Living in the heart of South London, 80 year old Nettie spends her life running transformative singing workshops, teaching people from all walks of life how to enter a childlike, primitive state.
From swearing at the top of the lungs to pretending to be a turkey, Nettie has pioneered a range of unconventional techniques which teach serious people from all walks of life how to have fun and reconnect with the body.
Nettie's lessons go far beyond simply learning to sing. With her strength and sassiness, Nettie inspires her students to take up more space with their voices and presences.
I've been personally inspired by Nettie from a young age, having met her when I was an introverted, appearance obsessed 14 year old.Nettie's influence completely transformed my outlook, teaching me how to empower and respect myself. This is a lesson of great importance as women are often taught to look inwards, focus on their appearances, be unimposing and take up less space.
Having had this transformative relationship with Nettie, I am excited to share her outlook with you!
By sharing Nettie's ethos and effect on others through documentary, we aim to transform the way people think about how we present ourselves as part of individualistic culture, particularly young women. We want to rip upthe stereotype of the fragile old lady by giving a platform to an inspiring, unapologetically strong woman who helps so many people from all different walks of life.
As a tight-knit group, on and off the set, we have a deep understanding of each other's abilities so we can work to a common, vivid vision. Having explored experimental film through research and in practice, we aim to play with techniques which push the boundaries of documentary.
Having made shorts for the last 4 years, dipping my toes into different areas of production, from sound designing to directing I am excited to pour everything I've learnt into a subject I am passionate about. I'm tired of the fragile old woman stereotype and want to give a platform to an unapologetically confident woman who has allowed so many people to empower themselves.
Kodou Williams is an ambitious and driven film student who’s strong passion for documentary lead her to produce Nettie. As she gained a deeper interest in the project, she became fond of Nettie’s free spirit nature and big personality and wanted to have a close insight to her workshop.
Izzie Jones is pursuing a career in both documentary and narrative Cinematography, having received training from the British Film Institute and the NFTS. In tandem to freelancing as a Spark in London, she has shot both a narrative (Currently Untitled, 2017) and documentary (Bam Bam, 2017) independent Feature; Both of which are currently in post-production. Within the realm of Nettie, she looks forward to utilizing experimental techniques and form in order to best capture the nature of the relationship between subject and filmmaker.
Max Ellis has helped create sound for more than a dozen student films as wells as an animation graduate film which was screened at the BFI over summer. While he enjoys working on fiction film, a great fascination for him is documentary. What drew Max to this documentary specifically was the chance to perform an observational character study on someone so seemingly strange and eccentric according to the general public.
Tom Best has experience in both fiction and documentary editing but his favourite experience has been working on a documentary. He is very curious for the narrative of this film and feels that his current knowledge on this subject will assist him in making the right choices of editing for this documentary. He is planning to attend all the group meetings from preproduction till post to a good idea of what the crews intentions are, which should help me in executing this film to a good standard. I am looking forward to working with you all
That's where you come in! We need your help to bring this film to life
As film students we're used to working with very small budgets, so we really know how to get the most out of every penny. We are incredibly lucky to be part of an institution where camera, lighting and sound equipment is easy and free to get hold of. But there's so much more than that, so take a look at where your contribution will be going!
Our budget is divided into 6 different section to help us create the documentary. A large proportion is going into the workshop with Nettie, which will help us have a private session with her in order to have our interview footage. The money we need, will also go into transport, post-production and expenses. We would also like to distribute our film into festivals in order for the film to reach out to wider audiences. We are motivated and confident that with your support, we guarantee we will make a film worthy of your hard earned cash.
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Any amount will earn our eternal gratitude, but if you aren't able to contribute please give our campaign a share!
xxx
Illustration by Ruthie Katherine Washbourne @Rk_w_
Graphics by Lulu Ladd