Jennifer and Nick

Here are some production stills by Tom Blanchford of Emily O'Brien Brown portraying Jennifer and William Emmons as Nick.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Interestingly, the two stories in the film had a different cinematographer. This was born out of practical reasons due to scheduling conflicts rather than an artistic decision but I believe it has added another dynamic to the film as the two stories are expressed visually by two different artists. Tim Metherall shot the flashback sequence and the junkies, and Aaron Farrugia was at the helm for the couples story.

Both men brought a unique approach and style to the film and I feel they compliment each other very nicely in the final outcome.

 Tim Metherall

Aaron Farrugia

Sound Design

The film has finally been picture locked and we have begun post-production on the sound and colour grade. Above is an ADR session with the actor Rowan Davies.

The Producer – Part 1: Filmmaking

The production of ‘Don’t Look Back’ began through the conception of the controlling idea that there are moments that we experience within our lives where blame is not attributable to one individual, but rather to the surrounding circumstances of that moment. Often, these moments bare a tragic element that alters the path of those involved. It is through finding the strength to deal with these moments that life thrusts upon you that you gain the ability to overcome your fears and insecurities.

The script was constantly developing from this initial idea and the Writer/ Director, Kostas Ouzas, continually developed the story and until it had evolved into the story we see now. The ability to work closely with the Writer/ Director Kostas Ouzas, my elder brother, allowed the concept for the film to take shape naturally through constant discussion. It was determined that the ‘effect’ of such an event that would be portrayed was as important as its ‘cause’, thus the story would be told in such a manner with the use of Flashbacks as a means of joining the stories. 

The structure of the film is particularly appealing as it breaks the typical convention of short films, that is, a linear story with a climax and resolution. Here, the climax and resolution are reached in a non-linear manner causing the viewer to believe the stories will eventually clash in real time. It is this unique structure that differentiates the film from most typical short films and I believe the experimentation with structure will prove to set the film apart from its peers.

The relationship between the Director and myself is certainly the backbone to the success of the production of the film as it allows myself, the Producer, to put my complete trust and support behind the Director and his vision. I regard this a very important aspect of filmmaking. My passion for film stems from the auteur and the notion that a film, like a piece of art, should represent the artist’s distinct voice and style. It is, therefore, the Producer’s role to make this vision possible to its fullest capabilities and it is only through complete trust and respect for that vision that such a task can be complete.

As Producer of this film my ambition has been to complete a piece of work that is at the extent of our current capabilities. Furthermore, it has been an important aspect of the project to break the conventions of filmmaking at every possible opportunity to ensure that we are creating an ethos by which we as filmmakers can call our own. This is important to achieve now so that when a feature film is produced the methods of production are already well defined. I believe that the production of this film has achieved that without forsaking any quality of the film itself.

As a first time Producer the production has certainly been a learning curve, however, such method of learning has been an invaluable experience. I believe that the lack of formal education forces me to continually research and read about filmmaking in order to understand the role of Producer. Although the responsibilities of a Producer are well defined I have been able to form my own view of the functions of a Producer that exists outside the conventional teachings.

The production of the film has to this point achieved all that was set out to achieve at its conception. With a firm post-production pathway in place the film has the ability to now go beyond our expectations. This is the result of the collaboration of all those that have been involved in the process. By engaging those people capable in their craft you allow for them to bring something new to the project and take the film to a place that was previously not expected.

It has, so far, been a very rewarding experience to see this film develop from its earliest stages as an idea, through to a screenplay, to seeing the characters and story come to life in production, and finally bringing together all those involved and working successfully through the production. 

By Alexi Ouzas

Trailer

For the trailer to the film I want to make something very visceral and confronting, something that can emphasise the intensity of the film and hopefully accentuate myself and style as a filmmaker. I want to do this in the trailer by heavily contrasting the diaspora elements of the story using a difference in rhythm to do so.  My idea is to use the long, slow shots of the couple and then cut into them freeze frames of the junkies story, maybe three frames at a time to give them an appearance of being somewhat stop-motion.

This should also reflect my style as a filmmaker which at times is precise and calculated and other times quite capricious.

My influence for the trailer is that of Buffalo 66 which is made up of only freeze frames and this gave me the idea to construct the trailer in a way which would be similar but more effecting for the purposes of my story.

You can find the link here:


http://www.videodetective.com/movies/trailers/buffalo-66-trailer/7731

Ave Maria by J.S. Bach/Gounod

First Images From Film

I have just finished completing the first assembly of the film and I am very relieved. Initially I was apprehensive about the stories ability to successfully weave the three narratives of the film, Flashback, Couple and Junkies into one coherent story and achieving the tense emotional climax I desired. I found it difficult to begin with, however after a longer period of time playing with the footage I found a rhythm and am now much more confidant in our success in production.

I have always found it easier to edit a film when I have a specific musical motif in mind and this is what helped me find the missing link in the film and pull it all together. The films biggest turning points are all visual and therefore music plays an integral part of the climax of the film. Early in the gestation of the idea and because of my classical music inclinations I had as a thought to use the aptly named,  Ave Maria (Love of the Mother) by J.S. Bach over the films climax as its sound contrasts so well with what is going on in the stories but it contains the subtext of the story, Jennifer's loss of a child and the grief she is experiencing because of it. I will workshop this with my composer, Mark Chu who is classically trained and we can work from this as a starting to point to develop the rest of the music for the film.

I have attached below the first screenshots from the film.