Rational

I chose the place portrait area primarily because it was nearby which would mean I could visit and explore the location often, but also because the area was so varied in what it contained. It contained everything from farmland to riverside, and bush too; also llamas. I used a portion of Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’ suite to tie all the elements of the video together and to try to control the way the viewer felt towards what was onscreen. I also edited the clips so they changed between different scenes on key points of the piece and used scenes that tied in with what the music was doing. Originally the video’s audio was purely the music, but I lowered the volume of the piece overall and in some places nearly completed muted the piece, and added the scenery audio back in. This showed more of the surroundings, without actually showing more of the surroundings. I also tried to keep the video light-hearted. Evidence of this can be spotted with the doggy doodoo near the start.

I settled on my Grandad, Lance Godfrey, as an interviewee because he has led such an interesting life. I seized this project as an opportunity to learn more about him. So, after changing from the initial interview topic and moving onto his adventures, and after 2 app failures I recorded 30 or so minutes of footage. A bit overkill but it was enjoyable. I picked a part that would fit well enough in the time given and edited together the important parts of the story. I liken the interview to some interview videos I have watched in Te-Papa. They did not serve as conscious inspiration but after watching my video it seems it may have been subconscious influence. The only sound in this video is Grandad speaking and the background noise. I left it this way because I wanted the video to be purely about him, with no frills or distractions. This too is in an informal style; formal is too boring. I used only one camera angle because I wanted to liken the video to a conversation; in a conversation you usually do not move about the person speaking.

I think my works fit into the casual, informal recording section of documentary film making.