Abbie's media projects

Every film is a social documentary because it documents the desires of the collective unconsciousness. – Andre Bazin

As a queer person self expression and establishing an identity is very important to me and I feel creative outlets like media allow me to best explore that. I was not only drawn to the topic of representation but the wider concept of culture and how the art of a nation reflects its socio-historical context and values. This idea of realism was presented and popularised by Andre Bazin in his book ‘What is cinema’ and the quote above is from that same book under the ‘Evolution of the language of cinema’. I would say that his works along with those of scholars like Rick Altman, who looks at point of view from a technical standpoint, have largely inspired me to look at viewers interpretation and hold it to as high a value as the content itself.

Along with representation and cultural reflection I have taken an academic interest in the Korean film and television industry. After all my research into the topic I have found that the modern Korean media industry is by far the most compelling to research in both form and content. This idea is expanded upon much more in my year 2 essay and referenced in my inspiration for my year 2 FMP. Following is an extremely brief analysis of one of my favourite Korean film’s, which I believe to be a brilliant example of why Korean cinema is due to be a staple in every film lovers collection.

A Tale Of Two Sisters – Kim Jee-woon

Although Oldboy is the film that peaked my initial interest in South Korean cinema, the film A Tale Of Two Sisters is what I hold as the golden standard for a perfect thriller (and also what inspired my FMP). What stood out to me when watching this masterpiece is how Kim chose to tell the story, he didn’t just rely on characters and the script but also utilised camera angles and colour symbolism to lay down the main plot points. For example the first time we are introduced to the girls Sumi is wearing a red cardigan which immediately led me to believe that she would be the true antagonist. In the middle of the film there is a scene where the twins father is talking to them but the shot is framed so that Suyeon is cut out of the frame, which clearly implied that Suyeon was not actually real and there with her sister. This form of technical storytelling is something that I feel is missing from a lot of mainstream western films.

Skills and growth

I feel that my first year of media study was very much getting the basics of prepping, shooting and editing down as I had no prier non-written media experience; all of my work was more about the process than the outcome because of this. The biggest leaps I’ve made this year aren’t so much technical but more so creative, being able to understand myself and find my voice. At the beginning of this academic year I sat down with my tutor to talk about what made my first year so successful and how it will inform my future goals. We agreed that my best project was my documentary because out of all my projects it reflected me and the way I view the world. This need to ask myself what am I trying to say with my films along with a fondness for world cinema that I garnered over the summer break allowed me to specialise and concentrate creating projects that will enhance not only my portfolio but my strength as an artist.

Hobbies

Fashion

One of the things that I found on my way establish my identity was fashion. When I began to embrace the queer community and what it had to offer in terms of media and culture I found the world of drag. Seeing queens wearing high concept club kid looks one week whilst also wearing pageant gowns the next, all of which they designed themselves greatly intrigued and inspired me.

This look by Scarlett BoBo was one of the first looks that drew me to couture gowns and feels very reminiscent of Thierry Mugler’s ss 1999 collection. My affinity for this colour pallet and silhouette makes sense as Mugler is one of my favourite designers, my favourite work of his coming from the later half of the 90s.

Art

I like to extend my creativity to many hobbies one being art. I do both digital and traditional and often apply my skills to my media work. Below are examples of both personal art projects and pieces that have been created either for clients or planning projects.

Portrait photography

I’m also interested in self expression through portraits. I always bring in my lighting knowledge to boost the intensity and depth to my photos.

An example of this is how I attached a tunnel to my ring light to give a spotlight effect to give my photos a more sinister tone.

Character creation

In my spare time I like to design characters and give them short backstories to then post them to Instagram and tumblr. I find its a fun way to be creative without being held to the constraints of media like film.