Reflekta Films

It’s a wrap!

Reflekta Films had a wonderful private view to family, friends on 11th October at Sir John Soane’s Museum and also had a chance to screen it on Sunday 21st october at Bloomsbury Festival.

In both events audiences got an opportunity to see AMATA VALE, the behind the scenes film as well as a photography exhibition documenting the process. Reflekta Films took part in a Q&A at both events.

Have a watch of our completed films below and take a look at our photos of our screenings!

AMATA VALE - Main film

AMATA VALE - Behind the scenes film

Bloomsbury Festival Screening:

Sir John Soane’s Museum Screening:

Final pictures printed ready for the exhibition!

Who is your arts inspiration?

Django Rienhardt (1910-1953) was a guitarist and composer from Belguim; as someone who plays guitar themselves.

Why did you choose him?

I chose him because I find him very inspirational since he found a whole new way to play his instrument after fatal injuries to his hands. 

What did you learn about them?

What happened was British bandleader Jack Hylton, who came to France just to hear him play and then offered him a place in his band on the spot - unfortunately before he could join the band, his caravan that he and his wife where in had set alight from a candle left unattended. From this he only just escaped, left with some paralysed fingers, the inability to walk without a cane and almost fatal burns. He was told he could never play guitar again. However, he invented a new way of playing where he didn’t need to use all his fingers so his disability couldn’t hold him back. 

What happened next, how did he get back into music and what did he do?

He got back into music by making the bold move of taking what people could prove to be impossible and defying it. He played using only his mobile fingers by holding down multiple strings together and plucking more often than strumming.

How did you research about their life career and work?

I first learned about him from this guy on a boat in Camden lock who told me all about him and I have since been incredibly interested in his life and work. I find it extraordinary that someone could come back from this and continue to make great music.

Following this, I researched using the following websites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt

https://www.biography.com/people/django-reinhardt-9454889

The other picture was with the guy who told us about him (lol):

What do you think about his music?

My personal favourite is, "I'll See You in My Dreams", because the tune is pretty catchy with a sort of bouncy, continuous accompaniment so its easy to dance long a little. Other songs he made include: minor swing, Paris blues and Georgia on my mind. 

What qualities do you think a good leader needs to have?

A good leader should be able to lead a team and take charge while also being able to step back at times and allow others to contribute at times and participate.

What leadership skills would you like to develop in your arts leadership project? Over the course of this project I would like to be able to improve on taking charge as I don’t normally take a leading role and I think it is something I should improve on. I also want to improve on my communication skills.

Describe your arts leadership project. What are you going to do? What will the overall aims and outcome be? My arts leadership project is to create both a logo and a poster for Reflekta Films and Amata Vale to help attract people to the opening of the film. It will also help us look more professional by having branding and an identity for the film.

What resources will you need? Are there any health & safety considerations? In terms of resources for the film I wont need much other than some editing software and a team to work with at allocated times. This will mean we will need to be careful around the computers by not having any drinks or  food in the room to avoid damage.

What will your leadership role be? What will you be responsible for doing? My role will be leading the marketing area of Reflekta Films. This will include designing the Logo and Poster using Photoshop and Pixlemater while considering placement of text and image. While I will be designing for the most part I will also be listening to other members of the group and taking contribution from them. 

How will this help you develop leadership skills? It will improve my confidence when leading a group as well as help me learn to negotiate ideas within a group.

Which art forms are you interested in? I am interested in a lot of art forms, mainly music, film and photography.

Describe the kind of people or careers involved in these art forms. There are many careers involved with these art forms, such as being a director, a camera man, a photographer and even being a musician.

What kind of places might they work/display/perform/exhibit in? A director would be working in various areas in different countries. A photographer would be at many different events, from film premieres to weddings, photographers work at many different places, and their work is showcased in some museums and are posted online for everyone to see. A musician would work in a professional studio with producers and would perform at different venues in front of crowds.

