true to form, reflection #1

1B Exercise – ‘Abstract’ Image

I wasn’t in class to complete this exercise so instead, I chose to film it in my own time and on my iPhone for the sake of convenience. I feel like this worked to my advantage since there are certain limitations to filming whilst in class – the predominate issue being that all of the visuals end up looking the same… shots of surrounding buildings, pedestrians, RMIT hallways etc. Personally, I like the aesthetics and creative possibilities that a rough suburban landscape can provide, so I captured various images from Footscray.

As I filmed the shots featured in the video below, I was consciously thinking about the way that I would string them together, which is when I remembered the voice memo that I secretly recorded of this boy named Patrick. Basically, I was in Footscray at a deserted park when this boy asked to borrow my lighter. What ensued was an hour conversation (i.e. him talking non-stop and me just “yeah-ing” out of uncomfortable awkwardness) about his troubles. I’ve never seen him again and nor do I even know his surname.

The visuals in this piece seem to blend into the dismalness of Patrick’s words, which I’ve chosen to overlap in an audio-montage to replicate the way that I was hearing them when he first approached me – choosing to tune into the ‘saucy’ sections only. The images haven’t been retouched, ensuring that the finished product thus far appears to be a work in progress… much like Patrick himself.

I’m not sure why, perhaps it was the glare from my phone case, but in the shot of the neon-green crossing light, the symbol of the man has been replicated downwards, creating an interestingly unintended effect. It then abruptly cuts off, obviously changing from ‘Walk’ to ‘Stop,’ which appealed to me because it reiterates how quickly things can begin and end, especially in the life of someone like Patrick who has a lot of concerns to sift through and deal with.