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FINAL FILM - CLIPPED
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NAME
Clipped is the name of my film, this is because its attached to the word clipper, which is an instrument used to cut hair, and also due to it having connotations of being split, much like the skinhead movement.
DESCRIPTION
A film exploring the history of the British skinhead, how the original subculture was stolen and how new age skinheads are taking skinhead culture back to its anti-racist roots.
Featuring
James Lissimore
Written by
James Lissimore
Sam Kenyon Hamp
Reuben Davies Lindley
Directed/Shot/Edited by
Reuben Davies Lindley
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REFLECTIVE STATEMENT
Reflective Statement
This project has been one of my most ambitious and complete, I feel as though I have achieved and gained what I wanted from the project, it has been a huge learning curve and taught me much about my practice and process.
At the beginning of the brief, I knew I wanted to use colour 16mm/Super 8 and experiment with this film techniques, looking to create something that was experimental and visually striking, The subject of my film was my friend/collaborator James Lissimore, who is an anti-racist skinhead.
One of the aspects of the film I struggled with was the narrative content, I feel as though I focused largely on the visuals of the film, and somewhat neglected the narrative until later in the process. This is something I would want to improve upon, although the narrative came together in the second half of the process, I think as a filmmaker it is something I need to consider earlier in the process.
When it came to shooting the 16mm/Super8 footage I put too much time constraints on myself by not allowing time for third party development and scanning, as this is totally out of your hands and the time it takes is almost unknown. If I were to plan this again I would push forward my filming schedule even more than I originally did, allowing myself more time to take care with every shot.
This is the first documentary I’ve created which started from a place of total ignorance, I had never really delved into the world of skinhead subculture and did not know much about the subject. The research in this film became an integral part of understanding what skinhead culture was and how to tackle it sensitively and with care. Interviewing James really helped with learning about the subculture as he has a wide understanding of it. I think if I were to re-do this project I would film more of our conversations purely for research purposes as I think they were extremely valuable and informative.
In this project I focused on enjoying the process and making sure I allowed myself to experiment, although at points I know I became sidetracked by these experimentations, I feel they allowed me to explore aspects of my process that I have not before. This taught me a great deal about myself and my abilities as an artist and filmmaker.
I feel as though with the project more than any other I have allowed myself to explore my art and truly visualise my outcome through practice and creation. I’m extremely proud of what I have been able to accomplish and with everything I’ve learnt through the process of making. This project has been very demanding and stressful at times but my final outcome has made the process worth it and has allowed me to see that planning, practising and creating is what’s fundamental in filmmaking.
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POST PRODUCTION: POSTER IDEAS
I would like to use some of my 35mm photography from the previously in the project to make promo photos, for festivals and screenings. This is a small idea that runs in the films credits as well. I like the simplicity of the poster and writing.
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POST PRODUCTION: JAMES RESPONSE TO THE FILM
One of the main things I considered when I started this film is how James felt about the process, I wanted the film to be a collaboration between us. So in saying that, making sure that the end product was something he was happy with was extremely important to me, I wanted to make sure he was happy with the way he had been portrayed and also how the subculture that he loves was portrayed. I showed James a few of my drafts, but the final outcome he was extremely happy and complimentary, he felt the film gave a clear perception of what skinhead culture not only meant to him but also the historical context of it, the music, he said, fits the film really well and contextualised the 'beat' that he had been talking about. I'm very relieved that he is pleased with the final outcome.
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POST PRODUCTION: AUDIO EQ
In the final version of the film I very slightly mastered the film, bringing down the 20Hz section slightly as well as the 20,000Hz, this is just to make sure there isn't too much bass heavy noice and to cut out a slight hiss in the previous draft. I think the audio was almost there to start with as I have EQ'd a lot of the audio already but this was just a final touch that I felt would improve the final piece.
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POST PRODUCTION: FINAL FILM EDIT
In the final edit of the film I have tightened up small details, such as; making sure the flash transitions don't bleed around the screen, adjusting volume of foley sounds, adding credits and stylising title, adding thumbnails, final colour adjustments.
I'm extremely pleased with how this edit has turned out, I feel its a tight edit with rich visuals and clear and audible sounds which compliment the visuals and allow the viewer to be led on narrative journey with contextual and historical understandings as well as personal point of view from a current Skinhead.
This is something I'm really proud of, I feel the colouring and transitions of the shots are pretty seamless and allow the film to be a smooth viewing experience with nothing being jarring or disruptive to the final product
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POST PRODUCTION: AUDIENCE CONSIDERATION
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
I feel as thought the project if taken further into film festival could grab audiences attention by being apart of a niche set of films to use 16mm and Super8, I feel as though it could also benefit by potentially having a screening with James and myself being apart of a Q&A session. This would be great because it would allow the audience to ask about what the subcultures history as James knows a lot about it and the audience would also be able to ask me about the process of making the film.
I also think it would be really beneficial if James' zine was able to be apart of the screening somehow.
AUDIENCE
Audience members who see the work and engage with Q&A sessions
Skinheads, Mod, Punks, Rockers, people who are actively involved in subcultures
People who used to be Skinheads in the 60-70s
People who enjoy 16mm and 8mm
People who are interested in subcultures in the UK
People researching UK subcultures
15-30 year olds who are interesting in alternative fashion choices
People who enjoy Reggae and Ska
AUDIENCE REACH
Members and artists who speak at screenings/Q&A sessions = 20 per screening
Speakers = 2
Production artists = 2
Screenings = 100 per screening
-Online reach/YouTube/Vimeo/Facebook
Approximately = 3000+ people
TOTAL = 3200+
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POST PRODUCTION: FILM FESTIVAL
This is a few film festivals which I want to enter my film. I've looked on websites such as film freeway which shows list of film festivals. My film short enough that it is allowed in a lot of festivals and there are also lots of mini documentary film festivals. What I would also like to make sure to enter is festivals which require 16mm or Super8, this I feel is a niche market in which my film would do extremely well in.
