A few days after I pitched my film in week 7, I received a message from Lydia asking if I’d be happy for her to be a part of the project. Her request was really sincere; she sounded like she genuinely liked the idea for the film and I was chuffed that someone wanted to be a part of it. Penelope expressed the same sort of interest at the next class and it was almost instantly that we formed a connection and common focus. I felt that Penelope and Lydia were both motivated and excited to produce a film and wanted to help mould and refine what it could be. That first class was great and the dynamic worked so well that we got a bit ahead of ourselves and thought that we’d basically planned the entire film out already.
It was important that we formed that friendship and connection as early as we did because I feel that it only got stronger throughout the course of making the film, which meant that we could all rely on each other and contribute equally. Even though the film was originally an idea that I pitched, after the first conversation I was completely open to their equal contribution and conceptualisation. This proved to be another essential aspect of our collaboration: at no point was there any ego involved, every view was considered and I think ultimately the decisions that were made were for the sake of the film.
Our collaboration was, for at least the first half of the process, almost solely built on discussion. We used our separate experiences and views to flesh out a coherent concept that we could then pursue with the camera. While this may have dragged on a little too long as it did mean that we had to compromise slightly towards the end due to lack of footage, it was important for the sake of the connection we had built because that became the integral part of the process. Without such a strong friendship, the film definitely would not have come together as well as it did, if at all. For a concept as abstract and based on feeling; for a film made with equal creative input, we all needed to believe in it.
Our collaboration was also marked by a degree of independence. All of the footage and material that we used for the film was shot independently by each of us, which means that the film accurately portrays our equal input, our individual interpretations of the subject matter. For this film, this process worked really well and I think that the abundant, early discussion was essential in enabling the process.
I am so lucky to have had Penelope and Lydia as a part of the team. They are exceptional, bright people who only want to help and create and without them this film would not have come together. From this experience I know how important the relationship and common ground you establish with the people you work with is, and how discussion can be a really valuable pre-production tool to refine a concept with the aid of several different minds.