I am an Applied Arts student going into my 3rd and final year at Sheridan College for Media Arts in September. My interest and passion for film production and editing began when I was working at a local TV station as an intern editor. Success there spurred me on to pursue a career in the film production industry, and to gain further instruction from the industry professionals at Sheridan College. At the start of the summer this year, Mark approached me with the opportunity to create a short video to accompany his ILLUMINATION project, and from that point, we have been collaborating to create a strong piece that communicates his artistic vision.
For ILLUMINATION, Mark envisioned the video totally in black and white in order to complement his portraits of authors, which he had taken in black and white. We discussed creative ideas and reviewed some interviews with other artists in similar videos. I suggested we involve Christopher Gusnoski, from CGR Productions, to be our cameraman and colorist for the project, as Chris had worked with me on several projects in the past. I thought that it would be a great opportunity to introduce different creative people and get a strong final product through the collaborative process.
The actual shoot lasted about six hours and was shot using a black-and-white LUT to give an idea of the final image after color adjustments. We also created subtle lighting for Mark’s interview, creating a sense of illumination and unifying the ambience from the interview to the portraits themselves.
My hope was to create a video portraying the black-and-white author portraits in an elegant fashion while also allowing Mark the opportunity to give context to the project. It was also important to me that whatever we created would capture the unique quality of his work and also convey his message in a stimulating visual medium. Due to scheduling conflicts, we couldn’t show the true ILLUMINATION crystal into the video. So instead, we captured Mark holding a blank canvas prior to being transformed by his skilled hands. The light that shines through the crystal in the video is also reminiscent of the title of the exhibit, ILLUMINATION, because it shows that these authors reflect Canada, in the same way the crystal reflects light, and touches us all, as the reflected light fell onto Mark’s face, illuminating him.
What this project has also helped me realize is just how important it is to listen and understand exactly what the client’s requirements are. There were a lot of small details within the project to be aware of. And these small details that can make a compelling video and shift what people think of the video drastically. ILLUMINATION has been an enlightening experience for me, and has also given me a greater appreciation of how many great writers there are in Canada.
“Its the first time I have ever considered making an arts video, but thought it could help to support the ILLUMINATION project and celebration of Canadian writers. So it has been great to work with two aspiring young film makers, who have helped me navigate the process from start to finish. I have been greatly impressed by Keegan’s professional attitude, and his enthusiasm and hard work in creating the video which has been first class. He has excellent listening skills and has captured the essence of what I had imagined, which is a hard thing to achieve at the best of times. Even when we had a few last minute edits to make, he was conscientious at responding expediently. Its obvious Keegan is very passionate about what he is doing, and I’m sure he has a great career ahead of him,” commented Raynes Roberts.
My personal influences in film making are Walter Murch and Marcia Lucas, as they are film editors whose movies I enjoyed growing up, but now have a far greater appreciation and respect for due to my experience learning the craft. I have been told I work well as a producer or director, but it’s viewing the pieces and bringing the story to life, which gives me the most pleasure. It’s like assembling a puzzle, which makes every day exciting. I will be completing my Media Arts Degree this year, and hope to continue to build a career in film production once complete.
If you are considering a video presentation, I can be contacted at:
keeganknight@hotmail.com or www.brojectstudios.com