MEET SEAN HALL

Sean Hall is a Stirling based filmmaker interested in exploring how film can help us encounter ideas and feelings which often defy language and are not easily pinned down. He hopes to unearth new ways to look at climate change, a subject which he believes is often difficult to take in all at once.

Who are you? What do you do?

Hi, I'm Sean Hall and I am a filmmaker from Stirling. I run a film production company, Vivid Affect Productions, which I started in 2018. A lot of my work is driven by an interest in how time-based mediums can help express ideas or feelings which are often difficult to put into words. I'm really interested by the intangible, things which are out of sight but which have great impact on our lives - emotions, ideas, memories, time, etc.

The potential for film to explore these sorts of things is a constant source of inspiration for me. The climate crisis is itself an issue which in some ways, arguably, at least in my part of the world, has for a long time been one of those intangible subjects, so it has been exciting to be a part of a project which has attempted to encounter it.

What is your project about?

This project has really been largely about collaboration. As one of five members in Scene Stirling's climate cohort, I have helped to develop our 'creative ecosystem', a series of artworks which highlight and reflect on the climate crisis. Working with the other members of the cohort, I have helped to create several film works which reflect on different aspects of the climate emergency. More than that, as part of this project I have also participated in performance work, encouraged by David and Kate, which was totally new to me.

Where do you currently work from?

I am based in Stirling, but when filming I can often be found with my camera all over the area or even further afield. For this project in particular I have been all over Stirlingshire, an area I know really well from having lived here for over a decade. It's been great to have been able to film in some of my favourite local spots, and to have so much of the local landscape featured in these works.

What challenges are you facing?

Making work around the climate crisis isn't easy, not just practically but also emotionally. It can be tough thinking about the potential future, disheartening or quietly hopeful depending on the mood of the day. In some ways, I think the variety of tones found in the cohort's work is representative of that. Regardless of outlook, the important thing, as perhaps demonstrated by this project, is how important conversation and collaboration are in addressing many of those feelings and in making things happen.

With a subject as huge and multifaceted as climate change, a challenge I knew I would come up against as a filmmaker is how to get across that scale and impact on film. I also think there are some images we have become accustomed to, almost numbed to, with the climate crisis, and so there was also a challenge of portraying the issue in a way that could evoke a new response, or which could invite people into a new way of considering the issue.

What have you learnt in the Climate Change commission so far?

It feels like with every conversation you have about climate change, you'll often discover a new angle on its impact you hadn't considered before. In many ways, this whole commission has been one big conversation, between the members of the cohort and also our respective disciplines. Hearing from my collaborators about their personal experiences and fears, but also where they think solutions may lie, has been a good experience, and I think has also led to some really interesting work.