Overall, I feel like both pitches went well. Both of my teams were cohesive and we all knew what we were talking about.
For Where Currents Meet, as DOP I spoke about my visual approach to the project.
My primary concern after the safety of the actresses is to stay away from the male gaze in my shots. As a man, even though I am a gay man I think it can easily feel this way for the actresses. I want to ensure that they are comfortable at all times. I want to stay away from sexualised shots and focus on the gentler moments and the beauty of the story between the women rather than their bodies.
The primary references I will be drawing from both in terms of their narrative and cinematic styles are Into the Blue, Portrait of Lady on Fire and Moonlight. Into the Blue is mostly inspiration for action shots in the water. I like the way these shots are composed, especially in terms of framing and how the cinematographer has considered the movement of water coming in and out of shots, I feel like it shows that this has been thought through prior to and during shooting. Lady of a Portrait on Fire for me is a strong inspiration emotionally for the narrative and how the actresses will be shown in the shots. There is a delicacy and a beauty there that I really hope to capture. In terms of content where the two women are at the beach, I feel this melancholy tone reflects an aspect of what we are going for. Moonlight is my primary reference in terms of lighting and colour palette, Bethany, our director, is very keen for a blue colour palette. I also think this reference is ideal because of how the shots are framed and how emotive the shots of Little at the water in the moonlight are. This is also a perfect example of how we could shoot our shots in line with water safety guidelines.
In terms of approach, I’m going for a simple set up, mainly handheld shots and tripod set ups. I hope to also use a Gimble or an Easy Rig if possible. I’m looking to focus on details, like hands, with many close ups and reaction shots. As it stands, I will be shooting on a Blackmagic Ursa and for the water shots a GoPro or similar waterproof camera. I want to use a GoPro, so that I can really enter the water and not worry about the camera getting wet. I want to play with point of view shots and film the actresses in the water. I also want to look at the ocean water as an expression of the character’s feelings. I want to look at the movement, shades and different textures of the ocean water and the colours of the sea sky. I also want to explore the water as a safe space visually.
We are aware that there might be some issues filming in the ocean logistically in terms of health and safety so we have planned back up filming options where we would have the shots framed in such a way that it looks like the actresses are deeper in the water (closer to the water) than they are, we would do this by using a long lens. I’m currently planning to use an 85mm lens. We also had another backup option to film in a pool and cheat the lighting there.
In terms of style, I’m going for a dreamy aesthetic with mostly blue tones. I’m hoping to play with exposure, lighting and focus to achieve relatively soft shots. I know Bethany is very interested in the character’s surroundings reflecting their feelings. So, I will take this into consideration when I am planning the framing of shots to see how the character’s feel in this moment, for example, when Iris feels alone at the beach it will be quite a wide shot to reflect her loneliness, but when she is with Kallie in the same space it will be a up close to show the intimacy and the comfort in the closeness. This is because a big part of the story is about connection, so the shots will reflect how connected Iris feels to her surroundings. Our current locations include a mixture of indoor and outdoor scenes, I want there to be a contrast in how the shots show Iris’ emotions. I want to show Iris as more comfortable outside in nature, in the woods or at the beach, whereas in the city at the bus stop, on the pavement or inside in the bedroom or shop, she is more confined by the space.
As we are shooting a lot at night, lighting will play a major role in the believability of the film. I want to make the lighting look natural when recreating moonlight and I know Bethany has a sunrise/sunset scene with a glass refection in mind, where we will use lights to keep control of this. There might be pressure to do shots that depend on external lighting; however, we will keep these to a minimum, using a three-point lighting set up.
Following on from the pitch we felt confident and happy with what we presented. Overall, it seemed to be well received with a few clarities needed and a few developments suggested. I feel as a group we presented cohesively and gave an in-depth idea of what the film will be and look like. The main outcome for me was that we were recommended to shoot in a pool for our water submersion shots, this would enable us to be in line with health and safety guidelines and offer a safer environment to shoot in as well as the opportunity to shoot creatively in water. This made me very happy as I am very keen for the water aspect of this project and think it really adds to the story, as water is a very emotive and special location to be in and to shoot in.
