Monday 30 September 2013

Dreamscapes

Last sunday we came back. It felt like we had been away for months, working non-stop in a dreamscape that had it's own agenda on where to go. In reality, it had only been a week. But nevertheless a week of intense collaborative creation, and we were all exhausted. In a good way.

We had been deep into the swedish forests. A place called Pålskog, a 20 minutes drive into the pinewoods, following a long and winding dirt track. Out there, where there is no phone connection, unless you stand on a rock and point your not-so-smart-anylonger smartphone in a specific direction, and then maybe, if you're lucky, you'll get enough signal to send a text message. Out there, where the darkness was overwhelming and the early misty mornings seemed Tarkovsky-esque divine. It was perfect.


We knew our central elements. The cottage in the forest was the geographic frame around the story. We knew our characters, the conturs we had drawn of their backstory, the depth of their emotional dilemmas. I had a list of keyscenes with me, that I knew I wanted to capture. Even some dream-imagery that I didn't fully understand, but I knew was important. The rest was something we had to discover together.

We were a dynamic pack of 5 people. Two of them, are the most incredible actors I could have wished for: Gaia Rosberg and Sofya Johnson. Fearlessly the two jumped head first into this intuitive exploration, and kept true to their characters at all time, even when I gave them very little linearity to work from. 
It's not always given that actors can access that intuitive place with such ease and trust in the process. And depending on the content of the piece, it's sometimes too much to ask for. Gaia and Sofya was able to do it, because both of them are incredibly intuitive talents and because they had excellent chemistry together. 
We had done two workshops before we left, with emphasis on a very physical way into the material. It was obvious, that the work we had done in the workshops, had been a crucial component. My only wish, is that we had had more time to dwelve deeper into the method, and to bridge the process more seamlessly.

We were cut down to the bare bones. The intention was intimacy, which we achieved, but it was also hard work. Film maker & video-artist Gabriel Foster-Prior was the films cinematographer and experimental sound-artist Carlo Störup was on sound. The three of us was the whole crew, which even for my small-crew standard is a very slim set-up. Luckily, both Gabriel and Carlo are talented artists with an experimental heart, who know what it is to play and explore and who take their work seriously. They entered the proces with an impressive creativity and work-ethic and managed to cope with the extremely high demands that came from being a more-than-skinny skeleton-crew. I'm really thankful for what they brought to it. 


We came back from the forest 8 days ago. I don't have the faintest idea of where those 8 days have gone. 
I must have slept through it somehow. We were all exhausted. But thrilled as well. It was a good experience. Now, the next step of the process lies ahead. A more introvert part of the creation. Going through the material, together with my editor. And then, slowly, begin to wrap our heads and hearts around this enigmatic creature: Mothlands #1.

Sunday 1 September 2013

Setting sails


Outside the sky is cloudy but bright. It rains occasionally, but the temperature is mild. I like this time of year. Transition-time. It is a very suitable mood for this Mothlands launch. No fireworks or shout outs. Just a  quiet setting sails.

I sit here, on my bed under a thick blanket, accompanied by my cat. We both enjoy this quiet moment. 
I've needed it for a while. The last weeks have been full of activities, like summer always is. But for me, this summer in particular. Moving into our new old farmhouse in Sweden, and preparing this project simultaneously, has been an excercise in handling many to-do's without getting stressed out and still being present. However, I think farmhouse-living and Mothlands is an inspiring combination, that forces me to keep a broader perspective. I like that.

There is two weeks to go before we start shooting the first filmsketch, so things are intensifying, creatively and production-wise. The first sketch is a portrait of the relation between a 10-year old girl and her mother, sharing a bond of destiny. We are filming further up in sweden, over the course of 6 days, starting on sunday 15th of September. It's a small team of really interesting people, so it's going to be an intimate and intense process. The major elements are falling into place, but I also know that now is the time for higtened creative concentration on the little details. 

Going into an intuitive workmethod demands thoruough preparation and grounding. Emotional grounding. Meaning, reaching that place, where there is a solid foundation of common emotional understanding in what world we are entering together, so that we can access this place through our instincts, rather than through our intellectuality. Without that grounding, I believe it's almost impossible to create honest and emotionally complex material. 

I'm positive that we will get there. Nonetheless, my creative anxiety has slowly begun to creep in. I guess it's inevitable and completely natural. Afterall, it's the first filmsketch of this project. The first plunge into this creative odysee, that Mothlands is. So my anxiety is not just about this particular filmsketch, it's also about wanting to create a inspirational and defining start for the project and the people involved. 
I try to be very acceptant about my anxiety. You know, acknowledge that it's there, and be really outspoken about it, because then it becomes less dangerous. It also helps me to re-read the mothlands manifesto, when my need for control starts to disturb my intuitive flow. It reminds me that there is nothing to be afraid of. That the notion of "failure" is a piece of old luggage that I'm about to get rid off.