Still Image Moving

This project explores the new medium of HD Video from a high end DSLR camera. Whilst many  artists have incorporated  video into their practices over the years I have taken inspiration for this project  from Andy Warhol who filmed most of the visitors to his workshop and produced over 500 film short films called Screen Tests in the 1960’s. His subjects included Susan Sontag, Bob Dylan and Edie Sedgwick.

Warhol‘s  Screen Tests  followed a standardised format. Lighting was simple but varied between sitters. A single reel of black and white film was used, this ran for 2.5 minutes it was played back a slower rate of 16 frames per second. This was the rate old silent movies were played at and this had the effect of making blinks and movements more obvious.

Sam Taylor-Wood’s 2004 film “David”  shows Beckham sleeping after a training session. She referenced Warhol in  the film commissioned for the National Portrait Gallery whose  director Sandy Nairne said Sam Taylor-Wood’s image of Beckham was “compelling”. “All his famous goals are replayed on television all the time, and quite right too because they are wonderful,” Mr Nairne said.

“But I think if you are going to try to get to the person, to the man, to him, you need perhaps a different approach. “She gives us the chance as viewers to be very close to him, almost examine him, in a way that would not otherwise be possible.”

The new technology in the Canon 5D mk2 camera seems ideally suited to develop the  Screen Test concept, as a video portrait. The video  effect allowing the movement of the eyes and face to provide the viewer with  a greater understanding of the sitter whilst  the still camera effects such as  the shallow depth of field giving a traditional portrait look.

The body language tells a lot about the sitter  but given  the reported comments of the external examiner that there was not enough information about work  I was interested to include the voice of the sitter and experimented with an interview.

The interview on its own is , I feel , too obvious perhaps because we are used to seeing people interviewed  and maybe fail to explore the image and draw our own conclusions. What is needed is some  type of surprise to hold the viewers attention. Also to step back and show the full person not just the face.

The introduction of movement is a surprise works well I think it “ increases the volume on the ridiculous” and makes the clip more memorable even though in this case it has for me parallels with Ricky Gervaise character David Brent and the  Office dance scene. Perhaps this could be developed by playing the audio over a still pose and then incorporating the dance.

I think this works the best, the video begins with the image slowed by a ratio of 62.5%  to give the same effect as Warhol playing his films at 16 fps. The viewer is drawn to study the sitter and form their own opinion. After about  40 seconds the subject bursts into song and  the viewer  has the opportunity to continue to study the sitter in her masquerade as Lady Gaga. The song Poker face allows the repeat of the surprise of the song  and gives this clip a life of its own which does not owe a debt to Warhol.