FILMING LAB 2
Women in Film Pre-production and Research
Granada, May 24-26, 2023
From gender and feminist studies, Filming Lab, now in its second edition, is a space where anthropological research on the film industry and the creative processes of film production converge. This edition focuses on the pre-film or pre-production phase, before shooting and film production. Filming Lab continues to emphasise its participatory, collaborative and interdisciplinary nature, contributing to the creation of synergies for collaborative work between filmmakers, researchers, students and the general public.
As an active research space, Filming Lab is one of the main lines of action of the Gender Media Lab, a project directed by anthropologist and researcher Marian del Moral and affiliated to the Institute of Women's and Gender Studies (IUEMG), the Department of Social Anthropology and the Women's Studies Research Group HUM-603 at the University of Granada.
This second edition of the Filming Lab consolidates a working network of filmmakers and researchers from national and international contexts. This initiative is also supported by the Office of Film in Granada of the Diputación de Granada, a key institution for the promotion of film professionals in the province and for external film productions that come to shoot in the locations offered.
It is of great interest to continue analysing the role of women in the Spanish film industry, focusing on:
a) the development of scripts
b) casting processes
c) the search for funding and the management of resources in the pre-production phases.
In addition, Filming Lab aims to contribute to the development of a grounded and theoretical base for media anthropology in the Spanish context, promoting and developing ethnographic research around filmmaking. Finally, closely linked to the promotion of a collaborative dynamic between research and the film industry, the initiative seeks to integrate workspaces and to explore and develop new applied ethnographic and cinematographic methodologies.
These efforts contribute to a film industry attentive to gender equality and to a critical, historical and decolonial review of this focus of artistic and social expression.
Participating filmmakers include Eva Leira, Yolanda Serrano, Isa Sánchez, Ana Sanz-Magallón, Federico Olivieri, Michelle Malley Campos and Paulís Cofresí. Researchers include Marian del Moral, Lidia Bocanegra, Orianna Calderón, Ana B. Estrada, and students of Social Anthropology and Audiovisual Communication such as Manuel Correa, Verania Montenegro and Eva López.
LABs
Film Anthropology LAB with Marian del Moral
What does anthropology contribute to the pre-production of a film? How can it influence the development phase of an idea to better engage with anti-racist, anti-colonialist, anti-machist, anti-classist narratives, etc.? What research techniques can be used in the pre-production phase to create better scripts or smoother casting processes? This lab will answer these and many other questions from an anthropological perspective, applied to both fiction and documentary film projects.
The active, participatory involvement of the participants will be required to solve some of the practical cases presented. The session, based on techniques such as "role-playing" and "cultural storytelling", will allow for the co-creation, from a critical perspective, of the basic (anthropological) idea of a cinematic story. Anyone interested can take part in this laboratory. No specific training is required.
Cinematic Collaborations LAB with Ana B. Estrada
In this workshop we will explore the collaborative process of making the film Norda (La Barraca Transfronteriza, 2023). Norda is an imaginary island in the shape of a shark, located between Africa and Europe, which represents a waiting place for migrants. The place where one arrives without having reached the destination. In Norda, we portray the way of living in constant vigilance to cross into Europe, a way of living marked by years of waiting until it happens (if it happens). Norda speaks of the border from a poetics that can be shared by all who participate in the project.
We find an expressive space appropriated by each participant in the film. We worked with what we call "auto-actors" and "auto-actresses". These are people who have not necessarily worked in film before, but who have fictionalised their experiences through an open creation of characters and storylines within the island. These characters show us different aspects of the space, different ways of embodying the border. As a result, in Norda there are no heroes, no victims, no proper names, only roles that have emerged in the peculiarity of this island, which leaves its mark on the adventurers who pass through it. The stories are not closed, the line is never crossed. Norda folds in on itself, between two continents, it is a third space.
Feminism in Pre-Production LAB with Orianna A. Calderón
Feminist practices in documentary film pre-production.
In the first part of this workshop we will look at some feminist practices in documentary pre-production, based on a collective reflection on some key concepts and examples of documentaries made in Spain and Italy in the 21st century. In the second part of the session, we will take as a case study one or more documentary projects from the laboratory participants, ideally an example still in development, but a completed work can also be considered.
