Do's proposal for a project that may or not be made
What will it be?
‘Trapped in a Slide’ will be a poetic film where I show people freezing in time while they look at a lost memory through a dia viewer.
edit: Also describe intent of the work.
Why do you want to make it?
I myself, being in my mid-twenties, feel a constant restlessness. And this constant restlessness has a lot to do with time. We’re living our days, weeks and years without a notion of time. Things start to feel as ‘granted’.
When I found all these dia’s in certain ‘second hand’ shops I was amazed but also confused, amazed because I loved it, and even though there were way too many, I wanted to look at every single one of them. And while looking at them the conusing came up; ‘’why are all these pictures of all these people here in this shop?’’ They were also super various, there were images of people just being oneselves in daily life. Sitting on a couch, drinking tea, cooking, some were dancing in their living room. But also there were images of people having their holiday or being on a trip or something. But the ‘event’ that was happening did not affect my amazement that much. The feeling that I really ‘knew’ these people, or actually felt like I’ve been there was what amazed me. I couldn’t stop staring at these images, and this made me dwell in time for the first time in a very long time. And this dwelling in time, I want other people to experience too, so that’s why I want to make this film where people freeze in time while they look at a ‘lost’ memory through a dia viewer.
edit: Explain the way in which a photo preserves a moment (freezing time) and the way in which nostalgia might play a role. There seems to also be a sort of voyeuristic notion here - why do we care so much about the memories of other people? Why do we also become curiously paralysed when accessing these 'private' moments of strangers lives?
Describe how it would be made: describe the stages needed to make it
First of all I need to collect dia slides that inspire me and that are interesting to recreate cinematically. As follows I’ll have to find suitable locations and actors. Because I want to not only ‘recreate’ the image but also the feeling that ‘looking at a dia through this viewer’ gives, I’ll have to really think about positioning my characters + lights in combination with my camera movement. I’ll move through the image as some kind of ghost that ‘investigates’ the frozen moment.
After I record my scenes, I’ll have to look in the edit if I need more or different shots. Because there’s no ‘logical’ narration this might happen. This means I’ll have to start early and make sure there will be enough time to shoot extra footage.
In the postproduction I’ll look for sounds/music that will enhance my images.
As follows I’ll edit my film in a way that the narration fits my message. If needed I’ll also use voice-over to support.
edit: I like the mention of moving like a ghost through the work. You could explain how you use creative choices to help the audience navigate this concept of 'frozen time'. That it is almost a cycle of voyeurism we are experiencing here - a frame within a frame, within a frame, within a frame..... NICE
____________________________
Edited version with Tom's notes.
What will it be?
‘Trapped in a Slide’ will be a poetic film where I show people freezing in time while they look at a lost memory through a dia viewer. By showing a series where the camera floats almost hypnotising through these voyeuristic happenings I want to create a perception of time.
Why do you want to make it?
I myself, being in my mid-twenties, feel a constant restlessness. And this constant restlessness has a lot to do with time. We’re living our days, weeks and years without a notion of time. Things start to feel as ‘granted’.
When I found all these dia’s in certain ‘second hand’ shops I was amazed but also confused, amazed because I loved it, and even though there were way too many, I wanted to look at every single one of them. And while looking at them the conusing came up; ‘’why are all these pictures of all these people here in this shop?’’ They were also super various, there were images of people just being oneselves in daily life. Sitting on a couch, drinking tea, cooking, some were dancing in their living room. But also there were images of people having their holiday or being on a trip or something. But the ‘event’ that was happening did not affect my amazement that much. The feeling that I really ‘knew’ these people, or actually felt like I’ve been there was what amazed me. I couldn’t stop staring at these images, and this made me dwell in time for the first time in a very long time. This sense of amazement is almost a voyeuristic notion, because why do we care so much about the memories of other people? Why do we also become curiously paralysed when accessing these 'private' moments of strangers lives? This dwelling in time, I want other people to experience too, so that’s why I want to make this film where people freeze in time while they look at a ‘lost’ memory through a dia viewer.
Describe how it would be made: describe the stages needed to make it
First of all I need to collect dia slides that inspire me and that are interesting to recreate cinematically. As follows I’ll have to find suitable locations and actors. Because I want to not only ‘recreate’ the image but also the feeling that ‘looking at a dia through this viewer’ gives, I’ll have to really think about positioning my characters + lights in combination with my camera movement. I’ll move through the image as some kind of ghost that ‘investigates’ the frozen moment.
After I record my scenes, I’ll have to look in the edit if I need more or different shots. Because there’s no ‘logical’ narration this might happen. This means I’ll have to start early and make sure there will be enough time to shoot extra footage.
In the postproduction I’ll look for sounds/music that will enhance my images.
As follows I’ll edit my film in a way that the narration fits my message. If needed I’ll also use voice-over to support.
edit: I like the mention of moving like a ghost through the work. You could explain how you use creative choices to help the audience navigate this concept of 'frozen time'. That it is almost a cycle of voyeurism we are experiencing here - a frame within a frame, within a frame, within a frame..... NICE
Rapid prototypes:
1) go for a walk and find something that makes you dwell in time and make a picture.
2) go for a walk and make a picture of something that gives you a voyeuristic feeling.