Saturday, July 1, 2017

The Meaning Question

Questions about meaning have been on my mind lately. What makes people happy? What do people want most out of life? Are they finding it? Why not?

I decided to talk to people about it, to satisfy my curiosity and to find a source of inspiration. I had no plan for the project: rather, I hoped the story would craft itself based on what people said.

I think we all have a rehearsed idea of what gives us meaning (an interview-style, ‘what do you do in your spare time’ answer), but I wanted to move past that with this video. My aim was to capture an element of spontaneity and record the first idea that entered their heads – the authentic breaths and ‘ums’ and pauses. I caught them at arbitrary times, in every day places like libraries, bedrooms and courtyards. The responses that are recorded are the raw, unfiltered thoughts people had when I posed the questions to them. The piano soundtrack was improvised by someone I became close with as a result of the video. The guitar music was written and performed by someone I met as part of the journey.

This was my first time experimenting with videography, and it’s far from perfect. Despite this, I definitely found the inspiration I was seeking. You can watch the video below.

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