NATURAL MOVEMENT
Short Film
Natural Movement was a short study on human movement as a kind of primal language. An exploration of how the body can communicate emotion, tension and meaning without relying on dialogue or narrative in a traditional sense.
What interested me was the idea that movement exists somewhere deeper than words. The body reacting instinctively. Hands wrapping around forearms like growing branches. A swaying torso beginning to resemble trees moving in the wind. I became interested in the parallels between human movement and natural forms, particularly the way both seem to carry rhythm, force and emotion without needing explanation.
The project was also an opportunity to spend time shooting on 16mm film again, which felt important to the visual language of the piece. I’ve always been drawn to the imperfections of film stock. The grain, gate weave and unpredictability of it. Coming from a cinematography background, I’m interested in how camera and lens choice can shape the emotional texture of a film as much as the story itself. Digital can often feel too clean. Film feels more physical and human to me.
The emotional tone of the film was heavily influenced by Goner by Twenty One Pilots. The creaking wood and violin at the start of the track immediately connected to the atmosphere I wanted to create. Something melancholic, instinctive and searching. During filming, I directed the dancer to imagine a ball of force moving beneath her skin, beginning in her chest before travelling through the rest of her body and eventually being released at the end of the film. That idea became the emotional spine of the movement throughout the piece.
The emotional tone of the film was heavily influenced by Goner by Twenty One Pilots. The creaking wood and violin at the start of the track immediately connected to the atmosphere I wanted to create. Something melancholic, instinctive and searching. During filming, I directed the dancer to imagine a ball of force moving beneath her skin, beginning in her chest before travelling through the rest of her body and eventually being released at the end of the film. That idea became the emotional spine of the movement throughout the piece.
Looking back on it now, I think Natural Movement was one of the first projects where I consciously moved away from simply covering action and became more interested in visual metaphor, interpretation and feeling.
Directed by Charles Logan Clare.