Caviar TV is organizing a number of online workshops during lockdown. I took part in today’s with the Head of Production of LS Productions, Jo Coombes.
LS Productions works with both still and moving images. Some of their clients are other production companies (Somesuch, Partizan, Iconoclast, Stink Films) and agencies (ArtPartner).https://lsproductions.com/
Besides her job as Head Producer, Jo Coombes also founded AdGreen. AdGreen is a platform that supports the UK advertising industry’s transition to environmentally sustainable production methods. My interests are not in production but I thought it would give me an interesting insight for my research, and also for future shoots and projects.
Being lockdown and unable to conduct other research methods I thought of using ethnographic research for the first time.
I asked people doing quarantine in countryside areas to send me a video of themselves interacting with the environment following the instructions for this brief.
I am still receiving some videos, so will make an analysis in a future post, but here are some stills taken from some of the videos.
I looked into art movements that also explore the connection with nature to understand how they could be translated into the current situation, and what could be implied in the future of fashion.
Earth art or Land art began to develop as an art form in the late 1960s in America. Aiming to heighten public awareness of Man’s relationship with the natural world. Landart places nature at the forefront, reminding us all that the intricacies and subtle forms of communication in the natural world are far superior to anything humans have created or ever could create.
Fashion should now, more than ever, aim to spread awareness about the importance of the consideration of the natural world and resources in its practice.
One of the most iconic artists from the movement was Ana Mendieta. She uses a performative approach and rooted in a spiritual and physical connection with the Earth.
I found Ruper Waldren lecture very insightful and made me more conscious of situating my projects within the current global, cultural, and fashion systems.
I am exploring this relation between fashion and the environment, the awareness of the planet and the space and resources we take from it. This global crisis has proved that we cannot take things for granted anymore. It is important to promote this awareness.
Notes from today’s workshop with Rankin, British photographer and director, co-founder of Dazed and Confused, founder of RANKIN and RANKINFILM agencies and HUNGER Magazine.
Try to create unique imagery.
Film and photography are the mediums to communicate with each other right now. But it’s become very competitive.
Find the right commissioners for your work. When you bring your portfolio to places not looking for a job but looking for feedback an opinion.
Do work for free – charities or people with no budget – plant a seed and it will grow
Who do you want to work for once you have left LCF? (is it a brand, creative agency, production company?) – Creative agency or production company
What is their output, what types of media products do they make? – Fashion commercials, fashion films (Jil Sander projects), music videos
In that making process, what job role do you have? (art director, director, producer, creative director, copywriter, cinematographer) – Photographer and director
The talk with Jan Harlan was really insightful. Kubrick work has always been a reference because both his stories and his visuals are so powerful. I think that part of his unique visual style comes from having worked as a photographer in his early years and understanding the composition of the still image before moving into films. I find this really interesting because it is what I am trying to do with my own practice, move from static images into sequential narrative.
WORKSHOP WITH EROSH VLAHOS
I took part in an online workshop organized by Daisie with filmmaker Eros Vlahos who directed the Channel 4 short RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TIM starring Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell & Adam Buxton. The workshop was on “How to structure a screenplay or film”. It covered basic principles of sequential structure (thesis, antithesis, synthesis) for movies but it was quite interesting as he made it really engaging with the audience.
SCRIP TO SCREEN – SARABANDE SESSIONS
After this workshop, I decided to finish the day watching the panel with producers Amy Jackson, Fiona Lamptey and Olivier Kaempfer on strategy, audience and pitching. Importance of production development.
Think about what kind of short you should make in terms of developing your style and established yourself as a kind of storyteller. (Genre, story, style)
What is your voice?
Where to go for foundings for shorts: Film 4, Film London, BFA, BBC3
Development phase. Script in development from 3 to 5 months (drafts and feedbacks). Everything lined up by production finance phase
Moviemagic budget – app with template for budget
Read the script and break it down in sections and small detail (Movie Magic Schedule)
Make your first production by yourself to show portfolio to future founders and show what you can make with small budget.
Finance ties into pitching
Make pitch visually interesting, have points of reference (dop, creative team..)
Add proof of content when you need to shoot something very specific and you need research on how to do it.
https://www.fruittreemedia.com/about – Fiona Lamptey. She produced one of the short films screened in the filmmaking sessions that Tate Collective a few months back.
Before lockdown happened I was already looking into Ecofeminism theories exploring environmentalism, and the relationship between women and the earth. Lockdown meant the collapse of live in cities, whereas life in countryside areas is envied by all of us locked into flats. Theories as ecofeminism, and Feminist and Green Economies approach, raise the need for working towards a sustainable way not only of human life but also the planet (Mertxe Larrañaga Sarriegi, Yolanda Jubeto Ruiz).
These could also link to the need of focusing now more than ever into sustainable fashion and the end of fast fashion practises. As Stella McCartney was saying in the Vogue Session, being mindful about the process is probably what most brands need to apply to their work after this pandemic.
I took these series of pictures last month using the ideas previously discussed of sovereignty over the body-land territory. I am also interested in creating these series of still images to visualize the concepts and create a narrative to put into moving image.
Yesterday’s Vogue Session discussed some issues I am looking into my research, it was interesting to listen to other people’s thoughts about the potential effects of this pandemic in the industry.
British stylist Edward Enninful talked to Marc Jacobs and Kenneth Ize about what changes might happen once this is all over. Would movie theatres disappear? Maybe not every collection needs a show and we need to think of different ways to present them. The world needed to slow its production down, make less but make it better.
Spanish Vogue director Eugenia de la Torriente talked to Stella McCartney and Gabriela Hearts about sustainability practises and how they include them in their brands. Stella McCartney’s definition of sustainable as the way to finding balance, use natural resources and being mindful about the process is probably what most brands need to apply to their work after this pandemic. For the first time we are all connected by one thing and we are able to measure the damage we’ve done.
