Andreas methods 29-05-19

Final Project Account Description

Link to the short film The Gifted Horse
Password: applaus

The short film with the title The Gifted Horse was shot in September 2018 and edited until January 2019 for the screening at the EYE Amsterdam. It is five minutes long, has 5.1 Surround Sound and is being screened in FullHD. In terms of film genre, it probably would fit best into the genre of the Drama. The visual style is low-key, black-and-white, sometimes also showing grain and light leaks that were very present during post-war cinema. The sujet is the portrait of an actress that is representing the German actress/singer Hildegard Knef. The short film links in some scenes to the cynicism usually present in film noir during the post-war realistic period. Since the actress is recalling her career from a modern perspective, the post-war era is being contrasted by using an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is representative for the nowadays cinematic context. The only sound throughout the film is a combination of slow-paced classical and ambient-electronic music. More specific, the film is accompanied by the song A Pledge, that was composed by the French musician Mike Lévy, professionally known as Gesaffelstein and was released in the year 2015. With its estimated 95bpm the track is comparably slow, leading the viewer unagitated through the story. The whole film was shot in 60fps and is played back in half-speed, slowing down all movements.

The project started with a commission by the theatre Ingolstadt. The task was to create moving image visualizations for the theatre play So oder so based on the life of Hildegard Knef. More specific, the set consisted of a wall of 14 CRT-screens and one projection on the back wall in the middle of the set. Working together with Johanna Rafalski on this commission we developed abstract imagery that would not distract from the actresses play on stage. Being fascinated by the potential that the acting inherited I wanted to create my own piece of work visualizing Hildegard Knefs life. I used one of the first days shooting with the actress Victoria Voss (playing Hildegard Knef) to gather footage not only for the commissioned backdrop, but also to record my vision for a potential short film. The decision on the light setup was influenced by following factors:

1. Based on the fact that I could not bring external lights on my journey I had to solely rely on the lights that were available at the theatre
2. Due to lack of time working together with all participants I had to be quick in setting up the light. That is why I decided for a simple light setup beforehand.
3. The setup is largely inspired by the famous Screen Tests of Andy Warhol. The exploration of magical and aspirational glamor and the gaze struck me as well as the desire to capture the act of role-play itself.

The editing process was a very intuitive one. I went through every take, made notes on the takes I liked the most, brought everything together in a timeline and created a rhythm. Adding music halfway through the process helped staying in rhythm.

Working together with Victoria Voss was a very professional undertaking since she has a professional background. She attended Circle in the Square Theatre School New York, received academical training at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover and – after several engagements in cities like Zürich, Bonn, Erfurt and Berlin – she is now acting at the Stadttheater Ingolstadt. After a short introduction I briefed her on my ideas for the filming. Hereby I find it very important that everyone on the set can bring in ideas as well and that it is not a fixed and closed endeavor. Costume and Make-Up have been briefed before arrival so they already had everything prepared and Victoria was ready to perform straight away. The shooting itself was separated in two parts: the portrait shots have been done at an empty space in the wardrobe department outside of the theatre. For the shots in the hallway we had to drive to the theatre itself. After a few test shots to rearrange the lights we started with the actual shoot. We agreed on going through the various stages of Knefs life: childhood, growing up, attending art school, fighting tor her wish to attend drama school, falling in love, hiding out in wartime, being imprisoned, continuing acting on a bigger scale, travelling to the United States, dealing with scandals, self-doubt, courageously carrying on, and much more. While the camera was rolling, I told her in which stage of life she is in right now. We started slow and then picked up the pace later on. To further immerse the feeling in her role I played back music with the matching tonality. I tried to do as little remarks as possible to not interfere with her acting, but sometimes I directed her to sharpen the emotions.

My criteria for success or failure was the question if I can transport the feelings of the actress to the viewer properly. I think it is best to explain this with one example:

Sequence from Minute 01:56 to 02:19

In the next cut the back of the actress can be seen, moving further down the hallway, advancing with great strides. The camera is travelling with her in a tracking shot to illustrate the memories that chase her. A backwards played hi-hat with long delay is supporting the scene cut. Her hair is illuminated by the light of the camera and is waving with the big steps that she is taking. It is not completely clear where this scene is taking place. Is the memory of the backstage of a theatre melting with memories of air-raid shelters? Is it a film set? This shot serves as a tunnel in time. She reaches a heavy door and leans with the left of her head against the metal to listen for sounds in the room behind. Is she waiting for a sign? Waiting for the stage manager of the theatre to call her out? The marks on the door contrast her sophisticated look. After a short pause she opens the massy, gray door and confidently steps into the room behind. The camera now stays in place and her silhouette vanishes in the dark room, while the door is about to close again. The camera is not able to cross the border. She is crossing a space, overcoming fear. This points out one of her main characteristics: the courage to move on whatever happens (Fig. 1). As she is stepping through the door, the chord progression of the main notes are changing to promote her decision to step forward into the vast uncertainty.

