Erik Knudsen-Guest lecturer

Born in Ghana to a Danish father and Ghanaian mother, Erik Knudsen is a professor of Film Practice at the University of Salford.
Knudsen is a member of the group One Day Films;
Taken from www.onedayfilms.com

About

One Day Films Limited is committed to the production and distribution of quality, thought-provoking independent films and has experience of producing a number of feature creative documentaries and feature films. Past funding partners have included the Danish Film Institute, Channel Four Television, the EU's Media Programme, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Arts Council England North West and a number of private investors.

We are particularly interested in the independence that recent developments in digital production and dissemination technologies offer and we are working towards developing an aesthetic of 'cinema of poverty' in which we explore the possibilities that poverty, in its several meanings, offers the cinematic language.

Knudsen displayed some of his work in this lecture, he showed various of his small feature films, including Vainilla Chip which was particularly inspiring and memorable. This film was following the life of an elderly man, struggling to survive after the death of his wife. Set in a small Cuban town of San Antonio de los Baños the film is very thought provoking and emotional. Knudsen manages to be close to the man without it feeling like he is intruding. Knudsen follows the man on an average day, showing him at work in his ice cream shop. It also shows the elderly man cycling to see his wife's grave, which is an emotional viewing experience. The process of the film is very simple, it appears very routine showing his structured day, the end of the film gives the impression that the whole story will be repeated again the next day. When talking about this film Knudsen said how he had spoken to the old man before filming and said how he wanted to simply record his day from the background, he also said that when the man became emotional and started crying it was a shock to him as he had not planned this at all and he wasn't expecting it. 

When speaking about all of his work, it became clear that Knudsen has been influenced by different cultures and also by poverty. It is interesting how his style of filming is very basic which often reflects the content of his film, which is also simple but powerful and thought provoking. 

When questioned on how Knudsen found his inspiration, it was interesting to hear how his lack of money enhanced his creativity. Finding that when he had the most expensive and latest technology his work was not as creative. The lack of tools and funding forced Knudsen to make the best use of the facilities he had, giving him a more creative style and thought process. 
Although Knudsen's main work doesn't connect directly to my work with photography, it is more film based, his creative minimalist style has been inspiring in my work, it has made me think about what tools I should use in my work, and rather than automatically reaching for the newest most expensive equipment I will think about using more simple tools, striving for more creative images.