Sing J. Lee

Sing J. Lee | The Kollektivnye Interview

Manchester is currently seeing somewhat of a renaissance in terms of the talent it is producing, having gone through a spell of not really setting the world of arts and culture alight in the face of  its self-administered billing as the U.K.’s second city. A generation of musicians, artists and filmmakers are taking matters into their own hands and forcing those from London and beyond to sit up and take note as something really special seems to be brewing. Sing J. Lee is a fine example of this young and exciting raft of talent that has emerged in the last 18 months or so, the award winning director already with an impressive and varied resume of  projects to his name and a busy schedule ahead of him. We sat down with Sing to discuss his directorial style, influences and what the future holds.

 

Kollektivnye: Starting with your short film ‘Flux’ which among other awards picked up ‘Best Cinematography’ at the L.A. Underground Film Festival and ‘Best Drama’ at Screentest Film Festival, what can you tell us about your inspiration for the film? What made you decide on the late 1960/1970s as the setting?

 

Sing J. Lee: ‘Flux’ was a culmination of so many different elements and ideas that I had been thinking about around the time of its conception. It was my first short film and there was so much I wanted to try and squeeze into it. Edward Hopper is probably the single most important artist to me and my practice, I always turn to his work for inspiration and I feel that ‘Flux’ probably has some of this in there. What really defined and shaped ‘Flux’ was knowing what was available to me at the time. There was no budget and both the actors are good friends of mine. The interior location I chose was a flat in London my sister was living in at the time. I remember visiting once and thinking that it looked amazing, all so mismatched and nostalgic. So when I got back to Manchester I focused on the look of that room and slowly pulled everything in around it. Emma who plays Lyra had this amazing haircut which felt of a 60s era, that helped add a sense of time to the film. In truth, ‘Flux’ isn’t really set in a specific time period. I feel that if it were to be, I would have sourced a lot more props to make sure it was true to its time period and setting. Luckily what we had to hand though definitely allowed it to feel like a revisit to an era of the past. Being obsessed by fashion and popular culture of the 60s probably had a helping hand too.

 

K: It is refreshing to have a tale of two lovers told with very little dialogue, there is just one line of course in ‘Flux’ but did this act as a means for you to give the film a more amorphous narrative, encouraging the viewer to speculate as to what is going through the minds of the two central characters?

 

SJL: Yes definitely, that was the intention of that line. I wanted to give the viewer the opportunity to mould what was shown before them, allowing them to create the story in a sense.

Having said that, there are subtle clues dotted here and there that will tell you what is actually going on, but I wanted to keep them far in the background, perhaps hoping that if the viewer delved deep enough, they may stumble upon them. The one line of dialogue is also a reference to a Woody Allen film.

 

 

K: Was writing and shaping a story without dialogue a challenge or did it provide you with more license as a film maker to take the viewer on a dream-like journey?

 

SJL: It was really interesting actually. I didn’t really spend too much time thinking about the fact that it was going to be dialogue-less. I think the major reason at the beginning was that there was to be no crew; it was really stripped back, just me and the two actors. This shaped what I wrote and I felt that everything I wanted to say could be told in the tone of the film and their emotions, I wanted to see if I could execute this. I think looking back now, maybe it was a good thing I was so naïve about the whole process! If I was to make a film with no dialogue now I think I would really analyse every nuance and detail. But the whole process to shooting and writing “Flux” was very intuitive and spontaneous. I think that worked for it.

 

K: Cigarettes are used to tie all of the characters together and often they act as the window through which we learn most about Edward and Lyra, was this concept one that you had at the start of the writing process or did it occur organically as the project developed?

 

SJL: I’m going to have to admit that I was not actually aware this had happened! It’s great though, that someone else can pick up on something that I did not. I think in all honesty, cigarettes crept into the story purely because I smoke and also because I’d been dying to get someone to strike a match on their shoe for a long time. A silly thing. But thinking about what you said, it is interesting how cigarettes are shown at the transitional stages of the sequences. I guess when someone smokes, it’s usually a time they can take a break; pause and reflect.

 

K: The film’s score acts as a strong medium for the communication of the ‘feel’ of the piece, again, was this something you had in mind or did you pick the music around the story once it was written?

 

SJL: I had met Henry James Pearce (the composer) whilst I was interviewing his band for a short online promo. We got on pretty well; in fact we bonded over our shared love of the score for “The Atonement”. After that, we eventually decided to work together on “Flux”. As I was writing the film we would keep in touch and talk about what was initially going through my head. After that I think it was a case of reacting to the scenes and creating something that would really set the tone and marry to the visuals. Again, I feel it was a very intuitive process. 

 

K: How meticulous are you on set? Do you tend to insist on numerous takes or are you at ease with being able to produce exactly what you want through the edit and post-production?

 

SJL: I am very meticulous on set if there is time to be. Obviously when you’re fighting for daylight or pushed for time you have to change your approach in order to capture everything important and necessary whilst still getting the best out of everyone. I love the time beforehand on a short film, rehearsing with the actors, watching them grow into the characters. It’s incredibly exciting seeing everything tie in together with them, the costumes and the production design. Everything must complement each other precisely. I do look for everything to be just right before I move on, for me, it’s a better feeling knowing you have something secure than trying to sort it out later in post. I am very keen on making sure we spend time finding the right shot, compositions are very important to me also. My family are all quite creative, my mum was a graphic designer and I guess growing up with that has definitely influenced me in some ways.

