Last night in Barbican Cinema 2 writer, producer and curator Gareth Evans presented some of the edited results the lab.
Evans had visited the lab on Day 4 and observed the process in action. After seeing the three scenes projected in the cinema, his first comment to the audience was:
"...The idea that we would see something translated so profoundly from a theatrical space to a cinematic one in just a handful of days is really extraordinary... the process starts ironically in a theatre space and becomes more cinematic as it goes on. A wonderful paradox..."
Eelyn Lee and editor/composer Francis Morgan-Giles spent three days editing the footage shot by cinematographer Dominik Rippl. The results are three scenes of a monster story: the river; the hideout and the market. Lee says,
'We have enough footage to cut together four more scenes to complete the story cycle. I am really pleased with the results which are dark, full of suspense and evoke a strong sense of the estuary. We have truly created a new visual language through this unique process. It's very exciting.' Â
Eelyn is currently looking to transfer the process, characters and stories to a real setting along the Thames Estuary and further develop the work to create a feature length film.
Last week writer, editor, producer, presenter and programmer, Gareth Evans visited the Lab. Tonight he will be hosting a conversation with Eelyn Lee and her team of collaborators about their experiences, ideas and reflections in the Barbican Cinema 2. Read his own thoughts on our adventures in to devised filmmaking in this poignant and insightful guest blog.Â
Let's meet tomorrow if you chooseÂ
upon the shore, beneath the bridgeÂ
that they are building on some endless riverâŠ
âŠI told you when I came I was a stranger.
                         - Leonard Cohen, from Stranger Song
Â
The context is all; the various transports, the means, the versions of arrival: day of rain, estuary weather, the constant pour of it. Slowing it all down, the city a crawl-space; buses locked nose to tail, so weâre off then and out in it, pedestrian in body but racing in the head while the news returns to the â30s, the time machine of austerity cuts losing us almost a century (in the centenary of conflict), while war by other means and war by the old means grinds on as well; and across the water, another Grand Jury failing â chokeholds as acceptable engagement; everywhere, parties digging in, closing down the borders, sealing out all difference; dark timesâŠ
âIn the dark timesÂ
Will there also be singing?Â
Yes, there will also be singing,
About the dark times.â â Bertolt Brecht
The Barbican is a bunker that forgot to go under, a prepared zone able to withstand all the weathers it needs to hold at bay. Too large to be buried, itâs a sky-high priced reminder of past, present and probable future â space as property â as that which will survive all the erasures.
Weâre meeting in the Pit, the theatre at minus levels and counting. Passcodes on the stage door, industrial lifts, large enough for other realities to fit. Weâre meeting backstage and down, far down. The lower depths are predicated around navigated confusion; a profusion of doors, a wonderland tumble. Itâs impossible to know which open on what, on imagination or toilets, canteens or mirrors; changing rooms, all; hallways and corridors unscrolling in a seemingly endless passage; until one realises it is just that, a circular maze, an ouroboros eating itself. Mike Nelsonâs Coral Reef has submerged and regrouped; in our end is our beginning⊠these are ghost-world dispatches â there are thousands down there, jostling for the spots, playing to the stallsâŠ
But it feels suitable, this destabilising entrance, this complex harbouring in the morningâs main business. If it had all been straightforward, then surely that ease would have spilled into the reason weâre here, rendered it too regular, too familiar. After all, weâve come to meet a monsterâŠ
Eelyn Lee and her Pit Lab ensemble are into their fourth day when I drop by, stacking up the hours without weather like their constantly shifting cardboard set, in freighted ventilation, cabled glow, a black walled box for 18, but strangely self-sufficient and like some âlord of the fliesâ outcrop, seeming to run by its own unspoken rules and rituals, everyone getting on with something, and those who seem least active at a given moment still holding microphones on high stems, waiting for voices but maybe conjuring them too, sonic priestesses, aural conductors of the subterranean air.
The Pit Lab steps out twice a year â you apply, you nab it or, more frequently, not. You get a week with support, a residency without sleeping rights (but then again, who knows; who indeed would clock it if you stayed, slipped into the cornered gloom of the unillumined spaces and closed your long-looking eyes). Normally itâs for theatre troupes, working up the next tread of the boards. This one is filmic, a first. But thereâs a method in the making, both in performance and in process, one that knows a theatre when itâs in one.
Lee is here with a tribe of talented types that range like wildfire across a hillside of disciplines. Some are repeat collaborators, others new to the plot. Sheâs seeded them with very little, just a handful of words and a scatter of images, but thatâs the point; great swathes of the week are up to them to find and realise.
Itâs about strangers in town (think Clint, Kitano, Kasper Hauser; think Dogville and the dunes of Kobo Abe). Itâs about upheaval in the estuary, about monsters and the triggers they drag in with them, like a net full of old explosives just waiting to go off. Itâs about work and love, and conflict and then death; but mostly itâs about the fear that comes from meeting with the âotherâ, from the monsters that we make through instinct and such ignorance; and it takes place in the estuary that took us on its boats to Conradâs Heart of Darkness, that gifted us the toothsome Count, that traffics migrants in, blind with terror in some sealed container. In short, itâs about now, and now again, and then again some more.
