Cat Morgan - Interview based on 'Untitled Streets'

What’s your creative practise?

Creative Direction, Photography and Styling.

Tell me about ‘Untitled Streets’.

Untitled Streets is a project about style, personality, identity and age. I know that sounds like a lot of things when it’s written down, but really when I capture street portraits it is very simple. It is simply what stands out to me when I see someone on the street. Everybody has a character and everybody has something unique about themselves. This is the challenge of the project, to capture and research what it is that makes someone unique. The exciting part? I never know who I’m going to meet and photograph.

Do you think Leeds has its own personality and how does it differ from other cities?

Definitely, Leeds is full of character. It’s a place of arts, music and is full of different environments to explore. There is a lot of personality in this city but that’s what’s great about Leeds. People welcome you with open arms. Compared to other cities, northerners are a lot friendlier. If I was doing this project in London, everyone is a bit more rushed and busy, and do not have the time to stop and chat. I also don’t know where I’d go in London to meet the types of interesting people I’ve met in Leeds.

What is the most important thing for you to portray through these photos?

It’s mainly what they have to say about themselves. What they’re wearing is obviously important, and what initially catches my eye. It’s also really great when they’re interested in my project, not everyone is, and it varies from person to person. I’ve tried to focus on the older generation, and those that are seen less in the media.

Has it been difficult to find people who want to be photographed?

Yes that’s been the main worry about doing this project, I have 16 photographs altogether from December 2014 to now and that is quite a lot considering how many people hate having their photograph taken! That factor does need to be taken into consideration when doing a project like this, and also where the photograph is going people always want to know that. I’ve had to be clear and precise about my aim when talking to strangers, it takes a lot of courage, but I have learnt a lot.

What’s the most interesting story you’ve heard?

I met Jean in Easter holidays who is my oldest participant, she is 86. She lost some fingers due to a coal mine accident and then whilst I was taking the photograph she starting mumbling the song ‘smile’ I asked her if she liked that song, and she said she sings it everyday because her husband died recently and they used to sing it together. I met twins Sylvia and Susan and they were great. They also did a studio shoot for my self-published book and that was a lot of fun. Its great that they were happy to get involved as the whole project is a celebration of senior style.

Do you plan on continuing this work into your future professional practise?

I think I will, but as I won’t be living in Leeds anymore come the summer I will definitely start another project like this, it has been stressful, but I’m pleased I carried on because I was really close to giving up at many points.

Katie Gillies - Interview Un-edited Version

An unedited version of the Katie Gillies Interview segment of her film.

Katie Gillies - Interview Stills

A variety of Images from the Interview with Katie Gillies.

Katie Gillies - Interview Location

The location for Katie's Interview. Unfortunately due to stealing in her studio, I was unable to go in and film there as planned. Katie works a lot from home, so instead I filmed her in that set up. 

Olivia Majeed - Unedited Interview

The Interview segment of Olivia Majeed's film, simply cut but un-edited.

Olivia Majeed - Filming

I filmed Olivia in her bedroom. It’s a very personal place and she’s filled it with memories of Domba. Her medal from the race is hung above a photo of him, which sits beside a poster for the Reggae night he launched in Leeds with some friends. During the interview, Olivia opened up about a range of things, sharing stories from how they met, to how they spent their final time together. She laughed through happy memories and spoke about how much Domba taught her, even during his short life and the time they knew each other. 

Mostly, she remembered and shared with me the brilliant person that he was and how important he is in her life.

Domba loved Reggae music and used to collect records. With some friends he arranged a night in Leeds once a month called Deep Forward. He had a huge collection of records before he passed away, but unfortunately never got to play at the night. Domba gave his collection to Olivia, who bought a record player to listen to them, and learnt how to DJ in order to take part in one of the nights herself using Domba’s records. Deep Forward is just one of the things that continues his memory. 

