by Cordelia Leydon
The first assignment for my documentary film course was to create a process film. The guidelines were as follows: a maximum of five minutes in length and no explanatory dialogue. It had to be a documentation of steps with the intent of developing a clear beginning, middle, and end of a process. Though simple in theory, I took on the challenge to develop not only an engaging, well-paced narrative, but also character, both with subject and setting. But first, I had to find a process to capture.
I always found the Visual Arts building on the SUNY Purchase campus intriguing. The printmaking rooms’ large windows taunt whoever walks by. Technically anyone can walk through the front doors, but only an exclusive few obtain the knowledge of and access to the rooms within. Though, I found an in.
My dear friend, Marin Tyree, is in pursuit of a printmaking minor. She was taking a screen printing class, a process I knew nothing about. Marin granted me access to the rooms of the printmaking studio. As she worked on a print for her class, I was immediately transfixed by the complex designs and bright colors of the inks she used. Though this process revealed itself to be very visually engaging, I soon came to learn how lengthy and repetitive it was.
The long day shooting may have given me ample time to experiment with camera angles, but I was later overwhelmed by the hours of footage I had. I was challenged with determining what steps of the process were integral to include and which were redundant. Capturing Marin’s bright personality was also vital to me, so finding an adequate balance between the two posed quite the challenge.
Though this was one of my first experiments with documentary filmmaking, I enjoyed the challenge. In the future, I hope to give more attention to developing an engaging soundscape and capturing even more of the location.
CinemaRoll 