Week 5 was an interesting way to begin discussing assignment 3 in regards to noticing. As the reading for week 5 which included the James Benning interview, gave a clear insight into how and what Benning notices while he creates his videos. A quote from James Benning that stuck out to me is when he can “see everything that moves because the camera doesn’t.” This explains a lot as the video that I really enjoyed watching of his, called ‘Small Roads’, consists of a still video camera, filming on a Tripod in the same location for 15 minutes each. Therefore Benning does not move the camera to try and find things to notice, things move in front of the still camera, then a viewer can notice, even the smallest of movement. Therefore I thought an idea for assessment 3 could be to film and let things enter the frame of the shot without trying to find things to enter the frame. Tiahne and I in Mondays class in week 5 discussed Benning’s films as like watching through a window, the camera is static and so still and would lose this effect if the camera was handheld, as a handheld camera brings the audience inside of the frame, yet using a Tripod is more observational.

Tiahne and I further discussed in class that in the same reading, Benning also makes reference to the fact that we as an audience need to always find narratives as our “minds always try to create narratives in anything.” This seems fairly accurate personally, as I do always try to look for meaning or a story behind something, yet I would like to challenge myself to film literally just to film, and to let whatever occurs inside the frame enter the frame, and be. Then re watch the footage, without having a pre planned narrative in my head and just notice the footage and what occurs. Tiahne and I agreed that Benning does not seem to create a narrative as he is filming, the viewers do afterwards, they use his footage as a catalyst for a narrative. As there is no pre planned narrative, perhaps viewers try to put meaning to footage after viewing it if there is no pre planned narrative from the beginning.