The National Gallery is collaborating with the London Film School on 'Transcriptions: LFS Shorts', an innovative new project which involves 2nd term students producing short 3-4 minute films inspired by the Gallery's collection as part of their course.
Souvenir
by Nic Wassell, 2006
Chosen Specialisation: Cinematography
From the Film Maker...
The composition of the painting was the main influence for the 'dream' shot in my film of the lake, which for me was a central image in the film. It was also the influence for the lighting scheme, in the use of lines of light, ostensibly cast by the sun through the blinds, which are present in the main room, referring to the lines of surf crossing the lake in the painting.
For me the main theme of the painting is that of the fantasy of the Finnish legend and the reality of the lake co-existing in a naturalist setting. I tried to reflect this through the crossing of the main character into a surreal realm where he doesn't understand what is happening around him. Also the use of the photographs within the film, which hint at a story untold in the actual piece, reflects the untold story from the Kalevala (the Finnish national epic) within the painting. Nic Wassell