Shortly after I got to Berlin almost 2 months ago, as I felt the need to know the film community here, I joined a filmmakers group called “International Filmmakers Network Berlin”. Through it, I had the chance to meet Garry Torrance, a very talented cinematographer and filmmaker. Garry saw my film “Fragments de Corps” and he wanted to met up with me, and we talked about the documentary project he was developing. The meeting went pretty well and Garry asked me if I was interested in assisting him with the camera work on his film.
Since we met, Garry found a company that’s interested in producing his film and we already have a few days of shooting in the can.
The project is still in development, so I can’t reveal anymore details for now, but here are some behind the scenes photos I took on set. We shot in various locations around Berlin… A flat in Friedrichshain, an artist studio in Kreuzberg and we also spent an afternoon doing interviews at Hebbel Am Ufer. On that day, we had the chance to have someone with us to translate the questions in German during the interviews. It’s her on the first picture, sitting on a couch, helping us as we set up the camera and tested the audio levels. Her name is Alev Erarslan, and on top of being our translator, she is also a director, a screenwriter and an editor. It was great meeting her. For those of you wondering what Garry was doing with the frame of a pram, well, he built dolly for the camera! With it, he was able to get some nice and smooth dolly shots of the paintings on the wall. This is called ingenuity and it’s about being creative with what is available around you when you are on set. You don’t learn that in film school.
Here are Garry’s bio and website, as well as the website of Manifesto Film, the company producing his film.
Garry Torrance has been active as a cinematographer since 2005, when he began shooting mainly short dramas and experimental films. Recent work includes commercials, music videos, feature-length dramas and most recently a BBC documentary. His past work demonstrates a wide range of styles but is generally characterised by a cinematic visuality and a bold approach to lighting. Garry currently resides in Berlin where he is developing two documentary projects as director in addition to his work as a cinematographer. (http://www.garrytorrance.co.uk/)
Manifesto Film (http://www.manifestofilm.com/)
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