S O U N D S
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S I L E N C E
FINAL FILM
About the Project
"Sounds of Silence" is a short film I wrote, co-directed, produced and edited this year. Inspired by Slow Cinema, the film aims to let the poetic image take precedence over traditional narrative, creating a cinematic portrait of our subject, Clare. We follow Clare through her daily tasks, her spaces, and her routines. This film is a quiet and deep reflection, about her, for her. It is a portrait, but more so, an encounter—a confluence between us artists and Clare. It presents an ambiguous portrayal that represents the intersection of our perspectives of Clare and her own self-narrative.
The film seeks to break traditional narrative cycles, reclaim narratives, and find the extraordinary in the ordinary. It is an exploration of Clare as an individual, an encounter filled with the poetics of spaces and the mechanical actions of everyday life.
This film was an important learning experience, as I undertook so many roles, leading me to learn so many new skills, and further develop my film and creative identity. The project enabled me to continue exploring the poetics of filmmaking, encounters, and the beauty of the ordinary, while also refining my directing and editing skills.
On this project I worked collaboratively with co-director Selma Stocker and our DP, Selina Moussa . We also had Sierra Fofanah acting as our sound operator.
Inspired by works such as “Two Years at Sea” (2011) Ben Rivers and “No Home” (2015) Chantal Akerman, we decided to follow Clare, our subject and film provoked scene of her in the places she loves, the places she often visits, her habits in and outside her house. For practicality we had before hand created a questionnaire asking about her everyday life, and had discussions with her, in order to still create a shotlist and script on which we could rely to plan the film (shooting locations, shot list, timetables, etc)
The reason why we created that cinematographic portrait initially, is due to the strong attachment my co-director (Selma Stocker) had, after subletting a room in her house for three months. She then asked me to jump in the project, and I accepted, curious to meet this person and to create a film about her and for her, and getting to know her through this filming experience.
Clare is a woman in her 60s, she is finishing up her Ph.D. and thesis that she spent the past 5 years researching and writing in Dhaka, Bangladesh, researching about child labor in the factories in the slums of Dhaka. When we shot the film, Clare had just gotten back from Dhaka and was just settling back in her London home. She was rediscovering her habits, the places she loved, her memories. We were very much interested Clare, especially at that pivotal moment of her life, in between two cycles of life, and the rediscovery of habits, places and identity.
Stills, Process, Research
We chose to shape our narrative and filmmaking process by the experience, the person, and our encounter, rather than bringing a structured scenario and driven narrative to the project. Our technical process consisted of filming actions and places led by Clare’s habits, desires, and our discussions, allowing those to shape our film. During our three-day encounter, we collected images and conversations, building a poetic film through the editing process—guided not by a linear narrative but by emotion, our encounter, and Clare’s voice.
It was very important to us that Clare had the opportunity to have power, control, and a chance to reclaim the narrative as she perceives it while filming. Clare intuitively expressed her refusal to fit into a box or be a projection of our imagination; she wanted to be truly herself and able to express and reclaim her narrative. We discussed cycles and the perpetuation of narratives, especially concerning unconventional women in history and literature. A book she discussed and wanted to include in the film is "The Awakening” by Kate Chopin. Clare spoke about the representation and categorization of women throughout literature, film, and narratives, emphasizing the need to acknowledge and break these narrative cycles.
You will find below links to my portfolio pages and research pages.
PORTFOLIO
CONCLUSION
This project has been rich in experiences, allowing me to handle multiple roles as director, producer, editor, and sound editor (with the collaboration of Selina Moussa). The process was intense and intimate, filled with emotion, creative collaboration, joy, and hard work. I feel privileged to have worked with such dedicated creatives and friends outside of CSM, leading my own project independently, a part from the . I am proud to have stepped out of my comfort zone, tried new things, and learned to collaborate with new artists.
Things That Went Well:
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Crew Creation and Casting: We assembled a talented crew and cast, fostering a positive atmosphere and creative collaboration.
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Building a Relationship with Clare: Establishing a connection with Clare, helping her feel comfortable, and developing an intimate relationship were key to the film's success. As a director it is a very delicate and important task to get your talent comfortable and as intimate and comfortable in front of the camera.
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Cinematography and Color Composition: We succeeded in creating a poetic narrative through thoughtful cinematography and color composition. Creating a beautiful poetic slow film, reflecting the tranquility and tenderness that was the meeting with Clare.
Difficulties:
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Complex Project: This was one of my most complicated films, from pre-production to shooting to post-production, providing immense learning opportunities.
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Access to Material: Filming right after the Christmas break posed challenges as we couldn't borrow equipment from the loan store. Clare's tight schedule added to the difficulty, requiring us to source cameras and sound recording equipment independently, with no lighting material, making it a very DIY process. Looking back, I believe this is for the best, as it allowed us to work with natural lightings, and to have a very discreet, intimate set up, and nothing too overpowering, to not intimidate Clare.
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Footage Quality: There was an adaptation period to learn the camera, resulting in some unusable footage due to graininess or overexposure., so sometimes we were a bit more restricted in our editing decisions.
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Editing Process: Initially relying on a sound editor who became unavailable, we had to complete the sound editing ourselves one week before the final submission. This created a lot of stress, but ultimately we got it done in time. Additionally, agreeing on an editing style with my co-director in LA (who did not have access to the footage) within a short timeframe required compromises and quick decision-making.
What I Learned:
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Sound Editing: Despite the stress, I enjoyed the sound editing process and am considering working more with sound. Composing atmospheric sounds to build a symphony sound composition was particularly fun, and I really learned a lot, about rhythm, layers and the importance of sound.
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Solution-Oriented Thinking: I learned to be forward-thinking and solution-oriented in addressing challenges.
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Slow Cinema Movement: I gained extensive knowledge about the slow cinema movement and discovered many new references, that are now feeding my creative practice daily
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Spontaneous Filmmaking: Working without a precise script and letting the relationship with the film's subject guide the process taught me to find spontaneity and tenderness in filmmaking, appreciating the beauty in the simplest actions.
Next Steps:
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Integrating Film into Artistic Practice: I plan to continue making film a significant part of my artistic practice. I love to write, imagine, and compose, and film remains one of my main creative interests, this project confirmed that to me, especially in the way we handled it, compared to different experiences I have had with film making.
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Further Studies: I enjoyed the process immensely, and next year I will be studying Film Studies at UCL, which will enrich my knowledge, research, and ultimately my practice.