Here is the work i did for the Aesthetica film festival

1. Programme
https://issuu.com/aesthetica_magazine/docs/asff2020_programme?fr=sNj
dmZDE3NDY1NjM

3. Schedule
FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
FILM COLLECTION 1 Animation Drama Drama
FILM COLLECTION 2 Thriller Thriller Thriller
FILM COLLECTION 3 Comedy Comedy Memory
MASTERCLASS Exploring set design
UNIVERSITY
SHOWCASE
University Showcase
GUEST PROGRAMME Challenging
Perspectives

4. Films 1
• The film is about a young girl living in the Louisiana Swamps with her dad who one day discovers
an egg from a dead alligator and adopts it. As the alligator grows over time she continuously
attempts to hide it from her father.
• The 3D animation in the film is very beautiful. Every shot looks terrifically well created, and dare I
say expensive. The film does a good job at making you feel sympathy for the character by showing
how difficult and isolated she must feel, by also implying that the father is strict with her.
Although the father seems very strict I couldn’t help but fear for him throughout the film towards
the end, where he does get attacked and he loses his leg. To save her father the main character is
forced to sever the alligators arm off. In this scene the film does a great job at making you feel
afraid for everyone in this scene.
• Personally I thought having the characters not say anything for the whole film felt sort of cliched
and takes away the chance for there to be some needed character development that would’ve
provided some explanation as to who these characters are, or even why the mother isn’t in the
film.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Evangeline Animation

5. Films 2
• The film is about a bus driver discovering she is trapped on a bus with a supernatural entity that
starts to haunt and terrorise her.
• Susan Wokoma does a very good job as the main (and almost only) character, in the film, Natasha.
Her acting is really good and really stood out for me. The film has a very interesting and creative
premise and is filled many moments of suspense and tension, for example when the demon
teleports through the floor and onto the lower decker of the bus ready to attack, which was also
an interesting use of camera work. There are also some really creepy shots throughout the film,
for example; the final shot where the demon is looking through the handprint on the window,
which is a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ shot.
• Despite its good qualities there are some flaws. We don’t really learn a lot about Natasha other
than the fact she hates birthdays for some reason, but it serves no purpose in the film. She also
comes across as very rude. The demon is very under-developed and does not serve a purpose for
being there (other than the plot, of course) and we never get an explanation as to what it is.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Night Bus Thriller

6. Films 3
• The film is a dark comedy about a young impressionable man named Matthew who attempts to
pull a knock-a-door-run prank on a strangers house to impress his friends, however things get
intense when the stranger catches him and invites him inside.
• Daniel Lipton and John Sugden both deliver exceptional performances as the characters that they
need to play. Lipton does a really good job at playing a soft, nerdy, impressionable wimp who
can’t stand up for himself. Sugden executes this confusing manipulative old man who’s intentions
aren’t really certain which makes him a very interesting and mysterious character. Personally I
thought that some of the scenes inside were well lit despite there not being a lot of light in the
room.
• It was a bit dark for a film that is placed under the “comedy” section, it felt more like a horror-
comedy. The ending wasn’t really clear and left me with many questions to ask that won’t be
answered. I wish it had gone for more of a comedy narrative and tone rather than a dark
confusing ending, but I suppose the best way to end a film is to leave the audience wanting more.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Knock Door Run Comedy

7. Films 4
• The film is about a young boy named Eric who is forced to commit an unspeakable act in order to
gain money to help feed his family. Does he know the consequences of what he has done?
• The first thing that really struck me about this film is the way it’s filmed, and that is it’s entirely in
black and white right up until the end. And it’s clear that it’s more than just using a filter, the
director is clearly using some sort of old camera to film, and then adding a black and white filter.
This creates a sort of mood for the film which reflects how dark, serious and joyless Eric’s world is.
The final shot of the film isn’t only part that has any colour at all. This either symbolises how Eric’s
world was along time ago or it is how bright and happier his life is after receiving the money and
being able to help his family. The film does a good job at making you sympathise with the
character who is forced into this situation. Liam Moogan does a good job at portraying this
character, who has really been left in this dark world where he is essentially on his own. (His
father has left before the film begins and the mother isn’t seen through the film although we can
assume that she is too busy to be at home.)
• I couldn’t think of anything that I didn’t like about the film.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
An Everyday Act Drama

8. Films 5
• This film follows an assassin sent on a mission to execute his latest target, when he gets a surprise
that jeopardises the whole mission.
• The entire film is done entirely in one shot and the main actor, Jon Campling does a really good
job at keeping up with the camera and remembering his cues. He doesn’t have any lines
throughout the film which makes his performance even more menacing and interesting. The
camera work is really good, I can’t even find any edits or cuts in the film where they would’ve
switched cameras. If there are they are really well hidden.
• I would have liked a reason for why the assassin is after his target and/or why she is wanted dead.
I thought it had too much of an abrupt ending but that leaves what happens next to the viewers
imagination.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Surprise Thriller