An unexpected outcome of the piece is the fact that my second edit became the final edit. After consulting Tina Bastajian and attending a group-crit with my second edit of the film, the main feedback was mostly concerned with the modern music in contradiction to the story that is set in the past. I got the advice to try using music from Hildegard Knefs time being active in the showbusiness. After doing seven different edits with various scores and songs from known and unknown composers of the 40s to the 00s, it never corresponded with the mixed feelings that the film should convey. A few examples on why the used song works perfectly on the buildup of the story: The warbling piano synth is subtly added in the first scene, building up more and more to hypnotize the viewer together with the actresses gaze.
At 01:38 the background synth has risen to its peak of progression and is falling back again, subversively mimicking the sound of a bomb alarm.
01:56-02:19 As she is stepping through the door, the chord progression of the main notes are changing to promote her decision to step forward into the vast uncertainty.
03:39-03:57 One note is played on the synthesizer, while its pitch is rising, creating a haunted feeling, coating the other instruments further and further. As she looks back again once more, she is starting to run, accompanied by the waving instruments.
The decision not to listen to the overall feedback and to return to my initial second edit might have been surprising to some people, but it endorsed me to listen to my guts. Especially after it has been well received by the majority of tutors.

A big possibility for the future is to research metaphors in storytelling. It is interesting to see how intuitive analogies can be brought into a film: The slight usage of 16mm footage being a literal transition between the past and the now. The authoritative quality of a Talking-Head Shot being used to empower the dramatic tension of the scene. Her face and emotions being confined in an oppressive frame that forces the viewer to identify with her and eventually build up empathy. The actress searching for something whilst frisking her face gently. Her eyes closing as her hand is slowly coming closer to her skin. As soon as she touches her face, she is noticeably shaking, as if her hand would be alien. Coping with the contact to herself and also the alienation hinting at the time when Hildegard Knef was asked to change her last name to Neff in order to also have success in the U.S. I really enjoy communicating in such subtle manner and am looking forward to explore this possibility even more with other work.

Alternative: Sequenced description

Link to the short film The Gifted Horse
Password: applaus

The short film with the title The Gifted Horse was shot in September 2018 and edited until January 2019 for the screening at the EYE Amsterdam. It is five minutes long, has 5.1 Surround Sound and is being screened in FullHD. In terms of film genre, it probably would fit best into the genre of the Drama. The visual style is a low-key, black-and-white, sometimes also showing grain and light leaks that were very present during post-war cinema. The sujet is the portrait of an actress that is representing the German actress/singer Hildegard Knef. The short film links in some scenes to the cynicism usually present in film noir during the post-war realistic period. Since the actress is recalling her career from a modern perspective, the post-war era is being contrasted by using an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is representative for the nowadays cinematic context. The only sound throughout the film is a combination of slow-paced classical and ambient-electronic music. More specific, the film is accompanied by the song A Pledge, that was composed by the French musician Mike Lévy, professionally known as Gesaffelstein and was released in the year 2015. With its estimated 95bpm the track is comparably slow, leading the viewer unagitated through the story. The whole film was shot in 60fps and is played back in half-speed, slowing down all movements.

00:00-00:34

The first frames fake old 16mm film material leading into the actual footage. The slight usage of 16mm footage is a literal transition between the past and the now. A dark, pitched down piano can be heard. Immediately a head and shoulder close-up of a lady who is probably in her late 40s can be seen. She is looking into the distance behind the camera and she is dressed chic: she is wearing a black silk dress and silver earrings that softly sparkle in the light – iconic for her era. Slowly she is reaching out with her left hand to her face, while she is in Nostalgia. She is searching for something whilst frisking her face gently. Her eyes hint at her being lost in gloomy thoughts. She is looking into the past. The authoritative quality of a Talking Head Shot is used to empower the dramatic tension of the scene. Her face and emotions are confined in an oppressive frame that forces the viewer to identify with her and eventually build up empathy. From 00:14 on a warbling piano synth is subtly added, building up more and more to hypnotize the viewer.

