Molly Russell
and isolated ; there are no overarching narratives between videos . Videos have a murky blend of realism and fiction as she combines events within her own life with fictional scenarios , making it difficult to separate the art and the artist . Sierra ’ s short films draw on a unique combination of professional and amateurism ; her videos engage with industry standards by conforming to mainstream cinematic codes , yet her selfinvolvement in narratives , personal subject matters and technological device signify amateurism . Sierra illustrates how amateur film removes the distance between subject and object through illustrating ‘ the private sphere from [ their ] point of view ’ ( Zimmermann , 2007 , p . 278 ) as she predominantly assumes the protagonist role , simultaneously broadcasting her view of the world whilst curating a fictional one .
Analysis The first video I will examine is captioned ‘ I gotta stop studying so late ’, presently holding 11.7 million views and 3.3 million likes (@ scorpiosierra , 2020a ). The video lasts 31 seconds and follows Sierra studying from
130 a history book at a desk , she then falls asleep , wakes up and runs to the mirror to see her reflection resemble a monarch . Her head then snaps up as she realises she was dreaming , still at the desk , she looks down and examines a small bunch of wildflowers now laying on the book . Her hand reaches for her throat to pull out a pearl necklace she is now wearing , which match the flowers . The screen then goes black .
The video employs a range of professional techniques through conforming to mainstream cinematic codes such as the 180-degree rule , continuity editing , match cuts , graphic matches and zoom shots to communicate the protagonist ’ s focus . The video demonstrates what Bordwell ( 2002 , p . 16 ) labels intensified continuity , a process dominant in mainstream filmmaking that intensifies pre-distinguished continuity editing techniques to increase the film ’ s overall momentum . Although discussing filmmaking , Bordwell ’ s insights reflect a widespread shift within media industries to adapt to a decrease in audiences ’