Playing with Fire

WHAT'S FAIR IN THE NAME OF FEMINISM?

I am very excited to share the second short film I have directed at university. Playing with Fire follows Sam, the only female crew member on a film production of Antony and Cleopatra in 1982, as she faces sexism from the cast and crew. In 2022, Fallon and her all-female team seek to tell Sam's story, examining the meanings of feminism and justice. 

The film was a product of familiar themes and real life experiences. I knew I wanted to direct a film about feminism that was split between two different time periods. Ciana, the writer, and myself brainstormed together and created a shared mood board. We decided to incorporate her film camera and explore the idea of a film within a film. In her writing she was inspired by Sofia Coppola and Quentin Tarantino – notably Inglorious Bastards (2009).

I knew I wanted a crew comprised of both friends and new names. I reached out to women that I was keen to work with again and posted a call out on Facebook for the remaining roles. We had an absolutely amazing team that made the film a great experience.

Myself, Ciana, and the producers (Ava and Hannah) were involved in casting. We received more auditions than expected, which was very exciting. The actors we cast did a brilliant job of developing the characters and bringing them to life.

Production design was a key element of the film, especially since it is largely set in the 1980s. We chose 1982 because it was the year the University of Oxford's first feature film, Privileged, was released. This production was familiar to us because I had recently been involved with organising a reunion for the cast and crew through the Oxford University Filmmaking Foundation to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary. Ciana was also interested in exploring the style of the New Romantics in the rebellious character Sam.  However, the biggest challenge was Cleopatra: we knew that we wanted a stereotypical portrayal of Cleopatra for the 1980s (white dress with gold accessories and blue eyeshadow) but were unsure of the look for our contemporary, more feminine, Cleopatra. Annalise and Dyala were our costume / production designers and Molly was our MUA – they successfully navigated our small budget (the costume and props budget was around £175 and makeup was £25) by combing through charity shops and designing the costumes themselves. For the 1980s Cleopatra they deconstructed a white (hideous) prom dress, hot glued a gold sash to it, and added lots of jewellery. A Halloween costume dress would likely have looked too contemporary and cheap. We finally landed on a more natural look for the contemporary Cleopatra: natural make up and an earth-toned skirt and corset with flowers. 

The producers and I (I was also a producer on the production) researched locations. We were unable to secure our preferred locations and ultimately decided to film mostly in Worcester. I disliked – and still dislike – the colour palette of the JCR and its perpetually messy state, but I made do because it was our only feasible option. If I could do the film again, one of the things I would change first is finding a prettier and cleaner location. The contemporary scenes were filmed outside in Port Meadow for ease.

I also organised the schedule, call sheets, and shot list (the crew were very busy and I was comfortable multi-roling to practice different skills). Ciana was my 1st AD but provided support more so with directing the cast than completing paperwork.

A week before filming, another production crew dropped the camera and the lens broke. I quickly sent it to a repair store to get it fixed. The repair was completed the day before filming; however, the issue was not fixed – it did not focus properly and the aperture could not be adjusted. Given that most of the cast and crew were about to sit finals and graduate, I knew this was our one chance to complete the film. As a result of the broken lens, some shots are very dark and others are overexposed. Many shots are out of focus. I'm definitely disappointed in the outcome of some of the footage, but I know I made the right choice given the circumstances. My limited editing skills were not enough to correct for the damage, but I hope to soon hire a more experienced and talented colourist to properly grade the film. 

The next hurdle occurred on the first day of filming: the actor playing the 1980s Cleopatra had to drop out of the shoot. I admit I spent five minutes panicking and calming myself before informing HoDs. The character was crucial to the plot but had one line of dialogue, which meant the role could be learned quickly. I began contacting auditionees to see if they were available. I put one ad on Facebook but I was wary of worrying the cast. Dyala, our production designer, volunteered to take the part if necessary. She looked the part, was familiar with the role, and we knew she fit the costume because she and Annalise had experimented on her. We recast Dyala as Cleopatra and informed the cast and remaining crew. Our original actor had the props and accessories at her house but she had left Oxford so I had to liaise with her housemates to collect them. 

The hours before filming got progressively worse. Several of the crew were over an hour late. Our MUA had an emergency and was unable to come to set (the actors were fortunately able to recreate the looks from fittings themselves). Due to the last minute casting change, Dyala was unable to rearrange her schedule to meet her pre-call (Annalise needed to sew her into the dress). First turnover was delayed 1-2 hours and we skipped Dyala's makeup to regain some time. The delays mean that the light outside changes drastically throughout the first scene. This continuity error is frustrating, but I am still impressed we managed to make the shoot happen. We wrapped over an hour ahead of schedule – a testament to everyone's positive attitude and hard work.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The remaining filming days went well and were fun. The hardest scene to film was the burning: on the last day of filming we attempted to shoot the scene in Port Meadow (it was the last scene scheduled). Ciana had read that film negatives were flammable and provided negatives of her ex-boyfriend to burn (very suitable for the film). I had purchased a portable camping grill, matches, and a fire extinguisher in preparation. We were surprised to find that the negatives were not flammable. In addition, the unpredictable wind meant that we used all our matches without capturing the shot. We attempted to use a lighter to no avail. The crew suggested we cut the shot, but I knew it was crucial to the narrative. 

Emma (1st AC) and I returned to Port Meadow later that day with additional materials: more matches and lighters, tissue paper, and nail polish remover. The wind had stopped and we placed tissue amongst the negatives to set alight. Emma – perhaps smartly – banned me from attempting with the nail polish remover. The tissue method was successful and we managed to capture the shot as imagined. Although we created flames, the negatives of Ciana's ex-boyfriend remain completely undamaged.

I initially had an editor onboard the project but she dropped out unexpectedly. I did the edit myself because I didn't know any other reliable editors that would do the work for free. As a result, the final edit is perhaps less polished or clean than it could have been, but I am still happy with it. The most difficult part of the edit was simulating the Super 8 film. I did a lot of research on colours, grain, depth of focus, and movement. Unfortunately I was unable to utilise my research during filming because of the damage to the camera. The shots certainly won't fool a viewer into thinking they are real Super 8 but I still love the way they turned out. As I previously mentioned, I am dissatisfied with the colouring and I will explore the possibility of having it recoloured in the future. 

I am really happy with the score. Our composer, Muhammed, beautifully captured the various ideas I had in the music and each piece enhances the scene. I am especially pleased with Cecily song 'With Fire' which is used at the end of the film. Muhammed took the vocals and created a new rendition of the piece that ties in with the rest of the music. It is powerful, emotional, and a brilliant way to end the film. 

There are, of course, elements of the film I am very proud of and others that frustrate me. I'm writing this months after filming because of our long post production period. I have now started at the National Film & Television School and worked on productions with higher production value and much bigger budget – I can't help but compare out £250 film to these. However, given the numerous obstacles we had to overcome and our limited resources, I think we did well. I plan to submit it to a few festivals so fingers crossed!