Digital workshop: Sunset quarantine!

The Planet G(reece) workshops have been put on hold for the time being (we will inform you about rescheduling), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to spend your time creatively as you practice social distancing. If you happen to be between 13 and 19 years old, cinematographer Vangelis Anthimos and Exile Room would like to invite you to a documentary workshop that anyone can participate in from the comfort of their own home!

The project is very simple: From April 8th to April 10th, we’ll be drawing inspiration from the sunset! Sit next to a window, step out on your balcony, your garden or yard, and shoot your own footage, from the moment the sun begins to set until the night has fallen (anytime between 18:00 to 21:00). The idea is to record one of the few things we all see at the same time and share our distinct points of views, wherever we happen to be. We will then create a video collage of the sunset combining different images from different parts of Athens and beyond.

And when we say sunset, we don’t necessarily mean the sun and the sky. You can record the shadows, the way the light comes through the window, how it casts shadows on the outside world and what you happen to be doing at that time. In other words, you will capture the light, which is especially interesting at that time of day, and how it affects your surroundings. And these are just a few examples – let your imagination run wild, let the light be your guide!

Instructions

• Shooting time: 18:00 – 21:00, from Wednesday April 8th to Friday April 10th. We suggest you take the first day to observe how the sunset affects your surroundings and start shooting the second day.
• Try to keep your shots as steady as possible, without a lot of movement, even if you’re holding the camera with your hand.
• You can send up to 10 shots. Each shot must be minimum 10 seconds. The total length of your shots must not exceed 3 minutes.
• If you use your cellphone, we suggest downloading the FV 5 Lite app, which is free and offers a set of manual controls. We advise you to use it, as sunset is a time of high contrasts, which means there are big differences between the dark parts and the light parts and your cellphone camera will have a hard time making the transitions. You can find a tutorial for the app at the bottom of the page.

If you have any questions or need advice, you can e-mail Vangelis Anthimos at vaganth@gmail.com or message him on Facebook HERE.

Send us your material via wetransfer by Monday, April 13th, at workshops.exile@gmail.com along with your name, e-mail address and telephone number, so we can let you know when the video collage will be published on Exile Room’s vimeo channel.

Watch the videos, created with the solicited footage, shot by teenagers 13-19 years old, below: