17) Guest Speaker: Esther May Campbell - 26/2/18

On Monday we had guest speaker Esther May Campbell come in to speak about her short film 'September', her photography in general and her exhibition at Elm Tree Farm. My notes from the talk can be seen below.

September:

To give the film the aesthetic look that she wanted, she used various techniques such as shooting on a handheld camera (digital and analog - 16mm bolex), choosing to only shoot at dusk or dawn (because this is known for when magic happens), as well as keeping to one lens so the moving image didn't look jumpy. She highlighted to us that we should find our aesthetic and keep to it - don't let it get diluted!!

I also found it interesting that she illuminated that each scene asks a question which is answered in the next scene, giving the film a strong and gripping storyline. I would not have noticed this from watching the film without any discussion after, but I feel it really makes the viewer more curious about the story itself.

She also gave some really good advice about when you despair about a project, saying you should think about it sidewards and change one part of the concept so you don't hate the whole production, meaning you can still get out of bed in the morning and keep working on it. I feel like this is really important advice, and it's reminded me that there is no set way to do a project, you can always adapt and change it for the better of the story or for your benefit.

Her photography:

Campbell realised she didn't want to do TV work anymore because she wanted to do work that resonated to her and allowed her to spend time with her family, so started to do more photography. She said that "analog has a magic to me", and through her interest in looking for the magic in the domestic through her camera, it allowed her to get through a hard time in her life. She said that "when I had a camera in my hand, all my anxious thoughts would go away" which I feel highlights that photography isn't just for showing people the world through your perspective, but its also for helping people deal with things and get through them.

Elm Tree Farm:

I liked how within this project she shot all B+W, but on lots of different cameras. The B+W look throughout really aids the storytelling and flow of the images, but I love that there are different formats of photographs within the series to keep the viewer interested. She showed the images she took in situ on the farm for 3 1/2 days, and over 900 people came to the exhibition. She felt this was a way bigger reception than she would have got in a gallery space, which I feel highlights the importance of exhibiting in unconventional spaces, and inspires me for finding an exhibition space for our work from Creative Interactions. She also gave us some tips on printing cheaply, because she produced all the prints for this exhibition at Sprinters in Stokes Croft, with an A0 B+W print for only £2! She went on to say that there's no reason why your photographs can't occupy the same space street art does, I really love this idea, and it's something I want to try with my own work, potentially again the work from Creative Interactions.

Overall I really enjoyed this guest talk as I feel Campbell gave us lots of useful and applicable photography tips which I can use in my own practice. As well as this, I love her style of exhibition and it really inspires me, and both her photography and moving image work is beautiful.

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