LauAnnotation
This is a scene from the short film 'RELEASE'. In the scene the protagonist, Bo, enters a very stuffed sauna where a pouring is about to start. While the infusion starts, the space gets hotter and hotter by a worker who's wafting the hot air with a towel. Bo is trying to endure the happening, battling the heat, having 15 naked men around him puffing and doing the same.
We filmed this scene in an actual sauna. I was afraid first it would look too much 'staged'. But because of the lamps and the hot summer day the space was quite warm during filming, which was perfect. We used glass in front of the camera's to create an image that was more blurry. Also the make-up department had a special kind of spray that produced the illusion of sweat (which we sometimes didn't even need). The extra's in the scene have been found through similar tactics. Some of them are friends of mine. Some responded to an online add. The one who is doing the infusion actually works at the place where we were filming. I asked him on the day if he wants to do a small part.
This scene is introducing the concept of adapting to an established ritual. The main-characters comes in and doesn't know what he got himself exactly into. But his longing to understand and be part of a subculture pushes him to remain seated, even though he actually can't stand the heath. How much do you push yourself to go along and when do you set boundaries? The element in this scene is all fire. This scene is about this, about trying to get through something and fighting the fire. It's something I partly tried to express through the warm colors of the lighting.
I made this scene quite intuitively, comparing to some of the other parts in the film that were constructed in a certain order of shots and actions. In this scene I improvised more, letting my DOP slide through this crowd of sweaty men. We took long takes in which I gave instructions to the extra's and the actor. In the editing I decided to fade the footage into each other to give it more a ritual, psychedelic effect.
what?
a sence of a short film lau is making
how?
he put an ad online to gather people
why?
coming into a sub culture trying to adapt with rituals and finding boundaries
choices?
being intuitive
what came before?
it is the main character's first time entering a sona
what will follow?
continuing his journey
1 question from the question generator
what would you change?
add more diversity
(but it reflects the actual makeup of the sauna
What?
This is a scene from Lau's film called Release. This scene showed a 'pouring' within a sauna, where someone uses a towel and then it gets hotter and hotter in the room. The main character and a cast of character.
The element in this scene is all fire. This scene is about fire, about trying to get through something.
How?
We had an intimacy coordinator. The actors made suggestions too.
Why?
Lau made the scene, because they wanted to make a scene about pushing oneself and getting into a ritual about something you don't quite understand.
Choices?
The actor looks like Lay, but this was not a conscious choice. All the actors are non-actors. The light was connected to the idea of heat and fire. We improvised a lot during this scene. We had a shot list, but we took time to freestyle. We used a glass in front of the lens to make blurry, steamy atmosphere.
What came before?
Lau was at film school and got money to make this film, after winning the student prize - they weren't there (at the ceremony) but they did win.
What will follow?
A visual essay about a gorilla Bokito, comparison between Bokito escaping Blijdorp Zoo and a Grindr date.
Notes from Nina and Arabella
- We felt like the scene was exciting, and captured feelings of fear/danger/excitement.
- Can you use the behind scenes stories in another project? Nina said this.
3 questions from the question generator
What are its limits? Its cinema so it is suitable for TV or cinema, its not something you can step into half way through as it is a piece that has a a beginning and end. Its not something that can be looped.
What can you change?
Diversity, it is the role of the director to show that a diverse world is possible. But all the people that applied to be extras were white.
How can it be translated?
there is no dialogue, the only texts is the credits