PERFECTING THE SEQUENCE

PERFECTING THE SEQUENCE

(Shooting ‘9 Objects’ 16mm film)

Shooting this film has felt like a performance or a choreography. There is a list on paper, small pen drawings of each in sequence running down the page, annotated with length of time, focal distance and f-stop. There is a table with a black paper backdrop which curves down to the table top. There are two lights, one on the left side points across the table the other, on the right is angled up towards the ceiling. There is a small white circle glued to the paper at the centre of the table. There are white marks and scrapes all around it. The camera is on a tripod and faces the centre of the table. There is a collection of small objects on top of a chest of drawers to the left of the table.

The choreography goes like this. An object is taken from the chest of drawers and placed onto the white spot. The camera is wound. The paper is consulted. A magnifying glass and the torch on an iphone are used to set the focal length and aperture, then the focal length on the viewfinder. The tripod is moved, a tape measure used to get the corresponding distance from the object. The viewfinder and the wind handle on the tripod are used to centre the object. The camera is triggered and a timer started. After a moment the object is moved and handled as appropriate and replaced. It is removed and the camera trigger films black for a second.

Shoot Schedule for 9 Objects