Category: Assignment 1: The clothes film

Video art by Lucy Purrington

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My tutor suggested I look at the work of Lucy Purrington, in particular at the way in which she uses humans within the landscape.

I began by looking at her video MVI 1893. The video opens with an outdoor shot of a grey, concrete surface. After a few seconds, a hand slowly crawls into shot from the right of the frame. The fingers move across the surface of the concrete, dipping momentarily behind a ridge in the ground, before slowly crawling back out of shot leaving an empty frame.

Fig. 1. Lucy Purrington (2017)

At first, I wasn’t sure what this video was trying to do. So I watched it again, looking for any distinctive patterns or ideas within the video. This time I saw what appears to be quite a clear ‘narrative’ in the way in which the hand moves across the surface of the ground. The hand crawls into shot, finger tips feeling the concrete surface; the hand rolls over on its back, again feeling the surface of the ground; the hand briefly claws at the ground, before forming a fist and thumping at the hard surface. It’s as though there is a change of emotion here. From benign and inquisitive to anger. The hand then spreads out its fingers, its palm slapping the concrete surface. Another change of emotion, perhaps frustration. The hand claws at the surface again, before dropping out of sight behind a ridge in the ground, leaving an empty frame.

I also noticed that the shot had been carefully framed so that the hand appeared in close-up, moving roughly in proportion to the rule of thirds. Which produced a satisfying composition. I was also more aware of the audio track, which is simply an ambient recording of the landscape in which the camera is set. We hear birdsong and the sound of the hand as it moves across and interacts with the landscape.

Fig. 2. Lucy Purrington (2017)

I then found another video, 29 03 17 1 overlay, in which she overlays several different ‘hand’ videos, including MVI 1893, over a shot of an empty area of ground. Interestingly, having just seen the previous video, this one made more sense on first viewing it.

What I find particularly interesting about her approach in these two videos is the way in which she has set up the camera to record a single, static shot, in much the same way a photographer would capture a still image. This is not something that would immediately occur to me as a videographer used to capturing a narrative through action and movement. It has certainly opened my eyes to the possibility of using the video camera in a different way than I have been used to so far.

What these videos have also shown me is that video art requires a different way of interacting with the moving image. Watching Lucy Purrington’s videos required me to find a way of observing her moving images that was different to that of watching a film in the cinema, for instance. It also required several viewings in order for me to appreciate the full picture. In some ways it was like watching a play by Samuel Beckett. This was quite an eye-opening experience.

References

MVI 1893, Lucy Purrington (2017). www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMx5cRAAzDg (Accessed on 10 April 2017)

29 03 17 1 overlay, Lucy Purrington (2017) www.youtube.com/watch?v=6srXHLvxEGE (Accessed on 10 April 2017)

 

List of Illustrations

Figure 1. MV 1893 (2017) Lucy Purrington

Figure 2. 29 03 17 1 overlay (2017) Lucy Purrington

Reflection on tutor report for Assignment 1

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I was very encouraged by my tutor’s feedback on Assignment 1. The comments were very helpful in highlighting both the strengths and weakness of my current filmmaking practice.

During the editing process I was concerned that I had found an effective structure for the film, so I was pleased to know that the narrative structure worked well and that the film flows from shot to shot without any obvious technical problems. I was also delighted with Matt’s comment on my use of the terms ‘identity’ and ‘place’ instead of ‘character’ and ‘location’ in my description of the film, as I had made the conscious decision to talk in these terms. Matt’s comment that, in describing it this way, I had set the film within a context outside of straight narrative fiction has helped put into words something which was only a hunch for me at the time.

Matt’s comments on my use of the forest for a setting and the need to employ a rigorous research ethic as I move forward in my studies on the course was also very helpful. Taking my film as an example, he suggests I should explore and reflect upon the cultural meanings a forest might hold and the different ways in which artists and filmmakers use the forest in their work. Developing a rigorous approach to research is something I am particularly keen on doing, for both practical and intellectual reasons. I have already found the guidance within the course documents helpful in this respect, particularly the section on visual research, contextual research and critically-informed practice in the OCA’s student guide Introducing Learning Logs.

