Closer (short film) (2001)
6' 30

Goodwin's short film Closer investigates and subverts the encounters we have with strangers in public places. Using a zoom lens and a long distance laser pen Goodwin collapses the spatial distance between the camera's eye and its subject, filming individuals as he simultaneously touches them with a beam of light. A host of emotional, psychological and sociological implications arise from this act. The ambiguity of these gestures, fluctuating between hostility and empathy, demonstrate both a sense of invasion as well as implying feelings of sympathy towards these individuals. Despite his bold scrutiny of his subjects, in this process of familiarisation and intimacy, Goodwin also seeks to offer them a mysterious protection from the luminary stethoscope by finding vantage points to video where reflected lights and details of architecture partially obscures their faces.
 
Camera, Editing and Sound - Dryden Goodwin

 
Commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella, London

Stills from Closer (short film) (2001)