Matthew Gibbons

Identity - Guy / OSTARA-19

Identity - Guy

This is a short identity film about my friend Guy Roberts who has been creating art in different mediums since childhood. The film aims to express his personal views about the culture, his inspirations, his different methods of making art and a little history about himself. I linked the interview topics with a variety of camera angles that pan in various ways, use of props such as his sketchbooks and creative lighting that supports an intimate look into Guys life as an artist.

OSTARA-19

This piece reflects on my experience from the first day of national lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The morning after the Prime Minister announced the country will be going into a full lockdown, the sun came out. It was the first time all year I had felt the spring season, with a clear sky and the warmth of the sun. The tree at the end of the garden had started to bud and nature felt more active. I thought about spring being the season of growth and rebirth, but at the same time the growth of the pandemic was heavily in the atmosphere. The juxtaposition between the joy of spring and the impact of the virus. My intention was to blend a selection of images that summarised how I felt at that moment. Clips filmed early morning to symbolise spring waking up nature; flowers, forests, landscapes and wildlife, bright, colourful, and refreshing. The video uses the song Spring 1, from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, a very light song that sums up the brightness of spring. I used effects to glitch the music and make it sound as if it has been corrupted or infected. As the music glitches, I layered various clips of the news, as well as footage I filmed myself. The news footage of politicians, health workers, empty supermarkets and graphics were cut and glitched in a way that expresses how the pandemic plays on my conscience.