Michael Fletcher - Capturing the moving landscape

Instead of just rambling on about my own work on this blog I thought it might be interesting for a change to feature other people’s work that I find interesting or inspiring, and have a little chat about their background, motivation and way of working. This time I would like to introduce the work of Michael Fletcher.

I've been following Michael on Vimeo for quite some time. Based in Dunsborough, Western Australia, he's involved in the photographic business of his equally talented brother Christian, and has managed to produce an impressive number of awe-inspiring short films focussing mainly on the Australian landscape. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, landscapes and video can be a challenging combination. It’s often difficult to make landscapes look interesting because there’s not much movement going on.

A great example of how this can be overcome by some skillful cinematography is the video below, filmed at Lake Ballard in the outback of Western Australia, where time itself seems to stand still if it weren’t for the shadows moving across the dry lake bed.

I asked Michael a how he got started in landscape-filmmaking.

“I started shooting and editing October 2007. Was shooting stills on occasions with my brother Christian and decided that instead of doubling up with stills I would shoot video instead. I went and bought a Canon XHA1 and started learning how to shoot and edit using Final Cut Pro by trial and error. Our business is landscape photography (see www.christianfletcher.com.au). Shooting landscapes is something I was familiar with and you can shoot for yourself and not have to worry about what people want you to shoot.”

When asked about his way of working, and which part of the process he enjoys most, Michael had the following to say:

“Most of what I do is improvised. Unless I have a specific shot list given to me I will shoot what catches my eye and finish up editing with what I have and try and make the most from that.

I enjoy shooting as it usually means I'm in some amazing landscape. The editing can be fun if I'm doing it for myself. I love releasing the end result and seeing if other people like it. Thats what makes you go out to do better. You can create strong relationships with people all over the world through a common interest. I rarely have a bad day working on any part of the whole process.

I tend to work pretty fast as I lose interest in something if I drag it out. For me the music is the most important element and something I have less control over. Audio sets the mood. The visuals can be ruined by poor music choice. Once I know what emotion I want to create the visuals come way easier.”

I was curious to hear from Michael how he thinks his style of filming has developed since he started, and if he likes to look at other people’s work for inspiration.

“I haven't changed my style too much since starting out. I may be technically better and have better equipment but it doesn't necessarily mean I am producing better work. I'm only as good as the last thing I produced. Sometimes they work and other times I needn't have bothered.

I find it hard to look at other peoples work as I get incredibly jealous if someone does something amazing and I get all messed up and hate myself and what I'm doing. Sounds a bit dramatic but I'm incredibly focused on becoming the top of my craft and I know that I'm so far from that, that  it can become very frustrating for me. I have to credit Phillip Bloom with my inspiration to become a videographer. I was gobsmacked by his film making long before I joined Vimeo. I met him at his tour of Australia and introduced myself and he knew who I was and that he loved my landscape work and started ranting about me in front of all these other deciples and it made me feel very special. It would have to go down as a highlight in my short career. Tom Lowe is also an inspiration for me with his stunning timelapses.

Vimeo seems to have got so big now that it seems so much harder to get noticed than it did 2 years ago. Vimeo is an inspirational site and is full of amazing artists, film makers, like minded folk.”

When I asked Michael what would be the most awesome project he could see himself doing in the near future, it turns out he’s already got some really interesting things lined up.

“My brother and I are working on creating an audio visual event that will travel the world showcasing the beauty of Western Australia's Kimberley, One of the worlds true wildernesses. It will involve massive photographic prints, 360 degree video projections, celestial timelapse and an audio soundtrack befitting large concert hall performances. How does that sound for a start.

Another project will hopefully be documenting british cellist Jo Quail traveling to Western Australia's remote mining region the Pilbara, an area I have done a lot of work in previously. I think the reaction of a woman from the United Kingdom visiting one of the harshest environments in the world and seeing how our country is thriving on a massive mining boom will be very interesting and worthy of a documentary. She is already composing a score for this project...Neat!!

I will say that I have started shooting video in probably the most exciting and innovative time this industry has ever seen and I love it to the point I'm slightly obsessed :)”

Many thanks to Michael for taking the time for this little interview. The videos on this page are just a few examples of what he has produced so far so make sure to check out the rest of his work on Vimeo.