DVC22 - Through the Context Glass - Andris Krastins

[Andris Krastins]

Through the Context Glass on Vimeo

The film tries to look on how the same object seen in different environments is interpreted differently and how the viewer builds context and story around it.

The context is like the glasses in front of our eyes in this aspect - we see everything and put everything in a context, which may or may not be what is really happening, with due respect to the notion that context itself is a part of a subjective reality. A bit abstract, I guess...

What I appreciated best in making this piece is the experience in creating more complex (at least for me) sound environments or soundscapes. I didn't have any actors in this project, so I focused more on the sound as a crucial part in telling a story.

Edited mostly on the train during my daily commute. :)

[Andrew Bove]

Nice sounds!

Your soundscapes added so much to the images.

It was very cool to watch the film after hearing about your bike tales of wonder and woe- finding your way to all those locations. I was wondering, did you ever find barbed wire?

[Adam Snow]

After having read your description above and watching your film again I think you accomplished your goal of seeing how we interpret things differently based upon the environments we find ourselves in.

I found myself in a post-apocalyptic world. In part, because of your effective use of sound which really set the tone for me of how I interpreted the piece. I think that if you were to take this idea forward to another film it might be interesting to try to pick a specific feeling or interpretation that you want to portray and then try to produce that in a similar way. Maybe each shot could have a different form of glass in it. Or it might have been interesting trying to create a positive interpretation for something that normally has a negative one, such as a broken mirror of picture frame.

But I digress, I guess your film is inspiring my creativity!

Anyway, nice work!

[Simon Wood]

Wow; that was very surreal and open to interpretation (which is what you were aiming for).

I wonder are you a fan of Tarkovsky? I seem to remember he filmed a lot of Stalker in Latvia (or was it Estonia - somewhere on the Baltic). I seem to remember there was a long take, that tracked looking down along the ground at various items partially submerged on the ground. Your opening takes of the glasses reminded me of that scene.

You had a good handle on your soundscapes, and some of your transitions (the cross dissolves) were excellent; especially the transition to the cross.

[Frank Moody]

Well I think you managed to hit your goal!

The sounds gave be a sense of change. My interpretation of your film was more of the glasses as time progressed around them sort of a travel thru time, or the history and future of the world.

Though I am not sure this is what you meant to say it was overall a interesting concept good job!

[Mark Hartopp]

This was very thought provoking, great idea. Liked the constant motion of the camera. Gave me a few ideas for a new project. Well made, good use of sound.

[Dick Mays]

Andris,

Everyone mentions your use of sound. You show how important audio is to an effective piece. The images were also very striking. Do you do the UWOL entries too? Nice piece.

[Ruth Happel]

As others have noted, the use of sounds adds an extra dimension to the film. It was very effective in making such a wide variety of settings work to feel so different. I enjoyed the concept, a very creative use of the theme.

[Chris Barcellos]

Andres:

Thanks for a thought provoking film. I agree with the others, the sound scape added a lot of thought provocation to your film.

I felt opposite of some comments- sometimes it seemed like the camera should have moved less.

Thanks for a great fllm

[Mat Thompson]

Hi Andris

Wow...this was a strange ride. I liked the piece and did feel the strong emotional differences between the scenes depending on treatment of colour, sound and situation. Really interesting stuff and quite freaky in places. Thanks for sharing this abstract journey with us!

Great stuff
Mat

[Mitchell Stookey]

I really loved the concept to this piece! I think you proved that your experiment worked because clearly we all were taken to so many different places through the journey of your film. It's amazing how much you can conjure up through the sound of a space, and you did that well.

One hopefully constructive criticism I have is that I think you could have been as creative with your visual context as you were with your auditory. I think you could have played with different compositions, movement and lack thereof to reveal information about your environments. I know the piece is tied together through a constant panning motion, but I think it could have benefited from a variety of shot types. The slow motion created by slowing a clip down in editing software has a distinct look and you can achieve the same slowing of pace without it I think. That's just my personal preference though so take that as you will!

Again, I really love the concept and I think you really pulled it off.

[Joseph Tran]

Hey Andris,

Wow, this is, indeed, a very surreal piece!

Okay, so we already know how awesome the sound production is -- I can't put it any better than what others have already said. Another big thing that I like... is how every shot is a moving shot! The way I interpreted it -- because we, the audience, are going through this journey, all the images we see are constantly in motion.

It's like we're some kind of ghost or omniscient traveling from start to end (the constant poetry-in-motion), while we are transcending time and space (all the sounds). That's how I saw it. Hehe, did that sound a bit deep? Well, it's a deep piece!

You never fail to disappoint with your work, Andris. Thanks for taking us on this ride.

[Toni Dolce]

Andris,

If we lined up all the films and had to guess which one was yours, I would definitely pick this one. You have such a distinct style to your films and I think that every filmmaker would love to have a personalized stamp on his or hers films.

As everyone mentioned, your audio really sent this to the next level. Loved how it transcended the experience of the film.

Keeping up with your challenges throughout the competition, it's no wonder that you oftentimes left your main prop behind. Am so glad that you didn't permanently lose the glasses!

Great job and I will continue to follow your work- thanks for putting up your website, I was able to find more info about you and your work through that.

Toni

[Andris Krastins]

Thank you, everyone, for your valuable feedback! :)
I was out in the country, so I got a bit behind schedule in viewing your films. Will try to do today.