When I first decided I should develop this theme, I already had a couple of visual and sound references. They came to me almost instantly. I keep remembering a quote from my History of Cinema:
“The more personal is your art, the easier it is to come with something conceptually and artistically coherent”.
And it is indeed true. However, there’s always space to polish your ideas, emotions and beliefs whenever you craft a very personal project. In my case, it took a week to develop under my expectances this idea.
In this blog post, I will showcase all the references that I took into consideration in making the piece that directly relates to the theme that I discuss.
O que arde (Fire Will Come) by Oliver Laxe, 2019 – Spain
The second intro of the film introduces the main character by showing his trip from Madrid to his hometown in rural Galicia. The imagery is composed of grey, grainy, and wet photography, resembling Northern Galicia. The character is experiencing both tiredness and anxiety during the trip because he is returning home after an extended period, back to the house where he was born, waited by his mother. However, there’s nothing relevant in terms of sound.
Gözetleme kulesi (Watchtower) by Pelin Esmer, 2012 – Turkey
The film begins by introducing two main characters, focusing on the male one in the first instants. The character is on an overnight bus trip to get to the destination of his new job – a forest ranger. That trip reflects a new cycle in his life because he is fleeing from his town and his past. I’m interested in the imagery and the sound – a calm monotony dominated by the sound of the bus’ engine that expresses a melancholic but ambiguous environment. I later introduced this idea in my piece.
Todo sobre mi madre (All about my mother) by Pedro Almodóvar, 1999 – Spain
In the introductory sequences of this film, the main character is forced to go back to a place that could be considered a past home. She is fleeing by train from Madrid to Barcelona, and the film uses the tunnel as a transitioning element between the two cities, representing the new path in her life and a “going back.” The scene is accompanied by a soft bass drone sound that I later used.
I Trawl the Megahertz (song) from Paddy McAloon’s album I Trawl the Megahertz, 2003
Not related to the theme I’m exploring, but Yvonne Connors narrates her life story in a very thoughtful way in this track. She abords are life-changing trips and decisions that turned to be a description of isolation, loss and heartache. I like how the “poem” is narrated, which inspired me to do something similar in my piece.