Carpe Vitam (Seize Life)
A film by Mike Eden
Introduction
Mainly working in corporate, live entertainment, and archival evidence documentary-based video work, my interests have always led me towards documenting the person. I have made attempts within the restrictions at the time to indulge in this interest with short films and unfinished projects such as filming life stories in India, Nisha’s Karma (2015), and local heroes, Dave Taylor—Wheelie King (2016).
The Carpe Vitam project blurred these lines between human stories, entertainment and archival documentary. It was a funded multimedia work celebrating inspirational women making their own way in the world for the past 100 years and was performed in 2018/19 to mark the centenary of votes for women.
The live performances consisted of new original music compositions by the film composer, Laura Rossi, sound sculptor, Henry Dagg and live projected visuals created by Romana Bellinger and Mike Eden of reworked new and archive footage overlaid with chroma keyed live camera work, electronic, tape and acoustic instruments with a conducted choir and spoken word. It was presented in venues in Manchester, London Devon and Kent.
It served the purpose in marking the struggles and triumphs in female history as a collaborative cross-pollinated project between the artists, schools and older generations.
The aim of this film is to take a snapshot of the women that inspired the creators of the project and the resulting effect it has made on their own work and on those they have collaborated with.
The Carpe Vitam project blurred these lines between human stories, entertainment and archival documentary. It was a funded multimedia work celebrating inspirational women making their own way in the world for the past 100 years and was performed in 2018/19 to mark the centenary of votes for women.
The live performances consisted of new original music compositions by the film composer, Laura Rossi, sound sculptor, Henry Dagg and live projected visuals created by Romana Bellinger and Mike Eden of reworked new and archive footage overlaid with chroma keyed live camera work, electronic, tape and acoustic instruments with a conducted choir and spoken word. It was presented in venues in Manchester, London Devon and Kent.
It served the purpose in marking the struggles and triumphs in female history as a collaborative cross-pollinated project between the artists, schools and older generations.
The aim of this film is to take a snapshot of the women that inspired the creators of the project and the resulting effect it has made on their own work and on those they have collaborated with.
The Process
The initial intention of the footage that was shot in 2018/19 was purely to create documentary evidence for the Arts Council and as an archival record for those involved in the project, but on reflection of what was accomplished, the project deserved an opportunity to delve a bit deeper.
With only locked off wide angle footage of the shows and a small amount of interview footage due to the availability of those involved at the time, I approached the making of this film from a multi stylistic point of view by using my existing event and interview footage, archival footage used in the project, newly found archival footage and by shooting interviews with those involved in the project, including myself.
This was multi stylistic in the sense there is not a single style but there are elements of three: expository, impressionistic and reflexive. The interviews are “didactic and seek to inform and instruct” and the interview cutaways are “edited as a complement or counterpoint to an argument being articulated” (Barbash, Taylor:1997:18). At the same time I wanted to “imply” rather than “inform”, and “evoke” rather than “assert” (ibid:20). Putting myself in front of the lens I addressed “the process of representation itself” and challenged “the relationship between the filmmaker and the spectators as well as between the filmmaker and the subjects” (ibid:31). In hindsight I would have chosen to shoot the performances and behind the scenes observationally for a better insight into the project creators at work and the energy from everyone involved including the audience.
I chose to structure the film in five strands by setting the theme in the opening sequence with an impressionistic message of both the Carpe Vitam project and the subjects portrayed in the film, the main protagonist and leader of the project, Laura, would introduce the project concept and punctuate that concept throughout the film with the message that the project was trying to convey, the main body would comprise of the interviews with the project creators and the women that inspired them, the collaborators would share their experience of the project and aspirations and the finale would be the marrying of all the performances using all the layers of observational video and synchronised harmonious sound.
