Dark Side of the Lens presents the art and inner voice of Irish surf phoÂtogÂraÂphÂer MickÂey Smith. The six minute film lets you expeÂriÂence Smith’s aesÂthetÂics transÂlatÂed into beauÂtiÂful pracÂtice. (“I wanÂna see waveridÂing docÂuÂmentÂed the way I see it in my head, and the way I feel it in the sea.”) But then it rather poetÂiÂcalÂly cracks open the perÂsonÂal phiÂlosÂoÂphy of the artist:
I nevÂer set out to become anyÂthing in parÂticÂuÂlar, only to live creÂativeÂly and push the scope of my expeÂriÂence for advenÂture and for pasÂsion… The raw bruÂtal cold coastÂlands for the right waveridÂers to chalÂlenge – this is where my heart beats hardÂest…
Most folk don’t even know who we are, and what we do or how we do it, let alone what they pay us for it. I nevÂer want to take this for grantÂed so I try to keep motiÂvaÂtion simÂple, real, and posÂiÂtive… If I only scrape a livÂing, at least it’s a livÂing where I’m scrapÂing.… If there’s no future in it, this is a present worth rememÂberÂing.
The aesÂthetÂic choicÂes. The perÂsonÂal deciÂsions. It’s all what’s hapÂpenÂing behind the camÂera, the place no audiÂence sees, the “dark side of the lens.” You can find the full tranÂscript of Smith’s comÂmenÂtary after the jump…
A final note: Dark Side of the Lens was born out of a project called “Short StoÂries.” EstabÂlished by RelentÂless EnerÂgy Drink, the UK-based project chalÂlenged filmÂmakÂers to creÂate their own mini opus, to explore and celÂeÂbrate “no half meaÂsures” in film. Find othÂer shorts here.
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