OUTLOOK
Outlook: A man embarks on a odyssey which leads him though a forrest where he begins to experience the world around him.
Made in 2017, Outlook stars David Douw, Philip Coffey and Tommy Daly. It grew out of what can be viewed as my first non-narrative film: Other Trees. Other Trees is an experimental film that evolved from an improvised recording session at night. The editing was also improvised at night. It was arguably the first experimental film I had made since my early film Trapped in a Loop, and my first non-narrative/abstract film in general. In making Other Trees I began to get more abstract ideas for audiovisual pieces, and I soon realised these subsequent ideas were in fact scenes of a broader film that would become Outlook. As Outlook took form, I ultimately realised that Other Trees was also part of this broader film, just not quite the same version as the original short. In this way Other Trees stands as my first foray into non-narrative film, the genesis for Outlook, and an alternative version to the segment that would become part of Outlook. While my current experimental film practice shares quite little in common with my approach here (mainly due to my current filmmaking seeking to allow sounds and images to be independent and equal, not editing them based on how they work with the other), there are some strong links, namely the focus on improvisation in the recording process and the rejection of the need to base the film on any underlying meaning. I would later develop greatly on these ideas, as well as begin to introduce core concepts such as randomness/arbitrariness and the process-first approach, among others. In any case, Other Trees serves as an important moment in my filmography as it represents a major shift in my thinking regarding the purpose of my films and the role meaning does not have to play. At the same time, Outlook bridges the gap between my early, narrative approach to filmmaking and my current experimental practice.
Outlook was Officially Selected for IndieCork Film Festival 2018, FILUMS International Film Festival 2017, and was screened at First Cut Film Festival 2018 as part of a spotlight programme on emerging filmmakers. Other Trees screened as part of an event before the IndieCork 2018 festival in which a small selection of Cork-made films were presented as a preview for the coming festival.
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[Note: the version of Outlook available via the youtube link below is the full-length version (21:34). The version screened at the film festivals listen above was a slightly shorter cut, 18 minutes approx. This edit was done in order to adhere to festival entry conditions regarding short film durations. For those interested, in the almost 4 minutes that were cut no full shots were removed. The shortening was achieved by reducing the length of some of the particularly long takes. While in one sense 'nothing was taken out,' and I felt the pacing of this shorter cut was slightly more welcome in a festival setting, I strongly favour my original cut in terms of duration and pacing, which is why I have chosen to only make this official edit available.]
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