EXPLORATION PROPOSAL...
I have always been interested in how the media presents information to the public. I want to investigate how the media misrepresents people and issues to force a shared point of view. I find it fascinating, the way in which different media corporation’s depict issues to an audience out of context and state their own opinions as fact, but what I find even more remarkable is the way that audiences accept what they’re told to be truths without question. I would like to explore the contrast between the way that an issue or person is represented by the media to how it is in reality.
My focus and subject matter will be primarily based on movement. I’d like to look into the way that information spreads so quickly today and what people do with information they’ve gained. I want to focus on human beings, and the physical way they move when in different scenarios as well as how they are psychologically affected by the constantly changing representations from the media. Movement is such an important and crucial aspect of life, and while many art forms give a glimpse and idea of what movement might mean, I feel that the only art form capable of truly capturing the essence of movement is film. I have also had a keen interest in the film making process since I was young, so I am relatively comfortable with producing a piece through this medium. I find that almost every person can relate to films in some way because of their power to portray character’s thoughts and relationships with the world around them in a genuine way. I also believe that film is quite unique because it’s a combining effort of many other artistic forms such as writing, photography, music, and sound effects. In contrast to movement, I am also fascinated by the ability to capture a single moment in time and preserve it. A photo can hold onto the past that would otherwise fly by and never repeat itself. I am also amazed at how I can get other people to see something through my eyes and point of view when they look at a photograph I have taken. Cinematographers Philip Bloom, Stuart Dryburgh, and John Guleserian are huge inspirations of mine. The photography of Philip Bloom and John Guleserian doesn’t involve complicated camera movements but the lighting and composition of the shots they both produce are very similar in style and are reminiscent of still photography with the added elements of moving subjects. Bloom and Guleserian seem to take on an observatory perspective that expresses situations as more natural and realistic. In contrast, Stuart Dryburgh has a vast artistic style, which when cut by an editor combines still-like extreme wide shots with extreme close ups in a fraction of a second. Dryburgh’s use of elaborate movements to help an audience connect with his characters is wonderfully unique to him and the specific films he works on. Photographer Andrew Smith’s work inspires me greatly, his ability to capture light in unique ways is potentially something I’d like to pursue in my work. The manipulation of photographs done by artists Marco and Paolo of LSD Photographer, warps the audiences sense of reality and introduces us to surreal ideas within reality. |
Aesthetically, I would like my pieces to provoke thoughts in the audience which make them question the legitimacy of the world around them. To accomplish this I will explore different art elements and principles such as, colour, light, sound, space, harmony, and contrast. I will use colour to create a contrast between reality and the way the media sensationalizes issues by showing an over exaggeration of colours such as bright and saturated while depicting reality’s colours as slightly under saturated and dull. While there will be deliberate aspects of confusion within separate elements of the work, once an audience is able to see the piece as a whole, a sense of harmony will be shown to the audience.
I will explore a range of different filmmaking techniques involving: many different shot types to establish a scene, the use of mise en sccène and all the elements involved within, editing and establishing a fast paced edit, sound and music, and the use of some visual effects. I will also explore the different ways to manipulate photographs, such as cropping, manipulating scale of objects and positioning elements in a scene in an unnatural way. The materials I plan on involving in the process include, cameras, lights, microphones, video editing software (Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects) and photo editing software (Adobe Photoshop), as well as materials to display my work such as monitors, a projector (and objects to project onto. I will opt to use a camera such as a DSLR which shoots video to produce my film, as I have no need to display my piece on anything that requires an ultrahigh resolution. The DSLR also doubles as a stills camera to use for my photographs. I will also use limited lighting sources as I only have access to basic equipment within my small budget. |