Instagram YouTube  Vimeo

Learn More

Est. Reading Time: 2 Minutes

MARK (M) I thought it was an interesting choice to make the film self-aware through adding shots of the actual camera, I feel like it reinforces the idea that you’re focusing on and referencing yourself. It also has a great effect of implicating us, the viewer, within the film and its themes. So can you tell us about the evolution of this idea.  

RUAIRI (R) Initially, the camera was simply my choice of subject matter for the film. I had been (and am still) thinking about its role in my future as a physical symbol of filmmaking. How I felt about that future, what opportunities and risks it would inevitably contain was on my mind a lot. And when I began exploring this idea in depth, I started to see it as a symbol of my thought process itself and its role as a symbol of perspective.

Cameras are incredibly interesting tools of perspective, warping space, flattening distance, over or underexposing images to create different results. Much like letting the unconscious run wild, a camera can explore seemingly commonplace subject matter in fascinating ways, often charged with emotion and memory.  I thought it was important to encourage the audience to consider different perspectives, in terms of the self, and their perception of different objects, subjects and ideas. The way we look at something can completely alter our perspective, manipulating how we think and feel about it.

How do you feel about yourself on a sunny day in comparison to a cold and rainy day? Before a meal versus after a meal? A camera is a looking glass, providing the opportunity to see things in a new perspective, or at least a perspective you may have forgotten you could have.

On Process & Discovery

M In making and finishing the film, what did you discover and learn that you might adopt or further explore in future projects?

R I think the main realisation I had while working on this project was the overwhelming impact of sound. I had been editing the film for a few weeks to the rhythm of a metronome, without any score. I felt like I was starting to lose sight of what I was trying to achieve because I couldn’t fully establish the tone of the film. Then, when my composer Charlie sent me a draft of his score, it all fell into place. It was like a surge of inspiration reminding me about what I was trying to create. It allowed me to jump back into editing with more direction and excitement, polishing up ideas that had been unrefined up to that point.

A well made composition can elevate film work so much, and I’m incredibly lucky to have musically talented friends who understand my ideas and are able to work with me in a genuinely collaborative way.

The founder of Hommage, Mark Shaba published this interview on 02.11.2021. Mark is a filmmaker from Victoria, Australia. He respectfully acknowledges the past and present traditional owners of the land on which he creates, promotes and screens art, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation who are the custodians.

Involuntary Perceptions is the first film added to our new collection ‘Bourgeon’, which is aimed at promoting and showcasing talented first and second-time filmmakers. Our goal is to encourage filmmakers who display ambitious, promising and unique qualities while learning their craft. Being one of their first interactions with an online platform, we hope to set a nice example and standard of personalized film discussion and promotion.