Through Their Eyes

Through Their Eyes is a documentary which follows four college students over nine months. Inspired by research into visual memory and documentary photography, Through Their Eyes sheds light on the experiences of teenage girls in the twenty-first century, focussing on the individual viewpoint of the videographer (myself). There are constant reminders of the intimate relationship between the camera and the videographer, portrayed through the use of reflections, referencing the work of Vivian Maier. In fact, the only time the videographer appears on camera, filmed by someone other than herself, is in the final few seconds of the film.

While working on Through Their Eyes, I completed multiple photoshoots focussing on individual events and moments. These photoshoots both informed and impacted my process, inspiring the use of double exposure in many shots throughout the film.

“In my recent shoots I have been challenging myself to capture a particular moment in time and then edit it in a similar way to how the brain stores visual memories using double exposure and colour palettes.”

Through Their Eyes has no soundtrack to reinforce the realism and honesty of the documentary. I didn’t want to only capture visual memories, but instead snippets of conversations, background noises and music that was listened to at the time. In this sense, the documentary is a piece of mine and my friends history, frozen in time without unnecessary editing and narration. The film is deliberately personal and impersonal; offering an intimate snapshot without explanation.

“I believe that spending time alone can help us to feel balanced and calm; as we revert to unspoken schedules and personal habits, revisiting thought processes and revising theories of the day before. When I woke up and saw that the trees outside my window were surrounded by mist, I decided that I would try to document the moment as I lay in bed, capturing the view of my window and my reflection in a mirror.”

Taking place over the course of nine months, Through Their Eyes also documents the changing of the seasons in order to highlight the inevitable passing of time. It is a reminder of how quickly our teenage years pass by, even more poignant in this documentary as the students featured all leave college to pursue higher education in different cities, shortly after the documentary ends.

Through Their Eyes is a Documentary film made by Evelyn May- Filmed 2021-2022