Haiku Exercise

THE SET-UP

Everyone to record and upload to a shared folder, at least five 10-15s video clips.
Each video recorded with a stationary camera.
Everyone to pick a Haiku and edit into a 30s video using whoever’s shared footage.

THE PROCESS

I came across Thomas Grieg’s Haiku:

Looking at the clouds
blue in the ice-wind
space flows

It does not strictly adhere to the 5-7-5 syllables structure. The English language is very different to the Japanese language. I hope you will be more lenient.

The text arouses a search for tranquility and nature. Living in the city, dominated by metals and walls, it may be challenging to feel a strong connection with the Earth.

This train of thought then led me to construct, the video as a visual response to the poem.

THE WORK

The first 10s includes many shots of what represents an industrialised city – man-made lights, traffic, buildings, smoke and pollution. Strung together in quick succession, such rhythm mirrors today’s fast-paced lifestyle and constant stream of mediated information we are bombarded with. The motif of a red man appears regularly to interrupt and direct us, figurative of a demanding employer or the lack of control one may feel as part of the “rat race”.

Finally, a door opens to a deserted alley. The change in visuals has changed the function of the background music as well. Repetitive piano music that contributed to increasing the viewer’s tension, now has its effects shifted: louder volume accompanied with a longer scene causes the draw and power of nature to be heightened.

The piece of clear sky in a deserted alley contrasts with the hustle-bustle and noisy scenes earlier. Our yearning for a break from pollution is dramatised by this long shot; this vast distance between viewer and sky. We are then allowed to meditate for a while before being rudely interrupted by the red man once again, closing our door to peace and pulling us back to the city.

THE CHALLENGES

“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

It was the first time I operated with Premier Pro. I had no idea where to start. What was a frustrating beginning, taking time going through online tutorials and library book, has now become a rewarding experience.

This exercise has given me the confidence that I am not totally inapt in the technology department.

I want to explore using effects for the next project! So stay tuned…