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I’ve always been fascinated with storytelling, and the connection we have with it as people. No matter how life progresses, the desire for this suspension of disbelief leads us to understand the foundation of our humanity through the way we engage with a narrative that is relevant to us. In other words, the very idea of creating a story that resonates with people, for different reasons, is what has captivated me about that very art.
In a way, it instilled this spark within me that I haven’t been able to shake off. I always wanted to be a part of that, in some shape or form. To say that I had a hand in creating something that really inspired the spirits of people is something that felt like it had more weight to me than anything else I could do. It was a way to impact the world in a way that would possibly outlive me.
If you think of any of your favorite movies or TV shows, ask yourself, why those programs are your favorite. Whatever the answer may be, something within the production had stuck with you and perhaps even shaped you in a way you didn’t think of. These forms of media essentially takes a specific stance on a certain theme and crafts a narrative around it to speak to the ideals that the author believed in. This is the foundation of fiction, and this is the building block that is true in all forms of visual art.
Much of these principles are true to photography. I’ve probably mentioned this in several other posts but the images you see from a photographer is like a window into that person’s psyche. You, the audience, see what the photographer wants you to see, but in a way you can also see the way that person sees people. This is expressed in the body language of the subject, and the shots the photographer had curated for you to decipher, and this is exaggerated further through the location. In cinema this is known as mise-en-scene and this practice is what allows the viewer to derive meaning based on the information in front of them.
Working with Miranda, I wanted to tell a story about love. More specifically, a love that is warm and built through the tempering of time. Her expressions, to me, aren’t that of a new found love, but rather a love that the viewer would return to. You don’t really get to see anyone else in focus, and often times she’s at the forefront of the frame. In a sense, her character is the one we’re only concerned about, but there is also this forlorn undertone that’s present. It feels as if we’re looking into a fond memory of a love from a better time.
Of course, meaning is derivative to you, so perhaps this could all just be mere conjecture.