What qualifications would you need to go into photography? To be a photographer, there aren’t any specific qualifications required. You just have to have a good eye for good pictures and be able to get creative with your pictures.

What experience do you need? You don’t need much experience, you would need to know the basic functions of cameras in order to become a photographer or director.

What skills do you already think you have that would help? I can adjust DSLR camera settings as well as understanding different factors of filming/photography. I also have a decent eye when it comes to composition.

What other skills do you need to gain? I need to gain more experience and I need to be able to explain each feature on  a camera.

How will you go about gaining further skills in the field? (please tell us which organisations / opportunities you have found and their websites): I would gain more skills by messing around with cameras. Also by signing up to projects, such as: https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/visit-and-do/develop

How have you gone about your research? I have researched online and looked around my area, unfortunately I haven’t found much in my area.

I interviewed Rozi, a film practitioner and director who was helping at the Holborn Community Association. From my interview, I have learnt that the best way to get into the industry of filming and photography is to continue making short films, as well as taking a lot of pictures and getting creative with everything. I have also learnt that creativity is a key part of photography and filming, since you need to have a good eye for different shots.

Reflection 3

Date: 24/08/18

Give an example of how you’ve worked with other people during the project I was working with Chloe, she helped me edit and print the selected photos.

Why were you working/communicating with them? Chloe taught me how to use photoshop properly in order to edit the photos so they would come out properly instead of having little problems with the photos. She also taught me the correct settings needed in order to print out the pictures in the correct dimensions and colours.

What did you want to achieve? Did you manage to achieve it? I wanted to get some pictures printed out but unfortunately we couldn’t do it then because we ran into certain problems.

Did you have to resolve any issues you hadn’t previously thought about? I had to change a lot of settings on the computer because the photos wouldn’t print properly. We figured out we needed certain Epson photo paper because of the Epson printer, so we ordered some more so I could come in and finish printing them off. I should be finished printing them off on Monday 3rd September.

What is your chosen skill share?

I showed and explained the basic manual settings of a camera.

Why have you chosen this skill to share?

Because it is simple to explain and important to know as we are making a film so it’ s helpful to understand the functions of a camera.

What resources or support will you need?

We would need to research in our spare time and prepare beforehand (with a loose sort of script) to refresh our minds and have a camera itself for demonstrations.

Who will you be sharing their skills with?

Rosie and our shared our skills with the rest of the group making the film with us.

How will you evidence the activity?

With the pictures below documenting us planning and presenting it.

How will you reflect on the activity?

In a video and written review below:

Rosie and I planned it by refreshing our knowledge by meeting up beforehand to practice what we were going to say and demonstrate and having a rehearsal on the day beforehand.

Rosie and I delivering our skill share, explaining the basic manual settings of a camera with the group. 

Review:

We tried keeping it fun and interesting by making it interactive with demonstrations and a mini quiz. I felt like we did a good job as most people said we delivered it clearly and with confidence.  Here’s what other people had to say about it:

• Bryony - “I liked that it was interactive, because I could try things out, which made her more comfortable”

• Noor - “I liked the detailed explanation”

• Rozi - “the accuracy was noticeable, it was great that you’d remembered all those things”.

Although it did go according to plan, I felt like I could have improved by possibly not rambling on after I had already made a point (oops). 

Here is a video review of my arts skill share:

We went to an Joan Jonas exhibition at Tate Modern where we were surrounded by offbeat, quirky and experimental styles of film playing around us.

 It was, for a lot of it, interactive and heavily focusing on the theme of masks and projected images. 

I enjoyed being immersed into the art around me with the small added details that just added to the atmosphere e.g. there was a room that had projected images of mountains with snow and ice that was made to be colder. I also enjoyed the room with projected images on a sheet where we could make shadows as if we where invited to be a part of the art. 

If I were to say what could be done better, I would perhaps suggest it being a little clearer of what it was trying to say and the reason of it existing as it could appear as motiveless and random. 

Despite this, I think I would recommend it as I found it interesting being exposed to art I had never seen before; yes, it was jarring at points but it’s meant to be. 

