Introduction:
At a young girl’s first lesson with her new piano teacher, tensions rise to an unexpected climax.
Inspiration:
I started learning music and in particular piano at the age of three and went on to study a multitude of instruments. This meant that up until a certain age my life revolved heavily around music. Very soon these lessons became a weekly battle of wills between my teachers and myself. This film is a snapshot of the emotions, and more often than you would think, tensions, of a music lesson through a surrealist lens.
The Process:
As with any production, we had some anxiety-inducing moments due to the location! We found out very close to the day that there was going to be a big public party with speakers and drums behind our location, a major sound problem on any shoot, let alone one with a live piano! We considered postponing or relocating last minute, but given that we had already shuffled things around, we decided to risk it. I’m glad we did, as in the end we did not hear a single drum beat.
We also ambitiously only allocated a day to shoot, so we of course had to drop a scene. However, this allowed us to find a more suitable location, and we picked this up at the Royal Academy of Music, where I started my own musical journey, so it was a very full circle moment for me personally.
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
We were already thrilled to be an official selection, but then to be nominated for Sound Design, an aspect the team and Sarah, our designer, poured so much attention into, is something we are really proud of.
Where to Watch / Follow:
Discord will be released online later on but you can continue to follow the film’s journey on @studiolimpet/@sjenl where I will also be providing updates on future projects.