Peter Renn and Nicky Hamlin Workshops

In preparation for our upcoming unit, we did multiple workshops on old film techniques. One of the ones we did was with Peter Renn, who specialises in film photography and spoke to us about lots of different types of cameras. We spent some time making our own cameras out of cardboard boxes and a lens, and shining light through to make an image.

We then used photo sensitive paper and large format cameras to take our own photos.

 The first image we took got pulled out of the _____ too early and fogged half of the image, as well as it being out of focus.

The second image we took was more successful. It was however, still a bit out of focus and we left it in the developer fluid a bit too long and it went too dark.

Our third attempt went well overall but was still a bit too dark. This one did end up being one of my favourites though as we also spent some time composing the shot, with the long table protruding into the foreground and the subject positioned in the dead centre, and at the opposite end.

We then decided to experiment, and took a double exposure image. We did this by setting the exposure time on the camera to half a second, and then swapping the first subject with someone else and exposing the image again for another half second. This turned out very dark, but you can still see the two faces in the image if you look closely and it make for a quite interesting photograph to look at.

We then had some other workshops with Nicky Hamlyn, working with 16mm film. This was my favourite of the workshops, as we were given old used film and clear film and film that was covered in black enamel and told to draw on it.

When I say draw I also mean scratch and colour and sew and do whatever we wanted and see what we create. Nicky had a projector in the room and so we were able to look at everyone’s films as they made them.They were all only a few seconds long as we had to draw on every frame, at a frame rate of 25 frames per second.

I found this workshop inspired me for what I wanted to do for my project. I had done a scratch film once before during my foundation and I had forgotten how much I liked it. It was also a really nice opportunity to get to work with my hands again.

I have always loved drawing and painting and have dabbled in hand drawn animation, and so being able to do this work without computers was something I really enjoyed.

For my short film I chose to use the blacked out film, as this was what I had used before. This time however I decided to make more of an animation than I had last time. I used a lot of shapes and even some small animals through the film, which in total lasts maybe 5-6 seconds. I used markers to colour in parts of the film to add a bit more dimension to the piece and make it more pleasurable to watch.

Fields and Frames Presentation

For my fields and frames project, I was initially very unsure of what to do and it took me a long time to settle on something. I decided after some deliberation that I would use a combination of the projects I had previously most enjoyed, and those were the experimental film project and sound. I also used to do animation and I wanted to incorporate that as well, which I have wanted to do for a while, and this seemed like a good opportunity to do so. I was especially inspired by the scratch film workshops where I drew a frame by frame short animation, and sort of remembered how much I enjoyed doing that sort of thing.
So I knew what I wanted to make, but I was still lacking in a theme. I did have one idea, but I was trying to avoid doing it because it meant I had to make a film about myself which wasn't something I really wanted to do... but I couldn't think of anything better so I decided to get over myself and just do it.
When I was 7/8, I was was told I had ADD, which is very similar to ADHD (just without the hyperactivity - mostly). My year 3 teacher had noticed I got distracted very easily, wasn't listening or paying attention and had trouble concentrating. These are symptoms everyone experiences every now and then, but if you have ADD or ADHD it's more of a happens all the time kind of thing, which can be very frustrating.

So my idea, is that I want to make an experimental film using film and animation, with sound as a very major part of the piece, and is about life with ADD (from my perspective anyway)

I then began to research films either in the type of animation that I wanted to emulate with my work, or that were relevant to the style of filming and editing I wanted to use.


30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone) from Anna Cady on Vimeo.

I found this film and was instantly struck by the dramatic animation style it was done in. I did something similar to this - on a much much smaller scale - on my foundation course and I really liked doing it. On this film I love it because in what is otherwise a relatively average camera frame, the animating brings a whole new level of colour and movement, which I find brings a lot more life to the film, and keeps it really interesting and enjoyable to watch. The work was done using oil painting and live action, and I like trying to figure out how it was done. I would imagine that they had glass plates or something that were placed in front of each frame and traced each image with paint. It must have been very time consuming. I think I might have liked it more if the entire film was done in this manner, I find the live action part of the film quite dull to look at in comparison.


ADHD from onnolee w on Vimeo.

This film I chose because it was about ADHD, and it becomes this sort of montage of overwhelming noises and distractions that pull attention away from what the subject is supposed to be doing. The sounds in the piece are introduced slowly and increase as the film goes on. There is also emphasis on the symptoms of ADHD, for example the post-it notes everywhere, and the forgetting of the keys, something in the background grabbing attention, and the constant restlessness, fidgeting and doodling.  The sound reaches a crescendo and falls away to silence, and I think it's really effective the way the sound builds up, creating this sort of sensory overload. While I enjoy this film I also think it comes across as not necessarily the highest quality. While I find is useful as a base, and to get some ideas from and helping to visualise my own plans, I would hope to largely improve upon this if I did something like it.

Feeling My Way from Jonathan Hodgson on Vimeo.

This piece is my favourite. It is an analogue film piece that must have been drawn over frame by frame to create this effect and I love the final outcome. It was created by animator/director Jonathan Hodgson in 1997, and is of "a journey from home to work through the filter of the conscious and subconscious mind. Through use of moving collages and painterly animation combined with live-action footage, the viewer is able to share the traveller's experiences and his mental reactions to the trials and triviality of urban existence."
This film is what really inspired my idea, and is what I want to experiment with doing for my piece - although mine will possibly be more experimental/erratic, and less linear.