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Water Into Wine is a Welsh language experimental exploration of alcoholism and the mind of an addict. A young woman sits in a bath, drinking from a bottle of wine and puts her head under the water, awakening in a dream world in which her addiction surrounds her. She explores the world through stages of consumption, addiction and acceptance all whilst grappling with her roots, paranoia and trauma, but must escape before she is overcome by the rising tides. Water Into Wine uses poetry in its visuals, dialogue and imagery in order to convey our character's turmoil as she confronts the darkest parts of her brain, with the contrast between the beauty of her surroundings and the desperation of her actions serving as a constant reminder of the battle between reality and fantasy.
Water Into Wine is an experimental film mixed with a touch of surrealism that tells the story of a young woman’s struggle with substance abuse as she explores the multifaceted causes of her addiction through dream-like landscapes.
In order to provide a more introspective view of addiction, we want to break free from conventional cinematic form and experiment with all the different tools available to us. The most important element we are researching is the medium with which we’re shooting. We’re considering how differences between digital filmmaking and celluloid filmmaking can be used to create different moods and how to juxtapose the two formats to create narrative. We’re also investigating how we can explore the texture and physicality of celluloid with different techniques that directly, such as drawing and animating directly onto the print. We also want to study how different aspect ratios can change narrative and how they can be combined to create shifts in setting.
Texture also applies to the camerawork in the film; we want to test different materials and filters on the lenses to create different effects that can be used to enhance the narrative. Water and liquid also plays a huge role in the film, and, alongside mirrors and bottles, their reflections portray the character’s inability to accept herself, so we want to experiment with how we film reflections in different surfaces to represent this internal struggle. Much of our camerawork is inspired by the work of Maya Deren, not only her experimental films such as Meshes of the Afternoon, but also her work in filming choreography. The performances and themes of the film are primarily told through the actor’s movements, so we plan to take inspiration from the way she filmed bodies and body parts, especially in her close-ups, to inform our cinematography.
There are four distinct settings in the film, and each comes with its own visual aesthetic, and much of this will be achieved with lighting. The real world will be an intensely warm and grimy interior, with hues of sickly yellows to make it appear suffocating and sweet. The grass setting will have cold daylight, inspired by overcast Welsh countryside skies, which slowly becomes intense and nightmarish as the action in the scene becomes more surreal. The beach setting will glow with the golden warmth of nostalgia, with golden and pastel lighting, and will explore the textured lighting created by bouncing light off water. The milk setting will be designed to give the impression of a monochromatic image, with high contrast shadows and silhouettes, where the boldness of the deep reds are highlighted against a black and white palette.
For many years, the media have either ignored or glamourised the epidemic of alcoholism amongst young people, seeing it as a disease only prevalent in the older demographic. However, alcohol misuse is the biggest risk factor for death, ill-health and disability among 15-49 year-olds in the UK (Alcohol Change UK). The concept for this film came from observations of binge drinking amongst young people within the context of university drinking culture, which led to research into how addiction, in particular alcohol addiction, is effecting a whole generation of young people. We are working to contact various alcoholism and addiction charities and organisations, particularly those active in Wales, to help create a well-rounded and informed representation of addiction, not only based on real experiences, but also on extensive research and resources curated in collaboration with these organisations.
In addition, it is a story often told by people who do not truly understand it. As members of a demographic heavily effected by this issue, we believe it is imperative to the sensitivity of the topic that it is seen through the eyes of filmmakers currently living through a culture of heavy drug and alcohol use, to avoid glamorisation or romanticisation. This film offers a more introspective view of the disease rather than a purely explanatory narrative, by exploring themes of isolation, shame and entrapment, as well as drawing connections to the causes of alcoholism, such as childhood trauma, loneliness and low self-esteem, thus creating a meaningful narrative background for visual experimentation. This is an incredibly personal film, but one we believe deserves to be made in order to cast light on alcoholism, substance abuse and addiction.
To make our film we need your help! We've made a breakdown so you know where every penny you donate is going, and how we'll spend it. Any donations are incredibly helpful and appreciated!
DIRECTOR
Ruby Smith-Brown
Siwmae! I'm Ruby, the writer and director of Water Into Wine. I have always been inspired by poetry and art, never more so than with this film, which is deeply rooted in Celtic landscapes, imagery and writing. This film draws on real experiences of young people and drinking culture, whilst grounding them in personal connections to heritage, nationality and identity. I aim to bring attention to an often forgotten demographic in depictions of alcoholism and addiction, with the experimental form of this film allowing for an emotional and visceral representation of this topic.
PRODUCER
Evelyn Norman-Rogers
Hiya I'm Evelyn, one of the producers for the film! I'm honoured to have been on the project since the early stages, working with Ruby to develop and adapt the story over the last 6 months. Being the only experimental film this year we're excited to bring an unconventional approach to the line-up through the surrealist world our character becomes trapped in. The topics we're shining a light onto are those often overlooked, especially within our current environment at university. Hopefully through this film we can help raise awareness and create a beautiful piece of art in the process. This film has been so incredibly fun to work on so far and I'm looking forward to the next 6 months!!
