Category: Assignment 2: Creating atmosphere

DVD: ‘Archipelago’ (2010) Directed by Joanna Hogg

Posted on by admin

In the context of my work on assignment two, which focused on the creation of a strong sense of atmosphere and feelings within a short film, my tutor suggested I look at Joanna Hogg’s film Archipelago (2010).

I was impressed by Archipelago, right from the beginning. Hogg’s shooting style is very economic, both in terms of image and sound. Most of the shots are static, wide and lingering. The sound, both ambient and dialogue, is natural, punctuating the silence in which it occurs. It reminded me of the tone and style of the films of Eric Rohmer.

In the opening sequence we are introduced to the location, four of the characters and the family relationship between three of these characters. Within only a few shots, we are taken from the landscape, to a family reunion and to the rented holiday home in which the family are staying. It’s a sequence in which every shot counts and contributes to moving the narrative forward.

                              

Fig. 1.

What is particularly striking about the opening sequence is the way in which Hogg uses long, lingering shots. The film opens on the canvas at which an artist is working, then moving out to show both the artist and the landscape in which he is working, which helps set the geographical context for what follows.

There is then a close up of the artist working his brush in the paints. From there we cut to another view of the location, possibly the road below the artist’s elevated position. A solitary bicycle moves slowly along the empty road. We watch as the bicycle gets further away, while at the same time we hear the sound of an approaching helicopter, which eventually comes into frame in the distance.

In the following shot, the helicopter has landed on an airfield and the passengers are disembarking. One of the passengers is greeted at the gate by his sister and mother. Their dialogue is drowned out by the sound of the helicopter. Instead of hearing their conversation, we watch as the characters greet and embrace each other. Their body language telling the story.

The use of body language continues into the next three shots, as the characters make their way along the road, the young man in the back of a small lorry, smiling at his sister and mother who are cycling behind, smiling back. This joy of this moment is very endearing. The wide shots, although moving, adopt the same pattern and pace as the preceding long, lingering shots.

We then cut to an exterior shot of the two bicycles leaning against the walls of the rented holiday home. This is quite a long shot, in which nothing happens. A single static wide shot of the scene. At which point I got the sense that this was going to be the general style and pace of the whole film.

We then cut to an interior scene, in which the three characters are standing on the upstairs landing discussing sleeping arrangements. It’s an awkward conversation, in which the young man is reluctant committing himself to choosing a particular room. Again, the action unfolds within the frame of a single static wide shot.

Hogg adopts this approach throughout the film; allowing the action to happen within single static wide shots unhindered by the constant cutting from shot to shot that we are familiar with in most films.

After watching the film, I carried out some research in order to gain a greater understanding of Joanna Hogg’s approach to filmmaking. An online search of the UCA Library using the keyword ‘joanna hogg’ provided me with a list of eleven articles, mostly from Sight and Sound magazine, that discuss her three films Unrelated (2008), Archipelago (2010) and Exhibition (2013).

Hogg’s approach in Archipelago is one in which the artificiality of shooting master and coverage shots for a scene is removed, leaving the viewer to watch the action within the frame unhindered by the usual conventions. In an interview with Graham Fuller for Film Comment, she says: ‘I don’t like to repeat a scene from different angles. I’ll do a primary master shot, so to speak, but then I don’t want to then re-create artificially with a close-up what I’ve just managed to capture very naturally’ (Fuller, 2014).

Hogg goes on to say that ‘it’s also about my interest in body language. The movement of a body in space often tells you more about a person and what they’re feeling than a close-up. I think you feel more by seeing things from a certain distance’ (Fuller, 2014).

This is an interesting idea and one that places the viewing experience of the film in a similar sphere to that of watching a stage play. Watching the whole body moving in the space in this way on screen, in a single wide shot, uncut, was unexpected and a little strange to watch at first. However, it soon became apparent that watching this film was meant to provide the audience with a different viewing experience than they would be familiar with. The long wide-shots and lack of close-ups contribute to that experience.

Of Hogg’s cinematic style, Jonathan Romney says: ‘the still camera and long takes create a sense of analytical detachment, but this is countered by a lovely looseness in the dialogue. We feel we’re spying on real people with their defences down’ (Romney, 2010:27).

Another feature of Hogg’s film is its visual texture. The characters are framed in a ‘downbeat natural palette [and] the house’s aquarium-like grey-green semi-darkness matching the tones of the surrounding country’ (Romney, 2011:49).

