Sound Recordist - On location with the SHIFT cast & crew

I recently worked as a Sound Recordist for kick-starter project ‘SHIFT’. The film deals with mental health issues in the black male population. Here is a quick Q&A with script writer and producer 'Larissa Hope’, well known for her role in Channel 4 series ‘Skins’ and director ‘Hannah Silver’ of Background Noise Productions.

You have been involved in the film production and acting world for a few years now. Why does it continue to interest you? What makes you need to express yourself either through directing or writing? How does it make you feel?

Larissa: I believe that film can have a political voice, and for me it’s exploring that further and representing the voices of the unheard. It makes me feel like I am becoming a part of a change that I want to see. I intend to always hold discussions based around the work that I either produce or write. I want to open up a dialogue that may be uncomfortable but is necessary for change to happen.

Hannah: Film is a combination of so many other disciplines (writing, music, art, performance, choreography) and working to balance all these elements it is consistently exciting. Everyone who joins the team brings something of themselves to the project and making a film can take everyone on a journey that nobody really knows or sees before you start. Each project has a life of its own and a steep learning curve; you take what you learn from one through to the next. It's the only work I could see myself doing for the rest of my life without getting bored.

Directing started from a need to make the films I saw in my head. With each project, I was given more chances to learn about the role and each new part of it that I discover makes me more sure about doing it. Coming from a technical perspective initially, the first time I worked with actors was like discovering this whole other side to the role that I never knew existed and made it twice as good as it had been already. I think filmmaking is mostly about other people, so to be a director means supporting everyone in their role to get the best version possible of what we're all trying to make.

When I'm on set, it feels like coming home. Everything else slips away and all that matters is what's happening there. It's a long process and can be difficult to balance, or to stay grounded, but it's always worth it when you see the results in the finished film and in the relationships that are built throughout the production.

Larissa, Thinking about your writing and creative drive. How do you find inspiration? I draw inspiration from everyday life and interactions with people. I am driven by human interaction & fascinated by how different & yet similar we all are. Naturally my writing begins with something I am trying to process but its human interaction that makes it come alive.

Larissa, ‘SHIFT’ discusses some serious issues. E.g. mental health in the black community. Visually, the production also has a gritty, naturalistic style. Can you tell me more about your message and vision for ’SHIFT’ ? I’m trying to get people to understand how much of our environmental factors impact our mental health. Schizophrenia can be a genetic response but can equally be a result of our environmental factors. I also want people to question the way in which we perceive illnesses of the brain. What we may assume is an aggressive or even humorous characteristics of someone may be a result of an illness.

Hannah, when picking a crew for a production what are you looking for... Chemistry? Technical ability? Can you give me an insight into the importance of each role? There so many factors to take into account when choosing crew but I think the most important one is a gut feeling. It sounds ridiculous but even if someone has lots of experience or is incredibly talented, if you aren't able to connect with them then it's unlikely to work on set. They also need to be passionate about the project and their role within it – a stressful and fast-paced environment means you need to be able to rely on each person to do their job properly. If someone's heart isn't in it, they will slow down the whole production at best and at worst derail it completely.

You need a certain level of technical ability to get the results you need, but most of my choices on crew are based on personality and presence. Everyone has a different way of working and they need to complement each other. That's something you can only really check by trying it out but the more people I work with, the easier it is to tell.

I think every role is equally important although some are under a lot more pressure (DoP, AD, Sound Recordist). They more attention and support, but assistants, runners, catering, costume and props are the reason these people can do their jobs properly. The best way to describe a crew is like a wheel – you can make a wheel with fewer spokes and it will work fine, but however many spokes you decide you need, they need to stay in balance. If you take one out, the whole thing will bend and if there are too many on one side it won't work either. You also need to make sure each spoke is supported and able to manage their task. Directing is kind of like sitting in the middle of all of that, constantly spinning around and checking everyone is still attached, which spokes need attention and whether the wheel is being pulled too far in one direction.

Hannah: ‘SHIFT’ could potentially take over your life for the foreseeable future :) What attracted you to the project? What is it about this script and synopsis that drew you in?

There were so many reasons I was attracted to the project! In the early stages, I was drawn to the concept and the need for open discussion about mental health, particularly between and about young men. The more I learned from Larissa about how much higher the rates of institutionalisation were for black men than white men and the effect this has on the wider community, the more I wanted to help with the project in whatever way I could.

As it developed, I became more involved in the production and was offered the role of director. It was an honour to take on such a key role and I was fully committed to the project from this point.

Larissa has a clear and powerful vision. She is an incredibly talented writer with a deep understanding of the social environment depicted in the series. I have already learned so much from working on this project and will do whatever I can to bring Larissa's story to the screen in a way that does her work justice.

This is a story that needs to be told now more than ever. I believe in the team, the story and the strength of the message within it. That's more than enough to let it take over my life for however long it needs to.

Equipment & Tools

For this project I used a variety of microphones and tools that best supported a fast paced shoot: Tascam DR70d, RODE NTG2 shotgun microphone, Samson C02 microphone, AKG 214 Condensor, Sennheiser EK 100 G3 radio microphone x2, RODE blimp

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#Skins #mentalhealth #Backgroundnoiseproductions