It was a comedy that more than any other short I had made, seemed the least likely to ever have a sequel. Strange how it was that single limitation that sparked the idea for the follow up. You'll have to watch Siblings, the beginning of the story if you will, to fully appreciate the departure that part 2 takes - this won't really make sense otherwise. As you can imagine, this was a fun shoot. My sister seemed to enjoy the new twist as much as I did, even if she was the one getting the bumps and scratches in the process. Without giving anything away, I'll just say there were numerous times she fell out of character - for obvious reason (see the outtakes below). You can see a big difference in the look between part 1 and part 2. Things were intentionally a bit more drab this time, not nearly as green as in the prime weeks of summer, but we did go through the effort of finding the same clothes we wore in the first video. Not quite as easy as you might think as the original Siblings was shot close to a year ago. It was mostly just a matter of digging out my old red hat again. Thematically, this follow up plays off even more like a music video than the original. The punchline this time is the fact that there's even a sequel to be seen. It looks good though, and we're still not taking ourselves too seriously. Enjoy the sequel we never thought we'd make, Siblings 2!
Story: For a small ticket that sat in my pocket for most of the trip, it's nice to have something tangible to remember the experience. The Tower of Terror had just opened in Disney's California Adventure Park, which is why it was featured on our tickets along with billboards, commercials, and print ads. Just a little token from the Happiest Place on Earth.
In their varied simplicity, my split screen experiments have become a regular source of inspiration, not just in and of themselves, but for the editing exercises that they lead to. They're personal exclamation points that pander to my own creative entertainment, and whether any one else can see value in them is less important to me here.
It's like I wrote when discussing my latest split screen short, Headphones - "...the idea behind shorts like this isn't about masked themes, but about appreciating the digital medium and editing technique by taking a forced look. Just as a painter might fill a canvas for the tactile experience of seeing the streaks and runs in drying colours of paint, these editing experiments serve a similar purpose for further nurturing my personal appreciation for the technical execution of editing".
Split Wash, Split Thoughts, and The Wave are the three main shorts that were created within weeks of each other at the end of summer 2008. While at first glance they have little in common, it's the technical approach and self-portrait aspect of each short that has established an unmistakable theme, however unintential it was in the beginning.
Split Wash stirred up some interesting conversations when it was first posted on August 12, 2008. In a discussion about visuals vs. substance, I defended my approach saying, "Split Wash is just a clip, take it or leave it, no different than someone talking to a webcam about something they did today. You'll either find beauty in that or you won't, but I wouldn't post something I didn't personally appreciate. This direction isn't about telling a story, it's just a slice, an art short, it's about reworking a simple clip to see something in a different way".
Split Thoughts posted on September 26, 2008 and The Wave posted on October 6, 2008 both embody that sentiment even further.
This need to experiment, and even to share it, is part of showcasing the experience and not just the product. I'm not trying to create a traditional channel or blog series here, where the work all compliments each other or fits perfectly. In shifting focus to make it not just about my work, I'm creating a journal to document my own ambitions and trials - which just happens to be open to outside interpretation.
On the surface it's shallow, in the context of the big picture it's essential.
It was a comedy that more than any other short I had made, seemed the least likely to ever have a sequel. Strange how it was that single limitation that sparked the idea for the follow up.
