Superman (working title version 1)

 

Title: Superman (working title version 1)
Duration: 5:31 minutes
Black and white, stereo sound, single channel online version.


Artist Statement

This was a test shoot to establish if it was physically possible for me to perform a crane shot. The camera was placed on a tripod with a wide angle to capture the test in its entirety. My dad operated the crane. I was suspended from the crane and my mum controlled my spin and direction with a rope tied to my leg.

On review with my MFA supervisor Dr John Di Stefano, it was decided that the work of each person was too clearly articulate in this wide shot. It would be more interesting if the action was fragmented into three separate shots:

  • One fixed on my dad operating the crane
  • One camera panning and following my mum as she pulled on the ropes beneath the crane
  • The third camera was the “crane shot” from the perspective of the actual crane. This would take my suspended body out of camera and focus on the actual work below which guided this disembodied/embodied camera movement.
James Nguyen

Author: James Nguyen

James Nguyen is a Sydney-based artist. After completing Honours at the National Art School and a Masters of Fine Arts at Sydney College of Arts, James undertook a collaborative Fellowship in New York at UnionDocs (Centre for Experimental Documentary Arts) with the support of the Anne & Gordon Samstag Visual Arts Scholarship. James has exhibited in Australia and China and is currently a PhD candidate at UNSW Art & Design.