After a lot of shoots that felt like tests, partly technical, but also philosophical, Friday’s shoot felt like one I could run with beyond the test. Why? It was the first time I shot decidedly at Diamond Plantation for starters, knowing that the materials for creating whatever this project becomes are right there. It was also the first time I’ve gone knowing the kinds of shots I’m looking for – making loads of use of shallow depth of field. It was also the other side of a lot of reading on slow cinema and long takes, so finally happy just to let the camera record for 40 seconds or longer. And it was also the other side of a load of great feedback on my work for Devon Wildlife Trust – a real affirmation of my competence and value as a filmmaker. 

There’s always unexpected take-homes. First, was how great it was shooting with almost no wind – much of the shoot appears to be stills, especially where a tree is the focal point of the shot, so the tension between still and moving image is really heightened, something I want to play with. Second, shooting with the cloudy white balance setting, which has given everything a slightly antique, orange hue – a step away from wanting to capture ‘the way things really are’ (which is impossible as there’s not such thing nor any device which could do so if it were). The hue helps me say what I want to say about Diamond Plantation and helps me feel about it in a certain way. 

I had a great chat with Karen Brett from Falmouth, who’s a fair amount of experience with video art. She’s very much an independent thinker who, like me, despairs of much video art, which was a relief. It’s good to know that narration CAN exist in video art (if that’s what I’m making) and she’s given me some useful leads to follow. 

The big questions to consider are where the real learning on the module is going to come from:

1. How topographic is this work going to be? To what extent is it going to ‘show’ and to what extent ‘tell’ about this place? 
2. What role is narration going to play? Is it going to follow previous work, or is it going to work differently?
3. How am I going to work with duration? Are there going to be less shots of longer duration? 
4. What is the format of this project? Installation? Projection? Film festival/ online? This decision will have profound implications to the other points.