Recently I did some filming in Little Stone Wood. I think film will definitely form part of the project as it can be shot in a deadpan style but also has movement and sound incorporated in the image. This can make it more engaging and interesting for the viewer.

Below there are three clips. One is with a soundtrack, the song How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead. Choosing the song itself is fairly obvious because of the title, but it also has a haunting quality which seems to work well with the film.

The second film is the movie with the ambient sound. This is probably more along the idea that I originally envisaged and works better than having a soundtrack put over it. It becomes more absorbing with the ambient sound whereas with the soundtrack it becomes more distracting.

The last film is the same as the previous but in B&W instead of colour. Looking at it, it doesn't seem as if the B&W is actually adding anything to the film, but adds another layer of connotation and reduces the objectiveness of the film.

So, it seems the way forward is to film the forest in colour with a “locked off” camera, that the camera holds the same position throughout the shot. The length of each shot in this film was about 15 seconds, which seems long enough. Any longer and the viewer looses interest, unless they are drastically longer, for example 5 minutes, then the viewer could “zone out” to them. But I think I will stick to 15 secs as it’s long enough to prove the point about the forest being calm and relaxing.

Also holding the camera and filming whilst walking and back from the forest didn’t really work. The opening shot of walking and then fading into a still image is too jarring, but the shot at the end works better, when leaving the forest. It also gives the forest a narrative, a beginning and an end, which can then give the impression of journeying through the forest. I do like the idea and it might be more to do with the actual shot rather than the format, so will give it another go.