Bo the Artist
Background
This project was a collaboration with two classmates Joslyn Lo and Gilly Todd. We were each assigned an artist to research and learn about their styles and mediums. We then had to create something combining different aspects from each artist and we chose to film a short film. The artists we researched were James Van Der Zee, Meredith Monk, and Philippe Halsman, it was quite easy to combine their styles because they were not afraid to experiment or try something out of the ordinary. James Van Der Zee was a photographer who used a lot of manipulation in his photography where he retouched and added elements to create the atmosphere for all his photos. Meredith Monk is a composer, director, performer, and more but we focused on the type of music she produced focusing on the eerie and suspenseful tone she had created. Philippe Halsman was also a photographer who focused on portraits and was not afraid to create scenes that were considered nontraditional or bizarre.
The film is based on a fake artist named Bo who wears a mask and paints paintings that can only be seen by those in the afterlife. The setting is The High Line in New York where he is searching for a spot to paint and others passing by are confused and creeped out by not seeing an image appear on the canvas. As the sun goes down, the viewers can start seeing the painting appear and try to figure out what is being painted. The biggest components of the film were ghost effects, glitches, and all-black clothing to create a suspenseful and mysterious tone. The goal was to have the audience constantly wonder what was happening.
Reflection
While working on this film, I learned about new artists and how they were not afraid to work in different styles. Combining different elements from each artist was interesting because we were unsure how we wanted to create our shots in the beginning but we decided on something that did not include any speaking to add to the mystery of what is happening. As we were filming, I was getting quite a few looks as I was wearing an all-black suit in the heat with a gold mask. I thought I would be more uncomfortable sticking out in the city because of how shy I am and being in a new place but I enjoyed being in front of the camera and filming all of the shots. Overall I thought this project was a fun experience and I loved how it all came together.
.png)
.png)