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