William Board
I N T E R C H A N G E
The first project to start off the new MArch group was to create a film based around an existing interchange area. I choose Leeds Bus Station as my area of study.
It was interesting to note the amount of people that use the space temporarily. It was only a few people who truly utilising the Station, mainly the Pigeons.
A lecture from The Northern Film School also came and gave us feedback on original films and provided us with useful tips.
Interchange
Short film produced with narration about Leeds Bus Station.
After the initial film study the concept of a Film Essay was portrayed to us. In groups we analysed two films studying the techniques they had used to create their essays/documentaries and for us to understand some terminology that is used in the film industry.
Wheel Of Time - Werner Herzog
The film follows the Tibetan Buddhist holly festival of Kalachakra sand mandala. A sand mandala is a ritualistically made and destroyed piece of art, symbolising the Buddhist doctrine belief in the transitory nature of material life. The film follows the pilgrimage of people arriving in two contrasting places, India and Austria where the Dalai Lama is to lead the creation and destruction of the two mandalas.
Eye Machine III - Harun Farocki
In the Eye Machine trilogy, Farocki deals with the technology of war and how that visual technology has penetrated civilian life. In his films he brings out the fact that the human eye is losing the capacity to distinguish between real and fictional images. Eye Machine III follows on from the previous films in the series, focusing on the distinction between propaganda films and technical footage. He also explores how the technology for missile guidance has now gone into the production of everyday goods that people use in their lives.
Wheel of Time is a 2003 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog about Tibetan Buddhism. The title refers to the Kalachakra sand mandala that provides a recurring image for the film.
The third part of the Eye-Machine cyclo structures the material around the concept of the operational image.These are images which do not portray a process but are themselves part of a process.
Film Essays
Analysis of two films, Wheel of Time by Werner Herzog and Eye Machine III by Harun Farocki.
Wheel of Time
Documentary following pilgrims on route to Buddhist Holly Festival.
F I L M E S S A Y
M Y F I L M E S S A Y
Analysis of two cities, Mumbai and London proceeded looking at film essayist. Analyses of the commons in the cities lead me to look at how the streets are used and function as part of the public space in the cities. In Mumbai this mainly centred on the issue of street hawkers and their daily struggles. In London the issue of street hawkers has been stopped due to legislation and been replaced by street markets.
A series of images from around London looking at how people use the streets, including market stalls, restaurants, walking, shopping, skateboarding.
A series of images from around Mumbai showing different uses of the streets from food vendors, festivals, schools, sleeping, houses and market stalls.
Streets
A series of images from the streets in London and Mumbai.
1. The Street Hawker starts selling his good(s) either on cardboard or some material. Little stock so can easily run away from police.
2. After couple of weeks they gain a few regular customers. They can invest money in Bribing Police to stay in one spot so costumers know where he is they can also buy more stock.
3. When stock increases he needs better way of displaying produce, unable to move when police arrive regular bribes are paid.
4. The Hawker can now expand his business further and offer more products to appeal to a wider range of customers.
5. By now he is a well-known street vendor, and established himself on the street. Though now he must be able to cover his stall due to the monsoon rains approaching. They are now part of the urban fabric of Mumbai.
The 5 Stage of Hawking
Rahul Mehrota came up with the 5 stage of hawking to portray the steps that a Mumbai street vender has to go through to become a more or less established part of the urban domain.
Storey Board
Two help in the production of the film a storey board was produced to order the different scenes that would happen and the type of sounds and effects that were wanted.
London’s storey board centred around Brick Lane looking into the history of the area and the use of barrow boys and costermongers that were London’s version of street hawkers. It looks to follow the daily life of one of these barrow boys and the daily struggles they encountered. The second part of the film looks at modern day Brick Lane and the Sunday markets and fruit vendors in the area.
Mumbai's storey board looks at the daily struggles of a street hawker from waking up in a slum near the airport and his daily route through traffic into the nearby affluent area of Vile Parle towards the train station.
Storey Boards
London and Mumbai Storey Boards analysing the streets and daily lives of street vendors.
Films Essays
Following on from the storyboard highlighting research elements such as the issues of the commons in the two cities Mumbai and London, two film essays were produced. They portray the ideas shown in the different scenes in the storey boards. All the media used was second hand that could be collected and portrayed how foreign media portrays the highlighted images of the streets.
London Film Essay
Mumbai Film Essay