When making this video, I focused on the visual trends of surreality, as well as silence vs. noise. I wanted to create a video where there were different sounds linked to different colored objects as well as different compositions of the objects. I used an empty tissue box, a book I got from a thrift store, and a beat up mug from a dollar store. I spray painted all the objects, leaving some aspect of them white (i.e. the tissue, the pages, and the inside of the cup). I also took got three pieces of foam core, glued them together so they could resemble two walls and a floor, and then spray painted that the same color as the objects. I set my camera up on a tripod, set the objects up in their “room,” turned a fan on (to get the tissue to move) and took one 12 minute shot. Throughout the 12 minute shot, I would put the objects in new compositions and wait about thirty seconds before moving them again. In post production, I chopped up the shot, added the sounds, and shifted the hues of the objects. I was very pleased with the results.
Throughout my video, I tend to use the rule of thirds. I initially did this by not placing the corner of the “room” in the center of the frame. Throughout the video, the objects also generally follow the rule of thirds as they shift positions. The frame shown above, for example, there are three objects, each one in its own section of the frame, dividing the frame into thirds. Of course, there are a few exceptions where I broke the rule in order to keep it interesting.
Throughout the video I used overlapping as a depth cue. Depth cues are important for this video, especially since everything is painted the same color. By setting up the objects so that they overlap each other in their various compositions, a sense of depth is added. In the frame above, for example, the viewer is able to tell that the objects are in front of the walls. The viewer is also able to tell that the book is positioned on top and in front of the tissue box, and that that cup is in front of the book.
Throughout the video, I used color contrast. I used this to associate different colors with different sounds, in order to change the feelings they gave off. I also used color separation when I kept certain parts of the objects white. This helps to make the objects stand out, giving them more personality as still lifes, while also adding contrast from the solid colors.
While creating this video I was inspired a lot by the visual trends of color surge and surreality, as well as by music videos created by the artists Tessa Violet and St. Vincent. Below is a mood board:
