Seamus Murphy - insulations - let England shake

let England shake  

link to video :   http://www.seamusmurphy.com/Films/12-Short-Films-for-PJ-Harvey/1

This short video by Seamus Murphy  shows what i think represents a broken and shaken britan 

i think this is shown in a great way in which the mood is set by the old man sat in his home environment reading what seems to be a poem or script that sets a deep sad feeling , the effect is also added to by the man tone of voice which is low and deep almost like he is getting deeper into the sense of darker as he reads on. The camera shot for this has his head and shoulders only  , but what i epically like about this is how the image is composed because with the strong use of depth in the background this to me is already showing the photographers take to this piece.  

as the music begins in this (accentual a music video) , it uses a establishing shot showing a broken deserted theme park / fun fair. this i think represents the broken country we live in and the emptiness and broken feeling of the people that have been lost or left behind. . i also think that this could be showing The change between the innocents of being a child to then becoming an adult in what we now see as a broken world , as the shield of a fun filled life as a child is taken awayand your almost sent to fight the war that is life. the scene that i think shows this the most is the punch and Judy scene which starts with close ups of the dolls that represent a fun child hood experience of laughter but the faces have a scarier more broken feeling to them , this is when i think you can see the representation between the loose of child hood and becoming an adult. as this scene goes on it goes to some long shots and more close ups as the typical punch and Judy show id preformed but with a more sinter feel with the faces of the dolls becoming more warped. 

The scene that i think shows the feel of a broken deserted place and stands out the most to me is the caracel horses which uses a range of wide and close up shots to film the horses spinning round empty along with this it also uses tilted shots to get the bright spinning lights of the ride . these to me make me feel like the blurred and content spinning represents the out of control wurl wind of a life that we life in and that may have dragged us to this deservedness 

Through out watching this  i love the way you can see the photographers composition for example the depth of field and way in which people are angles in images to make them site in line almost with the backgrounds. i also think you can see this with the use of shadowing in the scene of the theme park . i love the way that this almost looks like the still image but has been interpreted into a film piece and show the moving shadow of on looking objects. 

overall i really like the way that this film has been put together and how with the competition of  each scene almost seems to be a collection of well composted images. i also like the simplicity to this with no after effects and what seems to be a piece with minimal editing giving a feel of a realistic documentary or street photography piece. this i think works well with the broken dark feel to the film. 

i think that a piece like this could link into my work when experimenting with the human form . i think that this may be a good secondary way to show my work with music added to a short film showing the human form not just in still images but in scenes representing each individual person and there own unique body.