WomenCinemakers vol V WomenCinemakers vol V | Page 68

asking you questions and suggesting new approaches always helps to get your head back to where it needs to be . Because we had a limited amount of film rolls we also had to make sure every thing was absolutely ready to be perfect on the first or second take maximum .

And I didn ’ t have any way to see with my own eyes what exactly Jakub Giza ( DoP ) was going to shoot . So it took a lot of time and a lot of trust ! Since it is my first film , the most chal lenging parts were mostly related to my first-timer status , limited budget and my fear to not be a good leader . I won ’ t forget how I felt after each shooting day that it had been the most difficult and the most exciting work day I had ever had in my life .

We basically turned technical limita tions into an interesting aesthetic experiment . I wanted to shoot the entire film in 16mm because I wanted to make a futuristic film with an old film look , to really focus on the futuristic behaviour of the people living in that time , rather than getting distracted by any special effects or gadgets . But it became obvious that we would not be able to shoot in film the night scene , because there isn ’ t 16mm film stocks with the needed speed anymore and we didn ’ t have the budget to have the lighting of a football camp ! Instead of witching the whole film to digital , we decided that to make a contrast between the two parts of the film would be very interesting and would also elevate the final scene which is the narrative center of the short film because you suddenly can see it sharper , crispier and more shiny . I ’ ve been a very active listener of all the discussions related to Film vs Digital in the past years and for me Skinhearts shows how beautiful both can be . Used in the same film it makes such a contrast that you can really notice it and enjoy it , which is something that most non-film-professional audiences never have the chance to do .

There is obviously a romantic side of making such choice too … I studied analog photography , I had my grandfather ’ s Bolex available to use and I come from the traditional side of big production film making , so for me , wanting to become a film director , I will always carry with me the joyful memory that I shot my first film using actual film rolls , rolling inside of a camera , making the most beautiful noise .

What is your preparation with actors in terms of rehearsal ?

I am quite old school in my filmmaking process … which includes as much rehearsal time and meeting with actors as possible . It is not so common nowadays , maybe even less for short films , but how limited would the experience of filmmaking be if you don ’ t have the time to rehearse , investigate , chat and play with the actors ? I might feel quite comfortable doing that because it involves a lot of improvisation but it is also a process for which I have huge respect . After shooting Skinhearts , I have been studying a lot more about working with actors because it is incredibly interesting and fun , but also they are the people who most deeply affect you while making a film . For Skinhearts , I offered the role of Zoe directly to Zoëvan Weert ( and was lucky enough that she accepted ), met Max Croes for the role of Sky a couple of times and we did a couple of improvisations as auditions .

We kept on meeting and working on the character while I forgot to tell him that he was selected for the role already !) and we did an open audi tion for the extras and the Skin hearts roles to which Selma Copijn arrived late and did a jaw dropping audition on the corridor ( and got the role right there ).

Then we did rehear sals in couples with ZoëMax and Selma-Max , more around improvisa tions experien cing the characters rather than specific scenes of the script . I am so grateful that they gave me the opportunity of having that time with them because I learned so much and I was so inspired by the different ways in which each of them work .

The first time we watched your film we thought of Yorgos Lanthimos ' s cinema . Can you tell us your biggest influences in cinema and how they have affected your work ?

I am actually very influenced by photography so it isn ’ t strange that my biggest reference while making Skinhearts was Chris Marker ’ s short