About the previous two videos….

 These are two of my previous videos exploring the connection that I have with black history, my ancestors etc. Singing a song which is disjointed from the surroundings I’m in. One of the issues that was brought up in my interim seminar is that I should think further afield than my own personal history, I should look at the social implications of doing such a video recording.

So I began to look at the way women were treated at the time ‘Young Woman’s Blues’ was first recorded, 1926. I picked this blues song because I was quite shocked with the blatent way Bessie Smith sings about sleeping or ‘running around’ and drinking. A person who doesnt know much about blues song, like me until recently, would be shocked to hear the moral tone of some of the songs of the 1920’s. There are worse, more blatent songs than Y.W.Blues such as Down in the alley by Memphis Minnie (which is unashamedly about prostitution) but I wanted something that reflected a wider modern female mentality which prostitution doesnt.
 I picked my venue, a old worldy pub, and time, in the day. I want the daytime setting of a pub in my video its a wierd out of place sort of atmosphere and seems almost seedier than a pub in the evening. I found a way to aquire 3 video cameras, three tripods (this was very problematic!!!) and a lighting kit (along with several extension leads)

 Recording the whole thing took about 3 hours or so for about 10 mins worth of footage. This was highly embarrasing as well, everyone who visited the gym situated next to this room could hear me. Humiliated. Rachel helped me during all of this, I honestly would not of been able to handle any all of the equiptment on my own let along coped psychologically with the task without her. Ah well we will see how it turns out in the editing suite, wish me luck….