Several aspects of the film were highlighted for improvement. In particular, the relationship between character and location. I had been aware this might have been a problem while filming, but, at the time, wasn’t sure on how best to approach the relationship between ‘identity’ and ‘place’ / ‘character’ and ‘location’ in a non-narrative, poetic form. Of all the aspects of making this film, this was probably the most difficult one for me to get to grips with and put into practice. In his comments, my tutor says the film portrays the forest as a placid location and asks whether I could have included different, more detailed aspects of the forest to set my character against. Which makes sense and offers a practical solution to my feeling that the film was not working as well as hoped. He also encourages me to adopt a bolder approach to my filmmaking in order to help get my meaning across more effectively. He also points out that he was left wanting to know more about the character in the forest, about his motives and relationship to the forest. Questions that would have been resolved for the viewer had I created more shots showing the character’s relationship with the forest.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten to include a link to my learning log in my assignment submission, so Matt was unable to make any comments on how well I was doing in the areas of coursework, research and learning log. This was a significant omission on my part, as I was keen to know how well I was doing with this and to be sure I was on the right track at the start of the course.

Action Points

Matt’s comments have highlighted two things I need to work on as I move forward with the course:

  • the need for me to step out of my comfort zone and move away from the generic techniques of the corporate short
  • to adopt a rigorous research ethic to help inform my creative practice as a filmmaker.

Suggested reading/viewing:

Michael Rush, Video Art – gives a wide overview of the ways in which different moving image practitioners are working.

John Smith, ‘Dad’s Stick’ – investigates the identity of the artist’s father through a playful description, both with image and text, of specific everyday objects.

Cindy Sherman – her film stills series is a great project that investigates the identity of characters within the Hollywood film genre.

Lucy Purrington – student at the University of Wales who is making some interesting work using humans and landscape in an interesting way – www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMx5cRAAzDg

Pointers for next assignment:

  • Investigate a wide range of moving image practitioners work

 

Reflection: Assignment 1 – The clothes film

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The assignment brief required me to make a short film about the identity expressed by the clothes people wear. In response to this brief, I decided to turn the camera on myself and shoot a short non-narrative, poetic film. The item of clothing selected was a blue fleece jacket and the setting was a forest.

In preparation for this assignment I looked at three contrasting representations of clothes and the roles associated with them:

  • The Stanford Prison Experiment, a simulation of prison life conducted in 1971 at Stanford University.
  • Cindy Sherman’s ‘Doll Clothes’, a repeating animated sequence in which a paper doll (a photographic representation of the artist) comes to life and poses in a paper dress.
  • Roman Signer’s performance related work in which hats and sheets are propelled into the sky and allowed to fall randomly back to the ground.

I also looked at abstract and associational form in experimental film, which alerted me to some of the ways in which experimental filmmakers use abstract patterns of theme and variation or disrupt narrative in their films.

Having carried out this initial research, I began preparing for making the assignment film by making notes on the theme of ‘identity and place’, in particular how human identity relates to the natural environment; the purpose associated with the blue jacket within this idea; and the use of colour and sound within the context of the film. I also drew sketches illustrating how some of the shots would work and looked for a flow in the way the film would develop.

Although I made a few sketches showing the placement of figures and objects within the frame and looked at the flow of the film, I decided not to prepare a full storyboard, as I wanted to leave enough room for spontaneity when filming myself in the forest.

However, I don’t think I had the appropriate practical skills to make an experimental film in the way I had hoped. Having read about abstract and associational form outlined in Film Art: An Introduction, I felt inspired to make a non-narrative, poetic film. However, putting these approaches into practice proved far more difficult than anticipated.

