Empty

With Empty, I wanted to play with the idea of presence and absence. Each of the places shown appears to be uninhabited—rooms, hallways, sidewalks—but are they so vacant after all?

Empty is a piece that most closely adheres to the observational style of documentary. 

In the observational mode, the narrator plays an apparently passive role. They are rarely if ever heard or seen, and as such are easy to forget. As a viewer is drawn into the media, they begin to inhabit the camera’s point of view. They may even forget they are watching a film, feeling they are just watching quietly. Well, at least if the film’s not boring. I don’t claim Empty is particularly engaging, but some people might like it. Ghosts, for example.

Back to the vacant rooms. It’s easy to think there’s no one there—but in each one I am behind the camera, its slight handheld wobble giving me away. Making this has helped me remember behind each camera is someone (or someones) who is operating it, watching, editing, determining what we as viewers see. 

I chose shots mainly with deep depth of field to convey the vastness of the locations I chose, and to reinforce the sense of desolation. A late time on campus added to the feeling of isolation. I ran into few people as I filmed, so I was surprised and delighted to get the shot of the random crowd of people that came across a shot. I included this because I want to share this surprise with the viewer, as well as further my conviction that many of the best things found in documentary are things you don't plan or expect, but things you just happen to already be filming and catch. Furthermore, the appearance of a crowd of people on an “empty” campus toys with the idea of anything being empty at all.