Books

We are pleased to announce that we will be publishing two books to tie in with the release of LIFE JUST IS – "LIFE JUST IS: DIRECTOR'S JOURNAL" and "LIFE JUST IS: SCRIPTBOOK". We'll be bringing you more information about the books in due course, but for now here are their blurbs:

LIFE JUST IS: DIRECTOR'S JOURNAL

Graduating from a university film course in 2005 at the age of 21, Alex Barrett had an idea: he wanted to make a feature film. Flash forward seven years, and the idea has been realised as his debut feature LIFE JUST IS, nominated for the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2012. But how did a young graduate with no industry connections manage to get a film made, sold and distributed? And why did the process take so long? And what was the toll it took?

LIFE JUST IS: DIRECTOR'S JOURNAL offers all these answers and more. Giving an unparalleled exploration of what it takes to get a debut microbudget film made, the journal presents a fascinating glimpse into the conception, development, production and postproduction of a film.

Alongside its insight into the development of a film, LIFE JUST IS: DIRECTOR'S JOURNAL also builds a vivid picture of the development of an individual. Edited as it is from seven years of daily entries, Barrett's passions and frustrations are laid bare in full, while his honest, open and engrossing journal entries are filled with anecdotes, musings, reviews and thoughts which slowly build into a coherent philosophy of film and of life.

LIFE JUST IS: SCRIPTBOOK

Throughout the production of LIFE JUST IS, writer/director Alex Barrett has been documenting the process of the film's creation. In keeping with this open exploration of the making of the film, LIFE JUST IS: SCRIPTBOOK presents not only the final draft of the script, but also the first draft, thereby offering a unique insight into the film's development.

LIFE JUST IS tells the story of Pete, Tom, David, Claire and Jay, a tight-knit group of friends who share neighbouring flats in London after recently graduating from university. As they hang out, throw parties and navigate the new responsibilities of adult life, romantic tensions and existential crises begin to simmer beneath the surface.

Finishing the Film

I'm a little bit late with cross-posting this, but I've just realised I never put something on here about a new piece I wrote for Directors Notes, detailing the final stages of our postproduction, Finishing the Film. Hope you enjoy it!

- Alex

Playing to the Crowd

As we've always promised to try and make this blog interesting for other independent filmmakers embarking on their own projects, I thought I'd mention on here that I've just published an article that I wrote surveying the current landscape of production, distribution and promotion over on my personal blog. You can check it out directly here.

- Alex

The Ultimate Aim

A complete synthesis of form and content must be our goal at all times.

Music

Making little-to-no use of non-diegetic music in the film will help force the focus onto the 'rhythm of life'.

The Role of the Camera

When planning the film's camera movement and placement, it will be important for us to think about the camera's relationship to the movement of the characters: does it follow them? Or does it anticipate and foreshadow their actions? The former option would give the impression of the camera as casual observer, while the latter would imply the playing out of fate.

Careful What You Wish For

Key idea: sometimes being offered what you want leads to anxiety over whether you really want it (and whether you're ready for it).

The Violence of the Cut

When using a long take aesthetic, each cut becomes like an act of violence, rupturing the scenic time and space. This must be used to our advantage.