I was interested to discover that art is an important influence within Hogg’s work. Archipelago is ‘distinctive in its interiors, echoing the paintings of Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershoi. His muted, claustrophobic rooms provide models for images such as a shot of Edward at Patricia’s bedside, head turned three-quarters from the camera, daylight touching his neck – a concise picture of intimate desolation’ (Romney, 2011:49).

Fig. 2.

Vilhelm Hammershoi used a limited colour palette of greys, desaturated yellows, greens and other dark hues in his paintings. His pictures record the simplicity of everyday life. The figures are often turned away from the viewer.

Fig. 3. ‘Interior in Strandgade, Sunlight on the Floor’ (1901)

Fig. 4. ‘Interior with Woman at Piano, Strandgade 30’ (1901)

I’m also interested in Hogg’s very different approach to screenwriting. She says: ‘the writing I do is not conventional screenwriting. I have endless notebooks on the go and rather than translate these into a neat screenplay, which would kill my ideas stone dead, they get poured straight into the film as it is being made. This is via a document that reads more like a piece of prose or fiction, illustrated by my photographs’ (Hogg, 2011).

While I like the idea of preparing a ‘document’ based on endless notebooks and illustrated by photographs, I think I’ll still go that one step further and write a screenplay which then becomes the blueprint for a moving image.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable film and the research I have carried out in response has given me the confidence to look beyond the obvious and conventional. Joanna Hogg’s approach to filmmaking is definitely one I will consider when planning my own moving images – the notebooks and illustrated ‘document’; looking at artists for inspiration; and cinematic style.

References

Archipelago (2010) Directed by Joanna Hogg [DVD] UK

‘Interview: Joanna Hogg’ (2014) Fuller, G. In Film Comment At: https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/interview-joanna-hogg/ (Accessed on 15 August 2017)

Hogg, J. (2011) ‘A very ordered image’ In: Sight and Sound 21 (3) p.49.

Romney, J. (2010) ‘The Scilly season’ In: Sight and Sound 20 (11) p.27.

Romeny, J. (2011) ‘Island records’ In: Sight and Sound 21 (3) pp.48-49.

 

List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Archipelago (2010) Directed by Joanna Hogg

Figure 2. Archipelago (2010) Directed by Joanna Hogg

Figure 3. ‘Interior in Strandgade, Sunlight on the Floor’ (1901) Vilhelm Hammershoi

Figure 4. ‘Interior with Woman at Piano, Strandgade 30’ (1901) Vilhelm Hammershoi

 

A2: Tutor feedback and thoughts

Posted on by admin

It was very heartening to see that my tutor enjoyed the film and that it answered the assignment brief in terms of creating atmosphere.

This assignment seemed fairly straightforward, in that it asked me to choose an everyday scenario and an atmosphere or mood and to create a short film in which to represent it. I chose ‘walking the dog’ as my scenario and ‘solitude’ as the mood. In practice, however, making this film was much harder than expected, and I think my tutor’s feedback highlights the main problems with the film that need addressing through further investigation and reworking in order to make a film that demonstrates a better sense of my personal moving image voice.

Interestingly, my tutor suggests that ‘there are signs of a film that could develop into a more interesting short in its own right’. This was not something I had considered, as I was too focused on creating a film that fit the brief of an ‘everyday scenario’, such as walking the dog, with a running time of no more than 3 minutes. I see now that I had inadvertently placed restrictions on my creative vision before I had even started. Instead, I should, as my tutor goes on the say: ‘see if you can push the film further to contain evidence of your personal voice, some ideas that you may want to investigate through the medium or a stronger sense of narrative.’ I particularly like the notion of using the film medium as a way of investigating ideas. This is a challenge I am more than happy to accept as I move forward on the course.

 

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

My tutor makes several specific points about both the strengths and weaknesses of the film in his feedback.

Section 1: 00.00.00 – 00.00.43

 

‘This section works really well. The cuts between the sound of the road and the desolate seascape is jarring and engaging. There is a sense of a journey without really knowing what the purpose of it is. It offers the potential to be read in different ways, a simple journey to the seaside? Something darker or more ominous, soul searching, suicide? This mystery adds to the sense of atmosphere that you have created.’