Itâs Leeâs idea and initiative but thatâs where the oligarchy stops. Improvisation is the order of proceedings, but not only, a la Mike Leigh, in characterisation, performance and dialogue but in design and art direction, cinematography, lighting, sound, scoring, scripting and costume â the waterfront entire. Sheâs taken the tropes of improvisational theatre and is expanding them to see if a whole feature can be generated this way; a little like an Occupy encampment, a temporary autonomous zone in which everyone is encouraged to enable their talents for the whole, for the greater good of this brief community.
On the day Iâm passing through, three scenes are on the cards: the monster encounters a racketeering market stall holder and a strange mutation of roles occurs; the monster hides; a lynch mob rally to hunt down the monster, agent of disruptionâŠ
The cardboard constructed is surprisingly effective. It starts the morning as a universal sales shack, mutating later into an avenging avenue, with scaffolding, CCTV and genuine perspective. There are cardboard trees and masking tape by the metre. Itâs not just a stand-in, rather an embodiment of the openness of the procedure, with imaginative interaction foremost.
A trio of musicians are gearing up â flute, cello and violin, accompanied by a low sonic growl from the mixing desk. All will accompany the scenes with their own evolving compositions. These are not rehearsals but constantly developing explorations. This can only work because of the trust engendered by the presence of a finely calibrated series of new and established relationships within a truly international company.
Shards of influence from, or association with other works glisten under the stage lights â Spirited Away, Werckmeister Harmonies, Lynchâs brooding darknesses â but the mood is one of moulding, not mimicry. Like Frankensteinâs monster itself, the project might be pieced out of parts, but it is becoming its own independent organism, and contributions to its onward life are in majority part from all of its constituent makers in the room, not remotely-sourced references.
I leave them five hours later, reworking the space for the final dayâs business. It seems entirely suitable that the next production in the space will be Forced Entertainmentâs The Possible, Impossible House, for in a sense thatâs what Lee is also building.
And before a final exit, I drop in once more to the venueâs architecture and photography gallery show Constructing Worlds (again, another timely and helpful titling â whatâs in the Barbican water?). In this outstanding exhibition is one image that has stayed with me since I first saw it right at the start of the showâs run. Itâs by the great Berenice Abbott: Unemployed and Huts â West Houston and Mercer St. Manhattan, October 25, 1935 and I think it is one of the greatest photographs in the history of the medium. As to why, Iâll leave that for now. But its richness has been textured further by my day in the pit, and that can only bode well.
Gareth Evans is a writer, editor, producer, presenter and programmer. He is Film Curator at the Whitechapel Gallery, London.
Working on Monster has been an emotional and fantastical journey. As art director on the piece I had the great responsibility of creating the world of the Monster. I have worked with Eelyn on her previous piece for the National Portrait gallery, so I knew I would gain great inspiration and vision from her and together we would form an immersive set for the actors. My concept came from a love of corrugated cardboard, I view the medium as a blank canvas that can be cut and modelled in to any number of incarnations allowing for the viewer to create their own vision of the set.
The Monsters world had to evolve on a daily basis with minimal fuse and disruption to the actors focus. I designed a set that all hinged on to a portable, parcel tape covered scaffold tower. Each cardboard scene could be erected by the actors, allowing them to build their new environment and engage further with their character. To add more dimension and balance to the prop and set design I added modelling clay, removal blankets and broom handles which became food, tools, weapons and supports. All materials were a natural tone of brown and grey which related to the original inspiration of the estuary which combines decaying urbanity and natural marsh lands.
I worked with my design assistant Amy Addison to create the costume design and hair and makeup. The Monster being the focus of the piece is where I took inspiration for all the characters. I created a monster that like his environment could evolve form human to monster so his clothing had to be a somewhat a blank canvas, so I sourced second hand, very common clothing that would disappear into the background and the actors character.
Eelyn's way of working on this piece has been an exciting and trepidatious experience and I can't wait to see the results!
Guest blog from Debbie Korley (Actress - Ghost Child)
Okay, surprise of the day? I am watching a really intense scene with actors and musicians seemingly working as one, reacting off each other, syncing beautifully and capturing the tension of the scene. After the scene, I walk to the lift and I see the musicians... 'Have you guys got a monitor to work off the actors?' Natasha, Detta and Dylan all reply with 'no'. I was completely taken aback. Then Natasha said it's good not to see because they may try too hard.
Things are definitely chiming on a deeper plane. We'll next be investigating the world of conflict for different characters. The plot literally thickens.
Guest blog from Nicola Bland (Actress - Gate Keeper)
So Wednesday was very much a day of observing. We focused mainly on the first meet with the monster and lover and watched that develop which was very exciting!
Today was more full on, it was the day of conflict! We started off in the Underworld boss's work place - his market stall, where my character and the Underworld boss clashed. It was good working with Hi Ching on this as we both understood where we wanted to go with it and quite quickly, which is always a bonus. He also did a really powerful scene with the Monster which was amazing to just observe and be a part of. The music as well took the scene to another level. The afternoon was finished with a powerful scene in the streets.