Deep Forward is held at Milo’s Bar in Leeds on the third Saturday of every month from 10pm until 3am. With free entry and a great mix of tunes devoted to Domba’s memory and his love of reggae music it’s definitely worth a visit!

Olivia Majeed - Leeds Half Marathon

Today I went to watch Olivia finish the Leeds Half Marathon. Her and her friend Josh Hevicon ran in memory of Domba, raising money for Martin House Hospice for Children and Young People. Her fundraising page is still open here.

Olivia wrote on the page;

"Hello, thank you for taking the time to look at my Just Giving page.

On the 10th of May 2015 I will be running the Leeds Half Marathon with fellow team pal Josh Hevicon. We are hoping to raise a significant amount for the Martin House Hospice for Children and Young People, but in doing so will need your help. The money raised will contribute to the support and care of children, adolescents and their families and friends who have found themselves in situations many can only imagine. Josh and I have recently lost not just a friend, but a soul mate who both displayed and taught us so much about strength and courage. We learnt that life is short, precious and beautiful, something to hold dear with close family and friends. 

Speaking from personal experience, the loss of a loved one has to be the most difficult and challenging situation one will ever find themselves in. In terms of my short life, so far, I have not and I’m sure will not ever be able to fully come to terms with the tragic events of the past 24 months. However, knowing that the people around you can, and are willing to do almost anything to help makes everything a lot easier to cope with. 

The hospice is based in Yorkshire and supports many children and their families across the county. A donation of just £10 would cover the cost of a child’s drip and £5,000 would provide a specialist bed for those children with complex medical needs. Any donation would not only be appreciated but put to great use, as the Hospice receives less than 20% statutory government funding, and therefore relies almost totally on donations from kind people such as yourselves.

Above all, I would like to emphasise that those last moments of life should be absolutely cherished, and filled with unconditional love and laughter. This could provide those children and young people with an opportunity to share final moments of happiness and create beautiful memories for their loved ones to savour. It really would mean a great deal to myself, my team and everyone at the Hospice if you could make a donation to such a wonderful cause. 

Thank you, Liv."

Katie Gillies - Interview Questions

Amy Wilders Second Video

The initial short introduction has been tweaked and new footage added from the second location.

Amy Wilders Intro Edit Three Fixed

Amy Wilders Intro Edit 3 Final from Laura Sweetingham on Vimeo.

I managed to fix the sizing problem, it was due to the settings in which I exported the video not matching my sequence settings. Now this is resolved I am far happier with the appearance of the video and the way in which it plays. This should also reduce bugs and random flashes which sometimes occur, and improve the quality despite it not being a HD upload due to Vimeo limits.

Amy Wilders Intro Edit Three

I'm really happy with this edit. I like the continual shot of the mixing bowl with the title over the top and think it looks a lot more professional. However, I need to figure out the configurations of the video, as when uploading to vimeo there is a black header and footer, whereas I want the full image to fill the screen. Through research, this is to do with something called non-square pixels, however I am still unsure on how to resolve the issue. 

Amy Wilders Intro Edit Two

Amy Wilders Intro Edit Two from Laura Sweetingham on Vimeo.

From the first edit, I added clips of Amy baking within the shots of the Bakery. I like the contrast from the still shots to a moving image. 

I've also altered the title to have the sound continue throughout. I quite like the continuity but am not entirely happy with the appearance of the title so will experiment with this. I also prefer the sound of the radio as a background, as opposed to when there is songs playing, so will tweak this also.

Amy Wilders Intro Edit One

Amy Wilders Intro Edit One from Laura Sweetingham on Vimeo.

Amy Wilders - Cake Decoration

For my second film, I am going to be promoting a job role that isn't commonly known about. Cake decoration has seen a recent boom, although it isn't a career pushed on children at a young age. Amy experienced this, having skills in both cooking and art, but being encouraged into an academic path which wasn't suited to her passions. Having interned for a local Cake company, Amy went on to gain a role in the business, producing beautiful cakes, including those shown below.

