Parallaxed, is constructed in the spirit of its subject. It marvels at the magic of the process of photography whilst subverting the very elements of time, focus and framing that photography imposes on a world we know to be illusory.
As the photographer loses his ability to order his own thoughts, so he is left with the remains of memory as a series of captured moments; the very essence of photography itself.
This is very much a short film that reflects on the nature of memory and how we order it. It is, in part, informed by those living with dementia.
The backstory:
I discovered some of the 8mm footage used in this piece whilst trawling the internet for clips which chimed with the subject. On approaching the owner I realised he was actually a school friend of mine from over 50 years ago, and that the clips were shot by his now deceased father whom I never met. A very odd, somewhat synergic coincidence.
Purchasing the antique Leica stills camera at auction, I filmed it in cinematic 4k. The child's voice is that of my daughter who would call up and leave me answer machine messages. The remaining footage was shot on my phone over a four year period, a purposeful use of the democratic medium of pocket film making.
The intro music track, and tail of the full length version, is by Maria Quinn. I have used a single verse with her kind permission.
The full version is 7 mins in duration. Above is the opening sequence.
As of October 2025, Parallaxed is nominated for the Ó Bhéal Poetry-Film competition Nov 2025 in Cork, Ireland, the Colorado, USA, 'Poetry In Motion' award Nov 2025 and official selection of the Boroondara Seniors Film Festival, Australia, Oct 2025.
PARALLAXED: par·al·lax ˈpar-ə-ˌlaks. : the apparent displacement or the difference in apparent direction of an object as seen from two different points not on a straight line with the object.
PARALLAXED: par·al·lax ˈpar-ə-ˌlaks. : the apparent displacement or the difference in apparent direction of an object as seen from two different points not on a straight line with the object.
