Throughout
this module I have learnt many different transferable skills as well as
developing my initial idea to produce a very suitable way of putting across my
feelings and beliefs. I initially had two proposals; I chose to focus on the
one that I believed I was more passionate about, the metal work brief. My idea
has been influenced and has changed somewhat in a positive way, naturally
changing the idea that I had initially.
Having
worked in the metalwork industry for over 5 years on and off, I really wanted
to praise the skilled craftsmen and the techniques that they are still
utilizing in small forges around the UK.
As the
narrative progressed with my idea, I decided to focus on a certain aspect of
metalwork in particular instead of praising the industry as a whole; this
seemed more suitable as well as being more manageable. For my first shoot, I
went down to the forge and began to take some establishing/ experimental shots.
This enabled me to learn about the lighting and best places to set up the camera;
this also helped my subject matter to get used to the camera being in this
intimate place for them. It was very important that the subject was relaxed and
comfortable with being filmed so that I got more impacting and natural video
footage, audio and still images.
As
previously mentioned, I decided to focus on one aspect of the forge. I thought
of the best way of deciding what to focus on and chose to ask the owner of the
forge what he thought. The owner of the forge, being a subject in my final moving
time based piece was very enthusiastic about a certain piece of machinery,
which he had recently acquired. This seemed like the perfect thing to focus my
video on. The piece of machinery we chose was a late 1960’s metal working
lathe.
In
terms of the aesthetics of the video, I decided to research such photographers
such as Jasper White and Tom Hunter who I knew had similar looks about their
work, this really helped me to realize that everything doesn’t have to be well
lit and bright. From this research, I decided to do another shoot, to see what
the outcome was after my research into several influential photographers/
videographers. In the second shoot, I also wanted to focus on the audio to go
with the final video footage. Initially I had never thought about using a
separate audio recording device however once I trawled through the first shoots
footage, it became apparent that the audio wasn’t of a high enough quality.
Audio was a very important part of the overall meaning of the video as it progressed;
it was the engaging and interesting part that coincided with the visual. I wanted
the listener to become emotionally engaged with what the craftsman was saying
which in turn would help to document my initial idea, the praise of skilled
craftsmen and the techniques that they are still utilizing. With this all in
mind, I decided to borrow some recording equipment from the media department,
this really helped me to separate the audio from the background noise and
helped to isolate the information that the subject was telling us. This was a
worthwhile thing to do in the end and I believe that it has helped to give the
final video more of a professional quality. The research part of the
assignment, which ended up being an ongoing part of the project as it
progressed, was an interesting time and the photographers and information that
I read will stay with me to further inspire and influence my future work.
I
wanted to capture the dark, dirty atmosphere that the craftsmen work with in
the forge and consciously decided to photograph using the natural light
available helping me to portray to the audience exactly how the man in the
video see things through his own eyes. The calm humorous vocals in the
video are a contrast to the dirty exterior of the machines and the man working
them. This contrast is backed up with the passion and knowledge of what the
skilled craftsman says, again juxtaposing the dirty decaying machines. One
thing that I like about the final video is something that I wanted to
incorporate in the final piece from the beginning; this is the humour in the
forge. From working in the forge, I got to know the men who worked there and
the humour that keeps the team going sometimes. I wanted to really put this
across in the final video but didn’t know how to do this. It eventually
surfaced when the man in the video, Phil Gannon, brought humour into his speech,
as I expected he would. Towards the end of the video, Phil’s flow is disrupted,
this is when he starts to talk about how metalworking has changed and how the
new computer operated machines work. This is my favourite part of the video
because you can really hear the passion and sadness about how the work that
they are doing is rapidly declining and how the new machines and techniques are
taking over. This links me my belief that many other photographers who document
the industrial society are literally just documenting the decline whereas I set
out to praise the work that is still being done, as it would have been many
hundreds of years ago.
I want to talk about how my video has changed from my
initial idea of just a sequence of events that shows the making of a product
from the raw material. Around half way though the project, I realised that I
was in fact getting involved in the video by asking questions and connecting
with the subjects, this is when I realised that the project had become of a
documentary style. I was no longer taking a back seat and just recording the
series of events. The video became more about what Phil had to say instead of
the creation of the product. This completely changed my idea and I am very
happy that this happened because it has now opened a new path for my future
work. I now know more of what my style is about and I feel much more passionate
about my documentary work.
Another
thing that I would like to talk about is how I made the final video, using only
video footage. I initially wanted to use primarily still images however after
the first shoot, the footage that I gathered was extremely engaging and looked
similar to the works of Jasper White with a similar lighting to images from Tom
Hunter. This was a big change from my initial idea and I believe that this
format change has created a more engaging and beautiful documentary.
In
terms of me blogging my research, I have been very proactive with my approach,
trying to keep up with putting down my ideas and thoughts. I have blogged about
relevant photographers, and also about theories and ideas. In the past my blog
has been neglected however because I have been really interested in my subject
matter, I have found it easier to read around relevant subjects.
Overall
I am very pleased with how the project has gone and am grateful for the
learning curve that I have been on with my own documentary style, it has really
helped to define my practice as a photographer. I have attended 100% of the
lectures/ seminars which ahs enabled me to gather the most research and
feedback about my project as it progressed. Through thorough research, I was
able to focus my own ideas whilst being influenced by other photographers who
have done similar projects to that of mine. Another thing that I happy that I
have been able to fulfill is that I have made progress on another assignment
through this module, I have read more books and have practices with video/
moving image. Both of which are targets from my PDP (personal development
plan), which I have wanted to focus on for some time now. The transferable
skills that I have learnt in this project will also further define my
professional career, I now feel very confident with video and will defiantly
continue working on this in the future. Also, editing skills and software
skills that I have learnt throughout this assignment will stay with me forever.
The final video is better than what I expected and I especially like the
passion and emotion within it as well as the humor that I really wanted to
incorporate into it. I know now that I will continue to pursue the praise of
the metal working society throughout my photographic career and believe that this
is a stepping-stone in my path to defining my own documentary style.