No prior experience of the subject or a documentary project in development is required to attend this workshop. However, participants who are working on a documentary (at any stage of the process) will be asked to provide a brief summary of their project when registering. They will also be asked if they would like to share part of their project with the rest of the group for collective discussion, but this is not mandatory.
Applied Research LAB with Lidia Bocanegra
Script LAB with Isabel Sánchez
Do I have a good idea for a good script? This question marks the beginning of any cinematic creative process. In this workshop we will explore and evaluate the premises and possible developments of ideas that precede the entire writing and creation of a screenplay. On the other hand, we will look at the basic requirements for telling a story with images.
Script Consultancy LAB with Ana Sanz-Magallón
Reading other people's scripts, whether you're paid for it or not, is practically inevitable when you're surrounded by creative people who love cinema. And the person who gives you their story to read wants to know your opinion. You can say, and it's often said, "I loved it" and point out your favourite part or some detail you didn't like so much, just to get through it. But how do you give feedback on a script so that your comments are really useful to the screenwriter? In this session we will talk about how to read scripts, how to think about them and how to share your thoughts either in writing or orally.
Short Films and Creative Processes from Puerto Rico LAB with Federico Olivieri, Michelle Malley, and Paulís Cofresí
The annual "Cortadito" programme, promoted by the Puerto Rico European Film Festival, has been encouraging the development of original short films for ten years. In addition to learning about and analysing the characteristics of this initiative to promote Puerto Rican film talent, we will talk to Puerto Rican filmmakers Michelle Malley Campos and Paulís Cofresí about their latest short films (LA MAROMA and NOS PERSIGUEN, respectively) and their creative experiences during the various stages of Cortadito 2022.
Master Class
With casting directors Eva Leira and Yolanda Serrano
In this session we will discover what a casting process is and how it relates to the production of a film or television series. The selection of actors and actresses (professional or not) to shape and embody the initial ideas recorded in the script is one of the most important and complex steps in filmmaking. Based on our approach (method), some examples and experiences from over two decades of work, we will explore character creation and interpretation, understanding them as equally creative and challenging areas.
FILMING LAB 2
Women in Film Pre-production and Research
Granada, May 24-26, 2023
From gender and feminist studies, Filming Lab, now in its second edition, is a space where anthropological research on the film industry and the creative processes of film production converge. This edition focuses on the pre-film or pre-production phase, before shooting and film production. Filming Lab continues to emphasise its participatory, collaborative and interdisciplinary nature, contributing to the creation of synergies for collaborative work between filmmakers, researchers, students and the general public.
As an active research space, Filming Lab is one of the main lines of action of the Gender Media Lab, a project directed by anthropologist and researcher Marian del Moral and affiliated to the Institute of Women's and Gender Studies (IUEMG), the Department of Social Anthropology and the Women's Studies Research Group HUM-603 at the University of Granada.
This second edition of the Filming Lab consolidates a working network of filmmakers and researchers from national and international contexts. This initiative is also supported by the Office of Film in Granada of the Diputación de Granada, a key institution for the promotion of film professionals in the province and for external film productions that come to shoot in the locations offered.
It is of great interest to continue analysing the role of women in the Spanish film industry, focusing on:
a) the development of scripts
b) casting processes
c) the search for funding and the management of resources in the pre-production phases.
In addition, Filming Lab aims to contribute to the development of a grounded and theoretical base for media anthropology in the Spanish context, promoting and developing ethnographic research around filmmaking. Finally, closely linked to the promotion of a collaborative dynamic between research and the film industry, the initiative seeks to integrate workspaces and to explore and develop new applied ethnographic and cinematographic methodologies.
These efforts contribute to a film industry attentive to gender equality and to a critical, historical and decolonial review of this focus of artistic and social expression.
Participating filmmakers include Eva Leira, Yolanda Serrano, Isa Sánchez, Ana Sanz-Magallón, Federico Olivieri, Michelle Malley Campos and Paulís Cofresí. Researchers include Marian del Moral, Lidia Bocanegra, Orianna Calderón, Ana B. Estrada, and students of Social Anthropology and Audiovisual Communication such as Manuel Correa, Verania Montenegro and Eva López.
