Video: Behind the scenes at the Almeida Theatre

Before sets have been built and costumes designed there usually isn’t much to help promote upcoming theatre productions – which means creating a buzz before they launch is tricky.

So the Almeida Theatre in London has been commissioning me to produce behind the scenes films to help promote upcoming shows.

The Tragedy of King Richard II

These have been quite demanding shoots, learning to work with a small footprint and minimise disruption to the directors and actors in the room.

As with all shoots it’s about getting the footage you need for the edit – capturing a sense of what’s happening in the room as well as the themes of the play in rehearsal. The location set-up is often only seen on the day of the shoot – meaning I’ll make a very quick assessment and mental shot list as I walk in.

Access to the rehearsals can be anything from 20 minutes to an hour – which means there are strict time limits to capture enough footage – this is stressful, but it also forces me to be efficient.

It also means that shoots are usually handheld and dynamic, with lots of camera movement to help emphasise action. During the shoots I’m quite procedural, using my mental shot list to make sure I get a range of close-ups, mids, wides – camera movements,  detail shots – and slow motion – all of which I know I’ll need to make a compelling edit.

Interviews and access to the actors is also very limited – so quick decision making in setting up the look of these is vital. These pieces are used to promote upcoming productions, so getting the key sound bites that really sell the production and describe the tone of the play is vital.

Dance Nation

The edits themselves usually start with music selection – which is how I tend to approach most edits –  so finding the right track can take some time before cutting even begins.

Grading is also another useful way of communicating the tone and language of the production, for example with the Tragedy of King Richard II, I chose cooler colours to emphasise the starkness of the play’s content.

I’ve really enjoyed working with the Almeida because they’ve been very supportive in producing adventurous work – something that not all organisations have the confidence to do!

 

Video: William Boyd’s Book Club

Here’s the first film in a new series I’m making for the Southbank Centre called BOOK CLUB – inviting writers, artists and performers to share the books which matter to them.

First to take us on a tour of his extensive book shelves is the novelist and screenwriter William Boyd.

In William Boyd’s Book Club the author talks us through some of the ‘over 10,000’ books that occupy the shelves of his London home, from the miniscule Victorian Thumb Dictionary, to the more contemporary novels of David Szalay and Evie Wyld.

VIDEO: Friday – Dispatches from Margate

The final video piece produced during a week long artist residency in Margate.

Building on the ideas explored in the previous piece, I decided to evolve the square framing and slide-like presentation to include simple shots of shapes and colours I found around Margate. However this time worked with a centre division in the frame, juxtapositioning two different shots.

When I was out shooting I did have this in mind, so I concentrated mainly on rectangle and square shapes, lining shots up in a way that would work with this format. The edit was more a proof on concept, it’ll be interesting to see how I can expand on it and use it within something more substantial.

Shot on a Sony A7s.

Previous pieces:

Tuesday (blog post)

Wednesday (blog post)

Thursday (blog post)