Katie Gillies and Joanna Kelly Collaboration

For one of my inspirational videos, I am collaborating with another Fashion Concepts student - Joanna Kelly and a Printed Textiles student - Katie Gillies to produce a Contemporary Dance Film. I will be the videographer and joint editor of a Fashion Film produced with Joanna Kelly, featuring her dancing with Katie Gillies' Print Designs, and will also be compiling my own interview with Katie, featuring clips of her work in both a dance setting and studio space. 

Here are a selection of Dance Videos I have researched as Inspiration for the upcoming filming.

Alice Godfrey - Contemporary Dance from muddville on Vimeo.

Contemporary dance from Sergey Voronin on Vimeo.

Sia's Elastic Heart video caused a lot of controversy due to the use of a young girl and older male for the dance. Personally, I think those who saw it in a paedophilic manor completely misread the dance. Sia suffers from mental illness and has had a destructive path, with suicidal moments, which is clear through the emotion in this song, and some of her others. Maddie Ziegler is the main focus, dancing in a rigid contemporary style. It looks effortless and tells a story through the movement. Shia LaBeouf perfectly contrasts her petite form, playing a more brotherly or departed friend role.

The music is complex, and the dance choreographed to fit. It it's entirety, it shows an entire relationship, battles and all, between friends or family, not on a romantic level.

This video has always been a favourite of mine. Ballet is such a beautiful medium of Dance and I love the contemporary feel. Mostly, I love the piano used throughout. I am a piano player myself and love the way it complements dance. This video uses a large number of dancers, so wouldn't be possible to influence the film for Joanna and Katie's Collaboration, but elements can be used as inspiration. I like the all black outfits to suggest a dark element. And the contract from the torn down and mostly off white surroundings. The location is unfinished and slightly derelict, which is a beautiful contrast from the fine tuned choreography and perfect timing of the dancers.

Louis Vuitton 'I Am Luxury' - Joanna Kelly

Louis Vuitton 'I Am Luxury' - Joanna Kelly from Laura Sweetingham on Vimeo.

Final Edit of my Interview with Joanna Kelly about her work that was exhibited in the Louis Vuitton 'I Am Luxury' Exhibition. Joanna was a joint winner of the exhibition, due to her work being so personal, outside the box and very sentimental.

Mum's Story - First Edit

Mums Story - First Edit from Laura Sweetingham on Vimeo.

As a practise for my full video of my Mum, I completed an interview with her as an experiment, to get an idea with regards to what I want to feature in the film.

The film is likely to be less creative than I would be aiming for in future videos, just due to what I am able to feature but I am going to attempt to make it aesthetically pleasing and visually interesting where possible, whilst keeping the realistic element. 

Louis Vuitton - I Am Luxury - Joanna Kelly, practise edit

Louis Vuitton 'I Am Luxury' - Joanna Kelly, First Edit from Laura Sweetingham on Vimeo.

Louis Vuitton set the Fashion Students of Leeds College of Art a brief called 'I Am Luxury'. A select few students were selected to present their work in the exhibition. This is the first edit of one of the videos I compiled including an interview with the creator and clips of their work.

Film - Viktoria Modesta -

VIKTORIA MODESTA from GABRIEL GETTMAN on Vimeo.

Another video of Viktoria, this is from 3 years ago. While her style is visible in this film, and is a clear personality, there is no evidence of her being an amputee. Her legs are hardly shown and when they are they both appear to be the same. 

Film - Viktoria Modesta - Idol Magazine

Viktoria Modesta - Idol Magazine from Trubridge Films Ltd. on Vimeo.

I began to research Viktoria further following the Prototype video which I found so inspiring. I came across this video for Idol Magazine from two years prior. I was incredibly disappointed to see how little is shown of her prosthetic leg. It is visible at one part, but throughout she is then wearing legs that mimic the other, fitting in to society. A complete change from her more recent video.

This shows how much things have changed, and how much more accepted these things are in modern society. This is great, but a shame that so recently she was so restrained due to it.