William Board
F I L M E S S A Y
A film essay (or "cinematic essay") consists of the evolution of a theme or an idea rather than a plot. The film becomes a cinematic accompaniment to a narrator reading an essay. An essay film can also be defined as a documentary, visually based combining it with a form of commentary that contains elements of self-portrait (not an autobiography), the signature (not the life story) of the filmmaker is apparent. The cinematic essay often blends documentary, fiction, and experimental film making using tones and editing styles.
L O N D O N
In London as a group we explored the effects that Crossrail is having across it total underground stretch through the heart of London. The affects that new or extensions to existing refurbishments of the stations are creating underground and to above ground and the new commons that are created from this.
We took themes that we had analysed in the original film essays and looked at other issues surrounding a station that we picked.
M U M B A I
January involved a study trip to Mumbai. Whilst there we looked to investigate our initial film essay we produced about Mumbai, mine centring around the issue of street hawkers in the city. Sites to investigate these issues where chosen between the two southern most train stations in Mumbai, Victoria (CST) and Churchgate, were a combined 6 million people use them daily.
Whilst in Mumbai I also explored, the large washing areas called Dhobi Ghat, Dharavi one of the largest slums in the world, Sassoon Dock where they bring in most of the fish each day, the old textile mills and elephanta Island. I was also fortunate to leave the city for a couple of days and get up to see the Taj Mahal.
