Directions: Self Portrait 1

As part of my research for the directions unit I have to create my own visual self-portrait. I was unsure as to what I could do so I did a quick google search and managed to find a few film related self-portraits that could help me visualise my own a little better and get a sense of what one is.

The first one I came across is this one created by Film4. It's a self-portrait on filmmaking, told by filmmakers.

In this film huge directors like Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, and many many more, talk about the art of directing. They talk about how they got started and what it is that makes them want to make movies. They talk about what they think it means to be a director. Some talk about what it is like to make a movie and what influences them. They talk about why they're interested in filmmaking; where ideas come from; what makes them nervous and scares them; how characters and action work together; and their childhood, using Super 8 cameras to make short films.

I found this video extremely interesting. It was great to hear what these directors had to say about filmmaking. I learnt a lot from watching this video and it raised a lot of questions I feel I need to answer in my own self-portrait:

• What was my childhood like?
• What made me want to work in TV/Film? Who/what were my influences?
• How did I start out?
• What kind of person am I?
• What's my directorial style?
• What do I think it means to be a director?
• What kind of TV/Films do I want to make?
• Why am I interested in TV/Film?
• Where do my ideas come from?
• What are my surroundings like?
• What scares me?
• What do I think my future will be like? How will I move towards that?

I will continue to work on my self-portrait, using this questions as a starting point.