OUR STORY
Hello, we are final-year film students at the University of Brighton, trying to raise funds for our graduate film project - which will be a documentary regarding the topic of sexual assault.
Our performative and participatory documentary is purely based upon the confessions of a stranger opening up about their experiences with sexual assault. We began by placing QR codes around our campuses and the city to invite the public to discuss their traumas and stories in hopes that it would provoke an important discussion around the topic. We also wanted to use this as a stepping stone for our finalised idea and better understand any stories that have been previously overlooked or ignored.
The documentary will involve a contrast of real-life interviews with survivors of sexual assault and dramatised experiences of the five stages of trauma: Oblivion, Denial, Bargaining, Anger/Sadness & eventually Acceptance. These stages will be portrayed by two main characters who will represent two completely different experiences of sexual assault and the effects that come with it. We will use a range of stories collected from our online survey to portray this narrative.
The other side of our documentary will consist of the interviews we will hold with the volunteers who reached out to us. By conversing with these volunteers, we are allowing them to be heard. Uninterrupted with no judgment, we hope this documentary can give them a space to process, confide and heal from what has happened to them. Using the differing perspectives from survivors, educators and health care professionals, we hope to spread awareness of the effects sexual assault can have on a person but further to this, correct the stereotypes that are attached to them. Some volunteers are comfortable with disclosing their names and others have chosen to remain anonymous, so our interviews and sequences are a collection of the different ways sexual assault can translate into our lives.
WEBSITE
CREW BIOGRAPHIES
Tilly Braithwaite
Producer
An aspiring researcher with experience producing over 3 student films, facts and stories are Tilly's passion! She hopes to use this project as a foot in the door for a career pursuing documentary work. As the first form of contact with all our collaborators, she is ready to take on the responsibility of organising this ambitious project.
Jordan Willis-Marsh
Director
Jordan is a London-based filmmaker and photographer, who began his creative journey at The BRIT School in 2015 and continues to fuel his passion with travel films and content creation on Instagram and YouTube. During his time at the University of Brighton, he has directed multiple student films, participated in and modelled for multiple student magazines, and deepened his passion for photography with the use of analogue cameras. He interned as an Assistant Editor at WoLF Productions.
As a documentary director, specifically, he wants to make sure that the topic of sexual assault is produced most authentically, ensuring to remain respectful to the story, and the participants involved and researching ways to go about this process ethically.
Selena Arnold
Sound Designer
I am an aspiring cinematographer and photographer, I have worked on multiple individual and collaborative projects, and my main job roles have included working as a cinematographer and as a sound engineer. My role in our documentary, ‘Confessions of a Stranger’ is that of a sound engineer. My main role is to ensure high-quality audio capture and post-production for a budget documentary film. I am responsible for recording clear, balanced, and high-fidelity sound on location and collaborating closely with the production team to maintain audio consistency and integrity in the filming process. My main role is in the production stages, my responsibilities will be to set up and calibrate audio equipment including microphones, recorders, mixers, and monitoring devices for each shoot, monitor sound levels throughout the shoot, adjust equipment when needed and collaborate with the director and cinematographer to ensure audio and visual elements are synchronised.
Ellie Yule
Cinematographer
Ellie is an incredibly passionate filmmaker who has specialised in cinematography and feminist film theory during her time at the University of Brighton. However, she has also branched out into editing and sound design. Her love for film grew massively during her time at Farnborough Sixth Form College where she studied film and media A level where her teachers inspired her to pursue film at degree level. Ellie is also a part of a drama group, a passion of her’s since she was young where she’s starred in multiple plays, recently ‘Murder on the 518’ and ‘The Infamous Soothing System of Professor Maillard.’ Ellie would love to explore the field of directing after directing numerous devised pieces for local film festivals when she was in youth theatre and more recently when working and collaborating closely with actors.
Charlotte Penfold
Editor
Charlotte is an aspiring editor and colourist, her passion began at a young age creating artistic collages videos for YouTube. She has worked on multiple different student films including Gold Stars (2022) and personal projects.
She thrives to further develop her skills in post-production, to enter the world of chaos and colour theory. She hopes to bring all these stories to life in 'Confessions of a Stranger', and highlight these necessary topics.
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