00:34-00:59

First cut into a medium long shot of the actress standing in the middle of an empty room. She is only accompanied by a cropped wooden piano on the left part of the frame. The stripped room marks the oppressive, dark environment that she evolves in. Also, the emptiness of her character is reflected in the emptiness of the space. This room is representing a stage in front of an audience. The position of the camera is on eye level of the audience. She has a happy expression and waits a second until she looks up and raises her hands to the sky, out of the frame of the video. As she opens her arms, a brooding and thudding bass evolves (Fig 3). Slowly, rose blossoms are falling and her head is tilting again to look to the front, beyond the camera. She crosses her arms to touch her chest and takes a bow into the empty room, without her feet moving. She is all the time standing at the same spot. The immobility of the body is linked to the immobility of her mind. The past of her character that cannot pass. A past that blends with the present. This mental instability again is a reference to the subject in film noir. She is thanking an audience that is not present. This emptiness will become more important later on. Her facial expression is filled with pride and happiness. After taking a bow for a second, she gets back to a regular contrapposto stance, looks to – where the audience would sit – takes a bow again to return to her initial stance. Throughout the whole repositioning the roses kept on falling.

00:59-01:16

The next cut goes back to the first setting: the portrait of her. Here she still has a thoughtful, sad expression. Again – she is reaching with her left hand for her face. Her eyes close as she is slowly coming closer to her skin. As soon as she touches her face, she is noticeably shaking, as if her hand would be alien. She slowly opens her eyes, followed by another scene cut. Coping with the contact to herself and also the alienation hints at the time when Hildegard Knef was asked to change her last name to Neff to also have success in the U.S. Her reputation was hurt due to the fact that she was in love with a Nazi during the second world war. Doing a nude scene in the German film Die Sünderin did not help either. Therefore, even her husband Kurt Hirsch encouraged her to change her name. Dealing with her identity led to alienation, a period of psychotic action, ultimately leading to alcohol and drug abuse – one of the strong references to film noir. An oscillating synth bass wobbles underneath to add suspense to the scene.

01:16-01:45

She is approaching in a medium close-up from the right side of a small industrial hallway that could be a backstage setting. Only parts of the cold brick walls can be caught by the eye of the viewer. Her expression is serious and her steps seem to be big. She is now also wearing a feather boa around her neck, that is representative for many entertainers in the 1920s and 1970s. When she reaches the camera for a head and shoulder close-up, she suddenly stops, her mouth opens, her eyes look down, she holds her right hand and to pause for a moment. Glimpses of heavy cement, concrete and pipes are in contradiction to the feathers around her neck. The rigidness of old pipes and lamps contrast her floating, blonde, shiny hair. In the moment of insecurity and rethinking, she immediately looks back up and continues moving forward to the camera. In the moment she looks up, a low-frequency kick can be heard, which is a drastic addition to the otherwise high-frequenced notes. This kick is then repeated every 10 seconds. Almost like being pushed in the guts. With the repetition of this kick for every 10 seconds the viewer can somehow prepare for the next somewhat uncomfortable kick. The camera is also moving to follow her in safe distance. Her look now is not as serious anymore as in the beginning. The pause seemed to have created doubts or concerns in her head. She puts her feather boa back into place and continues moving forward with rapid pace. Scene cut. At 01:38 the background synth has risen to its peak of progression and is falling back again, subversively mimicking the sound of a bomb alarm.

01:45-01:56

It is being cut to another portrait shot. She is visibly uncomfortable and her eyes are half-open. Melancholia takes a hold of her.

01:56-02:19

In the next cut the back of the actress can be seen, moving further down the hallway, advancing with great strides. The camera is travelling with her in a tracking shot to illustrate the memories that chase her. A backwards played hi-hat with long delay is supporting the scene cut. Her hair is illuminated by the light of the camera and is waving with the big steps that she is taking. It is not completely clear where this scene is taking place. Is the memory of the backstage of a theatre melting with memories of air-raid shelters? Is it a film set? This shot serves as a tunnel in time. She reaches a heavy door and leans with the left of her head against the metal to listen for sounds in the room behind. Is she waiting for a sign? Waiting for the stage manager of the theatre to call her out? The marks on the door contrast her sophisticated look. After a short pause she opens the massy, gray door and confidently steps into the room behind. The camera now stays in place and her silhouette vanishes in the dark room, while the door is about to close again. The camera is not able to cross the border. She is crossing a space, overcoming fear. This points out one of her main characteristics: the courage to move on whatever happens. As she is stepping through the door, the chord progression of the main notes are changing to promote her decision to step forward into the vast uncertainty.

