SAMEEHA RAFEEK | SPOKEN WORD

I met Sameeha through the script writing workshops that I filmed back in March and was fascinated by the talent of Sameeha and immediately wanted to film her piece. Four months later, we did it!

We rented the studio space at Little Red thinking that we’ll be using blank white background. However, when we arrived, I noticed a corridor that I thought would work well with the story. There are a couple of doors which we left open to suggest that it’s possible that there’s someone behind. Also, that helped to create a more intimate/homely feeling.

“One of the greatest forces of strength, comfort, and healing for those of us who struggle with our mental health is helplines. The UK has an array of incredible helplines ranging from The Samaritans to The Muslim Youth Helpline who provide an anonymous platform that quells loneliness, sorrow, grief, and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness and thoughts of suicide. They have no-doubt contributed so immensely to saving lives and bettering lives and uplifting lives. This is an ode to them - to the voice on the other end that with your patience, calmness and gentle hope save souls, God-willing.” - Sameeha Rafeek.

Lighting setup

Sameeha stood by the large window but I rigged a large soft-box as a key light just to get that extra highlight in her eyes. On her right, I placed a large reflector/backdrop with its black side facing Sameeha. This helped to create deeper shadows as the light was bouncing off the walls. Contrast was something I wanted as I knew that the colour grading will aim for that.

Editing

We had very limited time due to the construction works done outside and overall, we captured four takes in total using this setup. In the edit, my goal was to have as few cuts as possible as Sameeha’s performance allowed for this. However, due to some small details, I chose to intercut between different angles (I had three) and added one cutaway shot.

Music was going to be quite important to this film as I wanted some sort of background noise which wasn’t the street ambience or complete silence. I found a piece that is instrumental and minimal so it doesn’t over shadow Sameeha’s words.

My friend and colleague graphic designer Sophie Carpenter designed the end card which matches the mood of the film.

Grading

When we were filming, I already knew what colour scheme I’ll want to work with. I really wanted to create a cinematic look, not just to apply colour correction. I played with the blues in the highlights and whites in the background. Then I made sure that the skin tones align nicely in this blue context. Below you can see the screenshots of the clips before and after colour grading.

Equipment

For this project I’ve used this setup:
Camera: Fujifilm X-H1
Lense: 35mm 1.4 (but shot at f4)
Light: Aputure 120D mkII
Collapsable backdrop: Fovitec 1.5.x 2m
Audio: EW100 and Zoom H5