I need your help with something. I’m currently working on a video project for my Graduate Program at Eastern State University and need your time and generosity to film personal household environments. This semester I will be documenting personal spaces inside of domestic spaces. I need footage from bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, garages, etc. I’m creating a series based off these videos to illustrate connections between a persons environment and how it can reflect back a personality.
Sky Room (clips montage with music score) (1:55)
I hope by viewing these short clips it will give you a better understanding of what I’m talking about when I say “filming personal household environments.” This semester I want to continue this exploration of smooth tracking shots and with your help produce a short film documenting many different personalities, household objects, and types of housing environments. I’ll leave it up to you to let me know what I can document in your house and if you would like to participate in being physically involved inside your personal space (more on that below).
Luxurious (clips montage with music score) (1:55)
* All videos listed below do not contain audio *
Large Mansion (montage) (1:41)
Stairs Leading Up to Daylight (clip) (0:27)
Moody Hallway Shot (clip) (0:11)
As I mentioned above, I want get people who are interested in being involved one way or another in the very room being filmed. I want these scenes to be separate however. An example of what I’m going for could be something as simple as brushing your teeth in the bathroom or watching TV in the living room. I’m going to stick with an almost macro-approach to this and document people from a fixed position very close up. I want these “personality” shots to be very closely cropped into the details… Providing the viewer with only a fragment of who you really are. An example of this exercise would be to record just your hands while you slice up vegetables for a salad in the kitchen or just your feet moving while pushing a vacuum or sweeping the floor. The point is that by combining these elements together, along with details of the house itself, a narrative comes about on screen.
For the most part, identity shall remain anonymous. However, as the example shows below sometimes faces are necessary to convey an emotion.
Brother of the Wind (clips montage with music score) (2:28)
Objects inside houses fascinate me. For me, objects (furniture, decorations, statues, plants, etc) represent something about the person who makes an effort to display them in their home. A painting on the wall would be a good example, just as would be an impressive vinyl collection. I plan on doing lots of slow smooth circling and vertical movements with my camera to record these objects and get a better sense of their proportions to the rest of the room.
Finally, I want to highlight your prized possessions in these short films. It could be an award you won, a statue on the mantle of your living room you brought home from another country, or a particular religious decoration you keep displayed around the house.
Below is an example of a tea room decorated with various types of ceramic glass-wear and dining sets the owner was very proud of and had displayed in a separate room of the house for guests.
Tea Wear and Dining Set Objects (clips) (0:25)
Please EMAIL ME if you are interested and we can set up a time and place. These shoots should take me anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to complete. In return for helping me out I will give you copies of all my footage and also display your name in the credits (if you would like it to be) when the film is finished around May of this year.
Burned Out House in Detroit No.1 (clips montage) (2:16)