FINAL PROJECT: MOVING IMAGE ARTWORK
“Behind the Lens” consists of extreme close up shots of insects and plants that were all filmed and edited by me. However the soundtrack used isn’t mine and is under a Creative Commons license from http://ccmixter.org/files/hisboyelroy/430.
The title doesn’t refer to the production behind it, but refers to the subjects that were in fact ‘in front’ of the lens. The reason behind it is because the lens itself was reversed and was left unattached from the camera while filming. The meaning of the video relies on the viewers’ perception, but I intended to make the audience wonder and guess what it is that they’re seeing. Each extreme close ups are followed by shots that are further away from the subject to give a sense of revelation.
IDEAS, INSPIRATION and RESEARCH
My ideas for this assessment consisted of placing a camera inside a box of mirrors with lights leaking in through its gaps and holes, attaching a camera in front of a car and using that footage and alternating it with screen recordings of GTA, attaching a camera to a pole held by a speed skater or attaching a camera on the side of a motocross bike. However they all seemed as if they required a lot of makeshifts and more people in order to execute it properly. So I tried to think of something more simple.
I got the idea of reversing my DSLR’s lens from a friend who finished studying Film and TV at Curtin University. Hearing that it’d appear almost microscopic I was curious and wanted to try it myself. Although there aren’t any specific artists that inspired me, the microscopic photos of sand that I’ve seen on the internet made me want to do something similar.
Honestly all the research I did were on my previous ideas. I didn’t research for examples of similar videos, how to film and what angles and shots worked best for this particular idea. I just went out with a camera and shot whatever that was available at our backyard. When I finally got my shots and was halfway through editing, I realised that subconsciously I wanted my close up shots to appear like the scenes from the BBC documentary, Life.
PROCESS and EXPERIMENTATION
I had problems the first time I tried it because the images were very unclear. I had to set my camera on manual and set its ISO speed to 6400 for most of the extreme close ups in order to clearly see the subject. At first I wanted to do close ups of different types of food but I had to go out to get different ones. I decided to just practice first before getting them. I went out to our backyard to practice on some plants. The images seemed repetitive for having the same colour and almost the same results so out of frustration I decided to film the ground. Then I saw that the grains of soil varied in colour and looked like tiny crystals. So I continued filming different things, pretty much anything outside. I wanted to show the audience ECUs of things hoping that they would appear unusual. And afterwards a more distant shot to reveal what it actually is.
While I was filming, there were issues with rain and the difficulty of maintaing a stable hold on the lens. I had to keep the lens as close and as steady as possible to the subject, which was difficult to do because I had to make sure that I wouldn’t get water into the lens. I was unsatisfied with the shakiness at first but when I viewed it on the computer, I realised that the unfocused edges only made the focused parts more important and crucial - which I liked.
My whole project was based on an experiment. I was pretty much just messing with the camera trying to see what things would look like in ECU. I experimented on leaves, soil, a snail, dead grasshoppers, webs, a cactus and flowers. I liked the outcome so much that I decided to have fun and do a rough edit using iMovie.
After putting them together, I didn’t know what audio to use. At first I wanted to keep the original audio - with rain and birds in the background - but the number of cuts involved and the different sound levels made it seem too distorted and bland. So I looked for nature sound effects and instrumental music. Worried about copyright issues, I chose a moody and atmospheric soundtrack-type electronic track that was under a Creative Commons license. (Non-commercial Sampling Plus) I made sure that the cuts were as synchronised as possible to the beat. I chose this track in particular because it gives the illusion of bringing the audience on a journey. Its fast beat gives a mysterious thrilling feel that I hope is justified by the outcome of the shots.
In the beginning I thought this project was going to be difficult. I tried so hard to think of “unusual ways” to film to the point of trying to recreate similar videos on Youtube, even ones that used GoPros. I found it frustrating. So I tried to take a step back and took Andy and Karen’s advice. I tried to keep it simple and just experimented with a camera. This process was unusual for me because I usually take a lot of time to plan what it is that I’ll be filming, trying to come up with ways on how to make the piece as polished as possible. This time all the worries and stress were off my back and the process seemed more natural and unforced. Taking their advice gave me a lot of freedom during production and allowed me to try different filming techniques. It allowed this project to be so much easier and fun to do. I enjoyed shooting and even surprised myself with how some subjects turned out in ECU shots. It was uncomplicated and efficient.
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