Aspiring Director Lays Bare Society's 'Ugly Truth' in Debut Short Film

How did you hear about the work of RISE Brighton and in what way did it inspire the film? 

I am a recent MA graduate and part of my course was to do a placement as a final project. I chose RISE Brighton because I wanted to be involved with an organisation that works against abuse. Brighton is a small city and almost everyone knows about RISE, during Pride week I saw people approaching RISE volunteers and employees to thank them for whatever they had done. I found it extremely heartwarming so I approached them and they agreed to a six-week placement in which I was to produce content for their website. During my time there I had the chance to speak to some people who had used the service and understand their journey to freedom. I found a similar pattern I could visualise it as a curve and it inspired my film. 

Why is the film untitled? 

Initially I wanted to give the film a title and let it be the last thing to do, but I showed it to a lot of people and they all had such different interpretations of it. I decided to name it Are You Free Yet? and when I told people I could see them twist whatever they had understood to fit it along the narrative that the title seemed to give, so I decided to call my film No Title. 

How many people did you interview for the project and what made you choose these particular stories? 

None of the conversations I had were interviews. I talked to about three service users of RISE, and some staff members, but the process had been going for a while I had gotten into the habit of discussing it with anyone I met; my friends colleagues housemates anyone and I had a notebook in which I would write any statements they would mention that were very significantly traumatising to them or anyone they knew. Some service users at RISE let me read their personal diaries that they had written during their therapy process, I think that really put me in the particular state of mind. I felt like I was all these people and all of these horrible things were being said to me personally. So it aided in creating the whole atmosphere.

The format of the film is interesting: the text conversations feel very real/authentic whereas the live-action performers lend a more theatrical, stylised feel. Did you always intend to tell the story this way or did it develop as you went along? 

Yes, it is kind of unconventional and sort of a contrast but I had to use actors in order to maintain anonymity. Since the very beginning, I wanted to use silhouettes, and the first time I thought of the film I drew my idea in the form of a curve and I wanted it to be a reveal towards the peak of the curve and then a change of moods. The film is meant to incorporate many stories instead of one, anything more real would have been a focus on one person's story.

So instead of describing the entire story, I decided to use the statements, not only does that say a lot but gives some sort of a reality check to people who need to identify manipulation and abuse. 

The text conversation is essential because it describes what happens to the victim's decision-making process; how much little things are influenced by fear, confusion, and anxiety. Virtual conversations are such a norm in our lives, every day we make a million decisions online and I found that so many people found it very relatable, erasing and re-writing texts, thinking about the person you are having the conversation with and your partner, the stress!

The film also highlights situations of domestic violence against men, something which isn't often spoken about. How important was it for you to present the full picture?

I was very conscious of it, I really did not want it to be highlighted as a women's problem. We need to really stop seeing it a gendered issue, we must understand the aspects of abuse that are toughest to speak about. When we feel we won't be listened to, we tend to justify or deny what we may be feeling and that is such a menace because it goes on and on and on and becomes this vicious cycle further protected by fear and insecurity. 

The ending of the film is purposefully vague and open to interpretation – one of the victims seems to escape, but this is juxtaposed with a 999 call. What mood/message were you trying to convey with this ending? 

The entire film, including my decision to have no title, is meant to be vague. The film feeds on relatability; everyone who watches it will see something else, towards the end they will either envision themselves calling for help or re-visit themselves having done so. The 999 call is meant to be symbolic of breaking the silence, [bringing] sudden sanity with brightness into the picture. 

 

Where does the final quote - about the monster not being under the bed but next to your head - come from?

This quote is not taken from anywhere, I had shown the film while it was half done to a friend of mine and he kept telling me how I was exaggerating the impact of possessive statements like 'I'll never let you go' or 'You're mine' and in that argument, I just said this to him. Later I decided to put it at the end of the film, and the word 'Rise' just fits perfectly and is in absolute alignment with the fact that the film is inspired by RISE.

What sort of a budget and timeframe were you working with? 

I had given myself a £200 budget and from the day I started production I had three weeks to finish. The three weeks before that during my placement, I had been producing other content for the website. It was quite a tight timeframe but I managed to film it all in three scheduled shoots and the rest was all devoted to post-production.

What were the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of the process for you? 

The script: combining all the stories, I felt burdened, because I didn't want to end up misrepresenting anything. Secondly, the audio: I was listening to it and editing angles etc constantly for three long weeks, and I feel like I can still hear it! Truly harrowing. 

This project started as just a vision for my final submission but by the time it was done it had become the product of so many opinions, experiences, and collaborations that I am touched and I can say it with absolute confidence that this film is the ugly truth of our society we never talk about but feel so deeply.