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Portrait of Henk van Kooten won a Diamond Award at BIAFF 2008
A cinematic portrayal of photographer Henk van Kooten, in which we get acquainted
with the artist and his work, his views on photography and the way in which
his work is established. The film-maker, Ton Van Kan takes up the
story...
Where to begin ...
 My interest in filming
started about fifteen years ago and in order to improve and learn the cinematic
language I joined the videoclub RVSL in Rotterdam. This gave me the
opportunity to see and compare other work and to develop my passion.
Before I started working on the film Portrait of Henk van Kooten
I had already made several films about photographers. This was partly
due to my own interest in photography and because it gives you the chance
to "peek into the kitchen" and study the craftsmanship of a photographer.
In preparation for the film I went to Henk without preconceived ideas. I
know that Henk has a passion for his trade and could tell me a lot about
it. For me that is a prerequisite when making a film. |
So I set out unprepared
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I am at my best when I have to improvise: look at a
situation and respond directly. This way there is very little room for doubt
and for a film I want to use the situation to the fullest. This way you get
a more natural film. I am not an advocate of doing something over again -
it goes as it goes. If you repeat a shot it will always be different from
before, and you see the despair on the faces. "How did I do it just now
and what went wrong?" You can't help but worry that you will make the
exact same mistake again.
Beforehand I always have a little chat with people to
put them at ease. With a joke and an attitude of: I feel at home here and
we are going to make something beautiful, it (nearly) always goes well. |
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I had only planned the monitor act and taken a dolly with me.
I thought if there is a smooth floor I could use the dolly for the opening
shot. By
 travelling
through the hall where his work hangs we straight away get to know
 his
pictures. The images are deliberately in high contrast just like some of
Henk's pictures. This creates suspense and makes you wonder what else the
film will offer. The door scene: the image is turned here by 90 degrees.
You will notice this only a few seconds later when Mr. & Mrs. Van Kooten
walk through.
I wanted to use the style of the photographer in my own work and that is
just the job for me. It's a challenge for me to use creative photography,
follow the movement and stay with the action. I listen carefully and let
the camera follow the words. This is hard to do from a tripod. The tripod
is a wonderful invention but it often limits your camera-movements. So I
like to film handheld and fortunately I have a steady hand. |
  It never got to be a real (in depth) interview.
Henk talks your ears off and floods you with his knowledge. It was difficult
to filter out what was really useful and would give a proper view of
Henk.
He doesn't do it all alone and that's why I thought
it necessary to involve his wife in the film. They really work as a team
to get the best result.
This holds promise
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  Shortly after shooting it I made a short two minute trailer.
Everyone was very enthusiastic about it. With words like "this holds promise",
"this looks good" I feared I would never be able to top that trailer.
Because of this the film was shelved for two years.
Finally I did start editing. I chosen in this case to go for parallel editing.
The one side of the story is Henk's vision (colour images) and on the other
side there is his studio where everything is made (black and white images). |
Henk regularly asked me if it was finished
yet. After two years his response was brief:
"We have received the DVD and enjoyed watching it. Well done! Thank
you."
To finish with
 Video and photography is my passion and my life.
Wherever I am, everything is caught in frames in my
mind. To me the most beautiful thing on Earth is creating a tension within
a framework. That can be achieved in several ways, for example through light,
but also of course through composition and colour.
The movement makes it a fascinating whole.
- Ton van Kan |
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