Embedded Files
City in one Sentence questions
I asked people to describe the city in one sentence, I think one flaw of this is the ‘cherry picking’ of subjects. I attribute this to wanting certain perspectives from unusual and truly ‘alive’ people. For example, I often meet this cleaner called Bogdan an eastern European man who is like a Jester or Knave. It is people like him that interest me immensely.
Here are the answers:
The start of the collapse. - Bogdan
Day in day out, I feel like I’m not in sync with this city. It’s awake when I’m asleep, I’m awake when it sleeps. - Elsa Farmer
It’s all about perspective, real knows real. - Cee.
It was my Oz - Lemn Sissay
A bustle of people… disconnected. Cold, with bolts of sunshine. - Anthony, Local man, homeless.
In New Zealand we used to call the cities the ‘big smoke’ - Shiree
I think you can feel more isolated in a city then in the middle of nowhere. - Jade Alleyne
The more we build up the city with technology the more we lose the human aspect. - David Soutar
QUESTIONNARES
Quantitive Questions. These questions helped me to understand my audience and served as leading questions for my Qualitive Questions
This Question gave me a base understanding of my audience. It leaned heavily towards 10-19 which is ok because that is where is my target audience.
This is on a scale of 1-5. I think I should have made the scale 1-10 for a wider range. A 3 for Isolated and lonely is too dead in the middle I think.
I asked this question just to see where people are at. It gives me an indication in future also of how people like consuming content.
A surprising amount of people prefer to consume music, I was expecting much more for streaming sites. I think we can see generationally the death of TV. If almost 80% of answers are from a base of 10-19 year olds then TV is extremely marginal. About 3 people in 30 prefer TV.
A surprising split between Mixed and Positive feelings. Only one person had negative feelings. I think I would put myself in the Mixed Feelings aswell
Qualitative questions.
What Purpose Does Poetry have in modern society?
I feel like there was a wide range of answers here. From ones like "no clue" to "transmit masked messages" as far as "The skeleton key which unlocks the urban gordion knot". This question is abstract enough to the point that people will either answer cryptically, disengage with the question or engaging on how it functions. Answers like Poetry at its core is "a way of getting a feeling across", "a window into the soul", "something society is built on" hint at the power of poetry and how it can transform. It is discourse "a platform for people to share their views, thoughts and experiences"
What do you think of Black and White films and Why?
I got a good range of responses here too, click the boxes below to see answers.
A majority of people "love it". WHY?
"It allows for imagination whilst watching", "a sense of nostalgia", "grabs the attention of the viewer as it goes against the grain" and also "less work needed for colour grading"
These were all good reasons for why I would want to use B&W I think it lends a great sense of interplay between light and dark, shadows that are cast. It also allows for an easier colour grading process.
Opinions on Black and White
Opinions on Black and white
REASONS WHY?
REASONS WHY?
Instagram Questionnaire - Changing the Name
Film titles are important. They sell the film and hint at the story. Thusly;
I decided to change the name from Fragile Eyes, to Slay the Beast from a State of Peace. This was a title that was adapted from a lyric in a song and also felt more poignant to the story I ended up telling. These were the votes for opinions on the new name. Ranging from Trash to I love it. 82% of people said they either loved or liked the name which is good for me. I thus decided to change it.
It also takes a special meaning personally, as my name means peace.
INTERVIEWS
I conducted filmed interviews with a couple of people. My cousin Jade who has a similar belief and perspective on life to myself with differing finer points. Shiree Allen an old neighbour of mine who I bumped into on a Location Recce and Rebecca Bellantoni who's work I saw on instagram and felt highly relevant to my work. I videoed each of them on different kit.
Jade with a Nikon D3300
Shiree with an A7siii and anamorphic lens
Rebecca with a A7siii, 25-100mm Spherical and a Sactler Tripod.
Each of these times I became more aware of how to improve my shooting, the first footage with jade is heavily backlit from the windows and the exposure changes often. The second video with Shiree was too shaky but when processed the anamophic looked great. Finally with rebecca I had a room, with a tripod to compose my shots so the shoot looked best. The only issue was audio because I went with the camera's sound. This could be rectified in premiere with boosting the dB or bringing along a mic
Jade Alleyne - Actor, Singer and Cee - Skater and Inner London Local.