LABs
Film Anthropology LAB with Marian del Moral
What does anthropology contribute to the pre-production of a film? How can it influence the development phase of an idea to better engage with anti-racist, anti-colonialist, anti-machist, anti-classist narratives, etc.? What research techniques can be used in the pre-production phase to create better scripts or smoother casting processes? This lab will answer these and many other questions from an anthropological perspective, applied to both fiction and documentary film projects.
The active, participatory involvement of the participants will be required to solve some of the practical cases presented. The session, based on techniques such as "role-playing" and "cultural storytelling", will allow for the co-creation, from a critical perspective, of the basic (anthropological) idea of a cinematic story. Anyone interested can take part in this laboratory. No specific training is required.
Cinematic Collaborations LAB with Ana B. Estrada
In this workshop we will explore the collaborative process of making the film Norda (La Barraca Transfronteriza, 2023). Norda is an imaginary island in the shape of a shark, located between Africa and Europe, which represents a waiting place for migrants. The place where one arrives without having reached the destination. In Norda, we portray the way of living in constant vigilance to cross into Europe, a way of living marked by years of waiting until it happens (if it happens). Norda speaks of the border from a poetics that can be shared by all who participate in the project.
We find an expressive space appropriated by each participant in the film. We worked with what we call "auto-actors" and "auto-actresses". These are people who have not necessarily worked in film before, but who have fictionalised their experiences through an open creation of characters and storylines within the island. These characters show us different aspects of the space, different ways of embodying the border. As a result, in Norda there are no heroes, no victims, no proper names, only roles that have emerged in the peculiarity of this island, which leaves its mark on the adventurers who pass through it. The stories are not closed, the line is never crossed. Norda folds in on itself, between two continents, it is a third space.
Feminism in Pre-Production LAB with Orianna A. Calderón
Feminist practices in documentary film pre-production.
In the first part of this workshop we will look at some feminist practices in documentary pre-production, based on a collective reflection on some key concepts and examples of documentaries made in Spain and Italy in the 21st century. In the second part of the session, we will take as a case study one or more documentary projects from the laboratory participants, ideally an example still in development, but a completed work can also be considered.
No prior experience of the subject or a documentary project in development is required to attend this workshop. However, participants who are working on a documentary (at any stage of the process) will be asked to provide a brief summary of their project when registering. They will also be asked if they would like to share part of their project with the rest of the group for collective discussion, but this is not mandatory.
Applied Research LAB with Lidia Bocanegra
Script LAB with Isabel Sánchez
Do I have a good idea for a good script? This question marks the beginning of any cinematic creative process. In this workshop we will explore and evaluate the premises and possible developments of ideas that precede the entire writing and creation of a screenplay. On the other hand, we will look at the basic requirements for telling a story with images.
Script Consultancy LAB with Ana Sanz-Magallón
Reading other people's scripts, whether you're paid for it or not, is practically inevitable when you're surrounded by creative people who love cinema. And the person who gives you their story to read wants to know your opinion. You can say, and it's often said, "I loved it" and point out your favourite part or some detail you didn't like so much, just to get through it. But how do you give feedback on a script so that your comments are really useful to the screenwriter? In this session we will talk about how to read scripts, how to think about them and how to share your thoughts either in writing or orally.
Short Films and Creative Processes from Puerto Rico LAB with Federico Olivieri, Michelle Malley, and Paulís Cofresí
The annual "Cortadito" programme, promoted by the Puerto Rico European Film Festival, has been encouraging the development of original short films for ten years. In addition to learning about and analysing the characteristics of this initiative to promote Puerto Rican film talent, we will talk to Puerto Rican filmmakers Michelle Malley Campos and Paulís Cofresí about their latest short films (LA MAROMA and NOS PERSIGUEN, respectively) and their creative experiences during the various stages of Cortadito 2022.
Master Class
With casting directors Eva Leira and Yolanda Serrano
In this session we will discover what a casting process is and how it relates to the production of a film or television series. The selection of actors and actresses (professional or not) to shape and embody the initial ideas recorded in the script is one of the most important and complex steps in filmmaking. Based on our approach (method), some examples and experiences from over two decades of work, we will explore character creation and interpretation, understanding them as equally creative and challenging areas.
