These clips taken by the St Andrew’s Cinémathèque club provoked some interesting discussions of what a ‘wide open’ or ‘enclosed’ space actually is. The group decided that they wished to film two students playing chess outside (a straight forward concept) but could not agree whether the clip should be classed as being a’enclosed’ or ‘wide open space’. Both these arguments were discussed by the group;
Argument 1
The school field itself is the wide open space and if the game of chess(the situation) is being played on the field, the clip must be classed as being ‘wide open’.
Argument 2
The game of chess takes place on and around the chess board with two players engrossed in the game itself (with no concern of the surroundings). It is the game that makes the film clip ‘enclosed’.
Another point that cropped up was that the school field has barriers and gates surrounding it. Does this make it an ‘enclosed’ space?
Lots to think about!
We’ve noticed that the clip shares a slight resemblance to Bergman’s ‘The Seventh Seal’. 
Contributed by Tom Wilkinson
