In 1970s Scotland, a musical wave swelled with energy. The genre of punk music attracted a tenacious following, thriving on the raw energy of its performers and fan base. So fast-moving that it almost instantly transitioned into post-punk, this movement suddenly gave many young people a voice- and a tenacious audience for their music.
This coming week the core team from Ren, the fantasy adventure web series I lensed last autumn, will meet for a de-brief. We’ll discuss the challenges of season one and how we can meet those going forward to season two and beyond. And we’ll probably drink wine. So I thought now would be a good time to reflect on what I personally learnt from Ren: Season One, and where I’d like to improve for season two.
Dave Shaw (Deepak Ravella) and his wife, Amy (Ami Sheth), live the high life, despite Dave’s addiction to gambling and narcotics. Dave is recovering from a drunken gambling spree the night before when his business partner Sonny (Sonny Chatrath) comes to their house. He explains to Amy that the business is going under and that their building is being foreclosed on.
Shudder, the horror streaming video service backed by AMC Networks, has launched Shudder Labs, an intimate and immersive workshop for aspiring genre filmmakers. Shudder Labs is a one-of-a-kind retreat that will bolster and support the next generation of horror storytellers as they develop their projects under the guidance of established creators and tastemakers.
A few days into my tenure as DP on Kate Madison’s ambitious fantasy series, Ren, we filmed a shot/reverse for one of the opening scenes. The scene introduced us to the eponymous Ren (Sophie Skelton) and her friend Karn (Christopher Dane).
Kate described Ren to me as “pure innonence”, while Karn is an older, more worldly character with a difficult past. It seemed to me like classic femine and masculine lighting were called for. Classic feminine lighting is designed to create a soft, flawless, often shadowless face. Classic masculine lighting enhances jaw definition, embraces lines and skin texture and generally creates a rugged look.
On March 1st, Kate Madison’s new fantasy action series will premiere free online. Ren: The Girl with the Mark is an ambitious show full of custom-made sets, props and costumes, yet it was made on a crowdfunded budget of just £36,000. We talked to Kate and her team to find out how this seemingly impossible project made it to the screen.