The Valley of the shadow of death

I named this piece ‘The Valley of the Shadow of Death’ because the end of the pathway opens up like a valley—an expanse between two mountains. The shadow of death theme resonates with the desolate, rocky environment, potentially filled with the bones of dead animals. The pillars mimic this valley, creating gaps that you would need to leap across to reach safe ground.

I filmed this shot on the second floor of the fine arts building, a location that captivated me during my first year at university. I remember thinking how cool the area looked and envisioning myself jumping over the pillars. The parallel iron handle and wooden bar in the shot create the illusion of someone gazing into the distance, adding depth to the scene.

Before settling on this video, I explored other subjects and scenes, which was engaging. An example of one difficulty I had was keeping my phone stable inside a cap. My intent was to observe the light changes within the cap. I took a day off to reflect on my previous footage, which led me back to this location. I also appreciated how the background lights created a series of receding spotlights, enhancing the scene’s atmosphere. The changes in lighting and audio affected my perception of time.