My first concern was to make contact with the interviewees, agreeing to the shoots and finding a suitable time to shoot it. Although two of the interviewees are good musician friends and one is my partner, they are all busy people and I respect the time they have to give me to talk in front of camera about a project that happened nearly six years ago. Fostering a good relationship between filmmaker and subject isn’t a luxury I’ve always had. Working in a corporate or live event situation with the pressures of the production crew, my own ethics could easily slip into the background with the stresses of restricted timelines and working with multiple personalities of the crew and talent. The discovery of ethnographic filmmaking has been a refreshing and liberating contrast to that of the corporate, journalistic and drama ethics. Ethnographer Paul Wolffram points out the basis for all ethnographic work with the Māori proverb: “What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.” He says that “the approach should always be one where respect for our interlocutors comes first. Once we have a shared basis of respect, the process of establishing a relationship built on integrity can begin” (Wolffram:2020:195). Artistic community oriented projects I’ve worked on, including Carpe Vitam, have allowed me to get to know the people prior to filming and it fosters amenable shooting opportunities and a trust to give a sincere and honest account.
Laura, despite being a busy film composer with a young family, has always been accommodating, but I didn’t want to abuse that friendship and her precious time, especially after just coming out of hospital and busy preparing her score for a ballet premiere in Zurich. So I made the trip by motorcycle to her home in Ealing on the one available afternoon; keeping my film kit lean but necessary meant that I could quickly set camera, lighting and sound. I’d already primed her with questions knowing she wouldn’t script it and speak conversationally for the shoot. Location at the top of the house where it was quiet and in front of her working area was appropriate, although if I had the time I would have draped the red curtain with a dark cloth to reduce the red light in the room.
Henry on the other hand, although very willing, is not easy to interview. He prefers long detailed chronological anecdotes before getting to the point, but I’ve known Henry for a long time and I understand how he ticks, so I made allowances beforehand for a longer shoot with ample card space in the camera and plenty of batteries. This made post-production more arduous during logging and editing, but the copious footage is useful for a more observational film with Henry in the future.
In the past I have been reluctant to put myself in front of the lens, so taking a form of reflexive approach to my films is something new for me. I gently eased myself into the frame with a familiar subject, my own space and without the restriction of time to allow for the multiple takes. I have become aware of the dangers of putting myself into my own film as it “gives emphasis to the encounter between filmmaker and viewer rather than filmmaker and subject” (Nichols:1992:60). However, in this instance I feel that I become detached as the filmmaker and become one of the subjects as a performer within the Carpe Vitam project. Although Bill Nichols makes the valid point that as a reflexive filmmaker there is “the ability to provide persuasive evidence, the possibility of indisputable argument, the unbreakable bond between an indexical image and that which it represents” he concludes that “all these notions prove suspect” (ibid). This has taught me to approach my filmmaking differently in the future, in terms of reflexive outcomes and what my own role is in the production process.
For the Stoller Hall performance I was able to get a recording of all the stems for the individual performers, which has helped me to analyse the music parts and remix it effectively to fit the dialogue and layered synchronised performances in the last sequence using the click track we created for the performers. Additionally, deconstructing the parts has given me further insight and meaning into Laura’s score I had not experienced before in her music, which is useful for future collaborations.
Nearly two years ago I began using open source editing software that came from an ongoing carbon footprint reduction mission to use Linux operating systems on older Macs and PCs. In the past I’ve found using Linux a struggle, but more recently the operating system has become more ‘mac-like’ and user friendly, and the Kdenlive editing software has been my choice for its comprehensive tools and similarities to Final Cut Pro and Premiere. Kdenlive has been a great tool to use over the past year for small corporate jobs and I chose to use it to cut this film together. However, recent updates to the software have appeared to compromise its integrity, and during editing I used its clip nesting features and applied effects which caused it to repeatedly crash. I created a workaround solution but it affected my workflow which put pressure on the creative process and time available for finishing the film.
