Self Portrait

‘A day in the life’

For my self-portrait I decided to film ‘a day in the life’. This consists of my walk to university, the sights I see on the way, the people and the all-round journey. I chose this particular subject because coming to a new university means a significant move to a new town, further, opening up to new experiences. I wanted the end film to mirror what I see through my eyes on my journey. My aim was to take the audience through their own journey but from my point of view, this led me to explore and research raw film types.

I decided to shoot my film with handheld shots, this enabled me to portray a raw documentary feeling implying that I, the camera operator, am involved in the scene. Rather than the audience feeling like they are just watching the action I aimed to get them involved in the action. A positive of this is the fact I had no restriction in my filming, however, if I had used tripods, dollies, jibs or Steadicam I would not have the effect I wanted. I got this idea because I took inspiration from the film The Blair Witch Project, 1999. The film was made with a shaky camera, this had a significant effect on the viewer as it seemed like uncovered documentary footage which the audience is watching back. “The style is exemplified in films from documentaries to Avant-Garde to big budget Hollywood movies. Since its rise in the 1950’s, it continues to be trendy to this day.” (Scott 2014).

The transition I used for the Self Portrait is the cut, a very popular one used frequently in all media. “It can be defined as an instantaneous change form one shot to another.” “It is not consciously noticed by the viewing audience. It is transparent. As a result, it is the one transition that the audience has grown to accept as a form of visual reality.” (Thompson, 2009: 76).

In order for the transition to work I ensured there was a change of impact in each shot/ scenery. For each stage of the journey I filmed a separate view of location which allowed me at the editing stage to distinctively chose the differing shots. The audience can then be shown new information leading my journey from my point of view. The composition of the shots prove to be visually pleasing to the eye, each shot displays a different one. This encourages the viewing audience to search for new information in the new shot, engaging interest throughout. However, too much change in composition can be confusing to the eye, a subtle change means the viewer does not notice.

Overall, the finished artefact offers an insight into my daily journey to university, showing the viewers a glimpse of York centre and going through the day as if they were in my shoes. The effects which I have displayed keeps the viewers in control, as though they are walking through the film with me.

References:

Thompson, R. and Bowen, C. (2009) Grammar of the edit, 2^nd edition, Oxford: Elsevier.

Madeline Scott. 2014. Taste of Cinema. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/15-important-films-shot-with-a-hand-held-camera%E2%80%8F/ . [Accessed 5 May 2017].