LOCKED - Dance film
10/03/2022 - 06/07/2022
Locked is a piece that I created for the film festival in June 14 led by Andrea Zimmerman, which aimed to be an experience to dance and collaboration .
A 5 minute film that fuses movement, sound and animation. This project was created to be shown to any audiences it explored the loneliness, artistic stagnation that most of us experienced during the pandemic and how mutual help, support and sharing allow us to grow and evolve in peace and serenity and it is thanks to this, that this project could be realised.
Final Film
Film Poster
This poster will be displayed at Central Saint Martins for the Summer Showcase in June 14th
Initial Stimulus:
This idea was born during my placement year, a year were I had time to think and observe what was happening around me. That year of constant questioning and misunderstanding of the life we were facing, that year of the pandemic we never experienced, that year of being forced to isolate ourselves and see as little people as possible to protect ourselves and others. I wanted to show what we went through together, this immense desire to get out of these infernal waves and being together again.
This year gave me the desire to share the fact that dancing together and finding each other was an essential thing for human happiness, for the fulfilment and balance of our existence : mutual help, support and sharing allow us to grow and evolve in peace and serenity.
Reaserch influences
Rone - Room With A View (Official Music Video) created by LA HORDE
Throughout my research, I was very inspired by the dance collective LA HORDE, both in their choreographic movement and their exploration of the new dynamics of circulation and representation of dance and the body that develop online leads them to form the concept of 'post-internet dances'.
Having seen their work very closely, I was seduced by their atypical approach, which aims to combine dance, music and often fashion in the implementation of there ideas, all in a complex and subtle mix of genres.
The show Room With a View which was one of my first references that influenced me in my idea was :
- the embodiment of subterranean movements, both hateful and amorous, which agitate us and whose understanding opens the way to a more global apprehension of the inevitable struggles and conflicts to come.
- Choreography meets music to tell the story of the suffering and legitimate anger of today's generations who are trying to unite to give themselves meaning, in communities of celebration and combat, overwhelmed by the infinite violence of the world, which they replay over and over again, in their flesh, as if to exorcise it.
RONE & (LA)HORDE – Room With A View Show
Rone x (LA)HORDE - Ghosts (Official Short Film) Written by Spike Jonze
Research Imagery for post production:
In terms of editing my film, I wanted show to my audience what I felt sometimes when I had to isolate myself during lockdown. This feeling of of often being alone made me have illusions of having people around me dancing with me, as if they were sometimes ghosts or unreal , they had the power to create movement with their deformed bodies.
I was looking for cinematographic creations to help me create what I was imagining. I wanted to play with our eyes, manipulate our perception of reality and plung us into a unique universe, disorted and surreal.
Ballet National de Marseille, cover photo from TÂNIA CARVALHO show.
Ballet National de Marseille, cover photo from TÂNIA CARVALHO show.
I was very inspired by François Vogel's work, in his work he plunges us into a disorted universe like modeling paste and I wanted to show that to in my work but in my own interpretation.
The Carousel by Theo Lindquist showed how you can untwist the body and make it surreal with his way of moving the camera and using some special effects. This was one of the important references I was looking at for ideas of editing and way of filming.
Choice of the Music: Babel from Rone
When it comes to finding inspiration for my film projects I always have to have an idea of the music first to start imagining the movement work or the storytelling. For this project after watching the Room with a View show directed by La Horde, I kept listening to the album composed by Rone.
After listening to the entire album, I managed to have a big preference for Babel, a rhythmic track that conveys an energy, a sense of urgency just with organic violin sounds, synths.
I had a very big chance to have a moment to talk to him about my film and my ideas and especially asked him about this music in particular and also if I could use it for my work. He told me that this piece marked a transition in the narrative of the show Room with a view, the passage from a slow and hard moment to a sunny moment, a positive energy where the bodies rise up in an anarchic and combative movement and I got very inspired by this feeling.
This piece was so connected to these rehearsals with the dancers that he imagined integrating their voices into the piece.
As the dancers come from all over the world, Rone asked them to let loose in their own language. They didn't know what the DJ would do with the recordings.
The result is some big insults that I don't even understand, but for Rone it's not the meaning that matters, it's the energy that comes through, and it was the perfect introduction for my film because I wanted to show this immense desire of being reunited with people from around the world that was missing during these two years of pandemic.