Although I have no experience in making non-narrative, poetic films, the filming process went quite well. Capturing a mix of handheld shots of trees, boots, mud, etc., and static shots of myself in the forest meant I was able to create a film that went some way to being an effective response to the assignment brief.

Turning the camera on myself for the first time, though very unnerving at first, worked well once I entered into the spirit of the challenge and thought less about filming myself and more about capturing footage of a figure in the forest.

The editing process worked well, both in terms of picture and sound. I began by assembling a rough cut using more shots than I knew I would actually need. This initial edit was sequenced roughly in accordance with my original notes and storyboard. Then, much like a sculptor works away at a block of wood or stone to reveal their carving, I shaped the film by removing unwanted shots, and trimming and moving the remaining clips into the final sequence. This organic approach to editing seemed to work quite well within the context of making a non-narrative poetic film, as I was able to assemble a first draft quite quickly and then work away it until I found a fairly tight sequence that flowed throughout the film. I also felt my approach to layering and mixing the sound tracks worked well. Mixing the three layers (the original audio, the birdsong wild track, the music) together helped create an effective soundscape within the film.

What I have learnt from this first assignment is that it is possible to turn the camera on myself and make a short film. It required overcoming a degree of self-consciousness to do this. Although it did not require any acting skills on my part, it did place certain constraints upon the way in which I made the film. Particularly in terms of camera technique, such as realising when it is and isn’t possible to use the camera handheld, or exposing, framing and focusing the shot when I’m not behind the lens.

Creating a short non-narrative, poetic film in which I turn the camera on myself is quite an achievement for me. And the all important first step on my journey in creating both non-narrative experimental and narrative films.

 

 

A1: Summary for assessment

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The idea of making a moving image that in some way related to a sense of ‘identity’ – qualities, beliefs, personality, looks, expression – that make a person (self-identity) was a daunting prospect. Although the topic of clothes provided an accessible way into the theme of identity, the challenge was to find a topic through which this theme could be explored cinematically.

The aim behind ‘Blue Jacket’ was to explore the relationship between ‘identity and place’. Using this topic enabled me to express the role and purpose behind specific clothes and a particular environment in which they might be worn. In ‘Blue Jacket’ I wanted to show how human identity often pales into insignificance when seen in comparison to the planet upon which we walk. A solitary figure in a blue fleece jacket walks through a forest, dwarfed by the trees. Even the upturned roots of a fallen tree are taller than the passing figure. The environment, a forest, puts human presence in perspective on the planet.

 

Poetic Form

I decided to turn the camera on myself and attempt to shoot the film in a non-narrative style. I hoped to achieve this through the use of colour, composition and movement – both camera movement and movement through the frame. For example, the contrast in colour between the blue jacket and muted forest colours through which it moves; handheld shots from the viewpoint of the figure alongside static shots of the figure moving through the landscape. Although there is a beginning, middle and ending in the sequence of shots, the aim was to produce a poetic feel. Rather than telling a narrative story, it captures a non-narrative, poetic moment.

 

Sound

There are three layers of sound within the film: (1) the original audio recorded with the picture; (2) the birdsong; (3) the music.

The first layer of sound provides the sound originating in the scene, such as footsteps, sporadic birdcall and other general sounds within the forest. This track was left in-situ to provide the natural sound for the film.

The second layer of sound consists of a louder, more emphatic level of birdsong. On hearing a cacophony of birdsong from a nearby group of trees, I turned on the camera and recorded a 60 second wild track, knowing this would be perfect for a bed of sound running through the full length of the film. This track was layered above the first to enhance the overall audio environment portrayed within the film. I decided to fade this track in just before the picture and music begins to provide a sense of things to come. I also decided to fade this track out just as the picture fades to black, to reveal a single birdcall, recorded on the first layer of sound.

The third layer of sound is the music. For this track I selected a smooth, flowing, ethereal piece of music, to add a sense of mystery and awe within the film.