Welcome to 'Working with Light'

To all 'Working with Light' students: this blog will now host weekly posts covering what we go over in our support groups, whether that be technical issues, post-lecture discussion, feedback on peer's work, links to inspiration and so on. This is a space for you all to contribute to, so please get happy commenting with your work/ideas/research etc.. Please note these support groups will take place on Mondays from 10am in the outer darkroom.

Thursday 22nd April

Jonathan Shaw introduced the module, we questioned 'what is light?' (and will continue to do so throughout the term). We started by watching a film by Mike Figgis: Timecode. I enjoyed the film largely for its original format and delivery, more than its plot or message. At first frustrated by its awkwardness, but then soon (as we discussed afterwards) adapting to it by allowing the changing audio to manipulate our selected viewing. I found myself evolving with this process - listening to the conversation of one character(s) and looking to the silent actions of another, to keep track of them all. I also thought that this could be a film to be re-visited - with more to be discovered when the viewer doesn't need to follow the plot and so can look for the finer actions/behaviours of the characters. A point to remember with our photography - can we produce something original which will hold a viewers attention, perhaps even encourage them to revisit it and/or discover more? We all know how easy it is to blitz round a gallery, skimming over others' work.

We were given the article Why Street Photography is Facing a Moment of Truth by Sean O'Hagan. Looking to the quotes of the article, there are some quite useful insights into photographer's attitudes when approaching 'street photography' -

"It's essentially a way of working wherein you have to be utterly open to what happens on the street. So, no props, no models, no setting up of shots, and you always use available light. Then, it's down to a mixture of happenstance, luck and skill." - Matt Stuart

"I'm not really drawn to a lot of the ideas around street photography, the notion of waiting around for something to happen, an accident or a man walking by an odd sign or things like that. What I do is always carried by the subject. In this instance, I was totally reacting to a place that I had stumbled on, and the place completely moulded and shaped the work. I was reacting, really, rather than going out looking." - Stephen Gill

The article also pointed out something of a gap between street photography and its place in the art world, because it is too grounded or authentic in some way. Hopefully we can bridge this gap with our pinhole work. Which leads to the task for next week - to photograph the 'street' using our pinhole cameras, and taking into consideration the points discussed in this article. When we say 'street' what we're really talking about is the public place. I started to question what defines that place - somewhere everyone and anyone has the right to be, and hence where you can expect to meet anyone - an absence of privacy. How does a camera (as an objective viewing tool) fit into such a place? Or how does a photographer (as a subjective 'eye') enter into and engage with it?

I'd mention to students that with this task it's important not to get hung up on the technical restrictions of pinhole, but rather to enjoy them. If all you've got is a bloomin' cake tin then how are you going to get something from it? This task is not looking for perfectly focussed, lit, exposed, framed images, instead it's looking to break the mould, and (pardon the cliché) get you to think outside the box. I think this is what the module is really about, pushing the boundaries, challenging the thinking we take for granted when photographing. And as wise Wonathan put it - "if you're not enjoying it, stop it and try something else."


For those who haven't seen it, here is my post and video of the Camera Obscura I made. Recommend that everyone has a go at this - very simple, very cheap, very interesting, and educational towards pinhole cameras.

See you all on Monday - peer review and guidance for 'street' task, post-lecture discussion, pinhole camera surgery. No hangovers allowed.

Film Review 'Accident'

I've become a bit of a regular attendee of the Coventry University East Asian Film Society. They make a point of showcasing some of the varied original cinema of East Asia, rather than the typical Western expectation i.e. martial arts and anime. They also hold a review competition, in which I recently partook after their latest showing of Accident, and successfully won. Please read below.

By all accounts this is a relentlessly tense film, delivering an original plot, and making evocative use of attractive compositional photography. It is also very refreshing to have such a succinct screening, which I believe strongly contributed to the power of its tension.

The film follows the ingenious (and sometimes unbelievable) exploits of a group of assassins, who succeed in posing every murder as a freak accident. When it seems that they have fallen victim to a similar scheme, the leading character Brain, takes on an intense and unforgiving search to discover why they were targeted, and who by. Delivered as an intelligent and uneasy thriller, this is a film which engrosses the viewer with mystery, conspiracy, and fear – aided by its clever application of cinematography.

I do feel however that the film lacks something, and I think it is character empathy. If we take it that one of the basic aims of cinema is to convince the audience of a story, and of the characters’ plight within that story, then I think this is where 'Accident' slips a little. Think of Fatty’s death – the audience could have benefited from some more character developing scenes, so as to encourage more sympathy towards him. Such scenes, or even moments, could be added without damaging the film’s tight edit. In cinema, a lot can be conveyed in very little time. These scenes would help to break up the continuous moments of tension, and provide more of a balanced pace regarding the suspense of the film, as well as involving the audience with the characters on a deeper emotional level.

However, it may well have been director Soi Cheang’s intention to keep this film almost entirely plot focussed (after the initial scenes, the story solely concentrates on the protagonist’s relentless drive to solve the mystery) in which case it should be regarded as a very intriguing piece of cinema, with its challenge to the etiquette and expectations of screen delivery.

By George Rippon

I'm keen on cinema, and having the opportunity to write about it critically and then receive appreciation, was very encouraging. I intend to continue.

Thanks to Coventry University East Asian Film Society for screening this and many other excellent films. http://mcopenmediacoventry.org/cueafs/