the dramatics


 

brief: create a short film showcasing the work of british choreographer andrew mcnicol and his illustrious mcnicol ballet collective during their 2023 season.

 
 

with previous films already telling the story of the mcnicol ballet collective and its artistic mission, the choice was made to create a film that focused on the “dramatics” of andrew mcnicol’s ballets: the costume and lighting design.

set up as an informative piece of help content, the film highlights the artistry and professionalism of the mcnicol ballet collective by telling the story of how costume designer louis flanagan and lighting designer andrew ellis go about their craft.

the short documentary format, combined with the visual narrative of beauty short film, allows the story to be explored two-fold;

the designers themselves tell us about their experience, inviting the audience in for a very personal and intimate exploration of how the dramatic elements of lighting and costume are created and come together with the choreography to instill emotion and drama.

the film follows both designers. two shorter versions of the film highlight each designer individually.

the cinematography is utilized to grant us an insider’s access into the emotional and practical inner workings of lighting and costume for dance. the camera is used predominantly as a documentary tool. yet, in order to visually relate the communicate and dramatic essence of light and costume the cinematography is also used as a purely visual storytelling device; showing exactly how light and costume manage to add and support the emotional vocabulary of dance.

 

client - mcnicol ballet collective

artistic director / choreographer - andrew mcnicol

creative - sam asaert

producer - rachel jean birch

director - Sam Asaert

rehearsal director - katya bourvis

cinematorgraphy - sam asaert

lighting design - andrew ellis

deputy technical manager - joshua harriette

sound - sam asaert

edit & post - sam asaert

dancers:

iván delgado del rio

shevelle dynott

winnie dias

joshua fickling

genevieve heron

casey nokomis pereira

greig matthews

gristen mcgarrity

james stephens

costume design - louise flanagan

project coordinator - susannah burke

make up and hair styling – rougedmilk

marketing - lucy white

press & pr - robert james

dramaturg - francesca tennant

supported using public funding from arts council england

with support from:

the linbury trust, danceeast, hull new theatre, i am fund, garfield weston foundation & britwell trust


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time to dance 2023