It's been a challenging but really rewarding day for me personally. I look forward to seeing how our last day on this project will be.
Another great day in the monster lab! We shot two amazing scenes exploring the turmoil and conflict caused by the arrival of the creature in the estuary. Hi Ching who plays the Underworld Boss gave a striking performance which brought out the monster in him.
Nicola Bland, playing the Gate Keeper caused havoc with her fully improvised and rousing call-to-arms speech.
Our Art Director Chris Kelly together with Cinematographer, Dominik Rippl transfomed the theatre space today in a way that surpassed all expectation!
And BIG thanks to musician Dylan Bates who's been with us for the past two days with his violin, piano fingers and hand saw!
Gareth Evans paid a visit this afternoon and had a great time chatting to everyone about the process. Watch this space to read his blog summing up his observations.
Looking forward to seeing how it all ends tomorrow.....
Guest Blog from Debbie Korley (Actress - Ghost Child)
On Tuesday, there was a deeper sense of the collaborative experience. Hearing the musicians and observing all the creatives in one room was riveting. It is so refreshing to do a film/moving image piece and being a part of creating the narrative and developing characters pretty much from scratch. My character went onto the hot seat today and I felt really immersed. These questions came towards me and even I was surprised by the answers I gave back. It was nice being someone else through first building an environment and then responding to the elements which may have influenced new ideas.
Wednesday was a day for observing while a delicate scene was made. I really enjoyed the experience. Letâs see what the next few days bring!
Today we focused on the relationship between the Monster and the Lover, played by Kingsley Ben-Adir and Anamaria Marinca. Anamaria is best known for her leading performance in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, the Romanian film by Cristian Mungiu that won the Palme d'Or in Cannes in 2008.
Our starting point for the day was Shelley's Frankenstein.... the section in the book where the creature secretly observes a loving family whilst teaching himself to speak and read. We spent the whole day exploring themes of love and humanity with Kingsley and Anamaria giving some powerful and touching performances.
At our mid-point in the week, the days have found a rhythm and as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi would say, I think we've found our state of flow!
With everyone a bit more settled in, we've been able to get our teeth in to some great improvisation work. We are developing some nice layers to the characters and beginning to build a vocabulary for the camera work as well as introducing a set of rules for colour and set.
In one exercise we explored the relationship between the Lover and the Ghost Child. Debbie Korley who plays Ghost Child is a seasoned improviser through her work with Told by an Idiot and Kneehigh. In this role Debbie is responding on a deeply intuitive level which seems poignant for a character who represents a collective memory. Whilst in the forum-style 'hot seat' Debbie discovered a poetic dimension to her character.
The hot-seating also proved useful for our writer, Emma Passmore who is developing some interesting poetic lines, whilst thinking about the possibilities of dialogue, narration and voice over.
We also found another way-in for developing character, camera and music simultaneously, through working with the set. We filmed short portraits of each character interacting with their associated space in the theatre. For example, we filmed the Lover building her house and the Gate Keeper interacting with her watchtower. Filmed in one improvised take with live music, this exercise helped the actors engage with their role as well as find a connection with both theatre and film space.
Powerful musical themes are emerging for each character. Today we were joined by Jo Gibson and her her tuba which provided some raw, gutteral sounds as well as a soothing atmosphere to work in! Jo grew up over-looking the Thames so also brought a strong sense of the London river with her.
Also, thanks to Duarte Cardoso who joined us on piano in the afternoon. Together, Tash, Jo, Duarte and Francis created a great musical theme for the Gate Keeper.
First day in the Pit and we started by making monsters. The actors worked with our Art Director, Chris Kelly, taking it in turns to be the monster and the creator. Some amazing results took shape in only 20 minutes.
Really interesting to have musicians playing in the room. Natasha Zielazinski [cello] and Detta Danford [flute] devised some haunting themes to evoke a sense of place. Working closely with our editor, Francis Morgan-Giles, together they began building a compelling sound world. Looking forward to all the guest musicians coming in throughout the week.
With 18 of us in the room, it took the best part of the day to get the technical aspects set-up but it was great to get something in the can! We don't have to stare at a blank canvas anymore and tomorrow we've got something to respond to.....
I am pleased to announce that my new moving image project, âMonsterâ has been selected by the Barbican to be developed during a 5-day lab in their Pit Theatre next month. Subsequently, the Arts Council England have offered their support in funding the project through their Grants for the Arts strand.
âMonsterâ is a five-day exploratory lab, exploring new ways of making moving image content through processes of devising and improvisation.
By interrogating notions of âdemons and fearâ I will collaborate with a group of artists and performers to create a monster story set in a fictional place along the Thames estuary.
The results will be shared with an audience in the Barbican Cinema, hosted by film curator, Gareth Evans and be further developed next year in a real estuary setting where I aim to produce a long-form moving image work.
The lab will take place 1st - 5th December, 2014
The showcase event is Thurs 11th Dec at 4.30 - 6.00pm. If you would like to attend please e.mail: [email protected]
