This week, Livvy J Hooper is back, and takes a look at some of the short films screened at the University of Greenwich exhibition. She also sits down with a couple of the filmmakers to find out what makes them tick, and gets the lowdown on their projects.
Part of the University of Greenwich exhibition involved a screening of 3rd year undergraduate short films from a variety of courses, be it dedicated filmmaking courses, media and communications, or other creative courses. The films shown ranged in subject, style, form, and content, but the majority of them displayed a real knowledge of technique and a desire to succeed. While some were more successful than others, perhaps lacking the technological fluency and capabilities of others, all of them showcased the vast wealth of creativity at the university.
I caught up with writer-director Tess Veira for the low-down on her scintilating short.
SPOTLIGHT: TESS VIERA
Tell us a bit about yourself.Â
I am 22 years old and have lived in London for three years. I grew up in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, before I moved to London. Wirksworth is a creative town which supports up and coming artists and writers. It has it’s own arts festival every year, giving it’s residents a chance to create and observe great art and performance. Moving to London was a great experience for me, I managed to get very specific about what I wanted to do within the film production environment. I also write and read a lot in my spare time, and I think the latter contributes to the first, and I like to try my hand at photography. I know a few photographers who inspire me, I am most definitely learning from the best. Writing is my passion though. I feel that if you don’t tell stories, people won’t learn to emphasise one another; people watch each other, and characters, and build their ideas about life around them. It is an important learning process. Humans have always needed to tell stories.
What is Welcome all about?
It’s about a young woman, Savannah, who lives with her father, John, in a small house in North London. He brings a woman – Jenna – home for dinner, and Savannah is left to entertain her while he cooks. Savannah doesn’t want her mother to be replaced, so takes it upon herself to make Jenna leave before her father serves dinner.
What was the crew set up for this film?
I had three other crew members working with me; Mus Duzel as my DOP, Hannah Evans as Sound technician and Mpona Lebajoa as Editor. With the smaller jobs, such as hair and make up or set preparation we mainly worked together to create the atmosphere I was aiming for.
Where did the idea for the short film come from?
I had written the script in 2011, originally as a stage-play. However it was a script that I saw vibrantly in my mind; the colours, shots, lighting, everything. Leaving it as a stage play would never have achieved the closeness of the audience to the characters, especially Savannah. So, it ended up being my final piece for university, as I had the resources, and the story was set in only one location which made it easier for the crew to shoot.
What were the biggest challenges when making your short film?Â
One of the biggest challenges was lighting the set. The story is set at night, and we were using a lovely residential house for the entire shoot, but the house had a bay window and french doors in the living room. We had to find a way to block out all of the light from every window to make the room dark, before we could use our own lighting: so we covered the outside of the house, hallway windows and bay windows with black bin liners. High tech stuff. To the neighbours it must have looked like a murderer was living there.
What did your learn about yourself and your creative process from making your film?
I need lists! I can be a very organised person, but only if I write every creative thought that whirls in my head down on paper. This was extremely necessary for me when going through the shots with Mus; he’s a very spontaneous thinker, which I appreciated greatly, and when we went along, after each shot I would tick it off my script. I needed to make sure we had all the shots that I had envisioned in the script, as well as having creative in-put. I have discovered that directing isn’t my favourite thing. I can do it, but the pressure you feel before you start filming is crazy. I am a writer and enjoy seeing my words come to life with my participation.
Have you always wanted to be a filmmaker?
No, when I was six I thought very seriously about becoming an astronaut, but then someone told me what happened to a dog in space and I was put off. I have been writing since I was little, but only been interested in film since 2010. I had a very inspirational Film Studies teacher at A Level, and my first film, Esme, won an local amateur award for Best Screenplay. I was hooked.
You had a fantastic cast, particularly your lead actor/actress; tell us a bit about the casting process.Â
They were great actors and equally great people. Ipek Uzman (Jenna), contacted me through SkillPages, at the end of 2013 and came for an audition, and we all loved her as Jenna. I had thought that I might be able to start filming at the end of that year, but scheduling and lack of a lead actress caused me to postpone. Ipek graciously said to contact her when I was ready. During christmas I was pointed to actress Brid Arnstein by a mutual friend. She fitted Savannah’s profile exactly and said she would come in for a reading with Ipek. They both came and read for me, and it was perfect.
Where can our readers see your short film? Any online links and/or plans to screen it or send it to festivals?
I’ve entered Welcome in various festivals, including Raindance Film Festival, but you can watch it online either on my Vimeo page or my website.
What’s your next goal? Any future plans for films?
I am currently applying for internships and writing more scripts, while also trying to get a team together to make another short film.
Watch Welcome online, and keep up to date with Tess Viera’s work.
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