I’ve learnt a great amount throughout this studio, first and foremost I was taught: how the art world functions, how specific galleries such as Gertrude St Contemporary run and how artists earn a living. The studio also provided me with basic filmmaking skills such as how to: create a shooting schedule, write a shooting script, set up three-point lighting, conduct an interview, utilise visual storytelling and edit a short film. Throughout the shooting process with my artist I also developed my abilities regarding how to use a: Sony Zoom H2N (and other such handy recorders), a lapel mic, my own Canon EOS 60D and Adobe Premiere Pro editing software. Overall I think the studio functioned quite successfully, it was great to be in a studio with nineteen people who all were interested in the same topics as you. I felt that overall, the studios had a very happy and supportive environment, and you walked away knowing a great deal about the art world and how to make short documentaries.
The project itself taught me a great deal about how to work with talent, as well as my group members. Having to work independently forced me to be completely all over every aspect of the shoot, whether that be choosing which questions to ask, deciding what to focus on, where I wanted the shoot to happen, deciding what gear to use, getting to the shoot, carrying all the gear, what I wanted to shoot, managing the audio, managing the lighting, managing the camera set-ups, managing the talent, editing the film, and finding a great soundtrack for it.
I’m a pretty self-conscious person and I often doubt the decisions I make or ask someone else for their opinion (should I shoot this angle, or what do you think of this question etc.). Working independently pushed me to go with my gut instincts, to make decisions and to not seek others approval. It forced me to develop my aesthetic as a filmmaker and to own the work that I ended up producing, so ultimately I was really glad with how everything panned out.
Overall I think the artist portrait I created is pretty successful, we get to hear Claire discuss creativity, what it means to her to be an artist, what inspires her work, what her work often focusses on and what she plans to do next in her career. Which gives great insight into her as a person, her as an artist and her work itself and we also get to see shots of her work and her studio. My creative portrait constructs a great narrative, with enough pauses in between to provide audiences with breathing room to digest what is being said, ultimately leaving audiences looking forward to Claire’s next endeavours. The shots themselves are set up nicely and are of high quality, similarly the audio from the SONY H2N sounds amazing. It was really fun to look around Claire’s studio and decide what to shoot, then weave them into the narrative of the interview. I think my artist portrait leaves you with an understanding of Claire, an understanding of her process and an understanding of her work, which is what I ultimately set out to achieve.
Edited version of my reflection, full reflection available via Google Drive.
Catch you later,
Louise Alice Wilson
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