Creation #2: Sonnet 60 by Shakespeare

What did I create?

A dramatic interpretation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 60 shot on a DSLR. For those of you who don't know the canon by heart, I give you Sonnet 60:

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,

So do our minutes hasten to their end;

Each changing place with that which goes before,

In sequent toil all forwards do contend.

Nativity, once in the main of light,

Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d,

Crooked elipses ’gainst his glory fight,

And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.

Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth

And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,

Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth,

And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:

And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,

Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.

In short: time waits for no man, and while we may start young we'll all get old; even you Beautiful.

The process:

It was simple enough, I browsed through some of Shakespeare's more well-known sonnets and settled on one I liked. I then went about dramatizing it by making decisions about who I was talking to, where I was, and what I wanted. I setup a pillow as my scene partner, focused the camera, and did a few takes.

What went well?

Despite having no one else physically present, I managed to build a strong enough sense of who I was talking to that I was affected by the situation.

What lessons can I take from this?

My work was strongest and the least "actor-ey" when I allowed myself to let go of my preconceptions for how the scene should go and respond to what was actually happening. When I tried to recreate elements I liked from a previous take, I got stuck in my head and it showed in the final result.


To Post The Video or Not?
I'm torn about whether I should post all of my creations to this blog. I appreciate the accountability, and the organized record of my pursuits. However, if I post anything less than my best work I risk making a bad first impression. Thoughts?