https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRBaykxoFt4

 

 

Jem Cohens captures human interaction with the everyday on film. Traces of human behaviour, left objects, background noise, walking, driving, sleeping etc. everyday acts in which we overlook.

I resonated with this film. To me it captures the poetic quietness of everyday  existence in the world. The idea of capturing ephemeral moments of time passing but turning It into something material that lasts forever, a concept in photography used in a video aspect.

Oct 27, 2020

 

 

 

Continuation of my interest in hands within film. This train station (a place of goodbyes) scene in Cinema Paradiso, as he says goodbye to his family members to then never see them for a very long time, in which he knows this – to start his career in becoming a director. The movement of the hands are documented; this attention to detail here shows a feeling of melancholy, tenderness in this bittersweet goodbye.  We are able to tell apart the characters from their hands, their age and their relationship to the character. I think it is powerful to portray these things without showing any of the characters faces. The just essence of the goodbye.

Oct 27, 2020

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qssvnjj5Moo

In this scene I felt a tenderness. I plan of projecting my videos onto a sheet and re-filming this. I was inspired to re film the videos as they are projected as I like the idea of a video playing within a video, which happens in this scene.  The video the character shows gives relates to my ideas, slowing down, appreciating the overlooked and documenting the transient quietness.

I am attracted the how hands can show tenderness, The hands of two young people in comparison to Ga’s hand. How much hands can tell you about how a person feels in a moment is something I’m interested in documenting within moving image.

Oct 27, 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h4k0DIu0lI

 

This film really resonated with me. The scene when Ga’s hands are filmed as she struggles to open a sweetie, made me personally feel nostalgic. I remember my grandmother used to have her purse filled with the same sweets. This film makes me feel a warmth and tenderness, which portrays Ga as a person. She is patient, the sweet keeps sticking to her fingers and the packet yet she is taking her time to gather the sweet to the tip of the packet  to then eventually get the sweetie in her mouth without getting too sticky, An act portrayed quite stressful and frustrating to others; is contrasting with the calm and quiet of Ga. She is slow and gentle, in this close up, her hands are old and fragile, the slow, softness of the video matches this.  I thought Tait’s attention to the little poetic details of Ga inspiring, a sweet sense of familiarity.  Something I want to do In my own videos.

Oct 27, 2020

 

Oct 27, 2020

 

Another study on using close friends as a subject. I am sure of the fact I am drawn to open space and water. A hazy feeling of melancholy, sentimentality and details within landscapes. Looking for quietness within places.

Oct 27, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am interested in the human impact on a photograph, hints of life in surroundings, documenting traces of someone who was there, a feeling; an essence of human life. I first wanted to try out photographing close friends as a way to get more comfortable with portraits, a medium I usually avoid due to feeling uncomfortable.

As Susan Sontag says in Susan Sontag on Photography (1977) “to photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them they can never have”

Oct 27, 2020

Research further into open space and landscapes. This specific image I liked because I captured movement. I felt this picture also had a hazy spell,  due to the blur it’s not clear –  capturing more feeling than a still image, but I can imagine this being more successful in video form.

Oct 27, 2020

 

 

Some landscape photographs. I like the idea of overcast, gloomy settings they personally give me a melancholy bitter sweet feeling. A theme I want within my videos, these are some test shots as research to figure out where resonates the most for my video making.

I usually set out shooting with no expectations as I find my best work is made when it is not over-planned.  I usually stumble upon things I find interesting and this is where I find most of my inspiration for things.

Oct 27, 2020

 

Oct 27, 2020