I decided to set the context of the film by opening it with a collage of archival footage and stills as a form of parody or pastiche blended with my own influences of 60s pop art that places us in the same era as Delia Derbyshire as the iconic goddess of electronic music with her lampshade tool in trade, just as Andy Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’ is placed as the iconic screen goddess. “Parody can provoke a heightened awareness of a previously taken-for-granted style, genre, or movement; satire is one device for sharpening consciousness of a problematic social attitude, value, or situation” (Nichols:1992:74). The satirical comment on feminism from Delia during her time working with the Radiophonic Workshop in the 60s juxtaposes with the messages that pop art gave us as postmodernism emerged and challenged conventions around women. Nichols says “political reflexivity propels parody and satire beyond pastiche with its reassuring nostalgia or comfortable iconoclasm. It brings these forms into an arena where, subject to audience reception, they do more than mock or unsettle accepted convention. Heightened awareness carries beyond the immediate experience of the text into social praxis rendered more conceivable by dint of its documentary representation” (ibid:75).
Had I not the liberating freedom of a non-public film, permissions and copyright would have been a problem. Release forms were used for participants, but a large chunk of this film would have been cost and time prohibitive which would have altered the direction of the film. One exception is the ‘fair use’ argument. If my work is a critique then it could be potentially considered to be ok to use copyrighted works without permission. But I would probably avoid it if possible and seek to gain permission first before using work created by others as it makes life easier when trying to distribute the film (Gill:2020:284). The law appears to revert to two questions: “Did the unlicensed use ‘transform’ the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original? Was the amount and nature of material taken appropriate in light of the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use?” In addition, did the use cause economic damage to the copyright holder (Filmmakers., A.I.V. et al:2007:147).
As a final comment to put this film alongside the debate within ethnomusicology of whether ethnographic film is supplemental to the text, David MacDougall explains that while text is good for generalising culture, film tells us how as humans “we live within” and “transmit” culture. “The distinctive characteristic of relational knowledge is that the meaning exists in the sum, not in the parts. Film is capable of presenting complex networks of images within which a variety of ambiguous cultural constructions and resonances are understood” (MacDougall:1998:80). In the context of the performance; the score, the visuals, the sound sculpture and performers that this film is based on, it highlights that one cannot exist without the other.
Eden, M. (2016) Dave Taylor - Wheelie King. https://youtu.be/oXAMYmJ3hgQ. (Accessed May 2024)
Filmmakers., A.I.V., Project., I.F., Association., I.D., (U.S.), N.A.M.A.C., & Video., F.W.F. (2007) Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use. Film History: An International Journal 19(2), 146-151. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/219013. (Accessed May 2024)
Gill, H.S. (2020) How to Distribute Your Ethnographic Film in The Routledge international handbook of ethnographic film and video. Edited by P. Vannini. London, England: Routledge.
MacDougall, D. (1998) Transcultural Cinema. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Nichols, B. (1992) Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN.
Wolffman, P. (2020) Respect, Integrity, Trust in The Routledge international handbook of ethnographic film and video. Edited by P. Vannini. London, England: Routledge.
With only locked off wide angle footage of the shows and a small amount of interview footage due to the availability of those involved at the time, I approached the making of this film from a multi stylistic point of view by using my existing event and interview footage, archival footage used in the project, newly found archival footage and by shooting interviews with those involved in the project, including myself.
This was multi stylistic in the sense there is not a single style but there are elements of three: expository, impressionistic and reflexive. The interviews are “didactic and seek to inform and instruct” and the interview cutaways are “edited as a complement or counterpoint to an argument being articulated” (Barbash, Taylor:1997:18). At the same time I wanted to “imply” rather than “inform”, and “evoke” rather than “assert” (ibid:20). Putting myself in front of the lens I addressed “the process of representation itself” and challenged “the relationship between the filmmaker and the spectators as well as between the filmmaker and the subjects” (ibid:31). In hindsight I would have chosen to shoot the performances and behind the scenes observationally for a better insight into the project creators at work and the energy from everyone involved including the audience.
