Tim Hetherington’s iconic split screen has been inspirational for many photographers and video makers. Using an assortment of stills and moving image can help a viewer become more immersed in the project and situation of war. The use of layered ambient and detail sounds also creates this sense of immersion.
Tim Hetherington as a war photojournalist chose not to idealise war and portray its evils, but told more intimate stories of the soldiers. He creates immersive narratives which pulls the emotions of his viewers in a way that war photography hasn’t before, or at least since war photography has become numb to viewers emotions.
I don’t want to focus my work on video particularly, but I decided that for my website leading up to the exhibition I will be doing several videos which will act as teasers taking snippets from conversations I have had with Jinx. Because I only want the videos to be 30 seconds long or so I feel that using split screen can be to my advantage so that I can show movement and detail of the archive at the same time.
Another photographer who employs the technique of split screen is Aaron Guy. Guy’s mining landscapes are influenced by his work with the North England Mining Institute’s archive. The landscape is transformed by hard industries and this is Aaron’s comment on it. Humans make the landscape which constantly changes through day and night. Like Hetherington, Guy also uses ambient sounds which helps a viewer become more immersed in the visuals.
Taking inspiration from both photographers, I have decided to use split screen techniques as well as the use of ambient sounds. I feel that this layering is just like when a writer builds atmosphere with words. It helps a viewer understand the environment and the context much more.
All videos from my project belong on my server, not on Youtube/Vimeo. They can be accessed at www.kategreenphotography.co.uk/Story38.html
KateGreenPhotography 