JORDAN THOMAS In celebration of 30 years of City Eye, Southampton Film Week offered a day of flashbacks, beginning with the under-appreciated Disney classic BASIL THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE (Burny Mattinson 1986), a rodent-led interpretation of Sherlock Holmes set in Victorian London. With rugs set out in front of the projector and sweets at the ready, this screening offered a change of pace for Southampton Film Week, acting as a gateway into the world of film for children with an animated screening easy to digest before midday.
Between screenings a drop in session allowed Southampton Film Week revellers the chance to share some of their favourite memories and experiences of City Eye in celebration of their 30th anniversary. City Eye continued the flashback season in the evening, allowing Film Week attendees to vote on the screening with options including: PRETTY IN PINK (John Hughes 1986), TOP GUN (Tony Scott 1986) and STAND BY ME (Rob Reiner 1986). Ultimately it was LABYRINTH (Jim Henson 1986) that won the vote and so audience members were treated to the epic musical fantasy film starring the late David Bowie and his disturbingly tight trousers as Jareth, the Goblin King. 30 Years of City Eye took place on Saturday 12 November as part of Southampton Film Week 2016.
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JORDAN THOMAS In the 1960s a set of seven mobile lecture theatres were built to promote British industry on the road. Fast-forward to 2016 and outside the Southampton Guildhall sits Audrey, the last of its kind, now converted into a glorious mobile cinema. Touring the United Kingdom for the last six years, the Vintage Mobile Cinema aims to create a unique cinema experience, fitted with period theatre seats and an impressive digital projection system. With access to an archive of 85,000 films, the Vintage Mobile Cinema team are able to customise screenings to fit a variety of audiences. Throughout its stay at Southampton Film Week, Audrey exhibited work from local artist and Southampton Film Week royalty Anna Cady, as well as taking us back in time to several British Pathé documentaries too. Each screening begins with a brief history of the Vintage Mobile Cinema, accompanying the bitesize reels of a quirky black-and-white era Britain. Although it is very easy to be drawn into the world displayed in the campy vintage stylings of Pathé, the occasional rocking of the cinema reminds you that you are, in fact, delightfully sitting in the back of a vintage vehicle, not a 21st century auditorium. With curiosity captivating visitors and onlookers throughout its stay, Audrey was certainly a hit during Southampton Film Week and is a testament to the celebration of cinema that City Eye brings to the region. The Vintage Mobile Cinema took place on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 November as part of Southampton Film Week 2016.  JORDAN THOMAS With contributions open to anyone under the age of 22, City Eye’s Youth Film Festival showcased talent from the local area with submissions coming from Southampton Solent University students, regional colleges and those involved in other City Eye projects like their half-term Film School and Music Video Workshop.
The festival was divided into two sections, with films firstly presented as part of the College Filmmaking Challenge in which college students were tasked with creating a four-minute film using the title “Impression” and, as a line of dialogue, “I thought it was a suggestion”. Certificates and chocolate treats were handed out for best editing, cinematography, script, sound, audience vote and best film, adding to the film festival atmosphere. After the filmmaking challenge, the event continued with a variety of films being showcased to proud parents, with children as young as nine involved in productions on display. Youth Film Festival was a chance to witness the work of the next generation of creatives, providing a great exhibition space for many first-time filmmakers. With an obvious passion for cinema and its future creators, City Eye continues to support film lovers and producers, both young and old. Youth Film Festival took place on Wednesday 9 November as part of Southampton Film Week 2016. BRYONY SALISBURY The stage door in Southampton played host to The Hampshire Picture Co.’s masterclass: Café Cinéaste: The Screenwriter. Head of Film at Southampton Solent University Darren Kerr, who acted at interviewer for the evening, introduced Caroline Sax and we were promptly shown an impressive showreel from the 40 plus feature films that Caroline has worked as a script supervisor, included titles such as UNDERWORLD (Len Wiseman 2003), SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (John Madden 1998) and RESIDENT EVIL (Paul WS Anderson 2002). We also had the opportunity to see a clip from Caroline’s directorial debut and short film THE FISHMONGER’S DAUGHTER (1998) that was picked up by Sundance Film Festival, confirming her talent.
The intimate setting allowed for a talk that covered an eclectic range of topics starting with personal anecdotes from her time as Stanley Kubrick’s neighbour, being on the set of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) where she remembered thinking she “was in fairyland”, to honest and frank advice for people interested in going into film as a career. Caroline also briefly spoke on her personal experience as a woman in industry in light of the painfully low statistics surrounding women’s roles in the US and UK film industries. The evening concluded with a short Q&A in which she admitted that she is always learning and advised people interested in the film industry to go to as many masterclasses and guest talks as possible. This masterclass was a unique and valuable opportunity for all to hear from someone who is currently in industry with a wealth of knowledge. Café Cineaste took place on Tuesday 8 November as part of Southampton Film Week 2016. VICKY SWAIN Southampton Film Week continued with a special screenwriter’s edition of the Café Cinéaste masterclasses held in quirky theatre venue The Stage Door on Tuesday evening. This event turned the spotlight on writer, script supervisor and co-ordinator of The Hampshire Picture Co., Caroline Sax, with an in-depth interview by Darren Kerr, Head of Film at Southampton Solent University.
Proceedings kicked off with a screening of Caroline’s impressive showreel, which included a wide range of feature films she had worked on such as SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (1998) and RESIDENT EVIL (2002). The discussion explored her career trajectory from just a “young girl who caught the film bug” to a script supervisor with experience working on over 40 feature films. She spoke of her brief time on Marvel’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014), emphasising the importance of preparation for any role. During the conversation, it was particularly interesting to learn of how she became interested in the film industry. Living next to Stanley Kubrick, bumping into celebrities and stepping onto the set of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) was described as a “fairyland”. However, the reality of working in such a harsh industry was discussed, indicating the need to toughen up. Scriptwriting theory was also debated with Caroline’s own personal recommendation being John Yorke’s book INTO THE WOODS: A FIVE ACT JOURNEY INTO STORY (2013) and the talk concluded with a revealing assessment of the future of women in film production. This masterclass offered a unique opportunity for hopeful scriptwriters to gain a invaluable insight into the world of screenwriting. Café Cineaste took place on Tuesday 8 November as part of Southampton Film Week 2016. VICKY SWAIN On Saturday 5 November, a documentary masterclass took place at Turner Sims as part of Southampton Film Week with an inspiring message for new filmmakers.
Director Cesar Paes and producer Marie-Clemence Paes engaged in a compelling discussion of their past documentary projects, including SONGS FOR MADAGASCAR (2016), the world premiere of which launched the ninth annual Southampton Film Week on Friday. The result was a vivid 30-year journey through the filmmakers’ careers to date. The focus on the power of sound to tell a story was a refreshing approach, evident throughout the clips that were screened to attendees. Their reasoning was in not wanting “a voice from above” but they instead followed the oral traditions associated with music to tell stories rather than simple narration. Two student documentaries – CUTTING EDGE and STRIPPED FOR CASH - were also screened in order to offer young filmmakers bespoke and insightful feedback from Cesar and Marie-Clemence. It was interesting to see how these filmmakers approached documentary filmmaking in very different styles at the start of their careers, which Cesar suggested was one of the benefits of being a young filmmaker. Perhaps the most inspiring advice was encapsulated in Cesar’s observation that “the film changes you as much as you change the film”. This was clearly a valuable lesson to learn from a great Southampton Film Week opportunity. Café Cineaste took place on Saturday 5 November as part of Southampton Film Week 2016. |
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