We also participated in a discussion about the exhibition where I shared my thoughts:

Your chosen arts activity:

This summer I took part in Summer Film Project with Holborn Community Association. 

Why did you want to take part in this opportunity?

Because I really wanted to try something new that I hadn’t done before to do with film, I also think it would be great for future experience.

What did you do?

We were given the opportunity to film in the Sir John Soane’s Museum using professional film equipment such as trackers (which are used to keep the camera traveling smoothly on the tripod). 

I myself got to use the trackers (with help) twice that day, once where we filmed an opening wide shot and the other when following Eliza through a hall. From this experience, I gained a basic grasp on how to use some different types of camera equipment and found out what it’s like being on camera as an extra. 

I enjoyed taking what we’d been learning for the past few weeks and putting it into practice; getting to wear a regency era style costume for when I was playing a party guest and filming in the crypt cause it just looked really cool with the candles in the dark. 

I definitely think I improved my confidence with a camera and being on camera by being given a little responsibility that I eventually got used to.👍

3 things I learnt:

1. How to use professional film equipment.

2. The different types of shots on a camera and how to take them.

3. How and what types of jobs go into creating a film, what they do and how important they are.

3 things I improved on:

1. Confidence on and with a camera.

2. Making plans around rather then over the film to be there for as much of it as possible.

3. Attention to detail when filming (e.g. moving something distracting out of the background, not changing hair between takes)

What did you find challenging?

Having to persevere all day repeating over shots in costume.

What didn't you enjoy about the whole process?

There’s nothing that I didn’t enjoy.

What did you find challenging?

I did find it difficult remaining focused on primarily one scene for most of the day when shooting in the museum.

What arts activity would you like to do next?

Producing music and taking art GCSE

Our group picture after a day filming in the Sir John Soane’s Museum

Learning how to use the lights

Taking an opening shot of the museum

Everyone in costume at the crypt 

First day wearing costumes below

Reflection 1

Date: 30th July 2018

Date: 30th July 2018

Learning more on professional Sony Camera before Shoot week

I think that over the course of the project I have improved at taking a lead in an area whereas before I may have not contributed as much as I should have. I also think I have improved my listening skills and taking into consideration other ideas people have given and because of this I think I have become a considerably better leader.

Overall I find that my project plan stayed on track and did not need to be changed in any major way at any point. Because of this If I were to do the project again I doubt I would change anything other than be quicker to make my reviews and feedback on myself.

I think that my project went well overall as I was able to greatly improve on my leadership by listening to others and having their contribution add to the final product (the poster). However, I feel like I did not allow enough contribution from others when working on the poster and therefore would have liked to have changed that.

My favourite part of the course was designing the poster as we were all able to contribute but I also had a lot of possibilities and opportunities when making it allowing me ti be inventive and imaginative. I found getting the whole group involved most challenging as it was difficult to fit in what everyone wanted for the logo an poster.

I have learnt that when working with other people I need to be flexible and be able to take into consideration their ideas and try them out to see if they work instead of just follow what I think best.

Other people working on the project thought that I was considerate to their ideas but was also able to take control of the situation and lead the way when focusing on the main design. I was really please with this feed back as it showed that my teamwork skills have grown but that I also put a lot of effort into this project and that other people think it paid off.

On the 9th of August (during edit week) I designed the poster for Reflekta Films with multiple other people. I started by taking images which I thought could all be used as the base of a poster and then shared them with the rest of the group. A vote then took place in which we all voted on which of the five we thought would work best based the quality of the photo, how much it caught the eye or even simply how exiting it looked. The one which won the vote was the image in which Eliza and John are holding hands in front of the sarcophagus. I was repeatedly helped by my workmates who showed me things like how to create a line of black or how to increase or decrease the exposure.

I communicated with them so that we were all able to fit some of our own work into the poster. This way we would all have  something we contributed to it and so therefore something each of us like about the poster. Furthermore by talking to each other we can work on it faster as we know what our overall goal is.

