Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Motion & Video => Topic started by: Pedro Kok on October 19, 2009, 10:36:37 am
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This is part of a continuous experiment – a solitary study – on transposing the language of architectural photography into video. The reference to photography is clear, with many takes with a fixed camera. As the objective is the understanding of the architectural project, the takes are several seconds long – always more than five. The human figure is essential, as it demonstrates scale, axis, paths and possible interactions between man and building. The recorded sound, of low quality and subject to wind noise, was replaced by a soundtrack which then based the editing process.
Recorded with the Canon 5D Mark II and TS-E 24mm lens. Edited in Final Cut Pro. No color grading. Soundtrack by 'The Cinematic Orchestra'.
This pavilion houses the work of contemporary brazilian artist Adriana Varejão. The building was designed by architects Rodrigo Cerviño Lopez, Fernando Falcon and Eduardo Chalabi. Concluded in 2008. Opened in 2006, the Inhotim Institute in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil is a centre for contemporary arts. Houses artwork from brazilian and international artists in several pavilions, galleries and throughout its gardens, which were conceived by Roberto Burle Marx.
http://vimeo.com/7136246 (http://vimeo.com/7136246)
There is also a longer, seven minute long version with a different soundtrack and edit which can be seen here (http://vimeo.com/7083279). Nonetheless, the video that I prefer is the one linked above.
Cheers,
Pedro
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I like it with some reservations. Some thoughts. This is not a criticism but the video despite the people is really a series of stills like a slide show. Great still shots but stills nevertheless. I like the use of moving transparent people, they reinforce the rigidity of the stills and the architectural forms. It reminds me of the movies that Paul Strand did, which were really a series of stills. Your still photography background is visually very dominant here. And my reservations-there are very few interiors and I am left wondering what the interior space really feels like. Also I have no sense really of the art work housed in it or around it. The people indicate how the structure is used, but the art work uses the space to. Such as the excellent examples on your wensite, there are also no close shots, no elegant details, everything is pretty much big views and kind of impersonal.
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Kirk, I very much agree with you. With video, I'm taking baby steps into learning. There are many more variables to take care of, and I prefer to get one thing right at a time, than to try out many things at once and probably get nothing right. There were two shots with camera panning, but I wasn't comfortable with putting these in. I can see where a glide track, a fluid head for smooth camera movement, or even actors and assistants would help, but these come later. As this wasn't commissioned work, I didn't have authorization for stills and video inside de pavilion and I had to shoot everything from the outside. This was a big letdown, but it's better than having nothing at all. If you are interested in this project, here's a link (http://www.dezeen.com/2009/03/24/galeria-adriana-varejao-by-rodrigo-cervino-lopez/) with plans and some internal shots.
A very close reference is the series "Architectures" for the french TV5, such as this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LVUZ2Lt7Hg&feature=PlayList&p=6C34B6ED7E3D5CCF&index=0&playnext=1) episode on Alvaro Siza's Architecture School in Porto, or this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0zNBdZgaBQ) one on Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin. A distant reference is Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi movie, but my clip has little of it.
Either way, I appreciated your comments. This forum is a good harbor for architectural photographers.
Pedro