The benefits of filming the ‘wrong way’

MEDIA RELEASE

23 October 2013

The benefits of filming the ‘wrong way’

A workshop at Victoria University will explore the creative possibilities of filming in a vertical format—which many film makers call the ‘wrong way’. 

With the growing usage of smartphones and tablets—on which content is normally viewed in portrait orientation—‘home movie’ style filming is beginning to shift away from the traditional horizontal format, according to workshop organiser Dr Miriam Ross, a film lecturer at Victoria University.

“Bearing in mind how cheap digital devices are radically changing the way we watch audio-visual media, we have decided to hold a practical workshop to explore the vertical format and build on some of the work we’ve been doing already,” she says.

Last year Dr Ross worked with Summer Research Scholarship student Maddy Glen on a vertical cinema project, which included shooting a short film called Heaven on a mobile phone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0HHXqfPg2U).

“Filming vertically gives you a new type of freedom in how you compose your images,” says Dr Ross.

In train stations and airports overseas, moving images that are filmed vertically are starting to appear on billboards. Artists are also experimenting with vertical formats, and Facebook users regularly post vertically-orientated videos that have been filmed on mobile phones.

In the course of her research into vertical media, Dr Ross has connected with Dave Neal, President of Walrus & Carpenter Productions and creator of Alicewinks, an animated, multimedia e-book that brings classic illustrations from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to life in a vertical format for digital audiences. Mr Neal, who is from the United States but currently based in Wellington, will contribute his expertise to the workshop.

“The Alicewinks project is a perfect example of something that works really well with the new technology and makes much more sense in that format,” says Dr Ross.

The Vertical Media Workshop will include two practical working groups, with one group shooting footage around Victoria University’s Kelburn Campus using phones or tablets, and the other working with Mr Neal on animation. The footage will be edited in the afternoon and presented on a vertically-positioned screen for discussion.

The day will conclude with a talk by Matt McGregor and Thomasin Sleigh from Creative Commons New Zealand and DigitalNZ, who will discuss how film makers and artists can search for and modify online content under Creative Commons’ Fair Use Policy.

Filming on phones, tablets and webcams will be a component of a new course, FILM 305 Cinemedia, which will be taught by Dr Ross next year.
What: Vertical Media Workshop
When: Monday 4 November, 9am–5pm
Where: 77 Fairlie Terrace, Kelburn Campus, Victoria University

Attendance at the workshop is free but space is limited. Contact Dr Miriam Ross (miriam.ross@vuw.ac.nz) before 27 October to register.

ENDS

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