The Making of 'And We Dance For You' - A Creative Frenzy

Having been split into 39 sections, John Ruskin’s 36^th passage from his lecture ‘Storm Cloud of the 19th Century’ was the inspiration for my 3-minute film ‘And We Dance For You’.

Over six weeks, I filmed, edited, developed and re-filmed to refine my idea. What began as 12 shots in the city evolved into an experimental mish mash of audio, accompanying various shots of nature. My initial idea was to follow the journey of the sun as it is interrupted, and nearly over-powered, by a ‘storm’, before rising again at dawn.

One of my shots from the first draft of my film

Initial feedback told me that I was overcomplicating my idea with too many images and layering voices so the whole thing became overwhelming and meaningless. Instead, I should consider shots carefully and give the audience a chance to take images in before moving on to the next one. The same is true of the audio; a simpler sound design can be more effective.

After watching some other students' films from this project and others, I was inspired to change my idea.

One morning, I woke up with a line in my head that I really wanted to include in my new film, and I speed-wrote the rest of my script in a creative frenzy. My new script was still experimental but now had characters and a narrative to it. I aimed to create a film celebrating the sun giving life to Earth.

Evidence of my frenzied script writing

I wanted to use dance throughout as a form of appreciation of the sun. The rest of the film is in two different locations presenting both human and other life that relies on the sun. I intertwined Ruskin’s text with a few poems and my own words.

The importance of audio composition was also brought to my attention. Having listened

A screenshot from Chris Morris' Blue Jam

to Chris Morris’ ‘Blue Jam’ and Derek Jarman’s ‘Blue’, I realised that having audio that worked entirely independently of the visuals made it more impactful and more engaging for an audience, because they are able to use their imaginations to construct the story, as well as being aided by what they see on screen.

Throughout the process and my final film, I wanted the key idea to be that of life and nature intertwined. Therefore, I cut between three separate locations, two of which take place more obviously in nature, with the third being more subtle, but each one uses natural lighting and symbolism to reflect reliance, dependability and appreciation of the ever-present sun throughout the day.

Adapting sound levels and filters for the final edit

Before I had finished my final edit, I received a final piece of feedback telling me that I needed to distinguish between the three locations more obviously. Making all cuts in the same location a similar colour, but different to the other two, meant it was clearer to the audience that the three characters don’t interact, at least on a physical level.

To conclude, I had a lot of fun putting this film together. I am particularly pleased with using the sound of my dancing as part of the percussion as well as it being visible on screen. I think the amount of other films and audio work that we saw/heard during the process was useful in constantly feeding us inspiration.

If I were to do it again, however, I would like to make the cut between the dancing and the first shot of the lake less harsh because of the lighting difference. I would also make the script writing the first stage in the process.

https://youtu.be/2czwKcP3MUU

And We Dance For You - Final Cut

For more information on my 'Storm Cloud' project go to the 'Projects' page or click the button below:

The Storm Cloud

Reference List:

Storm Cloud (n.d.). Storm-Cloud. Storm-Cloud Online. https://www.storm-cloud.online/

Dickinson, Emily (n.d.). A Day. Poets.org. https://poets.org/poem/day-0

Donne, John (n.d.). The Sun Rising. The Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44129/the-sun-rising

Rimbaud, Arthur (n.d.). Soliel et Chair. Poetica. https://www.poetica.fr/poeme-964/arthur-rimbaud-soleil-et-chair/

Morris, Chris (2012 June 22). BLUE JAM - Series 1, Episode 1 (Music removed on ALL Episodes). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUePblNU860&list=PLF9818396FA36E90E&index=1&t=20s

Jarman, Derek (2024 August 21).Blue, Derek Jarman, 1993. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFBiz78PWM