Through my experimentation last week, I wanted to explore more deeply within the theory of Defamiliarization. I wanted to find ways to present every day objects, or at least objects or structures that I come into contact with every day, through fresh eyes. I particularly wanted to bring out the poeticism of these things (in this case a sculpture in the main courtyard on campus). Instead of viewing the structure as you normally would, or rather portraying it that way through static wide shots and little use of involved camera angles, I chose to show close up of its corners. I wanted to capture the movement of the various pieces of the sculpture amongst eachother. Most importantly there has been an emergence of the nautical in my piece as I work on it, so showing close ups of water droplets were key. I also filmed in slow motion. This gave the illusion of large structures moving slowly, as perhaps sails billowing or ships gliding along the water. When the text mentions "tyrants", I shot from an upward angle, making the structure seem imposing and looming. When the voiceover addresses the lack of food and water, we see the raindrops slowly gather and fall.
As a practical note, I am still learning how to properly color correct and to balance the sound. I don't have any experience in these areas so I'm figuring it out as I go along. I'm hoping once I learn a little bit more about how to properly do audio mixing, I can come back and clean up the audio track.
The text that I had chosen to accompany the images is an actual letter from one of the convicts that was transported from Ireland to Australia. He was writing home to his parents about the horrid conditions of the voyage, and I wanted the shadows and grey color scheme, and the slow somber music, to convey this weight and sadness that he undoubtedly felt as he left his home forever. Leaden Hearts Experiment 1: https://vimeo.com/302313358