I was aiming to create a poster which attracted an audience as I was interesting and catches the eye but is also meaningful and has symbolism behind it (rest of the room being dark apart from Eliza and Johns hand telling us they only have each other). I was originally going to have the top half of the image white to reflect Heaven and Hell however I could not figure out how to so another member suggested that I just make the top half too only having the two hands light. While this did set me back thanks to the groups teamwork we were able to make something out of it and create something which looked equally as good but with arguably even more meaning behind it.

What leadership skills have you developed? I have developed my courage and confidence due to my communication with everyone, as well as trying out different ideas rather than sticking to a certain structure.

What have you learnt about being a good leader? You must be able to support others and be trustworthy, as well as be able to make the right decisions whenever the moment calls for it.

Refer back to your original project plan. Did anything happen differently to what you originally planned? If so, what and how? I thought I would’ve been able to take a few more pictures but we were all busy with the actual production of the film so I couldn’t take as many pictures as I would’ve liked to as I was in the film a lot.

Is there anything you’d do differently in the future if you were to run the project again? if I was to redo the project again, I would try to get more pictures of each day as I feel like we didn’t get enough of each day.

What parts of your project plan worked well? Asking everyone to take photos went well as we ended up with a big variation of photo styles.

Was there anything that didn’t work so well? There were certain shots where the environment didn’t allow for good photos as it was too dark.

What was your favourite part of the leadership project? My favourite part was taking the different photos of each day.

Which things did you find most challenging? I found that I had to keep changing the camera settings for each day and place I went to.

What have you learnt about working with other people? I have learnt that you must listen to others if you want to be heard yourself and I have learnt that communication is a key factor.

What was the feedback from other people about your project and your role as a leader? Overall, I received positive feedback from others about the project and about me as a leader. They have said I have been very supportive and experimental.

What do you think about this feedback? I think they have all been very nice about what they have said and I’m really glad they have said that about me:

Arvo - “You had a great variety of photos, you had a plan for everything and you were able to adapt by using other’s advice. You took the bulk of the photos, but also allowed others to take some as well, so overall you did really well with your leadership.”

Noor - “It was really good as you supported others when they wanted to test shots out and also you took photos very well and the outcome was brilliant.”

Marta - “Your leadership with the photography was really good.”

Pablo - “It was great, you did an amazing job.”

Reflection 1

Date: 30/07/18 - 03/08/18

Give an example of how you’ve worked with other people during the project I worked with others by asking them to take photos as well as asking them to do certain things while taking photos of them, as you can see in the picture below.

Why were you working/communicating with them? They were a crucial part of the photos as I was taking photos of them doing different tasks in preparation to film the different scenes.

What did you want to achieve? Did you manage to achieve it? I wanted to get various pictures of each day of shoot week, as well as asking others to do the same. I managed to get some pictures of each day, more pictures on certain days

Did you have to resolve any issues you hadn’t previously thought about? I had to be extremely careful with the camera as there wasn’t much space to move around with it.

Risk Assessment Area 1: Cables used Agreed actions/advice: Either keep the cables along the wall or tape them down

Risk Assessment Area 2: Any tripods used Agreed actions/advice: Keep them away when not in use as they can hurt someone if it fell on them

Action 1: Familiarise with camera settings and practice using it Person responsible: Me Date to be done by: 30/07/18 Date completed: 23/07/18

Action 2: Taking photos of our progress Person responsible: Me but with working with /directing others Date to be done by: 10/08/18 Date completed: 10/08/18

Action 3: Talking to others to feedback on photos and getting photos from others Person responsible: Me but with working with /directing others Date to be done by: 10/08/18 Date completed: 09/08/18

Action 4: Importing in computer Person responsible: Me Date to be done by: 10/08/18 Date completed: 09/08/18

Action 5: Working with someone else to edit and print Person responsible: Me but with working with /directing others Date to be done by: 10/08/18 Date completed: 10/08/18