Experimental Film - Despair

DESPAIR 

Duration: 00:05:12

After studying photography throughout GCSE and A Level I felt the best way to approach this new medium would be to expand upon a previous photography shoot. For me, experimental film was the best starting point, as it is that closest thing to photography when coming to moving image, as it uses a range of visual arts and techniques. I chose a shoot I was passionate about, which has a good narrative to develop into a short film.

I became very interested in video artists, such as Pipilotti Rist, while studying photography. This helped me when thinking about vantage points and composition. My photography background enabled me to consider visual elements and processes during the filming, I have an understanding of what vantage points work and what should be in frame.

Severe depression can lead to symptoms of psychosis. I wanted to show the hysteria of the mind in the depressed person, and their lack of concentration/confusion of thought. I thought this would fit nicely as experimental film doesn’t tend to have a linear story line. Therefore the flicking between scenes exaggerates the state of the subjects mind.

I used clips of the eye and mouth throughout my film as they often contradict each other. The mouth has the ability to lie whereas, in contrast, the eyes do not. True emotions are reflected in the eyes. I also used water throughout the film to communicate both human emotion, turmoil and the importance of water in life. I thought that this would work well with the despair of the story, particularly the ending.

The film starts and ended with the same clip to show how society keeps turning no matter what happens to an individual. A lot of my photography work is based around society’s perceptions and how this affects us.

I deliberately concluded the film abruptly to encourage the audience to think what happens next. This is emphasised by the music also ending suddenly at its peak.

I used Cyberlink PowerDirector 12 to produce this film.

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TASHA HOLMES EXPERIMENTAL FILM - DESPAIR V2

Psychological Development - Ophelia

In this shoot my intensions were to create a series of images about depression, looking how it affects 

a person, showing how it swallows some one up until that is all there is left, for this I used water as a metaphor.

 I communicated my intensions mainly through the use of a model as psychological is all about effecting the persona of a person. I mostly used poses to communicate my intensions, laying her on the ground as if she has given up.

I took inspiration from John Everet Millais Ophelia, although it wasn’t about depression it was about despair which I wanted to communicate in the shoot. I wanted to create a contempory impression of Ophelia without replicating it. I think the location seems like the person has given up with reality and escaped to hide them self in there own world.

 INSTALLAION

To present my images I decided to make another installation and bring the setting of

the shoot into an exhibition environment.

I wanted to use the natural world to get the viewers mind thinking about how is has been achieved.

 For me with this installation the bigger the better this way people can walk around it, touch it, and even smell it; these all give the viewer a sense of being in the environment , immersed in it.

  

Within my construction I made a peep hole filled with water, fairly lights and images.

Evidence

Psycholgical

 

 

 

For this shoot I wanted to illustrate how people with psychological problems and illnesses feel they are  not socially accepted by society and how that stereotypes from society reflect in their actions. I communicated this through narrative, lighting and subject matter. I used lighting to create a visual metaphor; showing that things are hidden away in the darkness, and part is on show and subject to analyse by viewers. To show how they feel they need to lock their selves away and hide their problems in fear of being perceived as ‘abnormal’.

 

 

 

 

 

Enchantment and Disenchantment

  

 

 

Enchantment and Disenchantment to me is the contrast between something magical and something dark and disturbing. I decided to create living dolls surrounded by toy dolls; I wanted to produce images that were obscure, but not at first glance. I used bright and cheerful visual elements such as colour, texture and tone to do this. I think the bright colours attract the eye into the images but the subject matter and composition leads the eye into and around. A feel of depth within the image adds to this as you find yourself finding new things the longer you look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 BEFORE

 

 

 

 

 For this image I wanted to make it look like they were falling. I thought this would be a good idea

as it would make the model doll like and somewhat fragile.
 

AFTER
 

 

 

I overly edited these images in Photoshop Elements,
 to give a flawless, unrealistic look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSTALLATION

  

 

To present my images I made this Installation, I wanted to make something eye catching that allows interaction between the viewer and the installation. I really enjoy making installations as I think it allows you to use the intentions from the shoot and make them into a really life story for everyone to see.

 

 



Rebellion

 

 

 

 

 

 

My intensions were to show how people shouldn’t be anxious to show who they really are. I wanted to express how barriers that society builds to keep conformity should be broken, and people should be free to be who they want. I decided on my intensions as my chosen key theme in my AS exam was rebellion. I enjoy exploring society within my photography, as social boundaries are something that antagonise me; therefore given my photography depth. This shoot was done in a studio, as I planned to do close-ups this was this best way to get a well lit image.