Build

A Short Film

Our task for the week was to create a short film, in groups, based on our given word. Our given word was 'build'. We began by brain storming the word build and came up with ideas that were physically build, as well as relations that could be built. We explored the ideas of a time lapse and a life cycle, that can be built and developed. This lead onto the idea of new beginnings, building a life and a family. We then wrote a list of things you can build: Buildings, confidence, structures, character, friendships, nations, and infrastructure. We then looked at the idea of lego and machinery. 

Eventually we got to the idea of building a nest. We decided that we wanted to convey a powerful message of deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats. We thought that birds could represent nature, and we are destroying their homes by cutting down trees, leaving them homeless, and forcing them to rebuild their homes. We then did some research and I found an artist named Debra Stuckgold (her work is pictured below). 

Debra Stuckgold

In Stuckgold's statement, she says "I create mixed-media work that combines painting, drawing, printmaking and installation. Interaction with architectural structures and spatial relationships inform both my conceptual and installation processes. Many of my pieces are two-dimensional works that extend off the wall; other pieces encompass the entire exhibition space and include both sound elements and shadows. 

While I utilize diverse media, methods of presentation and subject matter to realize individual projects, the work is conceptually linked through recognition of the landscape as a receptacle of history and memory, connecting past with present. Through landscape, I address concerns that range from mortality, structural decay, to mapping and border politics." 

 Her work combines the beauty of nature and architecture and makes them one.

Habitat

We then decided we wanted to switch the concept, and allow people to see how we are destroying habitats of animals. We would do this by showing a bird in a hard hat and with a chain saw or bulldozer, destroying our own houses, and using the parts to create their own housing and supplies, allowing people to see the extent of the destruction, it puts us in their shoes.

We then played around with the sketching of the bird and how it would look. We then wanted the bird to be shown in the film clearly destroying the house in parts, so we detached the wings from the body so they could be movable. We would also make the crack in the house grow until it fell down.

At the beginning of the film, we see a beautiful scene of trees and sunlight and greenery, the next scene is dark, as all of the trees have been chopped down, and all of the animals have been forced to leave. We then played around with the idea of the bird being shown destroying the building on top of a blueprint of a bird house (which the rubble would be used to create), this was something I designed myself, looking at architectures work and measuring out the sections to create a realistic-looking design for a habitat. The main idea of the film was to create a strong message but to do so in a comical way, to make the viewer laugh, and also feel sympathetic towards the bird and make them want to change their ways.

Once finishing the film, we decided to change the name to something more appropriate: 'Habitat' to convey a more personal idea of a building.

I enjoyed this task as it was interesting to work in a group, with people I didn't know, this helped prepare me for a working environment. We also all helped contribute to the end result and I thought the process of our ideas were good and flowing, and we all took into account each others ideas, testing each of them out until we all chose a favourite together. I was pleased with our end result, as it combines realistic scenes shot ourselves, with cartoon drawings we all helped to create and design.