B I O P H I L I A - observational poetic documentary

I'm really happy with how this turned out, I think it communicates my thoughts and feelings that I was experiencing while I was out filming this. I enjoyed incorporating text as I haven't done something like this before. The words are taken from stream-of-consciousness writing I did while sitting in Holyrood Park, observing the world around me. The first line is a thought I have felt for years, and I'm looking forward to developing that further in my non-course-related practice.

I decided to shoot this using my phone, as I was struck in the moment with the idea and it felt disingenuous to trek home to get my camera when I had a perfectly acceptable one in my pocket. This in itself was a really fun exercise, as it forced me to think outside the box, and get creative. Not included is the total amount of footage I took which ended up being around an hour long, I was having a great time! In addition, some of my favourite shots from the cutting room floor were closeup tracking shots where I dragged my phone through the grass to get a different perspective. I ended up using one of these instead of the full ten. In terms of the sound, I decided to keep the diegetic sound as it feels integral to the feel of being in nature. On my walk, the wind was intense and buffeting me about. It's a core part of living in Edinburgh, and the absence of it feels so strange to me. There was also a practice session happening for the Samhuinn Fire Festival, so drums eek their way into the film. This felt right, as Samhain (Celtic Pagan festival 31.10) is an important festival for me and it marks the world descending into darkness and the winter months.

I learnt a lot from this process and it felt very spiritual for me. I have recently moved flat and am really close to Holyrood Park again, after three and a half years of living away from it. When I first moved to Edinburgh, it was essentially my back garden. I would go for walks through the Crags and Arthurs Seat a lot, and when the pandemic started, it became my outdoor studio space where I would take my camera, so it felt like returning home. The past four days I have now gone on a walk in the park, soaking up the sunshine and giving myself space to think. It's a habit I hope I continue.

Make sure to set it to 1080p HD in settings...