Resolution 1, Body Movement Elements

Having decided now that I want to add moments into mind I then wanted to think a bit more into what kind of movements. The rough idea I have so far is that the shots of he body movement will be mid to close up shots again to tie in with he rest of the piece. Each shot will be of each body feature (Hands, Arms, Feet, Legs, Torso etc) and will be from interesting angles to isolate that body part in frame. The movements will express the feelings and frustrations that were experienced through this journey I am showing, it will therefore be contemporary and very interpretive but I need to work with a Dancer on this as I won't be able to perform some more complex body isolated dance movements myself. I will layer these bodily images along with the journey I have already storyboarded to create the one screen version. As for the installation versions I will have the body images pieced together with my face under the water to create an abstract life sized version of a person. Then the symbolic images will be projected full size over the top.

To help me achieve this I have looked into gestural movement and body isolation examples and analysed them here:

The Body


Directed by Kazimir Kolesnik and Eero Heinonen (2012)

This Dance piece really speaks to me especially the beginning shots which are extreme close ups and macro shots of specific body features moving in a very abstract way. These are the kind of shots I want to do as rather than bringing an obvious body part performing a dance, it is instead an abstract image of something expressing emotions through shapes and gestures. It turns it from being familiar into the uncanny almost and this makes it very intense which is what I want to add to my own piece. These body movements have really inspired me. I also love the way it has then been edited to create a multiple split screen all moving in a rhythm of body parts together. This is similar to the editing technique I want to use for my installation but more randomly placed than this. This gives me faith in the idea and how all these random abstract movements can conjure up so many thoughts and feelings when built together into a piece.


Autopsy | Eros

Directed by Jeanette Ginslov (2013)

This piece approaches different themes to what I am focusing on however I was still really drawn to it because of its very intense portrayal of the chosen themes. I really liked the beginning because it began with almost a lack of identity through introducing their body features before their facial features and all the focus continues then onwards on their body movements but not as much on their facial expressions till about half way through. I like this approach because if I apply this to my piece by only showing one distorted face (my own) underwater it is symbolic of what is felt rather than just simply showing a sad or stressed face. My favourite shots are also the close up shots where the two body parts meet as this again creates some really interesting and abstract shapes. The body movements in this piece are what lead the themes and feelings rather than their realistic facial reactions which is the same approach I am taking in my piece. It gives enough to the audience for them to feel it and be caught up in the intensity of it but not enough to make it too obviousness and therefore un-engaging. I need to try and achieve this balance.


Personal Space

Directed by Altin Kaftira (2013)

This piece is much more conceptual however I still like its approach to the dance. The way this piece was filmed and captured so stylistically was what I really liked about it. The lighting was the first thing I loved particularly the use of contrast between the light and the shadow especially when the dancer is creating interesting shapes within the box. This was then enhanced even more in the closer up shots as you could then also see the dancers limbs exploring the space. I may implement these bold lighting techniques in my piece especially for the movement based elements as I want to show the body exploring the emotions and I think dramatic lighting will add to this along with the tension. I also feel like the close up camera techniques in this piece are worth noting too because rather than being still they did also track, move and cut suddenly to add even more drama. I could maybe experiment with these and see if I can create these kind of effect in the studio with my camera team.

These Dance films have given me a lot to think about and have really inspired me with the kind of abstract interpretive contemporary moments I want but also the stylistic camera and lighting choices I need to make as I have said above. I need to now have a meeting with my DOP and discuss this with her so we can make it achievable. I also now need to find a dancer to start working with.