INDEPENDENT FILM-MAKING PROJECT
WORKING WITH THE PLAY OBSERVATORY
LOCKED IN CHARACTER
After winning the Best Direction award in the MM Lockdown Production Competition, Media Magazine reached out to me and introduced me to the Play Observatory, a research project organised by colleagues at the Institute of Eduction at UCL, together with Sheffield University.
It is a survey and archive of children and young people's activities during lockdown, supported by the V & A Museum, Great Ormand Street Hospital and the British Library. I really enjoyed how storytelling and creativity was being researched during our current climate, and I was thrilled to contribute to their project.
After submitting "Recipe for Happiness", I was contacted members of the Play Observatory team in October, and became part of their selective interview process, discussing my film and lockdown experience further over a zoom call.
I was also given the opportunity to be a part of a film-making workshop, along with a few other talented film-making contributors. I produced a 2-minute short film that has now been selected to feature at the specially commissioned 'Young V&A' Play Observatory online exhibition, as well as possibly being kept as part of a long term British Library Collection.
Our theme was "Serious Play in Lockdown Life", a fantastic theme that encouraged me to further my practice of theatrical storytelling.
"LOCKED IN CHARACTER" MOOD BOARD
With this being my first self-directed film for a professional project, it was interesting to see what methods I took forward from my coursework practice. My mood board was essential in pitching my creative vision for "Locked in Character" to UCL lecturers and my fellow filmmakers. It enabled me to talk about my character inspiration and materialised the tone of my storyline.
I wanted to work with a dramatic monologue, that would illustrate the descent of my character. Whilst originally inspired by the intimate effect of a video diary approach, I later decided on filming from an observatory perspective, to show the entire extent of my protagonist's method acting, as she begins living as her character.
My iPhone was my camera and my editing suite, and just like "Recipe for Happiness" I loved finding the most natural ways to enhance the story and ignite my audiences' emotions.
When watching Jean Luc Godard's "Le Mépris" I was hypnotised by the re-occurring soundtrack, that seemed to give the story it's own identity. Each time a significant moment took place, the soundtrack intensified my emotions.
Working with musician, Dominic Dawnay, we composed a quirky and sinister soundtrack, which alludes to the serious nature of my protagonists 'play'.
In identifying the significant moments in my scene, I featured this singular soundtrack throughout. I wanted the soundtrack to advance with my characters emotions, illustrating her theatrical transition.
Given the 2-minute time frame, I wanted to get creative with semiotics. I really enjoyed creating this poster that serves as the catalyst for the storyline, featuring in the establishing shot. I created this poster on Pages and used colours and fonts to convey the sinister nature of her cancelled show. I love creating my own resources, and challenging myself by working within the software available to me at home.
My storyboard enabled me to draft potential shots and dialogue in greater detail. I thought carefully about what each shot would symbolise, and sketched out movement and framing that would tell the story most effectively. I love creating my own storyboards from scratch, and arranging the sequences to break the story down into each beat. Whilst I adapted my approach to dialogue and certain shots within the finished film, I ensured that the impact of each element remained just as powerful.
Since gaining a greater understanding of cinematography and visual language, my shot list has become more concise, and features the specific details I will need during the process of filming my shots. Whilst I adapted some movements and framing during filming, these pages (included in my shot list) demonstrate how I planned my shots with consideration to continuity, aligning costume and locations in way that allows my production to run smoothly.
This independent project also taught me how to protect my creativity, and share my stories with others on the correct terms.
I decided I wanted to research Creative Commons, and the different types of licensing that can be applied to creative work - this will ensure that I make well-informed decisions going forward into my filmmaking career.