DSC_0565.MOVInsights from this: "I think the city can be Deceiving"
"Dazzling and blinding, its some of the prettiest buildings where some of the biggest corruption goes down."
"It's like scales, you take the bad and you take the good, but without the bad there wouldn't be the good
This interview with Jade was at the time of my initial idea creation, so could be counted as ideas generation
DSC_0566.MOV"when People think london they think central, with the tourists... but where its happening is the outsides
Shiree Allen - Local Artist
Shiree pt2.mp4Insights from this: Our life are like circles, sometimes our circles cross paths and our like takes new direction.
She believes in fate, think's it plays a big part in our lives
She would change in the world is peoples ability to be really selfish. People can be really egomaniacs.
She sees colour and can stand there for hours looking at the colours of the world, constantly looking at the environment and the world as an art form. For her art is absorbing, its a way of viewing the world in a really different way. Seeing the ordinary and making it unordinary.
"In New Zealand, we used to call cities the Big Smoke. " - simply wonderfully evocative. I love language like this.
Rebecca Bellantoni - Performance and sculptural artist, a resident at the Institute of Contempary Arts.
Rebecca Pt1.MP4Rebecca Pt2.MP4Insights from Rebecca
Our idea of nature has narrowed down so much that we think of is as trees and plants and flowers and weather systems, but what we really have to consider is that there is nothing on this planet that doesn't come from whats on this planet. it's about how we configure these things that change the environment. As people we think we are seperate from our surroundings. But if we stop to consider how similar we are, and how we are influenced by our surroundings we can form new relationships with them
the Idea of a chapel - a space that is attached to the idea of internal and invididual solitude. I would add to this city chapels that are spaces for the spirit and spaces for the soul. Run by the community in unusual spaces. Spaces for massage, reiki and a communal discourse. It's not possible to build a whole city, but she would like to support the community to help others create their ideal city.
This Discussion was very useful in understanding a spiritual view of the city, how it can be a place to find such things even through it isn't designed as such. - this leads to how I will write the character of the girl. Someone who is aware of these chances and areas for someones soul to be cultivated yet they cannot be allowed to survive by such big corportations and high rises. A balance must be struck.
This interview is of a positive narrative potential.
→ Rebecca spoke of finding oneself in the city. Although operating within a community, she spoke of finding a connection through material. Cement acted as a muse and anchor in her performance piece I saw C.R.Y. an acronym of CONCRETE REGENERATIVE YEARNINGS. She talked of finding a spiritual connection with the material of the city, specifically experimenting with cement. Seeing the commonality of the material stems from how our ancestors may have found it / invented it in the past → in this way it acts almost like an heirloom or connection with the knowledge of people of the past. This community and link with other humans and those who came before us/ how they support us. Like concrete supports the buildings.
I like this tie in, concrete makes not only the buildings yet the tombstones of the city.
How emotion is tied with objects and imagery. Corporate world = bad hungry energy djinn
Although I wish to explore the negative impacts of the city and corporations (djinn)
This thought could be useful when concluding my outcome. Finding that state of peace? → being able to find yourself (mentally/ spiritually) within the city. How to make peace with this. Comfort in unity?
Below see Rebecca’s print which she gifted to me post our interview. The collaged use of cityscape alongside a traditional African totem/mask gives the imparting of heritage and the spirituality amongst the mundane of the city. The title of Royal Oak again shows the royalty of heritage symbolised as an oak; a strong and wise enduring tree.
Photography Tests
Photography tests on a Sony A7siii, and an anamorphic lens, are produced with in camera effects. highly composed shots like this is how I want to shoot. I have moved these to the Planning and Prod page.
Summary
Primary Research was one of the first areas of research I got started with. It was fairly natural flowing with the ideas generation process. The interviews with Jade, Shiree and Rebecca all helped to get female perspectives on my writing. Within this that allows for dichotomy between younger and older perspectives of women. I especially liked speaking with Rebecca, it was a great privelege to get her time. The other research sources helped me to work on ideas.
The qualitative question "describe the city in one sentence" really helped me to form dialogue for my script. I also really liked getting peoples opinions.
Bibliography
Jerwood Arts (2022). Rebecca Bellantoni – Jerwood Arts. [online] Jerwood Arts. Available at: https://jerwoodarts.org/projects/rebecca-bellantoni/.
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