The ORPHAN shoot continues with a trip to the Academy of Live Technology in Yorkshire. There we hosted an ‘Introduction to Film Making’ Workshop for the students’ Enrichment Week.

The session opened with an introduction to the project and sneak preview of the storyboard, then covered inspirations and techniques to balance big ideas with a low budget.

With a reasonable ramble through my own experiences before explaining the expectations of film extra work, the group relocated to a campus backlot to put theory into practice. Together we tackled a scene where the title character emerges from a crowded mass of people.

Although only a handful of students could attend, we were able to make it work through multiple takes and creative composition. Swapping hats and hoodies between shots and overlaying the end result.

The raw footage has been roughly graded, keyed, and incorporated into the assembly cut with a simple background, to be refined once other elements are complete. Most importantly, Aida’s performance captures the intent and determination required of the scene. An essential humanity shining through all the technical trickery to get it there.

Tremendous gratitude to faculty for allowing this to happen, and especially to everyone who turned up.

We will call again…