Here is a collection of archival footage gathered from my group’s recent research trip to Milan.
#DreamTeamTakesMilan
dreamteamtakesmilan.wordpress.com
Films
In hopes of getting my voice heard, my primary outlet over the years has been film. Through it, I have told stories which primary feature the experiences of others, getting by alongside us in the world. There have been some exceptions though. Exceptions, which I very much welcome everyone to explore, as I continue to travel on my journey.
Alienation and Affect in Milan
As a team, we intended to discover the reality of Fashion and Counterfeit Culture in the city of Milan.
Check out the film below to find out what we discovered!
Directed by Emmanuel Johnson and Shamim Miah
Produced by Dream Team
Cinematography by Shamim Miah, Emmanuel Johnson, Jordan Kelman and Mandeep Sagoo
Edited by Emmanuel Johnson
Representations are Illusions
Representations are not complete, they are illusions.
Featuring Ade Oyeyipo. Director of Photography – Sheikh Shahnawaz. Directed/ Produced/ Edited by Emmanuel Johnson.
Tamasha & Belgrade Theatre Present: Blood
Blood. A 21st century modern love story. SourceTV are here to presents this exclusive behind the scenes interview of the cast hearing upon their point of view being a part of this exciting play with exclusive snippet of scenes performed.
Play open til 11th of April at Belgrade Theatre Coventry. Checkout their website for more info and order your tickets Now! http://www.belgrade.co.uk/event/blood Why stop there? Why not checkout all the touring dates around the UK too! http://www.tamasha.org.uk/blood/
Filmed by YiChen Shi & Emmanuel Johnson
Edited by YiChen Shi
Interview with Mjeez
Insights Presents…This is a show where Millicent get the chance to interview & meet young new upcoming talents from all over the world and talk about their journey.
Presented By: Millicent Adeyoju
Directed By: YiChen (Ethan) Shi
Executive Producers: YiChen (Ethan) Shi & Millicent Adeyoju
Filmed & Edited By: Yichen (Ethan) Shi & Emmanuel Johnson
Sound By: Kenny Tran & Byrone Nicholson
Freshers Welcome Party
Check out the highlights of the Freshers Welcome Party, organised by Coventry University Students’ Union. Video filmed and edited by Emmanuel Johnson.
Beat a Maxx, Scott Mills and Chris Stark – Coventry Uni Freshers
Highlights of the performance from Beat a Maxx, Scott Mills and Chris Stark, as well as an exclusive interview of Beat a Maxx by Kieran Raza. Filmed and Edited by Emmanuel Johnson.
CUSU Black History Month Recap
Highlights video of the Coventry University Black History Month Ball 2015, shot and edited by Emmanuel Johnson.
201MC – Professional Experience (Reflection)
Check out my video where I take you on my journey from a student to a professional.
Parallel Identity
Identity is very essential in our daily lives, and constructs the way we view the world, and the way the world views us.
The documentary, ‘Parallel Identity’ is basically about highlighting the ways international students from different cultures articulate identity.
The name ‘parallel’ was inspired by one of its meanings: ‘a comparison’, and also the fact that ‘parallel’ entails having two sides, which in this case are identities. The participants of my documentary expressed the differences between lifestyle in the United Kingdom, in comparison to their home country.
Taking a different approach from that of a creative artist like Jerod Wanner, I used a more theoretical and experimental approach towards my findings. As well as interviewing international students, I relied greatly on Richard Jenkins’ theory on the traverse nature of identity. He states that ‘The presentation or negotiation of identity is not always so ordinary or trivial; it can shake the foundation of our lives (Jenkins 1996: 2)’. He also makes us aware of the fact that ‘identity is often in the eye of the beholder (Jenkins 1996: 2)’. With these in mind, I created three questions for the participants on the documentary:
- What effect do you think your new environment has had on your personality?
- Are there any differences in terms of lifestyle that you have observed here, in comparison to your home country?
- Do you think people treat you differently because you’re not from here?
I experimented with colour grading by using a red colour primarily all through the documentary, but additionally adding a bit of blue to some of the footages. This experimentation is meant to trigger various emotions from viewers.
Parallel Identity not only aimed at showing the ways in which international students construct identity, but also the fact that identity can be a fluid variable; it can be multiple and ambiguous.
Identity is even more ambiguous in a foreign environment. Identity is parallel from an international student’s perspective.
Also, Jean-Claude Deschamps and Thierry Devos state that ‘personal identity is what makes you similar to yourself and different from others (1998: 3)’, while social identity refers to a ‘feeling of similarity to some others (Ibid: 3)’. This was proved in this documentary. Although international students are part of the British society, the same society made of British people; they will always be different from everybody else, because their identities are parallel.
Bibliography
Jenkins, R. (1996) Social Identity. London: Routledge.
Worchel, S., Morales, J., Paez D., Deschamps, J. (1998) Social Identity: International Perspectives. London: SAGE Publications Limited.
Emmanuel Johnson 