Act Natural is a reflection on my fathers life growing up. The footage mixes a sequence of events staged by my Grandad to resemble a normal day overlaid with footage from my dads childhood holidays.
It is a look at the two different sides of my fathers upbringing – A strict, almost regimented childhood, mixed with adventure and family fun days.
The sequence of my father and his brother shows what is supposed to be a typical day from bedtime routine, through to breakfast, going to school, doing homework, then back off to get ready for bed. Both are clearly acting under instruction, with little glimpses towards camera, staggered starts and synchronised sips from a cup.
What makes the footage so interesting to me is the areas where my Granda has tried to edit or plan a scene but its gone wrong. For example my dad going to bed in the top bunk but waking up in the bottom. Due to the 8mm film this was shot on and the lack of editing capabilities available to my Granda at the time, these mistakes remain in the footage, and would have only become apparent once the film was processed and watched back for the first time (something I know would have infuriated my Granda at the time)
