Bolex 1 Minute Take

I had a blast on the Saturday shoot for the Bolex one minute take. It just reminded me how badly I want my own Bolex camera. Any opportunity I get to work with one is amazing. For my group's shoot, I was the Bolex operator. We had 2 of the guys from our group acting in front of the camera and the other member drove the car. The car acted as a dolly of sorts to allow for a smooth tracking shot. We did a few run throughs to avoid problems during the actual take. When we were filming, however, we still needed to improvise. The car was moving too fast and the actors were becoming too small in the frame. I made an executive decision to have Jen put the car in reverse. As we approached the actors again, the climax of our take happened. The guitar had smashed and Liam became the prominent character in the frame which added to the spooky atmosphere that his costume and unusual behavior supplied the audience with.

When we were developing the film I got to relive the dark room experience that I love. There is something unique and raw about being in a dark room and watching your image develop in front of your eyes. It makes you really appreciate the whole process! Overall, I had a blast with the Bolex project and I look forward to editing it and showing it to the rest of the class.

Bridgman Packer Response

My two experiences with Bridgman and Packer were both interesting and offered a new perspective into the evolution of the artistic world. On Monday's class I had little expectations for what we would be participating in with Bridgman and Packer. I certainly wasn't expecting to dance (I'm sure the rest of the class wasn't expecting this either). I found the workshop to be very insightful and interesting. However, I think that a lot of the 6x1 students were intimidated by the dancers who came to the workshop or feared inadequacy when it came to participation. As filmmakers, a majority of us have little background in dance, never mind the fluid, freestyle of dance that Bridgman Packer utilized. Luckily I do have some experience in dance and I appreciated the style that Bridgman and Packer flawlessly executed. During their performance on Friday, it was cool to see the different techniques that they used that we witnessed in the workshop. I found many sequences intriguing, especially when the two dancers began to lose their identity in the background as their silhouettes were projected multiple times on the screen. I also enjoyed the sequences where they played with gender norms and projected their bodies onto one another. Their overall performance felt like an art installation that might be seen at a prominent art gallery or dance studio. Bridgman and Packer were definitely interesting performers that grabbed your attention and they pushed the boundaries of any dance performance that I have ever witnessed.