PRODUCER
George Clarke
Hey! My names George and I'm the co-producer of Water into Wine alongside Evelyn. I was drawn to the idea of Ruby's film as I felt that the subject material, pared with the experimental presentation could make for an amazing final product with a lot of emotional weight to it. I’m extremely grateful to be backed by such a talented team who will strive to make this film as good as it can be, and better.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Luke Couch
Hi, I’m Luke, and I’m very excited to be leading a wonderful cinematography team as the Director of Photography for Water Into Wine. I’m always drawn to projects that encourage me to think outside the box and push the boundaries of what’s possible within my specialism. What I love about this film is its commitment to exploring non-traditional narrative and unconventional filmmaking techniques, which gives us an amazing opportunity to explore new avenues of photography and experiment with the medium to create an experimental film which tells a very important and relevant story in a completely unique way. I can’t wait to work with the rest of the crew to bring this story to life!
GAFFER
Samuel Crumpler
Hi I’m Samuel and I’m the Gaffer for ‘Water into Wine’. I was drawn to this project by the exciting prospect of the creative possibilities through lighting. Since the lighting is going to be key in enhancing the 3 different stages of the dream world. I’m also excited to play around and try all sorts of techniques to create different effects with the lights such as some pockets of light and different textures on the sand. I’m honoured to be on this crew and can’t wait to create a captivating film that also reflects its strong message.
CO-PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Poppy Littlemore
Hi I’m Poppy, Co-Production Designer for ‘Water into Wine’. I was drawn to this project through my love of experimental film and the set build element. Having an opportunity to create dreamscape set builds is what I’ve always aspired to do, so being able to bring this project to life and collaborate with my best friend on bringing her story to the screen is truly exciting. I’m eager to see what our crew create and what beautiful and insane cinema we make together!
CO-PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Samuel Coates
Shwmae! My name is Sam and I’m the co-production designer of Water into Wine. I was born in Penarth and grew up in the Vale of Glamorgan, I’m looking forward to the opportunity of working on a Welsh language film that helps me feel more connected to the culture I want to be a more active participant in. I’m excited to explore the artistic opportunities that this experimental film allows as well as helping to explore the message of alcoholism and its links to upbringing. Diolch. Cymru am byth.
EDITOR
Leszek Cygan
Hi, I’m Leszek and I’ll be both editing and colour grading Water into Wine! As someone with a passion for experimental film, this piece instantly appealed to me. I’m excited to utilise my prior experience in surrealist editing to make this project as visually distinct and memorable as possible, using the editing form to create a visceral experience by emphasising the textures and rhythms of Ruby’s vision, culminating in a free-flowing cinematic dream-world. I’m so excited to help contribute to bringing this masterpiece to life!! Let’s go!!!
SOUND
Harry Wright
Hi I'm Harry, the head of sound for Water Into Wine! I have been involved in the project from the beginning, and was excited by the possibilities this experimental film offers sound design. Conveying the character's turmoil and the disorientation of her surroundings through sound will create a more layered meaning to the film, enhancing its visual metaphors.
CO-COSTUME DESIGNER
Lizzie Hodge
Hi! I'm Lizzie one of the co-costume designers for Water into Wine, and I am really excited to be working on this film. Water into Wine has lots of opportunities to play with costume creatively, and I, alongside Jess, have some really fun ideas to explore throughout the film. As a designer, I tend to design through the lens of music, making playlists to go alongside projects, and I'm especially excited for Water into Wine with music influences such as Ethel Cain and Julien Baker. I’m so excited to work with this incredible crew to bring you this amazing film!
CO-COSTUME DESIGNER
Jess Noyes
Hi! I’m Jess, one of the Co Costume designers alongside Lizzie! When hearing about Water into Wine I knew I wanted to join this project straight away, it’s such an amazing concept as well as being experimental I think it’ll be incredibly fun and interesting to bring to life! I’m so excited to work with this wonderful team on turning Water into Wine into the film it deserves to be!
MAKEUP DESIGNER
Emily Chick
Hi, I’m Emily and I’m the makeup designer! I’m so excited to experiment with makeup for this amazing film and explore how to communicate emotions and stories through makeup. When I heard about this project, I was so intrigued to find out how the story would be told through a creative lens. My biggest passion is film makeup, so I can’t wait to help bring this story to life!
If you've made it this far then thank you, (you should consider donating whilst you're here) we wouldn't be able to make this project without your help!! We have 6 weeks to raise the money needed to make this film happen so every penny is incredibly appreciated. As student filmmakers we are constantly learning and creating, and you can help be apart of this process by supporting us either through donating on this page, coming to one of our many fundraising events (check @waterintowine.bfs), or just share this link to your friends and family!
Diolch yn fawr iawn,
The Water Into Wine crew