I chose to structure the film in five strands by setting the theme in the opening sequence with an impressionistic message of both the Carpe Vitam project and the subjects portrayed in the film, the main protagonist and leader of the project, Laura, would introduce the project concept and punctuate that concept throughout the film with the message that the project was trying to convey, the main body would comprise of the interviews with the project creators and the women that inspired them, the collaborators would share their experience of the project and aspirations and the finale would be the marrying of all the performances using all the layers of observational video and synchronised harmonious sound.
My first concern was to make contact with the interviewees, agreeing to the shoots and finding a suitable time to shoot it. Although two of the interviewees are good musician friends and one is my partner, they are all busy people and I respect the time they have to give me to talk in front of camera about a project that happened nearly six years ago. Fostering a good relationship between filmmaker and subject isn’t a luxury I’ve always had. Working in a corporate or live event situation with the pressures of the production crew, my own ethics could easily slip into the background with the stresses of restricted timelines and working with multiple personalities of the crew and talent. The discovery of ethnographic filmmaking has been a refreshing and liberating contrast to that of the corporate, journalistic and drama ethics. Ethnographer Paul Wolffram points out the basis for all ethnographic work with the Māori proverb: “What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.” He says that “the approach should always be one where respect for our interlocutors comes first. Once we have a shared basis of respect, the process of establishing a relationship built on integrity can begin” (Wolffram:2020:195). Artistic community oriented projects I’ve worked on, including Carpe Vitam, have allowed me to get to know the people prior to filming and it fosters amenable shooting opportunities and a trust to give a sincere and honest account.
Laura, despite being a busy film composer with a young family, has always been accommodating, but I didn’t want to abuse that friendship and her precious time, especially after just coming out of hospital and busy preparing her score for a ballet premiere in Zurich. So I made the trip by motorcycle to her home in Ealing on the one available afternoon; keeping my film kit lean but necessary meant that I could quickly set camera, lighting and sound. I’d already primed her with questions knowing she wouldn’t script it and speak conversationally for the shoot. Location at the top of the house where it was quiet and in front of her working area was appropriate, although if I had the time I would have draped the red curtain with a dark cloth to reduce the red light in the room.
Henry on the other hand, although very willing, is not easy to interview. He prefers long detailed chronological anecdotes before getting to the point, but I’ve known Henry for a long time and I understand how he ticks, so I made allowances beforehand for a longer shoot with ample card space in the camera and plenty of batteries. This made post-production more arduous during logging and editing, but the copious footage is useful for a more observational film with Henry in the future.
In the past I have been reluctant to put myself in front of the lens, so taking a form of reflexive approach to my films is something new for me. I gently eased myself into the frame with a familiar subject, my own space and without the restriction of time to allow for the multiple takes. I have become aware of the dangers of putting myself into my own film as it “gives emphasis to the encounter between filmmaker and viewer rather than filmmaker and subject” (Nichols:1992:60). However, in this instance I feel that I become detached as the filmmaker and become one of the subjects as a performer within the Carpe Vitam project. Although Bill Nichols makes the valid point that as a reflexive filmmaker there is “the ability to provide persuasive evidence, the possibility of indisputable argument, the unbreakable bond between an indexical image and that which it represents” he concludes that “all these notions prove suspect” (ibid). This has taught me to approach my filmmaking differently in the future, in terms of reflexive outcomes and what my own role is in the production process.
For the Stoller Hall performance I was able to get a recording of all the stems for the individual performers, which has helped me to analyse the music parts and remix it effectively to fit the dialogue and layered synchronised performances in the last sequence using the click track we created for the performers. Additionally, deconstructing the parts has given me further insight and meaning into Laura’s score I had not experienced before in her music, which is useful for future collaborations.
