#docma

Die Ausstellung „In love with photography“ zeigt Arbeiten des Stern-Fotografen Volker Hinz in der Freelens Galerie in Hamburg – und zwar schon seit einem Monat und nur noch bis Ende März. Der Grund, warum ich hier noch darauf hinweise, ist eher der begleitende Artikel auf DOCMA, der weit mehr ist als die Vorstellung der Arbeiten des Fotografen. Es ist vielmehr eine fast schon liebevolle Hommage…

After finding inspiration for my DOCMA, I knew roughly what materials I had wanted to use; tinfoil, glitter, lights and a dark room! 

I bought (a lot) of tinfoil to begin experimenting. I began by filming a sheet of tinfoil with some blue light from my laptop. I knew that I definitely wanted to continue with this technique, I enjoyed creating an abstract piece. 

I wanted to convey the different ‘emotions’ of the ocean (which I have been told is not a thing but IT IS), as there wasn’t much change I could make during filming, I focused on post-production by using different colour, editing and framing. 

When I began filming the shots for my final DOCMA, I used glitter on the tinfoil so it would catch the light and create the sparkles on water when the light catches it. However, did get glitter all over my hands and in every corner of my room!

I used the red lighting setting on the light I had, as well as a red colour montage video I had found on YouTube (10 hours long..). I made the shots fast paced and slightly disorientating by changing the framing for each one. To create, ANGER. 

I then used blue/green lighting and edited the shots together at a slower pace, creating an ICE like section. 

I was happy with my final minute, I thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with this style and think it’s definitely something I would like to further experiment with. I hope to cooperate in future DOCMAs. 

In my Representing the Real class, we have some lectures with Tommy. He has told us about DOCMA, in which he and other filmthusiasts get 1 minute each in a 5 minute documentey to prodice work that fits a chosen theme. I like that they found a way to continue to collaboraatively create, even in a lockdown!

I watched a some in order to help me have a better understanding of the project and how experimental we can be. I think it's so interesting to see the variety of subjects and how the sound used could completely change what you think the subject really is.

https://vimeo.com/415321126 - Theme of BED.

My Requirements: a minute of stills and sounds following the theme of water.

I was originally quite stuck on what to do. There is a lot you can do with water, so it was hard to focus on one idea and improve it. But after watching the stop-motion in one of the DOCMA's, I've decided that is definitely what I want to do.

I've found some ideas that are helping me decide the materials I want to use.

https://youtu.be/2q1ZzZfWZOQ

This one is a 'claymation'. Using blue clay to create a splashes of water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBYtY8-Uams

This uses real water and changes the levels each frame, making a smooth transition of water from one cup to another.

https://youtu.be/QTfx0tvMZPI

This guy uses water with food colouring and moves drops around a table, blending the colours.

https://youtu.be/FDiTDhJaLt4

In a workshop for Documentary Film this week we were told about ‘Docma’ a documentary filmmaking game. The final outcome of which is a 5 minute film created from five 1minute films by 5 different filmmakers.

The class was split into groups of 5, with a word as the topic of our films, each of us was also assigned a ‘limitation’ and our position within the film (will our 1 minute be at the beginning? End? Or somewhere in the middle?)

The different limitations were:

Observation - you aren’t able to interact with your subject

Interview - your 1minute has to be an interview

Archive - you have to use archive. Though this doesn’t have to be archive footage... be creative.

Photo & Sound - you cannot use moving image, though you are allowed to animate over the top of still images.

Single Take - the visuals must be a single take. Though the audio doesn’t have to be from the same take, or be in a single take.

My Docma:

Topic: Breathe

Limitation: Single Take

Position in Film: 5th (final)

Possible idea:

I have recently been getting incredibly stressed/having anxiety about.... well, everything I guess. And a common bit of advice I get is to “just breath”. Helpful, I had never thought of that!

Although “just breathing” often doesn’t help me, one thing that does is channelling all of my energy into a physical activity (the more physically demanding the better, but something that doesn’t require much thought). This tends to allow me to shut off my thoughts for a while.

Due to the snow we have at the moment my activity of choice has been snowboarding.