I’ve been trying to make a revised version of my film since the New Year using new footage shot, but with no success. On the point of abandoning the project as a lost cause, three ideas suddenly free things up. I find these inspiring pieces of work by Kathleen Herbert and Antoine Cordet and a conversation with a friend reminds me of another piece of work I saw in the summer by Yuri Pattison.
A shift in mind-set, seemingly subtle, but crucial to me; I’m making a collage NOT a film, even if I am using film techniques!
Start again.
Simplify, so restrict things to a few techniques – cropping, simplification of colours, unexpected transitions. The footage falls into natural groups – landscape, architecture, speeding colours – and it feels apt to use different techniques for each to emphasise their specific characteristics. This new approach feels rather like painting – with the computer rather than a brush!
I realise it’s essential to organise the footage well – invaluable when you need to find something later.
Now I’m at the point where I have my clips and know the approaches I want to use. But arranging the material into a final cut is another thing. What seems to work is reflecting on the next possible move before making a decision and actioning it in Adobe Premier. The process feels more like a considered game of chess than a race to get to the finishing line, but something interesting does seem to be emerging.
Longer term, I think the film footage can be used to make real, physical collages that condense multiple shots into a single picture, perhaps taking inspiration from Cordet to obscure sections of the image with paint before drawing in new definitions.
More about my work: my website – twitter feed
My other blogs: project survey – the alternative gallery – inspiration
