My given number was 7 and my immediate mind-mapping threw up references to playing cards, dominoes, the seven deadly sins, Seven Samurai, Seven Dwarfs and the title sequence to Se7en... As my initial experiments with the 16mm leader were unsuccessful - I was attempting to create an organic, grimy 'fantasia' by chemically colouring and distressing the film, but only succeeded in disintegrating the stock beyond repair...
Instead, I decided to experiment with found 8mm film stock that I had digitised for a previous project, but not used.
DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
PROCESS
1. sourced the spoken word audio of Richard Burton reciting the Dylan Thomas poem Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.
2. constructed a basic soundtrack around the poem.
3. edited found 8mm footage as visual "atmosphere" in response to the conceptual context of the poem.
4. self-imposed 6 hour time limit.
In accordance with the fundamentals of the scratch film brief, this project was purely an exercise in responsive and spontaneous editing. An experiment in visual repetition. Minimal image manipulation or use of special effects. The idea was to engineer meaning in random visuals. As a moving image piece I think it works to a point - I also think that the process is apparent in the final outcome, rendering it unsuccessful. For me, the apparent process is a distraction to the audio content. Especially as there are brief moments where synthesis between image and audio are achieved - which exaggerate the lack of it elsewhere. Just proves that there is no substitute for careful planning and having a very distinct core understanding of the theme. Okay for an afternoons work though. A positive for me is the "remixed" audio with addition of subtle soundtrack, elevating and dramatically enhancing the spoken word without overwhelming it - something new for me and something I'll definitely explore further in the future.
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