“Do or Do Not, There is No Try” – Yoda, Empire Strikes Back (1980)

BFI Future Film in association with Sci-Fi London present: To the Cinema & Beyond! (5th May 2012)

Report by Danny Lawrence (Danny BFI)

With a film entitled Ghosts with Sh*T Jobs, another set in the unique genre of lesbian rock musical, and Sloane U’Ren who was the Art Director for Batman Begins, this was obviously something that I was not going to miss!

5th May brought to the BFI 3 guest speakers who have all played roles in the sci-fi film making world. With a successful turn out, our young film-makers got the chance to engage and listen to these film-makers share their experiences and their valuable advice on how to make a sci-fi film on a low budget. Jim Munroe director of Ghosts with Sh*t jobs, consistently stressed the importance of ‘working with what you’ve got’. This was a man who had very little to no budget, but was able to recognize that defining line of ‘what’s possible’ and what he would like to one day achieve. I particularly found Jim’s rawness to be pleasant, powerful and entertaining..

Ghosts with Sh*t jobs is a faux documentary where the west has been in financial ruin and the North Americans (or Ghosts) are outsourced for work in China and India. Set in 2040 AD, there doesn’t seem to be much employment available, other than spambot, robot baby technician and silk collector of course. Jim was able to use what he had at his disposal to create this unique piece. Because of his lack of funds, his creativity and approach demonstrated that money is not necessarily a necessity.

“My friends were spawning babies around me, so I thought why not use them as props. A baby being disassembled…sure, why not?”

Strange Love – Love & Sax, is something I had never seen before – in terms of the art direction and the animation, this feature film is one that I would not only recommend watching for what the story tells, but I found myself s intrigued by its imagery and style.

GB Hajim is quite a character: he has travelled the world and is currently living in Hawaii. He is perhaps the polar opposite of Jim Munroe; GB Hajim did what most new film-makers do in terms of branching out for funding opportunities and seeking out finances before starting a project. Strange Love – Love & Sax – is a project in which GB gave back to his community, by recruiting young enthusiastic film-makers from his home island and teaching them how to animate. The film contains their drawings, animations and astonishing input for the first ever lesbian science fiction Rock n’Roll animated film!

Sloane U’Ren, a British American Director/Art Director, is truly a remarkable individual. Her credits include Being John Malkovich, Mission Impossible 2, Ali, Batman Begins, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and her directorial debut, Dimensions – a period drama set in the 1920’s starring Henry Lloyd Hughes (Mark Donovan in The Inbetweeners).

Sloane said she was the kind of person to procrastinate the idea of directing but had always wanted to try it. After all, she never saw the role of Production Designer to be a radical change, as you are still a film-maker, and who is to say that just because you are labelled by a specific title, your creativity is limited? If anything, Sloane’s talent enabled her to enrich and enhance what Dimensions presents. She shared the pro’s and con’s of working on a film set, being part of a production team and working your way through the gruesome hierarchy – it was her passion that allowed Sloane to reach her goal eventually, and as she quite rightly said, “if you’re in this industry to get rich, you’re better off finding something else to do”. As the rewards to the job might be extraordinary, the long hours and the painful journey to get there will certainly test one’s perseverance. As the saying goes, you only get out what you put in.

As the event came to a close, 3 short films (RX Terra, C223, Sit in Silence – winner of the SCI-FI London 48 hour challenge 2011) were screened for our guests and audience, 2 of which were made here at the BFI last year as part of our DIY Sci-Fi film making event. The feedback given was positive throughout, with some constructive criticism on what could be done differently. One last thing that all of our guest speakers concluded with, and something that I will leave you with to ponder over as advice for young film-makers…and that is to create, create and create! Regardless of budget and the resources you have, just go for it. Take action and do what you can to the best of your ability. Despite what you may think of it, if you’re someone who’s great at cinematography, sound design or camerawork…someone out there is looking for an individual with that skill, and it could be you. Reality check, you’re not going to make the next Avatar or the next Stars Film if you don’t have the budget at hand. But what you do have is the ability to identify a niche in films. Find your own niche, and show it to the world.

To link back to my opening quote – In the words of Yoda, “do or do not, there is no try”