Teresa Vu – Behind Closed Doors from Media Factory on Vimeo.

Reflection:

This assignment has definitely been the biggest learning experience in comparison to all the previous assignments. I remember that I was unable to thoroughly discuss what I learnt and discovered about noticing and nonfiction in the last assignment. Now, I can say with confidence that I understand noticing to be more than just looking ahead, but moreso looking around (Tsing, A. 2015). In my previous assignment, I expanded on the prompt of vanishing to be more than just disappearance. The idea that nothing ever really disappears, as something always reappears, was a concept that I wanted to weave into this assignment.

Further expanding on that, I wanted to think about nonfiction and noticing in a much deeper way. Rather than just thinking about reappearance, I was able to scan one’s environment and presume what could reappear. Tying this into my final piece, I tried not to think about noticing on a shallow and surface level, but rather, everything that I noticed, I would further question it as if there was no end. This was also inspired by the art installation, 1000 Doors. What sparked my entire video was the idea of how in that installation, you were able to enter the exhibition through the same door, however no two visitors will leave the same as they entered.

Linking this to my final piece, I wanted the viewer to feel as if they were in a virtual version of 1000 Doors. I intended for them to be able to see videos of different doors which lead to the stories of different people. I feel like this narrative was much more effective than the one that I used in my previous assignment, as this one was much more authentic and felt more personal. I wanted my subjects to describe their environment as if they were talking directly to the viewer to create some kind of intimacy. Making the audience feel like they were having a conversation with the subject, whilst the subject gives them a personal tour of their environment would make the viewer feel more attached to the video and hopefully grab more of their attention.

What I should have done differently was be more specific with what I wanted the subjects to say. I did not want to restrict them too much to the point where their voiceover seemed fake and inauthentic, however giving them too much freedom did not allow for cohesion between all three narratives since everyone was saying whatever they wanted. The only thing that was consistent across all three subjects was them introducing themselves and disclosing the location at the very end of the video. I wanted the audience to kind of infer where they were based on the clues in their environment and the way they were describing it, and I wanted the audience to kind of see if they would guess right at the end.

I also should have had a stricter recipe for myself when filming. My filming style was inconsistent between all three subjects due to the difference in their nature. One person’s environment was a brunch place, and one was a badminton place. I found it difficult to create cohesion between them due to the difference in the locations. If I had been more strict on myself, for example, film for strictly 15 seconds per clip, strictly 3 long shots and 5 close ups etc, then the editing process would have been much smoother.

I felt like my three videos were very inconsistent and did not have any smooth transition between them. If I could have redone this, I would ensure that everything is much more consistent and that the running theme is clearer. I put too much emphasis on making the videos cinematic and ensuring that the editing style was coherent, however in doing so, I may have neglected the prompt of the assignment and forgotten that I need to put more focus on noticing and nonfiction.

What I would have done differently to focus on noticing and nonfiction was have a much clearer recurring theme. If I wanted theme to be about doors and what’s behind it, I should have added more clips of the doors themselves to make it more obvious to the audience. I only had two clips of the doors in each of my videos, one of the subject entering the location and one of the subject exiting the location. If I really wanted to make the audience feel like they were in 1000 Doors, I should have been more repetitive with the theme.

Overall, this assignment made me realise that there is much more to noticing than the first question that comes to mind. I need to keep thinking about why things happen as if there is no end to that question. I have begun to look around rather than look ahead and honestly it has helped me understand my surroundings on a much deeper level. In terms of my final piece, I should have been stricter in my recipe and with what I wanted my subjects to do. The individual videos, although were inconsistent and incoherent with each other, I believe were done well, they just needed more emphasis on nonfiction and noticing.

Tsing, Anna Lowenhaupt. The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins. 2015.