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Artwork title: KULESHOV/BONFIRE

KULESHOV/BONFIRE is an experimental narrative short film, told primarily in split-screen and infused with magic realism. Unnerving coincidences abound, and sentimental objects brim with a momentum and power that drives the events of the narrative forward. The film exists in a world where the laws of fate appear pre-determined; in one climactic scene we witness a vision of various other worlds, where the same outcomes occur. The use of split-screen throughout the film connects to notions of choice whilst presenting a world not seen through the psychologically singular lens which we are narratively accustomed to. It creates new opportunities for the film language to develop, expanding upon Lev Kuleshov’s theories of editing, wherein an image gains its meaning from its preceding image. This short film subverts chronological editing technique into a simultaneous one, allowing adjacent images to engage in dialogue, respond to one another and allow the audience to interpret their relationship. This sought to reveal to the potential of latent manipulative editing patterns in cinema. It proved difficult to orchestrate and edit, usual methods of film coverage and editing not possible with two cameras involved. It was a collaborative crew effort led by a writer/director/editor.

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