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POST PRODUCTION: EXHIBITON
I've created an exhibition mock-up to show how I might screen this in our exhibition if we were to have one. I thought it would be useful to have the screen in the middle of the room in order to let as many people view the screen as possible as well as allowing the sound to have the best possible chance of being high quality, I would show the piece on either a projector or a 4K screen in order for the quality of the footage to not be distorted. I think it could lend itself well if it has a short plaque beside the screen that outlined the thinking behind the film and maybe even a small zine that went through what the history of the skinhead movement is. I know that James has created a book that does this and if it were possible I would love to be able to showcase our work together. I think this film would be best played through speakers as that's where it sounds best, additionally, I would have it shown in a low lit room which would make sure the picture could be seen in the best possible scenario.
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POST PRODUCTION: CURRENT EDIT
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I am really pleased with this edit and how the film has developed. Its tone has improved massively and has become much more uplifting as well as providing clear context and meaning. The music totally changed how James' monologue is perceived and given it more of a positive feel. I think now it's just about tightening the edit and creating credits. I want to make the credits simple and make sure I cover everyone that helped in the production.
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POST PRODUCTION: EDITED FOUND FOOTAGE
I have managed to compile some found footage that I'm really happy with, I've but another reggae song in the background as well as the interview voice-over. I'm pleased with what this looks like and think it will give a new sense of tone to the film as a piece. The quality in the clip below will not be the final version, it's simply compressed so I can upload it onto this blog.
I think the footage allows the viewer to see the roots of the skinhead movement, and also gives the film a fun lighthearted opener, the voice over compliments the footage well and allows the contest to be heard as well as seen.
I've added super 8 footage at the beginning of the clip, this is because it sets the tone of the rest of the film, and allows it to have a short transitional introduction, the sound gives the footage a bit of dynamic.
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POST PRODUCTION: RE-EDIT
Now that I'm using music for the film, the interweaving of the two voiceovers is too busy and chaotic, it makes the film seem sloppy and complicated. I really like the interview voice-over and think that it should have a place within the final film. If I am going to make the two voice-overs work I'm going to have to have a re-edit of the film. I'm considering using found footage to create a short visualiser that accompanies the interview voice over.
I imagine this will be footage of the early days of skinheads, where the music was what mattered and it was about dancing and looking sharp. Throughout this project, I have found it hard to find good footage but by using clips from various documentaries I believe I can make it work.
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POST PRODUCTION: FINDING THE RIGHT MUSIC
I want to find music that compliments the film and isn't distracting to the monologue, this means having music that doesn't involve lyrics and isn't too busy. I've been looking over the music on trojan records and think I have found a piece that fits really well. The Dynamites - Last Call (Tribute to Drumbago). This song is such a good find, it starts with the Army song Last Call and then leads into the main section, this is really good for the film as it shows the british roots of the music. I need to see what the song feels like over the top of the voice over.
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POST PRODUCTION: MUSIC
In my past films, I have always created the soundtrack myself and used simple chords to exaggerate or solidify the feeling and emotions of the scene, however, in this piece I feel as though I shouldn't use the music I have made. Reggae and Ska have deep roots and I feel as though I'm not qualified as a musician to create this music, in other words, I don't think I could. I want to use music from the era, not only because I think the music is amazing but also because I think it gives the film historical and musical context. Skinhead culture is all about music, and it all started with Reggae and Ska, using the music I think would elevate the film and possibly fix the issue I'm having with tone.
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POST PRODUCTION: TONE
One of the main points of this film is to show that the Skinhead movement is something that was created out of love and admiration of music and culture, and how that was turned into a totally disgusting movement (AKA Nazi Skins, the EDL, National Front). As I watch back the footage from my last drafts I find that the film seems to feel very ominous and serious, it feels somewhat aggressive and the imagery does not match this, I want the tone to be about how new Skinheads, like James, are taking back the movement to its original routes. I think what would help this would to be include some sort of context visually, to remind viewers that the iconography that they know (AKA Nazi Skins, the EDL, National Front), is not what the culture was about back in the early days. Potentially adding some music from the 1960s-70s, reggae or ska would add context and maybe bring the tone up.
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PRE PRODUCTION: SCANS
I created a short sequence using scanned images of 1960-70s skinheads, this was to create a sense of context, although the clip extremely quick I think this allows the viewer to gain a small piece of context to the rest of the film, also with every viewing the images become clearer.
This is the original images, I then printed them off, cut them up and scanned them using tape. I layered the images to create a jarring collage texture. The reasoning behind this was to create something that looked like it was flowing and also kept to the 'skinhead/punk' aesthetic. I'm really pleased with the result and think it creates an interesting transition to the second half of the film.
I also added sound to this clip, using the sound of book being flipped through, using the sound brought the clip together and gave it some life. I've used this technique a lot in my films and I think it's becoming a key part of my film making, using images to give context to a film, scattering them like memories.
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POST PRODUCTION: Colour grading
One of the issues in the latest draft was that the split screenshot was staggering between two different grades, so it went from darker tones to light. I think this was really distracting and took away from the flow of the film. I singled out this shot and decided to colour correct it again, I tried using the final cut at first but could not get the shot to the desired look, after trying I put it into premier where I was able to change the saturation to bring down the oranges, and then lower the exposure highlights and shadows to bring the image out of the originally slightly overexposed shot. After this, I then bumped the contrast slightly, as well as bringing the greens and blues up. This made the image really clear and where I wanted it to be, the image is still slightly washed out but I think that's because there's a lot of backlight coming in through the lens.
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