For Saint Catherines, as the Sound Recordist and Designer, I focused on bringing across how I will create the soundscape for this project.
My key references for the sound of the project are Unbelievable (2019), How to Have Sex (2023) and Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023). Unbelievable to me serves as a reference for droning sounds that show the dark unease of a sexual assault victim who is not heard. It is an example of this not only narratively, but also tonally and shows how this can be demonstrated audibly. How to Have Sex explores what consent actually means and uses a gripping soundscape that moves from a relatively airy soundscape in the first half to a more gripping dark soundscape that can even be heard in the base of the music of the clubs where the protagonist goes with her friends. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood serves as a reference for our final loch scene. The film is a breathtaking depiction of all the different issues that women face in society ending with a recollection of a terrible sexual assault, after this the women go into the lake and swim in silence, you can hear the sounds of the lake and the women singing together. This moment of going into the water and the atmosphere around this section reflects what I will try to achieve in my sound design to show the water as a safe space.
I want to use the sounds of the water and the forest as motifs for safety and unsafety. The water of the loch will lap gently, and the general soundscape will show the water as a place of refuge. The woods are where Phoebe gets sexually assaulted so this will be reflected in the sound as an unsafe place, with menacing and creepy drones as the wind howls and the trees crack. Just before Phoebe confronts Harry he throws sticks at a tree, I want to make the stick and tree contact sound hollow and uncanny. As Phoebe accuses Harry of sexually assaulting her, he snaps a twig in two, I will layer this sound to make it sound intimidating and I also want to use it as a tonal shift within this dialogue scene.
Something I really like about this project is that we will not show the sexual assault. Not visually nor audibly. However, in the sound design, I hope to create the space that the sexual assault takes up. I have found trauma like this takes up a physical space in a victim’s mind and seeps into the reality of the world around them. As the title of the film is the name of the place where the sexual assault takes place, I think it fits to explore this space audibly. I want to show how in moments of ‘silence’ Phoebe hears the sounds around her and what she feels in relation to them. This will be especially important when she feels alone and we can see her but hear her friends outside and the nature around her, this separates her and shows her isolation.
A big topic we will be exploring is aftermath, and for me a key part of this is touch. Touch can be so triggering and difficult for someone who has been through a sexual assault. You can feel it in your skin even if it is years ago, it’s something that stays with you forever and can affect you for a long time. In my sound design, I want to show this sensation of touch and make it grate underneath the skin of our audience; I want to create that sensation audibly. I also want to use sound as memory, rather than the classic echoing of what people say I want to do this in breaths or whispers instead.
Most sexual assault cases involve someone you know, so I want the sound around the perpetrator to be familiar and relatively pleasant, to show him as he is seen by others, why he is liked and why people would think that he isn’t ‘bad’. But I want to make it clear that he is wrong, and I do not want to sympathise with him in any way. So, when Phoebe and Harry have their confrontation this space and tone around Harry will shift. The focus will be to sympathise with the main character Phoebe and the betrayal of her friends who do not believe her.
I plan to split the sound design into two main sections. In the first section, the sounds will be ambient, gentle and grounded in reality. In the second section after the sexual assault, I want to focus on isolating Phoebe from the sounds around her. However, in the final scene, I want to bring the soundscape back to a gentler soundscape, but still with dark undertones.
I feel the pitch for Saint Catherines went very well, we were cohesive and strong as a team, and I felt I brought across all the points that I wanted to. Everything that we said mirrored each other and we were a unit. Being up there together and presenting together, listening to each other reminded me why I wanted to be on this project (not that I needed a reminder, but it was a great feeling!) This group is strong and kind and I’m excited for what we will create together!