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.