Project Two Reflection
We set out to make something quite conventional for our first piece of collaborative work – we had collected hats and sunglasses that we were going to showcase through the streets of Melbourne, in its buildings and parks. However, in typical Melbourne fashion, the sunny day suddenly found itself overshadowed by a torrential downfall bringing an abrupt end to our ‘Indian Summer’ and our plans of a bright and dry film. So we were forced to improvise, stuck under the tram shelter opposite Flinders St Station and sardined among others seeking refuge from the rain. Asha pulled out her favourite roast chicken hat as Mimi and I tried our best to protect the camera.
The concept of our film was brought about by the uniqueness of our situation. Had we not decided to film that day or at that time, or had we not got off the tram at that station and continued on to the botanical gardens as originally planned our film would not have been conceived. In a similar manner, its conceptualisation is formed upon the basis of Asha’s uniqueness.
We took one still shot for five minutes with Asha and other pedestrians weaving themselves in and out of the frame. We overlaid three different audio assets to create the soundtrack.
Our music was chosen by playing our clip over a number of different songs to see which would be the base for our film. The song we selected has quite a robotic beginning before transitioning into something much more fluid. We used this as a substructure for our editing, the first half of the video mirroring the music before evolving into shots more flexible. We paired the music with sounds we recorded in front of a tram stop and rain from the internet to create a more natural overall edit, as these noises contrast the music. I think this also helps to tie the image and sound together and defers us from creating something similar to that of a music video.
The element of fashion comes from the individuality of Asha and her own stylistic choices. The uniqueness of her clothing mirrors that of her personality and the film is a liberation of individuality. We represented this further in deciding to adopt a VHS filter that draws us back into not only the early days of technology but also the earlier stages of our own lives.
It was interesting to see the reaction of the people around us during the shoot. It was 2pm on a wet Tuesday afternoon, and Asha was in the pouring rain, dancing, with a dripping roast chicken hat sitting atop her head. A few people seemed to find the situation amusing, but the majority of passers by did just that – they passed by. Perhaps too occupied by the rain or rushing to catch the next tram, people seemed to continue on with not so much as a second glance. This was quite intriguing and thought provoking – it made me wonder what moments I may miss when too engulfed in my own individual reality. The uniqueness of Asha, her clothes, of our situation, all find a visual representation in our film. Individuality is something that we hoped to translate, and I think something that could be a good premise for future work.