AnaStef
Planning :
Watchers is to be my first sound film. It is also the first large recording project involving actors, location and story planning. The idea is to construct formations of a straight standing group of people, silently staring into undefined space.
My intention is to focus a camera onto passing public and their reactions when they encounter a strange formation of people. The plan is to move the recording set from the park into an alleyway and, finally, to a very busy location with lots of rushing people.
The day of the recording :
All weather reports are predicting rain all day. Adopting emergency measures: we are going to need lots of black umbrellas.
Watchers 5min 35 sec
It is the afternoon. Rain didn't stop. Streets are empty, There are no passers-by in the park. Despite having umbrellas, my volunteers, the actors, got cold and tired. I am learning rapidly how hard it is to organise a professional film recording. The camera had to focus only on the actors due to lack of passing public. They became living sculptures, being placed standing around various locations. They are a sturdy group of strange figures with black umbrellas fighting the rain and the wind.
I need to shorten the route and change the initial plans as it is very cold and wet.
Reviewing the recordings:
I am discovering some unanticipated but very powerful moments by seeing little clues of possible, new directions that this film could take. I resign my initial plans and adopt a new direction.
New recording on a very sunny day :
There is a slight wind in the air today. I will record the effects on trees. I will expose my scarf to it and catch its movement as it fights the forces from nature.
Editing:
I cut the clips, I line them up and multiply them. New layers are forming over the old ones and a new construction appears. The result of layering of close-ups over the frames from the distance suggest presence of many people, and visual movement in different directions is giving the impression of being within the crowd. Close-ups are revealing very serious faces while other clips are concerned with stillness of live sculptural formations.
Film:
The opening viewing scene is as the observer was resting laying on the ground , watching the sky and the wind playing with the leaves and tree branches. The association with childhood innocence comes to mind, supported by time slow down created by visual movement.
Next, slowly, the red scarf appears. It is moving graciously, beautifully while being exposed to the wind, and trying to withstand the violent forces. However, despite the hypnotic visual effect, a feeling of the upcoming threat starts to creep in. Formations of strange, live human sculpture forms start to appear. Slowly, the film turns black and white. Camera comes close to record the faces. It is almost an attempt to create little intimate moments with the strange people. Who are they? Why are they standing in this formations? Why are they still?
I am noticing interesting outcomes that are arising from the unexpected sources like stillness.It is producing almost threatening stand off, confrontational and possibly furious activity.
Once the camera gets close to the ordinary everyday faces, any created tension goes down for a moment. However, stillness and steady seriousness quickly take over once more. Use of the colour or the lack of colour helps to create a similar feeling.
By the end of the film, every action is resolved and only the still red scarf remains. Slowly, colour returns to the rest of the frame and with it the cycle is complete. The use of the colour red is an obvious political reference, however the attention is focused more on the active human presence.
After this project, certain working methodology starts to take the shape.:
Firstly, I learned to be more comfortable to start visual investigations and research after identifying only broad interest and ideas. I recognised that too much planning at the early stages could almost become a disadvantage. Spontaneous observations and discoveries have proven to be more fruitful. Finished idea will only take shape after the review of recorded material and editing process. This will also require lots of freedom in the way it is being executed. I am not following professional editing norms as I am treating the process as if I am physically moulding the object (based on Graham Harman proposal) . I layer and overlap the frames as if they are strokes of pain to create new possible situations. I look to create a satisfactory and aesthetically pleasing composition, but also for the sense of intimacy, emotion and possibly the point of view.