Donovan Kidd 2018
Muffet was an experimental sci-fi film I made in the Elements of Film class. It is an adaptation based on the Little Miss Muffet nursery rhyme. I used changing aspect ratios throughout the project to experiment with the way the audience is directed to focus on certain parts of a story. Near the end of the film, I use quick cutting and dramatic juxtaposition in sound design to make the spider more intimidating.
Inspector Gadget is a film in the style of classic noir. I wrote the script and directed on set, focusing heavily on lighting and cinematography to create a stylistic and dramatic look that reflects the aesthetic of 1940s noir films. In post-production, I decided to use jazz music to set the tone and time-period. In addition, there is a shot at 2:44 with a visual effects composition in the background showing a window with light shining through to ground Inspector Gadget's office in the world of 1940s New York as well as to give a source for the light in the movie.
No More Humans is a post-apocalyptic film about one of the last human survivors on Earth as he attempts to live out the rest of his days. The cinematography, editing, and sound design are all used with the intention of creating an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere. Also, at the end of the movie, the guy's arm gets ripped off with a mix of practical and digital effects and it doesn't look bad at all.
Birth of a Murder is an experimental short film whose story is told in a non-linear fashion. The film was heavily storyboarded and I focused mainly on sound design in post-production. There is no dialogue so all the story-telling in the movie relies more on visuals. I shot this movie and acted in it, which was a challenge but I'm happy with the final result.
My Photo Essay in 2018 starring Logan Gowans and slightly illegal activities focused on composition and lighting. The photos don't have a precise narrative but they follow the story of Logan as he explores the urban areas of Norfolk and Virginia Beach with help from his father (top right).
Dick's Out is a short film set in a world where sexuality is reversed meaning that heterosexuality is considered gay while homosexuality is considered straight and is more socially accepted. I wrote, directed, and edited the film with Lachlan McLellan, but almost all of the camera work is my own. The film is a romantic comedy with heavy emphasis on dialogue and cinematography. The scene above highlights those aspects at their highest level in the film. The dialogue is flirty and casual but is subtle in a way that develops the characters and shows their true motivations without making it obvious. The cinematography in this scene, and the film in general, is focused on warm lighting and a shallow depth of field to create a soft aesthetic for the film.
Above is a film reel from 2017-2018 showing my favorite shots from the films I directed over the school year. It shows the best parts of all the films mentioned above this. The films in order are
-Dick's Out
-Inspector Gadget
-Muffet
-No More Humans
-Birth of a Murder
I also worked on other projects as a director of photography including "peter." directed by Emma Kafka and "Friend." directed by Herman Hurston.
