Andre Blog 1: Research

     As the DP of Walker World, I begin my research revisiting my favorite documentary film: Cutie and the Boxer. Making a film centered around artists presents a unique challenge in that film about art becomes art film. As our piece showcases Allen Walker's beautiful world, the expectation is that our art understands his and is able to meet him there. Cutie and the Boxer was successful in this partly because the crew animated Noriko Shinohara's still comics, breathing new life into the artwork and proving their grit as filmmakers at the same time. If we can't capture Walker's art in an artistic way, our film will appear an even more blatant failure. In other words, the stakes are high. I discovered this past summer that Walker World presents a plethora of opportunities for beautiful shots; a look at any of his cluttered walls pulls you into his world, slowing time for a few hours. The only thing better than hungrily scanning every surface is returning to reality and basking in beautiful moments: the music, the talent, the dim lights and happy guests, and most of all - the childlike smile a proud father flashes his own children. Our film replicates that experience, but in order to pull our viewers in we must do Walker World justice.

     In a sense, most of my research was completed framing and lighting interviews and compiling B-roll at Walker World this past summer. I had my first experience using a 12' crane and slider (which the Upperman African-American Cultural Center kindly lent me). My best friend/roommate Paige Blankenship and I also invested in a fluid head tripod, cheap CFL soft-box kit and a Zoom H6 which we used and lent to others as often as we could.

     With more experience under my belt, the pressure is on and the standards I set for myself rise higher and higher, which brings me back to Cutie and the Boxer. In my research, I discovered that this film tells the story of Ushio and Noriko Shinohara artfully in a few different ways. As I mentioned previously, animation showcases the skills of the crew and Noriko's artwork masterfully. Rich, saturated color grading, shallow depth of field and low-key lighting characterize the rest of the film. As a viewer, I was drawn to the deep hues, which represent the Shinohara's artwork in a powerful, clear way. The low key lighting hints at their emotionality, giving their expressions maximum legibility, while extreme close-ups with a very shallow depth-of-field draw me into their relationship and thoughts. The upbeat editing pace gives the film inertia and balance, between artwork and the Shinoharas relationship. These observations are helping to shape my own artistic vision for the film, too. I would like to focus more on extreme close-ups, and get plenty of B-roll so that we can keep our film's inertia in the edit. This film is such a strong example to study because a person's artwork is so deeply tied to their interpersonal relationships. Allen Walker is similar to the Shinoharas in many ways, and will draw upon some of the devices used in Cutie and the Boxer to tell his story and do his artwork justice. We are showcasing more than just the story of a man in Walker World. We're giving you a feeling, a mantra. One you forgot, but have known as long as you can remember. A hot, exciting, dangerous tingling that you can only experience when you realize that true freedom is still possible.