Final piece

Please view here:
http://vimeo.com/32439409

Final Statement

Jenny Hall

http://jenny2809.blogspot.com/

I began by examining our human relationship with nature. Using video in an observational way, I chose to film that which could be argued as Romantic landscapes with aesthetic qualities similar to that of Turner or John Martin. One of the ideas of the Romantic is its overwhelming power of nature. The camera was set up like that of those in nature programs, hidden and camouflaged so as not to disturb the natural flow of the environment.

Video worked well for my piece as my aim was to capture the subtle things in landscape we wouldn’t usually notice, eg a bird flying past or an autumn leaf falling to earth. This relates to Graham Gussin’s “the Fall” in which an object makes impact with a lake on a wide panned out shot of a landscape.

However, I deliberately kept a clue of human presence in the shot, relating to Casper David Friedrich’s paintings. These clues were some stones in the foreground, which at first appear natural, but studying them reveals where they have been shaped by human intervention.  I did not make them the focal point of the shot though; I kept the focus on Nature. The ambiguity of the stone natural or human presence blended the two worlds together, rather than segregating them as the placement of the stones suggest. This hints at the idea that nature and humans share this planet.

The surface of the water being disturbed by rain, or something landing in it, encourages the viewer to look and take the time to notice things. My work aims to make the viewers aware of their own viewing.

Statement Attempt 1

From an observational viewpoint, I chose to use video on what could be argued as Romantic landscapes with aesthetic qualities similar to that of Turner or JohnMartin. One of the ideas of the Romantic is its focal point on what is complex in the world such as the overwhelming power of nature. (Brown,2001) The camera was set up like that of those in nature programs, hidden and camouflaged so as not to disturb the natural flow of the environment

Video worked well for my piece as my aim was to capture the subtle things in landscape we wouldn’t usually notice, eg a bird flying past or an autumn leaf falling to earth. This relates to Graham Gussin’s “the Fall” in which an object makes impact with a lake on a wide panned out shot of a landscape.

However, I deliberately kept a clue of human presence in the shot, relating to Casper David Friedrich’s paintings. These clues included a metal railing, a wooden bridge and a ruined chapel. I did not make them to focal point of the shot though; I kept the focus on natural.  This was done by the surface of the water being disturbed by, rain or something landing in it distorting the image of the human. However, the image of the natural was also distorted, blending the two worlds rather than setting them off against each other. Hinting at the idea that nature and humans share this planet

 Bibliography

Brown, D.B (2001) Romanticism, Phaidon Press

Final ideas for shooting

Being going to Church Stretton to shoot a lake i know of in the mountains. I did this to get a surface area to reflect off of. And cause i know their are details of human presence their that don't take over the landscape like a wooden bridge and some chapel ruins
With it being high up, their was a certain quality to the light as the air was thin. On day of shooting the mist was low so it added to the that quality
I was aiming to blend the two worlds of the natural and human together with the focal point on nature and the power given to nature. I did this by allowing the presence of humans to only be visable reflected on the waters surface. As the water was disturbed the image was distorted. However the image also contained reflections of the surrounding trees, so i a way the two worlds were blended, hinting at the idea that the natural and the human world are all part of the same Earth

Second Tutorial with Michael Day

Summary of Tutorial

More going on in the river shots.Demanding image

Shot of placeswhere not a lot happens

Sun shot too contrasted.not working

Close up of river-reflections on surfaces- reflections of things off screen. Its more like my work.

Reshoot on misty morning? Visuall complicated/ Painterly.

Complex visual image.The undergrowth is all in focus

First river shoot had a bit of railing at the side- hint of the urban which dont dominate the image

film for minimum of 10 mins. 30 is good better to have too much footage than not enough. 30 mins if you want to catch the sun changing angles

Video in real time. Important part is finding the right section in editing

Course of Action Agreed

Keep it subtle. Think about the start and end. As a gallery piece loop it but as a piece of work dont

Footage I have could be complete through editing but be good to keep my approach now ive found it and try shooting different locations

Technically good just need a stable tripod

Get rid of bits that judder, needs to be solid.

Further reading suggested/ Artists referenced

MikeMarshall-photographs of brambles with only one bit in focus

George Shaw-focus on paths that lead to woods. Psychological effect. Woods put there to make urban space nicer. Reality of it is woods near urban space arent nice and are dodgy places

Aesthetically like Turner, John Martin and the textures similar to Monet

Graham Gussin- “The Fall” and his dry ice works

Trying things out

Tried shooting similar stuff "from and observing approach" at different times of day in different locations
One was at night using nightshooting of the entrance to an underground cavern beneath a tree that is supposedly haunted with priests from the days Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.These are known as Priestholes. It was uncomfortable to film and uneasy to watch in play back so i think has more of a prescence than my first shoot. Got some recordings of the rain from this location too

View this here:
http://vimeo.com/32439972


Also shot over a misty river at dawn with birdsong. Got a few different angles of this but not sure about what impact they have

View this here:
http://vimeo.com/32439786

illustration of potential idea