⧏⧏ VIDEO PROJECTS ⧐⧐

The process of making the “Found Footage” and “Metaphor of Self” projects was an adventure into the unknown. I’d never edited video in this way before, so it was a whole new experience for me. I used Lightworks which at times was frustrating. In part this was because I’d never worked with it before, and I also sense that there are probably other applications that have an easier interface. These minor aggravations aside, I enjoyed the projects a lot. I loved browsing and choosing video clips for the “Found Footage” project and following the thread of mysterious inspiration that eventually led to the end product. I didn’t have a concept in mind in starting out, so it was a joy to see what organically unfolded from this. The end result was far more magical than I could have planned for. I credit Buffy Saint Marie for this, whose song “God is Afoot” is enchanted perfection in my mind. She tied the clips together in such a satisfying way. I also loved taking video clips for the “Metaphor of Self” project. It was a whole new level of engagement with the world around me to move from photography to video. It filled me with such delight to have a reason to stop, observe, and film the beauty I observed around me. I love any excuse to pause and revel, especially in nature.

The main difference in production that feels important to note is using already created clips and repurposing them versus taking my own footage and creating from that. This is poignant in that the former was much more an exploration within the limits of already created media. As I stated above, I didn’t have a concept of what I wanted to create for the “Found Footage” project and was guided by the clips I found and how they inspired me. For the latter there was more freedom to develop a concept beforehand and shoot footage that tied into that theme, the theme being a metaphor of self. The Found Footage project was removed from myself. To me it said something about life, while the Metaphor of Self was personal and said something about me. I also used audio from an original song concept I’ve been playing with for the last few months in the “Metaphor of Self” project. This added even more of a personal element that the “Found Footage” video did not have.