Nearly two years ago I began using open source editing software that came from an ongoing carbon footprint reduction mission to use Linux operating systems on older Macs and PCs. In the past I’ve found using Linux a struggle, but more recently the operating system has become more ‘mac-like’ and user friendly, and the Kdenlive editing software has been my choice for its comprehensive tools and similarities to Final Cut Pro and Premiere. Kdenlive has been a great tool to use over the past year for small corporate jobs and I chose to use it to cut this film together. However, recent updates to the software have appeared to compromise its integrity, and during editing I used its clip nesting features and applied effects which caused it to repeatedly crash. I created a workaround solution but it affected my workflow which put pressure on the creative process and time available for finishing the film.
I decided to set the context of the film by opening it with a collage of archival footage and stills as a form of parody or pastiche blended with my own influences of 60s pop art that places us in the same era as Delia Derbyshire as the iconic goddess of electronic music with her lampshade tool in trade, just as Andy Warhol’s ‘Marilyn’ is placed as the iconic screen goddess. “Parody can provoke a heightened awareness of a previously taken-for-granted style, genre, or movement; satire is one device for sharpening consciousness of a problematic social attitude, value, or situation” (Nichols:1992:74). The satirical comment on feminism from Delia during her time working with the Radiophonic Workshop in the 60s juxtaposes with the messages that pop art gave us as postmodernism emerged and challenged conventions around women. Nichols says “political reflexivity propels parody and satire beyond pastiche with its reassuring nostalgia or comfortable iconoclasm. It brings these forms into an arena where, subject to audience reception, they do more than mock or unsettle accepted convention. Heightened awareness carries beyond the immediate experience of the text into social praxis rendered more conceivable by dint of its documentary representation” (ibid:75).
Had I not the liberating freedom of a non-public film, permissions and copyright would have been a problem. Release forms were used for participants, but a large chunk of this film would have been cost and time prohibitive which would have altered the direction of the film. One exception is the ‘fair use’ argument. If my work is a critique then it could be potentially considered to be ok to use copyrighted works without permission. But I would probably avoid it if possible and seek to gain permission first before using work created by others as it makes life easier when trying to distribute the film (Gill:2020:284). The law appears to revert to two questions: “Did the unlicensed use ‘transform’ the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original? Was the amount and nature of material taken appropriate in light of the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use?” In addition, did the use cause economic damage to the copyright holder (Filmmakers., A.I.V. et al:2007:147).
As a final comment to put this film alongside the debate within ethnomusicology of whether ethnographic film is supplemental to the text, David MacDougall explains that while text is good for generalising culture, film tells us how as humans “we live within” and “transmit” culture. “The distinctive characteristic of relational knowledge is that the meaning exists in the sum, not in the parts. Film is capable of presenting complex networks of images within which a variety of ambiguous cultural constructions and resonances are understood” (MacDougall:1998:80). In the context of the performance; the score, the visuals, the sound sculpture and performers that this film is based on, it highlights that one cannot exist without the other.
Filmography
Eden, M. (2015) Nisha’s Karma. https://youtu.be/6X2kLnctsEQ. (Accessed May 2024)Eden, M. (2016) Dave Taylor - Wheelie King. https://youtu.be/oXAMYmJ3hgQ. (Accessed May 2024)
Bibliography
Barbash, I. and Taylor, L. (1997) Cross-cultural filmmaking: A handbook for making documentary and ethnographic films and videos. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Filmmakers., A.I.V., Project., I.F., Association., I.D., (U.S.), N.A.M.A.C., & Video., F.W.F. (2007) Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use. Film History: An International Journal 19(2), 146-151. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/219013. (Accessed May 2024)
Gill, H.S. (2020) How to Distribute Your Ethnographic Film in The Routledge international handbook of ethnographic film and video. Edited by P. Vannini. London, England: Routledge.
MacDougall, D. (1998) Transcultural Cinema. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Nichols, B. (1992) Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, IN.
Wolffman, P. (2020) Respect, Integrity, Trust in The Routledge international handbook of ethnographic film and video. Edited by P. Vannini. London, England: Routledge.