*Tickets for the UNBROKEN Short Prize screening at The Frontline Club are available here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/
UNBROKEN 2017 is a mixed arts mental health awareness festival. Its main aim is to increase awareness of the issues surrounding mental illness, to reduce any attendant stigma by opening up a conversation, and to confound expectations as to what exactly a production about ‘mental health’ might involve!
UNBROKEN made its debut as a theatre ‘mini-festival’, produced by Shadow Road – a small company with an enduring interest in mental health – at Theatre503 on World Mental Health Day last October. The 2016 festival sold out and the feedback was fantastic so this year it is returning, with some practical workshops, a literary event, and the staged reading of a powerful play about adolescent mental health by award-winning playwright Ali Taylor having been added to the art exhibitions, live music, new writing, original choreography and panel discussions that proved such a hit last year.
Most importantly, we are also launching the UNBROKEN Short Film Prize, so that this year we can encourage the exploration of the vital issue of mental health in yet another art form. We hope that a number of film makers – young and not so young, first timers and old hands, those with experience of the issues and those with an interest – will feel inspired by the subject matter and the freedom they have to explore it.
We received a huge number of high-quality submissions and it is with great pleasure that we announce the official shortlist for the inaugural UNBROKEN 2017 Short Film Prize. We look forward to sharing them with you on Saturday 28th October 2017.
THE UNBROKEN 2017 SHORT FILM PRIZE – THE SHORTLIST:
️ When You are Old – Directed by Koh Chong Wu
️ COLD – Directed by Sven Niemeyer
️ On the Spectrum – Directed by Gerard McKenzie
️ Tommy – Directed by James Sieradzki
️ This Is What Depression Feels Like – Directed by Charlie Mason
️ Three Days Gone – Directed by John Gutierrez
️ The Moment – Directed by Sonali Bhattacharya
️ Flex: No Hard Feelings – Directed by Ollie Gardner
Following the screening (which will include an interval and a Q&A with some of the filmmakers), the audience will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite film. Prizes will then be presented to the recipient of the Audience’s Choice award, along with the Winner and the Runner Up, as chosen by the judges. Finally, there will be time for everyone to chat and network with the film makers, festival organisers and fellow audience members as we adjourn to the nearby Fountains Abbey pub at 5pm!
More information about the whole festival can be found elsewhere on the website: www.unbrokenfest.com
Tickets for the UNBROKEN Short Prize screening at The Frontline Club are available here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/
The panel consisted of award-winning filmmakers Liam Saint-Pierre, Chloe White, Marc Silver, and Gemma Atkinson, with documentary programmer and DocHouse producer Jenny Horwell moderating the discussion.
The discussion began with an overview of techniques and inspirations from each filmmaker – and it was soon evident that the speakers did not stick to any unchangeable formula in their work.
“There is no process for when I’m making films,” Silver said, with White adding that he views himself as “more of a spontaneous filmmaker.”
Atkinson said: “I let the character dictate what direction the film goes in, rather than going into it with a big plan, which means it can go in any direction.”
“It has been quite nice to hear the others tonight, often I thought it was just me who was so haphazard!,”commented Saint-Pierre.
Great to see such a talented, eloquent bunch of documentary makers at @frontlineclub. Time I dusted off the camera. pic.twitter.com/JXSRVQbox4
— Peter Yeung (@ptr_yeung) February 15, 2016
Although there was a general consensus that the creative process should not be formulaic, three elements were highlighted for their significance at the start of a project: inspiration by way of specific characters, places, and issues.
“I like characters who are really passionate about something, and they are kind of on the edge of society,” said Saint-Pierre, as he explained how he found the shopkeeper around whom his first film centred.
Silver added: “for me, the place is a character. It’s not just the people, but also the essence of a place.”
Each of the panellists agreed that they aimed to spend as much time as possible with their subjects. Silver explained that on a five-day shoot, he would try and spend the first two days with his subjects without his camera. “I might take a stills camera, just for fun. But I’ve learnt from the past that I don’t need to over-shoot – and also I need to get past the first layer with that person and gain trust.”
However, the panel also reflected on how working with tight budgets and shorter timelines meant that the aim of spending significant time with their subjects was often unrealistic.
Horwell then moved the discussion onto one of the final stages of short documentary production: the editing process.
She asked the filmmakers to comment on their top tips for this stage, and how they avoid common mistakes.
“Hold the shot for longer than you plan. Whatever time you are holding it for, add an extra 5-10 seconds” Atkinson advised.
White agreed, and cemented the point with an extended clip from her film The Long Haul: “At the time I didn’t know that shot would be so useful, but trusting your shots and holding them for a long time, you’ll be thankful when it comes to the edit.”
Saint-Pierre added that for him “it was a matter of the character; you don’t want to turn the camera off. Often I’ve done it and then missed an amazing moment.”
The conversation did not run chronologically through the filmmaking process due to the non-linear nature of short documentary production – as Horwell had predicted – and the discussion touched on subjects including the use of ‘playful’ introductions, to how to best distribute your content online.
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