BRISTOL FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL 2008

In June Cineformation joined forces with the Misfit Collective, Blue Screen, the Watershed and the Arnolfini, to organise a festival of independent films and explore what it means to be an independent filmmaker in Bristol.

A whole host of films, (animation, live action, musicals and documentaries) in turns moving, funny, experimental, poetic or gritty, were shown throughout the weekend at the Watershed and the Arnolfini.

The Misfit Collective Trade Fair

The Misfit Collective Trade Fair, on Saturday afternoon, was a friendly and bustling affair featuring a multitude of film related organisations and local talents; from costume designers, set designers, storyboard artists, make up artists, sound designers, actors, dancers, and directors, to companies such as Films@59, Visual Impact, Quadlogic, and training providers like National Film & Television School, UWE and University of Bristol. Showreels by local artists were shown during the whole event, giving a voice to anyone who wanted to share their film with the public.

Cineformation: Making it in Bristol

The Cineformation event was very informative as it featured the predicament of the rarely heard independent filmmakers, having to deal with lack of money and the inadequacy of official structures when it comes to helping and encouraging independent filmmaking.

The event was chaired by Misfit Collective creator, director and writer, Julian Holman.

The first part of the session introduced us to the vibrant and very driven, Spanish born Bristol filmmaker Borja Cantera (of Undo Productions). He gave us an insight into what was involved in shooting his 16mm feature, ‘Hand Made Love’, in Bristol. His film is a moving and heroic love story between a well adjusted young Somali boy and a girl from Ghana who has been chosen to be sacrificed in a Juju magic ceremony.

With a grand total of £7,000 pounds as a budget, there were many production challenges. The stress due to lack of money was somewhat allayed by the community of St Pauls rallying around to help. One hundred and fifty people came to the casting sessions and all the actors were locals.

St Pauls is a very idiosyncratic part of Bristol, whose identity has been shaped by a melting pot of cultural influences. People from the Caribbean, from the Middle East or Africa, all live in their respective cultures but also interact with one another.

Another (less attractive) aspect of St Pauls is that it is teeming with drug dealers. This made shooting at best tricky and at worst very dangerous. Some of the anecdotes recounted by Borja were hair raising experiences. (The police support was there during the last two weeks of shooting but in a very discreet way, so as not to alienate the locals.) Borja insisted on the importance to find an ally/spokesperson in a local man who knows the area extremely well and is familiar with its inhabitants and their rules. The fact that Borja has lived in St Pauls for years contributed greatly to his winning the community’s trust and support.

The second part of the meeting was a Q&A between Fiona Francombe, Filming and Locations Co-ordinator at South West Screen (see the Cineformation session on Locations) and independent filmmakers in the audience. Fiona was very open and friendly but, faced with many negative anecdotes from the audience, she had to agree that the existing Council funded organisations meant to help filmmakers are aimed at big productions and not at low budget indie projects. These Council-run organisations have a strong duty of care to the local residents (health and safety, etc.) and also need to make money in order to go on receiving public funds. This explains why they recommend following rules and regulations to the letter. Their way of proceeding, however, translates into heavy production costs that are out of small productions’ reach.

The conclusion was that, if you are an independent filmmaker and have already taken a public liability insurance (an absolute essential, which you can get for around £100), it may be easier not to approach these local film organisations if you need to keep your costs down. It’s very likely that not using them will make you gain time and money.

The last part of the meeting was an upbeat look at practical tips for indie filmmakers followed by a celebration of filmmaking in Bristol.

On the practical level, most people seemed to edit their films on their own computers but Films@59 was also recommended. Hire places were said to be open to making deals with indie film directors as they make most of their money from big productions.(The courteous thing to do in that case is to thank them by naming them in your acknowledgements/film titles.)

To conclude the Cineformation event, Julian asked the audience what they thought was good about filming in Bristol. Local filmmakers enthused about Bristol’s rich culture, its spirit and visual impact, about the abundance of creativity and the sense of independence and freedom that make Bristol’s indie filmmaking community a hub of activity and a place of mutual support.

Other events over the weekend included a Depict! session, a Bluescreen Special, Sweded Classics and, as well as the main programme of screenings there was also a very popular student showcase. The party on the Saturday night crowned an exciting and inspiring week-end of cooperation and celebration.

To see the winner of the most popular film & to see which films were nominated click here to read the news item.

And to see more photos from the weekend, click here.

Written by Véronique Martin- veronique.martin@gmail.com – www.myspace.com/cubicstone

Author: Anon at 13:01 on 01.07.08 122 Comments | Leave a comment

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