Brandon John Barnard
About the researcher
Brandon J. Barnard is an experimental filmmaker, artist, and academic based in Plymouth, UK, originally from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Currently pursuing a PhD on 'Chance in Filmmaking,' his work explores how restricting agency and embracing serendipity can drive creativity and uncover unexpected outcomes. Brandon employs methods such as prompts, arbitrary rules, and collaborative ventures to challenge his creative process, focusing on the journey rather than the final product.
His films often examine how chance intersects with personal expression, crafting a unique balance between control and randomness. Inspired by concepts like the Butterfly Effect and serendipity, Brandon meticulously documents his process to trace the unexpected paths his projects take.
Since March 2024, he has developed a wide range of experimental films, exploring themes such as transformation, collaboration, and unpredictability. His work is influenced by his environment, everyday experiences, and the people around him, reflecting his journey and connections.
Research interests
Chance, play, how we learn, independent film, rhizomatic connections, schema, and a lot more!
PhD abstract
Thesis title
Facilitating Serendipity: Exploring Chance as a Method of Discovery in Filmmaking
Abstract
This research investigates chance as a deliberate creative method in filmmaking, exploring how restricting agency can provoke lateral thinking and foster serendipitous connections.
While chance has long shaped avant-garde art movements, such as Dada, Fluxus, and the experimental works of John Cage, its purposeful use as a filmmaking method remains underexplored.
The study positions chance not as a by-product of randomness but as a designed process that reshapes decision-making, collaboration, and creative discovery.
The research aims are fivefold: (1) to examine how chance can be intentionally used to influence creative decisions in filmmaking; (2) to explore how constraints imposed by chance encourage filmmakers to embrace unpredictability; (3) to investigate how serendipity can be purposefully triggered through structured processes; (4) to analyse cross-disciplinary collaboration as a generator of unexpected insights; and (5) to consider how accidental discoveries can be recognised, adapted, and repurposed beyond the moment they occur.
The central research questions ask: What are the benefits and drawbacks of utilising chance as a filmmaking method? How does it affect the experience of making a film, its potential as a learning tool, and its application to contemporary practice? How can creative processes be designed to cultivate serendipitous discoveries?
The project adopts a mixed-methods, practice-led methodology, combining the production of multiple short films, each foregrounding different forms of chance (e.g., prompts, place, collaboration, time, non-human agency), with participatory workshops where groups respond to randomly selected prompts. Feedback will be gathered through reflective journals, questionnaires, and recorded discussions.
By reframing chance as a repeatable tool for discovery rather than an uncontrollable accident, this research contributes to experimental film theory, creative process design, and arts-based learning methodologies, offering new frameworks for collaboration and innovation in filmmaking.