July Filmmakers Club has been a blast.
This week’s blog by Emily Skye was an amazing testimony to her resilience. Thank you Emily.
I want to go back to 2012, when I was making My Name is Sorrow, a film about sex trafficking that negated the point-of-view of the predator and focused on the voice of the victim. It’s left to the imagination of the audience, to decide if she makes it to survivor status!
In all of this, I think I was searching for my 'brand', my raison d'etre, which has led me to writing and filmmaking as a social responsibility.
MNiS was a two day studio shoot, plus a half day filming the sunrise at the Bristol Harbourside. It was fully-funded and so everyone was paid the PACT rate and it was here that I first felt that this was my home. I felt totally at ease, not an intruder nor an outsider, but at ease with every aspect of working as a Director and Producer. I knew I was in the right place and doing what I was meant to do, here on this planet, spinning in infinity. Nothing beats the collaborative energy of filmmaking.
Friends offered their services. One, Ralph, was the production driver and most importantly, the collector each day of our lunch from Pieminister. Yes, the perfect food for filmmakers!
It’s been a long time getting me back to that home, but I’m hoping that in the next couple of years I will achieve that goal, with Seeing Rachel and thanks to Stage32. Now seems the right time and it will be quite a homecoming.
(I'll share a few more production stills in the comments)
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Directing Natasha Zamine Paulinyi, who played Sorrow.
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Reviewing a Scene with Natasha and DP Tim Woodford.
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Added because I like this shot. All the production stills were taken by Geoff Crawford, with a view of using them to promote the film. If we had the kind of social media then, as we do now, the film may have got a wider showing.
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One of the most rewarding parts of this process was working with the acting talent. I love those moments of, let's call it creative intimacy.
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I loved the lighting on this film!
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We recorded Natasha's voice for each scene and then on the day of filming, it was played back and she responded physically to what she heard. The idea was that we were hearing Sorrow's thoughts. No male point-of-view was to be given. I'd had enough of the male perpetrator's 'voice' and focus on the 'action'.
One male critic, said the film lacked 'action', but I'd had enough of seeing rape scenes in films about trafficking being seen as the action element to the story. They always seemed to be from the male pov. I wanted something different.
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The other relationship I found very fulfilling, was with my DP, Tim Woodford. The translation of my words to images was so fulfilling.
We had decided that the production had to be pared down, partly to do with budget, the other was to do with the style of the story I wanted to tell. Reduce the noise of production machinery and focus on the voice of the woman. A tight budget doesn't mean that you can't afford some great kit. I designed the set and sent a drawing to our set-maker and owner of Farm Studio, Bristol. These two days were a kind of homecoming.
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The end of the beginning...
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Excellent brand, Geoff Hall! "All the production stills were taken by Geoff Crawford, with a view of using them to promote the film. If we had the kind of social media then, as we do now, the film may have got a wider showing." BTS photos and videos are big things on social media. Sometimes I'm on the fence about seeing movies, and BTS photos and videos get me to watch them.
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Maurice Vaughan thanks Maurice, I will work on a strategy and timetable for the release of BTS material on social media, for Seeing Rachel. That’s an interesting point about enticing people to the movie by good BTS.
You're welcome, Geoff Hall. Yeah, and BTS won't cost a lot since you/the crew only have to take photos and videos.
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Wow, the black and white on this is stunning Geoff Hall, thank you for sharing!
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Such a wonderful story Geoff Hall , thank you for sharing. Photos are beautiful.
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Amanda Toney thank you, Amanda!
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Xochi Blymyer thank you, Xochi. I recall someone contacting me who knew of the project, but didn't know what to expect and after he saw the production stills, he said "Wow, I really want to see this film." So I guess they did their job.
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Maurice Vaughan yes, kinda, but even on our £10k budget, I had decided that I wanted to pay for a professional photographer. In my mind, it provides you with the quality you need to sell the project to an audience. Geoff photographed the rehearsals/run-throughs, but wasn't allowed on set whilst we were filming.
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I've got to say as well, that the composer was rather disappointed not to be scoring the whole thing. As I said, the whole production was pared down, so I wanted Sorrow's voice to be the only thing we heard. (He got to write the theme and a coda in the final scene).
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There was someone I met on a platform called Aboutme, (remember it, anyone), who lived in New Jersey. She loved the film and so she organised for Sorrow to be shown in NJ. I love those kind of connections, that end up being something quite different than you had anticipated.
In a year, I had over 250,000 visits to my Aboutme page .
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Hi Geoff,
It's good that you care about human trafficking. I imagine it must be hard to address these issues.
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I'm so glad that you enjoyed Emily's blog and that you learned from her advice and insights, Geoff Hall! I know how much hard work and passion you've been pouring into Seeing Rachel and I can't wait to see it someday!! Rooting for you as always.
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Gisele Orellana Hi Gisele, no not really, all you need is passion. The difficulty is in the research, when you read reports of trafficking activities and the human cost. But, you have to rise above that and see that you have to tell a story that is both compelling and imaginative and not didactic and ‘educational’.
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Ashley Renee Smith thanks, Ash. The more I work with Sandra, the more I can see the day coming, when I call “Action!”
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Gisele Orellana thanks. Some of the things I had to read were very sickening and disturbing. One that stands out was a book by Victor Malarek, “The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It.” It’s how to translate and transform that into a positive energy to tell a different story. Anyway, before I outlive my welcome; have a great weekend.
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You too, Geoff. Have a great weekend!