Filming Day
10/03/2022 9.30AM-6.30PM
Studio Prep & Group,
Filming 9.30AM - 2:30PM
The day began with Anni, Mark Duffield and I testing the equipment in the space (lights, and camera angles) before the performers and stylist arrived at 9.30 AM.
At 10, we devided tasks so everything would be ready on time:
- the filmmakers Anni, Stacy & Grace started to set up the cameras in different parts of the room because we wanted to have several angles of view of the dancers' movements at the same time.
- The stylist Art, was in charge of taking care of the dancers' outfits and doing fittings with them one by one.
- Mark my favorite technician ever was was there to help me with the lights and also it was him who was going to film the down shots on top of the ladder.
- Once the equipment was ready, and the cameras all set, I began to explain the planning of the day with the performers and start to rehearse the group choreographic movements I had in mind.
I found myself a bit stressed at some point at the beginning because most of the dancers had to leave at 2.30pm and I was scared to not have enough time to be able to do all the group movement I wanted, especially that we didn't have a rehearsal day everything was on the spot. So I managed to get organized in terms of what elements of choreography was in priority and followed my work plan that I made before in pre production.
- After rehearsing all the group movement, I had time to do a selection of what we will film, everything went very smoothly the group energy was very good especially that I didn't know some of the dancers before.
- Around 1 pm, we began to film the solos of each performer, I think that was everyone's favorite part, they had to freestyle on the music one by one and It was amazing seeing each of them express themselves through movement. I could observe their different styles and and it was very pleasant to watch.
- The last hour was spent to film the down shots,
Cathy's solos
Filming, 4PM - 6PM
After we finalized the group movement that I wanted to captured, Anni, Stacy, Grace and I went back to the black lab. We have devoted the last two hours to film the parts where I am alone in the film. We did different tests with the lighting at the beginning to have a different scenery than in the group shots.
Everything went well, I had a lot of fun dancing intensely. The solo shots went very fast in the end because I knew exactly the part that were missing and wanted to add. The break between the group filming and my solo had allowed me to be organised and know what I wanted, it was very efficient and productive.
Behind the Scenes:
All photos & down shot film credit - Mark Duffield
Rehearsal before we shot the last scene of the film, this was a down shot by Mark he was filming this scene on a ladder.
Camera crew and dancers
Group photo at the end of the film
Susie performing her solo
Reflection:
Since my placement year I have told myself that when I will be in my final year, I wanted to create something that touches us all and in particular the youth in 2020 who have been very been affected by these two years of pandemic. I also wanted to transform all these feelings with dance and movement because it is in me and it is what makes me who I am in my work and everyday life.
I think of all the projects I have done these past years, this one resembles me the most, the film LOCKED is the result of a year’s worth of thinking and work and it is the perfect way to end my university experience at CSM. This piece would never happen without all the people that helped me realize my idea, through this collaboration I have made great friends and connections for the future who I will be working with in the years to come.
My only small frustration was that I could've film it over several days and not rush into filming everything in one day. I had this fear of not being able to get my whole team together over several days, especially as a few days before the shoot some of my dancers dropped out the day before and I had to find new ones at the last minute.
However this journey gave me the opportunity to learn and know what I should improve in the future. Despite that the film was only filmed in one day, I can only say with pride that I am extremely grateful for this experience I shared with them. At the end of this day we built a strong connection through letting go with dance, I will always remember this great energy we felt in this room.
To conclude, this project allowed me to regain my self-confidence after these two years of artistic stagnation. The fact of creating a film where I was directing and choreographing dancers without any rehearsal and at the same time performing with them was a huge challenge for me because I had never done that before.
This year was for me a final opportunity to test what I can do, not be afraid to fail and try again and especially create what I love. I can never be more grateful for this year and the people who believed in my ideas and practice and pushed me to do them.
Credits:
Director, Choreogpher & Producer: Cathenne Dayoub
Cinematographer & Annimation: Anni Fan
Camera Operators: Stacy Chau & Gace Choy
Stylist: Art O Neill
Film Technician: Mark Duffield
Starring: Catherine Dayoub, Ken Nakajima, Lesley Li, Nada Abadir, Casper Dillen, Michel Saldana, Susie Gaffney