Bubbles

I wanted to create a story that was simple and visually poetic which captured the human concern about the future and was imbued with the sense of premonition that our surroundings are changing, and we might not have a place in them.

Because of my background in painting, the ideas behind the shots of the characters and the vibe of the story were heavily influenced by: “Edvard Munch” and “Caspar Friedrich”. For example, their framings capture the negative aspect of human existentialism and a state of isolation and despair, even when their subjects are besides other individuals. In some of their compositions, the subject’s back is to the viewer, which has the effect of shifting the viewer’s focus on to what's the subject is seeing. This breeds a similarity between the viewer and the character which I knew I wanted to explore in the film.

The character’s dialogues were never too specific, to keep them relatable. Beats and pregnant pauses where the characters have a lot to say but won’t, or can’t, add depth to their struggles while keeping the script simple. To this end, the script supports a visual poem, one thats enriched with abundant shots of the natural landscape we inhabit, where we see a transition from desolation to vibrant life. This creates a separate story line for nature itself and is supplemented with unique soundscapes that undoubtedly incorporate themselves into the script.

I visited several areas around the UK before settling with the sand dunes of Norfolk. The location absurd and beautiful, though in a constant state of change every hour. Some areas looked more like the desserts you’d find in the Middle East. The vastness of it reminded me of a verse from T.S. Elliot’s ‘Waste Land’: “and I will show you fear in a handful of dust…” You felt your mortality and eventual place in this world there while life prevails nonetheless; it was haunting, and it was perfect. It would mirror the character’s situation and feelings.

Towards evening, the sea would come in and everything was taken over by water, and the shore that stood plain and vast no longer existed. For production, we would have to show up and respond to the present circumstances and, within that, we’d feel and capture the moment. This ethos was carried through into post-production, where what you see (in terms of structure and sentiment) was a result of many trials and errors, until we settled on what best suited the shots, our story and the message we wanted to convey. One that, hopefully, invites audiences to meditate themselves on where they sit within the world around them.