is something I may return to again in the future.

The final stage in preparing this assignment was the storyboard. In preparing the storyboard I considered such things as shot type (ELS, LS, MS, CU), what should be included in each shot and what should be excluded, the composition of each frame in accordance with the rule of thirds, and the juxtaposition of shot types.

 

Logbook 2, pages 203-204

As part of my pre-production planning I checked out the high and low tide times for Dublin Bay. As I was looking for a vast expanse of beach, I decided to shoot the beach scene at low tide on Sandymount Strand, which is located on the south side of the bay overlooking the Poolbeg power station chimneys. I knew this location would provide a wide expansive landscape looking out across Dublin Bay.

 

Evaluation

I think the film partially achieves my aim of creating a mood of tranquility and depicting the character’s journey, mainly through the contrast that is established between the busy urban landscape and the open space of the beach.

The cross-cutting between the motorway and the empty beach, the noise of the engine and the silence of the landscape works well. As does the shot through the windscreen as the car moves onto the slip-road which suggest the transition from urban to natural landscape. The range of shots and their juxtaposition with each other also works quite well.

For example, the medium long shot of the character standing on the beach succeeds in showing the visual relationship between person and landscape.

I also managed to successfully isolate the actor within the landscape, as the beach became increasingly busy as the morning progressed. Finding angles in which people, children and other dogs were not in shot was important and required moving the camera to achieve the shots wanted. The character in profile in close up on the beach was lit with the sun to one side of her, giving her a rim light around her face and hair. Adding the sound effect of a curlew calling makes the shot of the bay feel more three-dimensional.

However, I don’t think the film works as well as I would have hoped. Although the tranquil mood is seems fairly clear, there are a number of things that did not work as well as I would have hoped. The opening shot of the motorway through the windscreen, for instance, does not have as much visual impact as I would have liked. Driving in the inside lane creates a visually weaker image compared to driving in the middle lane. Neither does it match with the third interior car shot, in which we are in the middle lane. The opening would also have been stronger if it had been filmed during rush hour, with the higher volume of traffic, the constant stop-starting and red break lights creating a greater sense of stress at the start of the film.

I also think the second part of the film is too static, compared to the movement in the motorway sequence. In retrospect, I think it would have been better to show the character walking the dog along the beach. This would have been an ideal opportunity to employ the subjective POV technique.

    

Cutting the shot of the character walking on the beach in half and inserting a handheld subjective POV shot of the dog and her view of the beach between the two new segments would have helped draw the viewer into the mind of the character.

A major technical failing was the inability to achieve a shallow depth of field in the close ups and medium shots. I was unable to achieve a shallow focus due to brightness of the direct sunlight on the beach. Even though the camera’s inbuilt ND filters were applied at their full 1/64 setting, this was still not enough to get the aperture down to f4 and below to achieve the effect I was looking for. Purchasing a set of ND filters for use in a matte box will prevent this occurring again in the future.

Several things did not make it into the final film. None of the initial ideas relating to tranquility, such as the lake, the library or the cathedral were used, as they did not seem relevant once I had decided on using the beach as the setting.

I had also planned to use music in the opening scene on the motorway and over the final closing shot. But in the end, I thought it interfered with the diegetic sound and the silence. In the final edit the contrast between natural sound and silence worked better.

Influenced by Vivienne Dick’s ‘Felis Catus’ (2016), which starts and finishes with shots of a cat sleeping and washing itself, I had intended to include a shot of a sleeping dog at the start of the film. But when editing, I did not feel it was necessary to preface the film with this image.

I was also considering adding a voice-over constructed out of quotes by various writers, similar to Vivienne Dick’s approach in her latest film ‘Augenblick’ (2017). Again, I decided against using this as I wasn’t happy with the resulting text and recording.

Although the finished moving image does not fully realise my vision for this assignment, working on this film has been a fascinating and rewarding experience. It has shown me that getting it right in pre-production is key to a film’s success, and that visual storytelling begins with a story I believe in. I’ve also discovered how easy and effective it is to add sound effects to a sequence, but also that using silence (no audio) can be effective too.  I learned how to look for ways to use colour in a moving image and that the different shot types perform specific functions and can be used to manipulate audience engagement. I also learned the importance of using tide tables and sun direction when planning a exterior shots.

There are a number of things I will do differently next time, such as spending more time generating alternative storyboard images and ideas, however odd they may first appear, and not stopping when I think I have finished exploring. I will also be prepared to be more playful in the early stages of developing ideas for moving images, and doodling with ideas as I’m drafting and re-drafting sequences of images for the storyboard. Also, if making a poetic film, I will try to follow a more association of ideas approach in much the same way as a poet works, rather than being too literal.

Exhibition: ‘Vivienne Dick, 93% Stardust’ – Irish Museum of Modern Art, 16 June – 15 October 2017

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Vivienne Dick, Augenblick, 2017, Production still, HDV, 14 mins. © Vivienne Dick.

‘For Dick, the title of the exhibition 93% STARDUST, suggests that we are moving into a new age, following the age of Enlightenment, where man is no longer the centre of the universe’ (Exhibition Guide, IMMA).

Yesterday I went to the ‘Vivienne Dick, 93% Stardust’ exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Vivienne Dick is an Irish artist and filmmaker, who was a key figure within the ‘No Wave’ movement, a short-lived avant-garde scene in the late 1970s in New York, led by a collective of musicians, artists and filmmakers including Nan Goldin, Lydia Lunch, Arto Lindsay, James Chance and others.

The exhibition at IMMA presents some of Vivienne Dick’s early Super-8 film works from late 1970s New York, including Guérillère Talks (1978), Staten Island (1978), She Had Her Gun Ready (1978), Beauty Becomes The Beast (1979) and Liberty’s Booty (1980), alongside her recent film works The Irreducible Difference of the Other (2013), Red Moon Rising (2015) and Felis Catus (2016) and the world premier of her latest film Augenblick (2017), which was made while on IMMA’s Residency Programme earlier this year.

Having never heard of Vivienne Dick until now, this exhibition was a wonderful discovery. Her New York films focus on female sensibilities. Guérillère Talks, for example, presents a series of portraits of women associated with the ‘No Wave’ music and art scene. In Liberty’s Booty, Dick makes use of real-life footage, personal testimonies and acted-out scenarios in a film which examines the commodification of the female body through the perspective of prostitutes. Filmed in Super-8, these early films have the look of home movies, with the grainy picture, rough sound and handheld photography we associate with home movies.


Images of exhibition courtesy of Irish Museum of Modern Art

In her latest film, Augenblick, ‘different realities, seemingly disconnected, flash by, from an imaginary virtual world to a frozen landscape’ (Exhibition Guide, IMMA). From Jean Jacques Rousseau ranting about society, to three female actors recounting the story of human beliefs in animism, God and the digital world through quotes from Rumi, Harari, Gramsci and Hildegard Von Bingen, to the same three women chatting spontaneously around a table.

There were a number of things I particularly liked about this moving image. Such as the way in which she blends acted-out scenarios, unscripted conversations and landscape images together in the film; her use of lines quoted from older texts; and the moments of silence interspersed with 18th century music. All of which helped to give the film an organic, spontaneous feel. Techniques which I shall explore in my own moving image making.