So, I have an idea. And what am I going to do?
The filmmaking process can be quite tedious and time-consuming. In an ideal world, it is a team effort. Even short films require the necessary planning. The lack of additional manpower to do this can feel overwhelming at an early stage.
So, after submitting my brief and considering the execution, it was my moment to panic. During my tutorial with Nik Dodds, it was suggested to show more of the protagonist in the film. My original idea was that we would see only bits of her clothing in the beginning. The focus then is on the view from the window. The beauty of experimentation filmmaking is that we can break the narrative in any possible way.
But once the suggestion of exposing the protagonist was planted in my head, I couldn't help but wonder if my film was going to benefit more from it. For sure my mental health didn't. To be able to shoot those additional scenes I needed a second shooter.
Luckily, the one person who could be right for this creative endeavour responded with the enthusiasm I've always known him for. And now, I want to say a few words about Philip Need whom I met during my HNC Photography course at Dumfries and Galloway College.
To begin with, we happen to sit close to each other. Philip recalled we had our interviews on the same day. Our first conversations were about what brought us to the course, ecology and Veganism. Philp came from an antique books background and I had a filmmaking background. The course was quite fast-paced and as mature students swimming in unknown waters, we supported each other. And we were both not afraid to go deep when it comes to making a body of work which sends a message.
We were both flying on the wings of our newly found passion and we wanted to excel in it. Always last to leave the Macsuite, even when the janitors would come to kick us out. As the course evolved Philip progressed to Fine Art while I stuck to documentary photography for quite some time. But his abstract thinking and ideas were of great interest to me; accidentally or not, I happened to go with Philip when he had his interview at the University of Cumbria on 29.01. 2020. The rest is history.
The possibility of working with Philip on my new film project after battling a life crisis felt very comforting. We haven't been able to keep in touch regularly but he clicked right in. I believe this is the key ingredient for any successful team. From a purely professional point of view, I know Philip would be the right choice too because of his conceptual thinking and theoretical knowledge.
And so, we virtually shook hands. Initially, we were planning to shoot in mid-March but I was caught up in work and stuff. I am waiting for Easter to get out of the way meanwhile brushing my editing about which I am going to speak in my next post.
Here is another video I shot in 2020 with Philip making an art film on climate change..