About As I was falling...
DepicT! 1999 Winner
The journey, of an anonymous man, from the rooftop of a building to the ground below.
There were three influences on the making of this film:
Firstly, I saw a still from a film in Rushes magazine and was very drawn to it without knowing why. It was a photo of a besuited man falling and it had enormous energy, mystery and aggression but as a still it was peaceful as well. I didn't quite know what was going on in the image apart from the fact that the man was falling violently and yet he appeared very relaxed. I didn't know what I wanted to do with the picture but I knew that there was a film involved. This has happened quite a lot to me with images. I see an image and I often think, what is the story behind the image? Sometimes I've seen an image and if the idea doesn't come straightaway, then I know it will eventually. For this reason I always think it is a good idea to collect those ideas and images which create an impression on you in a notebook. It will help you make sense of them in the end.
Secondly, I was shown La Jetée one day. I loved it, not because of the story but because of its style. The film created a withdrawn, alienating feeling that was magnetic and beautiful, and which I associated much more with stage atmospheres. I wanted to explore the creation of such an atmosphere of my own. I also realised at this point that you can make quite a dynamic image out of something that is quite still and I could make my idea of a fall into a moving fall. In La Jetée the editing was so rhythmical, it had a kind of hypnotic effect on me; it was so hypnotic and powerful it was almost irritating! Because of that hypnotic power I realised that that form, with the right content could really make an impression. It was at that point that I decided to make the falling sequences. I realised that the reason why I was interested in the picture was because the windows behind the falling man held so many secrets (I'm still interested in the idea that there are so many stories behind windows, especially in London). Also, I was intrigued by the fact that it takes such a short amount of time to fall down a building - you've only got a few seconds to convey any stories.
The final influence was a film called Hackney Downs by the film director Jamie Thraves. Jamie was at the RCA the year before me. Hackney Downs was his first year film and is one of my favourite shorts. Its dry tone is reinforced his technique of jumping-in on shots. I loved these jump-ins because they were bold and forced me to view awkward perspectives which matched the awkwardness of the characters' personalities.