I’m pleased that my tutor liked the way in which I had edited the sound and picture in this section. That it can be read in different ways is great, as I was hoping this would be the effect here. I wanted to create a sense of mystery right from the start and it seems to have worked as intended. I suppose the question now is: how far do I want to push the film? Suicide was never a consideration. But soul searching is a good idea. It would be interesting to see how darker and more ominous I can push it, should I take it in that direction.

Section 2: 00.00.44 – 00.00.58

 

‘This shot where the main protagonist is gazing out to sea is a really important one. It tells us that this person is thinking about something, again heightening the sense of mystery but also means that we start to care about her and her motives. How deliberate is the pace of the hand lifting to shield the eyes? I like the fact that it feels deliberate and acted but if this is not your intention be careful.’

The pace of the hand lifting to shield the eyes in this section is very deliberate. I wanted to show the character thinking about something, not yet revealed. I directed Nessa to raise her hand after a few moments so as to shift the emphasis from her thinking within the landscape to her looking at the landscape; to indicate a ‘movement’ from inner self to outer self; the landscape within us to the landscape outside of us.

Section 3: 00.00.59 – 00.01.07

 

‘This moment is important to the flow of the film because it is the moment where the atmosphere changes from dark to light, the sense of foreboding that you have so far created is shifted to a simple dog walk. It is for this reason that you might want to think about about lingering on the car for a little longer. The dent in the back by the light adds another possible reading, has she just been in an accident? Has this something to do with what she is about to do? It is really important to be in control of these small details because the viewer, almost subconsciously, picks up on these things and it can add or distract from the way the work is read.’

It’s interesting that my tutor identifies this shot as the one in which the atmosphere changes from dark to light. Although I hadn’t been thinking in these terms while filming, I knew it would be a pivotal image in the overall sequence of the film as it shows the dog for the first time. Also, I hadn’t thought about the small details and the need to control them as my tutor suggests here. This is something I overlooked and I will need to take tighter control over this when planning the mise-en-scene in future films. Although the car is old and has suffered a few knocks over the years, I liked that it was blue and would add to the colour palette of the film. Since shooting this scene, our much loved blue car has died and been replaced with a newer car, so re-shooting this part of the film is no longer an option.

Section 4: 00.01.08 – end

  

‘For me, it is this section that needs more work. Once we have established that this is a dog walk, what would you like the viewer to think? If it is simply celebrating this activity then maybe the sound should return to something more like reality? I guess the main problem with this end section is that it is not clear what you are intending to achieve with it. The hand held shot of the character works well in terms of the feel that you create at the beginning of the film but is at odds once it switches to the more playful second section. The shot of the tennis is ball is visually nice but how does it add to what you are trying to tell the audience?’

My tutor has identified a major flaw in the final section of the film that needs fixing. Interestingly, this clarifies the gut feeling I had while editing the footage; that there was something missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I see now that the film just fizzles out. The sense of mystery and foreboding that runs through the start and middle has dissipated, leaving the ending ‘at odds’ with the rest of the film. Rather than trusting that gut feeling and going with the flow that something needed fixing, I settled on an ending that is far from perfect. The result is a film that does not really work as a whole. I need to rewrite the end section, perhaps by giving it a less ‘playful’ feel and focusing more on the mood established at the start of the film. I also need to re-think what I am intending to achieve with the film, carry out further investigations into the ideas such as ‘solitude’, ‘inner-self/outer-self’ and the correspondences between ‘human’ and ‘nature’, and the re-shoot the end sequence.

 

Suggested Reading/Viewing

My tutor suggested I look at the films of Joanna Hogg, and at Archipelago in particular, as it relates to the atmosphere, pace and feel of this assignment film.

See post of 15 August 2017: ‘Archipelago (2010), dir. Joanna Hogg’  http://petersalisbury.com/movingimage/settingthescene/archipelago-2010-joanna-hogg/

 

On Reflection

On reflection, I don’t think I was was clear in what I was intending to achieve with the film, and particularly in the final section. In light of my tutor’s comments, I am now asking myself what was I ‘trying to tell the audience’ in this film?

This raises an important question as to how I move forward as a moving image practitioner and use the medium of film in creating an art work. I think the answer lies in the point made above about how I need to spend more time thoroughly investigating ideas through the medium of moving images and developing a stronger sense of narrative in the work I produce.

A2: Summary for assessment

Posted on by admin

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’

Posted on by admin


‘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.