02:19-02:34

Once more there is a cut to her portrait. The rhythm of going back to those portrait shots helps the viewer understand that all scenes have taken place in the past. This time she lights a cigarette that she holds between her index and middle finger and takes a short puff. She still is bothered by something. While resting her right elbow on her lap, holding the cigarette next to her head, she is nervously picking her right thumb with her right ring finger.

02:34-02:54

This is the first time where jump cuts are being introduced into this portrait shot. This helps shorten the screen time, but is showing that she is in Nostalgia quite for a while. These flashbacks hint once again to the film noir genre that has been very important during her lifetime. She takes another puff. Her eyes close in an attempt to focus. Her facial muscles strain. Her elbow is still resting on her lap with her lower arm being upright in the air. She tilts her head to her left. Cut. Eyes open slightly. Her facial muscles ease a little. Cut.

02:54-03:25

Her eyes are wide open – almost in vain. She looks further to her left and takes another puff. Cut. Her back is shown in a medium close-up as she is turning around to look above the camera, smile, waving at the distance on her right, waving to her left and finally holding her hands as she starts smiling in vain. A moment of realization is taking place while she rakes her fingers through her hair. Fixing her hair is a displacement activity for her. Her stance becomes more and more loose as she looks down in a disappointed expression. She seems to fade into 16mm film as her silhouette begins to flicker. Her black dress is participating in her being absorbed by the black surrounding. Only limbs are sometimes being left visible of her body. Subtle silk-like reflections are giving hints of her body. Looking up into the distance again the realization becomes to strengthen a feeling of disappointment. A feeling of isolation in the black void.

03:25-03:39

The next scene cuts back to her portrait. She is slightly bent over, crossing her arms. She is blinking and rethinking. Cut.

03:39-03:57

The camera chases her down the hallway that has been introduced earlier. The oppressive, claustrophobic space enhances the feeling of the pressure of society she is facing. While proceeding in vast steps she is looking back nervously. Her feather boa is now resting loosely in her elbows instead of being wrapped around her neck. One note is played on the synthesizer, while its pitch is rising, creating a haunted feeling coating the other instruments further and further. As she looks back again once more she is starting to run. The up and down movement of her hair is showing how far her steps are. As she turns around one last time, she is holding her hand in front of her face in an attempt of protecting herself from the chasing light. But the camera is coming closer. Intimidated as she is, she is ducking while holding her hand up as a shield. The camera surpasses her and circles in a 90° movement to keep her in the center of the frame (Fig 4). The rising pitch on the synthesizer is carrying the track to its eventual completion after the camera overtook her. A glimpse of her scared face can be seen as she lowers her hand slightly in an attempt of orientation.

03:57-04:34

Cut back to the portrait. She lowers her cigarette. Her eyes and mouth are open in awe. She breathes out, slowly closes her mouth and looks to her right. Blinks. Her eyes look to her left while keeping her head still. She closes her eyes. Slowly her mouth reveals a smirk. She is almost smiling, as if she would laugh about her turbulent times. She is opening her eyes. She shakes her head nonchalantly to put away a strand of her hair as she finally takes another pull on her cigarette. The screen fades to black. Delay intensifies on the detuned piano, duplicating each hit of a note, merging the music into one and fading out as well.

04:34

The title The Gifted Horse is being revealed in big serif, italic capital letters. Credits.

Commission

This commission is based on the feedback I got from Steve following my text on method:

Main feedback: Your text on method gives a comprehensive account of what you have been doing and clearly articulates your thinking on a practical and theoretical level. I think you are very capable and critical and you make good work. So I would give a good grade for your text on method.

Going forward, however,I think there is a lot of work to be done on articulating the value of your own research. You need to value your work on its own terms (which means you need to more clearly articulate what those terms are). To get to that point I propose a new writing commission which adopts a particular method that might help you address this issue.

A new commission:

I would have liked to have read a lot more about The Gifted Horse in your text on method.I think there are dimensions to this project which you are not discussing or opening up.

I would like you to write a 1500 word account of the project with NO references to theorists or other artists;

give physical description of the piece (250 words);

along with descriptions of process (250 words),:

describe how you work with the actress (250 words);

describe your own criteria for success and failure (250 words),;

describe the unexpected outcomes of the piece (250 words);

describe what possibilities open up as a result of making that work (250 words).

I think you are very capable of working with sophisticated theoretical models but I still need to be convinced that you can give a detailed breakdown of your own work in terms which you establish yourself. This amounts to taking your own research seriously and learning to articulate and value the decisions and choices you make and to articulate your own desire (what do you actually want?) at the centre of the things you make.