Final Project

Proposal:

The project idea I have in mind is, admittedly, still hazy around the edges. I want the piece to be abstract and meditative—a defiant contradiction to the stream-of-consciousness stress of everyday life. Most contemporary Hollywood blockbusters, for instance, are riddled with swift cuts and vacuous dialogue (because too much talking and thinking gets in the way of the plot). I want to turn that formula on its head: sacrifice plot for the sake of slow-moving contemplation, rather than vice versa. The Marlon Riggs video ‘Tongues Untied,’ with its skillful use of storytelling, inspired me a bit here—as did the short film we watch during our second class, involving the relationship of a mother and daughter from Lebanon. Both of these videos fixated on the quality of image, sound, and substance, leaving room for intellectual interpretation and aesthetic appreciation (which few blockbusters ever do). What a viewer should take away from the video (perhaps a five-minute piece) is the sensation that he or she is missing something by “living fast,” so to speak; that there is something to be said for exploring questions, sights, and sounds to their full extent rather than just incidentally.

I plan to work the storyboard out as I go along; I want to experiment with shooting first, and pick and choose the order of scenes later.

In terms of style, I would really like to make the video aesthetically beautiful. Working with lighting kits and camera angles this semester has piqued my creative fancy, and I’d love simply to play with cinematography. Again, meditative is the goal here: with the sound will come the “substance,” per se. I plan to work in close-up, especially with people—but also with scenery, unless a faraway landscape proves particularly striking. The style will be whimsical, because part of the project’s point is finding the remarkable within happenstance.

Regarding sound: poetry, or anecdotes, or passages from literature—any and all of these will definitely be incorporated. Subversive stories, or expression with a political twist is particularly welcome. If anybody wants to tell a family yarn, or knows of a terrific anti-war poem, or wants to read something they’ve written, I’d love for them to participate in my project. Musical accompaniment depends on the overall content; I might not use any music. I want the video to be reflective—but the audio, which will be primarily non-diegetic, can be vibrant as all-get-out. It all depends on who’s doing the talking.

Concerning lighting: experimenting with light kits will be a key part of the project, especially if I interview. However, I’d also like to see what I can do with natural lighting.

Five readers/interviewees (one minute each) might be nice.

Location: Smith Campus (ideal for pretty vistas), Amherst countryside, and wherever the people who read/interview want to set up.
April 15 – 20 – shooting & recording
April 21 – 29 – editing & exporting
Taping will be mostly outdoors, and “beginning, middle, and end” will be irrelevant—(again, the sacrifice of plot for the sake of rumination).

~ Cassie Jensen
:-)