Introduction:
Fractured Frame is a surreal and psychological micro-short that centres on the mental experience of dissociation. It began as an interrogation of the inner world of an actor desperate to succeed in a competitive industry, and rapidly revealed many more layers about women, performance, identity, and gendered power.
Inspiration:
In late 2024, I attended West London Film Festival to watch the first short I produced screen in a cinema for the first time. A pitch competition was being run and, being new to filmmaking, I didn’t even consider taking part. But when they made a final call for entrants, a glass of wine at lunch compelled my hand up! I pitched an idea on stage and won the use of a photography studio for an afternoon, at Richmond American University, London.
When I visited, I knew the most value I could get out of the prize would be to shoot a very short film. I wanted to write a script that would be realistic, making full, exclusive use of the location and what they had. Studios are eerie and liminal, designed with the possibility to be all things to all people. I felt a comparison to some deep and vulnerable feelings I was having about being an actor, and ‘Fractured Frame’ is what poured out of me when I got home.
I wrote it around a few key images and ideas I had, mixed with some inspirations from short films I had recently seen on the festival circuit. All were imbued with themes of ambition and performance.
The Process:
I had the script, my one-day location booking, and a handful of filmmaker friends that I’d made on set as an Actor. What I didn’t have was technical experience, money, or much time. Therefore, I knew I needed to collaborate with a cinematographer who was very technically skilled and could collaborate with me to translate the vision I had. Searching through databases and groups, I found Helena Gonzalez, whose work is awe-inspiring, and thankfully agreed to meet me! It was her brilliant idea to bring a co-director on board, and she recommended Simon London. His immense experience across acting, directing, and photography meant he could connect with the concept and ground the production process.
There are many ambitious shots in the five-minute film, which I was also acting in: multi-camera setups, mixed media, screens live streaming other cameras, a dolly, a steadicam, an intimacy coordinated shot, and a drone that kept trying to flying itself into light fittings — something our very talented, debut editor, Gianluca Truda, wove into a creative metaphor in the final cut! His mixture of technical expertise and outside-the-box ingenuity pushed us both to keep teaching ourselves what we didn’t know.
However, there was extra processing to do in post, which I hadn’t accounted for. The thought of VFX was intimidating and sounded expensive, so I cold-emailed a post-house that I’d heard the name of in a Zoom workshop to get some advice. Wonderfully, they loved the fine cut so much that they offered to work on it, for free!
What It Means to Be a Finalist:
Being recognised as a Finalist at the Worcester Film Festival is extraordinary. Fractured Frame is my debut as a writer-director, coming out of instinct and vulnerability and carried forward by the brilliance of its crew. I’m so pleased for every member of the team, whose incredible talent and kindness are baked into every frame.
Where to Watch / Follow:
Follow the rest of Fractured Frame’s journey on Instagram — @fracturedframefilm. I’m @natalielaurenw, where you’ll also find the names and handles of everyone who made the film possible. 🙂
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