'Redefine' wins Film of the Month

We are very excited to share our latest Film of the Month winner, 'Redefine'. This moving and intimate portrait of the morning after a young trans person comes out to their family was made by Finn, aged 17, from Faversham in Kent. Our Special Mention this month goes to Just Add Water, made by Dylan from Chippenham.

Read on to hear from Finn about their experience making this film. 

How does it feel to win Film of the Month?

I'm always incredibly critical of my work, especially the technical aspects, so this is a lovely reminder to take a step back and take a bit of pride in my work now and then!

What/who are your filmmaking inspirations?

I did a lot of research before I started actually writing this film because I really wanted to understand the areas I needed to improve on/take inspiration from in terms of trans representation in the film industry. During this, some of the films I found to take inspiration from were Cowboys, of which I loved the natural imagery and ending, and I Saw the TV Glow as I liked the metaphorical approach because it didn't reduce the characters to their gender identity. More generally, this film's style takes a lot from films like Close, Sing Sing, and the lighting of Flow.

What were the challenges in making this film, and how did you overcome them?

I think the biggest challenge was just juggling all of the different roles as the crew. Being completely on my own for this small scale film I had to film, direct, do sound, schedule everyone etc myself. That was a huge and rather stressful learning curve for me, but I think it really helped my skills on set as it forced me to be a well-rounded filmmaker despite not having what makes film so great - a team!

What was your filmmaking process? How did you go about creating this film?

As I said I watched a lot of films with good and bad trans representation so I knew exactly what tropes and characterisation I wanted to avoid or take inspiration from. After that I found storyboarding helped a lot to form my characters and there was a lot of going back and forth with the ending as I wanted to really make that universally emotional impact. Once I'm happy with the basic foundations of my films I always do a final draft of a storyboard and shot lists before all of the organisation like call sheets etc.

What did you enjoy most about making the film? 

On every film I do, I love every part of it, from writing to my favourite aspect - filming. For this one specifically, I really got to try out filming on location, which is primarily new to me as I have mainly shot on sets before. I really enjoyed the nature of being outside in the hands of the elements, learning how to work with those lighting and sound nuances instead of against them. I think this really developed an atmospheric depth to my film that it wouldn't have otherwise had and ground it in reality as this is such a real issue today.

What would you do differently next time?

The biggest thing I would change next time is lighting the scenes differently. There were a lot of lighting effects that I wanted to achieve, such as lighting coming through blinds in the first scene and a bright, god-like light shining behind the parents to emphasise the significance of the moment as he speaks to them for the first time. Due to simply a lack of professional equipment I couldn't pull these off and I think that really holds the film back for me. So, if I could do it again I would definitely wait until I could find the equipment and reshoot those scenes.

What message would you like audiences to take from watching this film?

More than anything, I want those watching to connect with Noah beyond his gender identity and understand his joy as simply a human being more than anything. I think so many representations of trans characters in film have been absolutely dehumanising in their tragedy, so it was extremely important to me that the audiences saw in my film the importance of queer joy and how to support your loved ones in the LGBTQIA+ community. Furthermore, if you are a trans person watching, I sincerely hope you find identity and hope in the film that you are valid and can be accepted.

What are you working on next?

I'm currently in the process of editing my next short ‘How to Stop Writer's Block' (it's a working title!) which plays with a style of narration in which the character breaks the fourth wall to say parts of the narration. It follows a teenage girl trying to find inspiration in various places, from the crowds in London to the sacredness of a church, acting as an extended metaphor for the isolation and depression that comes from putting too much pressure on yourself to not only be productive but be happy.

Special Mention - Just Add Water

Every month, we select another film we feel deserves to be celebrated alongside the winner. This month, we are delighted to give our Special Mention to Just Add Water, an impressive and mysterious stop-motion animation that was made by Dylan, from Chippenham.

"After a box containing a soil filled plant pot and a simple instruction sheet arrives at a mans door, his curiosity and impatience gets the better of him and he suffers a brutal yet comedic downfall as a consequence for his impatience."