One of the outstanding films which screened at the Close-Up Student Film Festival Showcase 2004 was The Silent Question by Steph Busby. Based on a gothic short story, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the film was Steph's final piece for her Masters Degree in Media Production at Christ Church Canterbury University College .
"I read the book on my undergraduate degree, and we did a module in American Gothic", says Steph. "Originally it was read as just a ghost story but I re-evaluated it from more of a feminist perspective".
The film, a period drama, deals with a woman's mental breakdown. Both these factors, if not handled well, can have laughable results in filmmaking. It is to Steph's credit that everyone who saw the film was mesmerised by its professionalism and beauty. Furthermore, it was shot on 35mm, unusual for a student film. Audience members asked if Steph already had 'connections' in the industry, or felt she must have commandeered herself a huge budget. Not so. It was all down to sheer hard work and pure talent.
"The 35mm wasn't really my idea, actually" says Steph. "I was looking for a DOP and I contacted Arri (Media, who hire out camera equipment) with the possibility of renting out a Super-16 camera. While I was on the phone, I asked if they knew of people who would be interested in working on the film". The cameraman who phoned her back suggested 35mm. "I was unsure at first because it would be equipment nobody would be familiar with. We agreed that I would put in my money for the 16mm (the students have a budget for their films) and he would put in the rest. He got the filmstock free - it was left over at Arri - I just had to pay for the post-production and telecine. All the equipment was free."
The moral seems to be, don't be afraid to ask around. Although Steph says "it depends what you're looking for. There's nothing wrong with the camera equipment at colleges but if you're looking for something more polished." and further points out that most students don't have experience of using 35mm and, if you're going down that route, you need to have someone with the expertise and skills to do the camera justice. Mistakes and retakes work out expensive.
As regards pre-production, Steph epitomises the ethos that preparation is everything.
"I was desperately worried about presenting badly, and the portrayal of madness can be so difficult to achieve. Everyone told me that the casting is quintessential. I put ads in the acting papers, internet, Shooting People. I got people interested from London , and I put them through a very vigorous audition process where they had to present different scales of madness, from very subtle to very outward. I eventually found my lead actress, Alex, and we spent a lot of time talking through the characters. Because I was a first time director I was very open about ideas. Alex was very good at suggesting things and we worked together to figure out how the madness would work in that girl, especially without dialogue and it being a short film. I was very keen on making it subtle."
The thorough preparation, the willingness to accept advice, the fact that she wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted, all these helped contribute to an outstanding film. |
