Month: November 2015

LISTENERS PROJECT – 4 – FARMILOE BUILDING (2015)

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“By creating a series of short films we acknowledge the history of the space and tell stories that keep it forever.
The Listeners Project have just completed working on their fourth project this time at the Farmiloe Building in Farringdon. Since 1886 glass, paint, lead and brass have been manufactured here and more recently the building has served as location for ‘Batman’, ‘Inception’, ‘Eastern Promises’ and now The Listeners Project.
Directors were randomly assigned a floor of the soon to be refurbished Building. Following four consecutive days filming, and a little over a week to edit, the films were then screened at the same location on October 15th 2015, to an audience of over hundred.
Watch the films below and subscribe to the mailing list for updates of new locations, shoots and screenings…”

Back once again with the listening walls, this time in the Farmiloe Building in Farringdon, London; this marks the 3rd Listeners Project completed in 2015.

1-Glass (The Basement)

The first of our Farmiloe films is set in an abandoned building (who’d have thunk it?), written and directed by Ben Lambert this is an interesting snapshot of a moment in the journey of two men who are in each other’s lives for what reason, we’ll never know, but the point is not to know what’s happening, the short draws you into a world and teases the audience with what they don’t know. I am of the mind that with these shorts, the most successful ones are the ones that speak the least dialogue, but say so much more than some of the conversation heavy ones. It’s all in the unsaid.
I was engaged throughout and loved the dialogue and the shots. The two actors, Andrew Obney and Shane Cameron seemed rooted in the world and Obney conveyed a world-weariness that had seen too much and as tired of it all.

Props to all involved.

2-Coupled (The Attic)

The second outing in the Farmiloe project written and directed by Jamie Sims plays with the perceptions of the characters and the things we do to each other. Very clever and underpinned with a driving tune that builds nicely. Great use of space.

3-Fast Food (The Factory Floor)

Written and directed by Phil Fisk, this film is beautifully shot but I’m not entirely sure what the point is. It is subjective, but I think it may be about monotony and monotony broken, along with humankind’s relationship to food.
Watch and decide for yourself.
Chris Fairly plays a weary security guard, trudging through his routine of rounds through an empty warehouse.

4-Deliverance(The Ground Floor)

Directed by Oscar Hudson and Freddie Mason (who also writes the piece), Deliverance is a weird and wonderful short film that is described in the synopsis as:
“A fur-coated Norse demi-god is one day delivered to an empty storage facility”.
This seems to be the most ambitious piece so far, bringing to mind Jodorowsky with a touch of Greenaway; the surreal and the poetic.
The framing of the shots and the use of light shows an understanding of cinematic aesthetic that is both beautiful and stark. (That sentence was for the Sight and Sound crowd).
I enjoyed this film massively, it brings to mind Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England, which was as enjoyable as it was different, and the directors here manage to achieve something quite extraordinary in a mere 10 minutes.

Massive props to all involved.

That was the four films but sneakily the Listeners decided to step up their game and as an easter egg they also give the challenge to four spoken word poets to interpret the spaces in their own way. They are all brilliant (and short).

Here they are:

The Basement

The Attic

The Factory Floor

The Ground Floor

Well done to all involved. This is an exciting project that deserves to be seen.

Watch, share and follow.

You can see all the films from the previous projects at the website below:

http://www.listenersproject.com

LISTENERS PROJECT 3 – TELEVISION CENTRE (2015)

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Let me begin by saying that what the artists do with the 24 hours given to make these short films and the results they give us are nothing short of incredible. Whether the films are successful or not are up to you. All art is subjective and the opinions below are all mine, how I feel right now. These no way undermine the talent and skill that these artists have poured into the work, for free I might add.

“Listeners Project were invited to Television Centre in White City to capture the walls of the soon to be demolished Drama Block. The first of the Studios built at White City in 1956 it served as home to the building, painting and storing of sets and props for the BBC.

The Directors chosen had to find a writer, crew and cast to create a story for this unique space and then film it in less than 24 hours. Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘Afraid? Of whom I afraid?’ was picked as a unifying theme or jumping off point and all four films were screened on the 4th May 2015 at Televison Centre.”

What a privilege to be able to run around the iconic building, filled with stories and energies of old. The possibilities are enormous.

1-Moving On (The Screen Painting Room)
A young girl (Zoe Heighton) exercises and exorcises her body and demons in an abandoned warehouse.
The first film in the third outing for the Listener’s Project is a dance short and I must say that these dance pieces work really well. In such a short space of time it can be difficult to fully realize an idea when there is dialogue. The writing has to be very tight. With dance it’s all about the imagery. Director That Jam (!?!?) creates an interesting, intimate look inside the emotions and dreams of a young ballet dancer. Choreographed by and starring Sergio Giacomelli, the frustrations and limitations of the body so wonderfully highlighted here and the search for perfection that ballet dancers especially are constantly seeking. Perfection can never be fully reached but it’s in the endeavor to get there where the true magic lies.

2-The Porter (Loading Bay)
Written and directed by Matthew Landers, this is a simple, yet effective tale of drugs and gun running. The acting is honest with nice performances from the cast: .
The thing about these shorts is that you just have to watch them. There is little point in me telling you the synopses. The director manages to keep the tension taut throughout.

3-Late Night With Albin and Bibita (The Prop Storage Room)
Written by actress/writer Elena Pavli, starring her sister Alexia Pavli with John McCrea as Albin and Bibita, this is shot really well and the writing is interesting but I feel the piece could have worked much better on stage. The theatricality of it doesn’t always successfully translate into film, but this is also what I like about the project, many things can be tried and although they may not all work, there is always some spark of brilliance in them. The actors somewhat lack chemistry but do the best they can. Directed by Jack S Wynne, this 3rd outing at the Television Centre shows promise but lacks full cohesive fusion (or is that just cohesion?).

4-Silent Mode (The Set Build Studio)
This was my favourite of the Listeners’ Televison Centre films.
Directed by Ben Lambert and very bravely sticking to one shot that is framed beautifully; the use of the mise en scène is inspired. The conversation between the workers is gentle and genuine and the intriguing, interesting parts are the dialogue that isn’t spoken. A layered piece that shows the growth of the director, this is the best film he has directed out of this project so far.
Robin Soans, Jim Conway and Shane Cameron play the workers and all do a decent job especially Soans, who manages to convey some deeper hidden troubles .

This project continues to be different, innovative and artistic.

The films are short between 3 and 9 minutes each and are easily digestible and definitely worth a watch.
Visit the website below:

http://www.listenersproject.com/