9. Films 6
• This film follows two siblings who are trying to do everything they can to keep their parents from
getting divorced.
• I liked Tommy Kenter as the father. He delivers a great performance as this tired exhausted old
man who is fed up with living with his wife (or at least pretending to be). The acting from the son,
Jesper Ole Feit Anderson, is also really good. We get the sense of tiredness he feels from having
working late and having to keep his parents relationship from falling to pieces. Like I’ve said with
some of the other films this one is very well lit in certain scenes, for example; in the sons office
there is only one light lighting up the room.
• I think it could have been a few minutes longer in order to add in more jokes that really would
have made me laugh even more would have made it funnier and possibly given it something
special.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Dad’s Divorce Comedy

10. Films 7
• This film is set in France and follows a french girl named Eva, who escapes from an interrogation
workplace organised by her education centre. She finds herself on a boat and sailing off with the
sailors on board.
• Eva is comes across as this naive, troubled young girl who seriously needs to mature and be
taught the consequences of what she does, and Noée Abita plays this role brilliantly. She does a
really good job and I would like to see her in future projects. Olivier Loustau is also good in his
role as Arnaud the fisherman. The film also looks very beautiful, it is very well saturated and
warm, it even looks slightly expensive. The concept is very interesting to me personally because it
is very similar for the concept of my FMP. The concept is very open to possibilities and has
potential for a full film.
• But sadly the film doesn’t live up to the possibilities that it has(probably due to its limited
runtime). The story felt a bit bland and empty in certain parts. I really feel as if the story could
have used some more depth to it to make a more interesting plot. We also don’t learn much
about Eva or why she’s in this workplace in the first place.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Odol Gorri Drama

11. Films 8
• The film follows a woman who is pushing the borders of human nature and asks the
question “How willing are we to compromise and finally accept our inner monsters?”
• The film is very grim and gory which at times was hard to watch, but I suppose that’s the
films intention. The main actress, Anna Della Rosa delivers an unsettling performance as
this mysterious, psychopathic, feral animal-like woman and does it without even saying a
single word through the entire film. She is completely mute and stealth-like and that’s
what makes this character so scary and what makes the film so scary. It’s only 17 minutes
long but you don’t know what exactly is going to happen next or what the character is
going to do next. The film also looks very pleasing, the colour gradient also makes the
films very nice to look at, it works really well with the amazing cinematography.
• I thought there could have been some sort of explanation as to who this woman and her
children were and why she was like this.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Ferine Thriller

12. Films 9
• The film centres around a white horse wanders alone in the forest whilst two sisters set
out on a pilgrimage with an urn of ashes.
• Every shot if this film looks absolutely stunning. The colour saturation is very rich and
warm, this is something I would like to study in order to create shots similar to the film.
The camera work is done very well and it’s done mostly by having the camera in one
place per scene rather than having it switch during scenes. The acting is good despite the
two actresses in it don’t really have any character traits.
• It doesn’t really have much of a plot or anything that is worth following and the film
ultimately ends up feeling empty and not much to pay attention to. It’s also too short for
for there to be any character growth or development in any way.
FILM TITLE FILM GENRE
Forest Memory

13. Masterclass 1
• The masterclass was based on set design in film. I learned lots about
the differences between what directors think about using practical
effects and cgi effects on sets and how it makes a difference. It gave
me some helpful advice on how sets should look like and how they
can be made.
MASTERCLASS TITLE
Exploring set design

14. Masterclass 2
• I watched a masterclass that was hosted by Dame Judi Dench who gave tips and advice
on acting and shared her opinions on certain things.
• When asked about the diversity movement in the current film industry; “I hope it is
something that will take place but it will take its time to change and currently we can
only make inroads in that direction.”
• She was then asked if she would direct a film she responded: “I couldn’t direct a film, I
wouldn’t know a thing.” “It’s quite solitary and you envy the company who are all
together and doing something.”
MASTERCLASS TITLE
Judi Dench: An icon of cinema

15. University Showcase
• I chose this showcase once again because of how interesting the title
made it sound. Storytelling is something that has always interested
me and always been something I’ve wanted to study for filmmaking
and to structure a story.
SHOWCASE TITLE
Why does storytelling matter?

16. Guest Programme
• I chose this programme almost immediately due to the title,
“challenging perspectives”, which very quickly pulled my attention.
Each film shows us a different perspective of different people’s
livelihoods and life styles. I also hadn’t watched any documentaries
from the festival and thought it would only be appropriate to.
• This will appeal to my FMP because my prime character will have a
different livelihood to most people.
GUEST PROGRAMME TITLE
Challenging Perspectives