 

K: Your short ‘First The Bird Fell’ is set in the 60s and brilliantly sets two contrasting scenes, the one of the former champion being interviewed in his home and the other of him outside, breaking from the constraints of the race and galloping through the countryside. Is this an expression of a ‘freedom’ that has since been lost?

 

SJL: Thank you for noticing the contrast. The first shot of the room was very important, I wanted to hold off introducing the viewer to John Kelly, to heighten the mystery and reclusive nature of the man he is. The light streams in from a window behind him and highlights his foot. That’s the first part of him you see. I wanted the room to replicate his story, a caged man, a shadow of his former self. In contrast to this, the exterior shots were expansive and free. These are expressions of freedom, but also I wanted to show how something can change its meaning to someone. How he views running now, weighs so differently in value to what he felt back then. To heighten all this, Davey Gilder (Director of Photography) and I spoke a lot about the look of both scenes. We decided to shoot on 16mm to give us the authenticity of a 60s film. Davey then chose two different film stocks to further what we were trying to achieve in both looks. 

 

K: The film has a feel of escapism to it, is this something that you strive for in your films and if so what makes it such a compelling concept to explore?

 

SJL: I have never actively strove for writing about escape, but it does seem to be a theme that reoccurs through what I write and direct. I think it’s because it’s something I can relate to and find such a fascinating concept. There are many interesting factors that you can build into a character with an escapist theme, it’s great. The worlds you can build up in their fantasies to contrast their surroundings are limitless, that is the fun part. In their detachment from reality you can be as expressive and explorative as you desire. Because I can relate to these notions, I feel I can create something honest too that hopefully resonates with an audience. I’m sure as I progress there will be different experiences that will feed into my work. 

 

 

K: What was the inspiration for the story? Was it based on any real-life character or scenario?

 

SJL: I think it evolved from various musings. There’s something that grabbed me about the act of running and the connotations it holds, I thought it would be interesting to explore that. I remember finding a book called “Running and Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind” and was intrigued. The idea formed into something solid and developed from there.

 

K: ‘Order’ offers something completely different, is this more experimental, almost hallucinogenic style of film something that you see yourself making more of in the future?

 

SJL: ‘Order’ was one of the first films I made. It was a case of just taking a camera out and feeling comfortable with it. I have a great interest in so many various elements of moving image, from the more art based work to the concise solid structure of good storytelling, so I have a hunger to try my hand at most things. I would hope I get the chance to make more films like ‘Order’ in the future, there were so many different ideas that went into it, to me when I think about it, it’s really a catalogue of experiments that I feel I could break down and refine. Perhaps at a later date. 

 

 

K: It is described as an exploration of rhythm and pattern, are these factors that you also consider in your more recent work?

 

SJL: These are definitely elements I consider in everything I do. Rhythm is such an integral part to any film; it allows the work to ebb and flow, just like a good song. Pattern is also important too, I guess in ‘Order’ I may have addressed these two factors in a rather literal way, but as I’ve progressed, they’ve become more and more important in different ways. 

 

K: You also create music videos, such as the animated Scams video

and the Zebra and Snake – Sweetest Treasure piece, how does the approach to these projects vary from that to your own films?

 

SJL: Just like developing and understanding a character in a short film, I take great pleasure in researching a band; studying who they are individually, what their sound represents and their overall appeal. I love the opportunities music videos can bring, from the collaboration of working with a band and pooling together everyone’s ideas, to being left to try something you wouldn’t normally do. 

 

K: Was working with the kids in the Zebra and Snake video a challenge or were they focused beyond their tender years?

 

SJL: I think we were really lucky, the four kids we cast for the Zebra and Snake music video were all good to work with. The girl especially, she was a natural. She would come up with gold every time the camera was on her! 

 

K: I understand you are currently working on a video for emerging Manchester band PINS

, what can you tell us about this project?

 

SJL: This project was such good fun. It was a really interesting on many levels. There are these two Czech photographers, Jaromir Funke and Jaroslav Rössler, their work is rich with the process of stripping an image down to its bare form of shapes and darkness, which in turn creates such powerful compositions. I have been itching to explore the possibilities of bringing elements of this into a more contemporary idea. So when PINS and I sat down to talk about their music video, I felt this was the project that would marry successfully to the ideas of abstract forms and light and shadow. We aimed to create something that revealed hints of who they were, but still held back in some way, keeping them mysterious.

 

 K: What else have you got in the pipeline that we can expect to see in the not too distant future?

 

SJL: There are a few things in the pipeline that I’m very excited about. I’ve recently finished writing the script for a short film that also includes John Kelly from ‘First the Bird Fell’, this will be a longer short. I have been working on this with Loran Dunn, a wonderful Manchester based producer from Blue Robot Films. We’re in the process of looking for funding at the moment, so we have our fingers crossed! There is also another short film that I’ve co-written with a very talented animator, Chloe Rodham. We’re also hoping to get that off the ground in the near future too.  Aside from that, Davey Gilder (cinematographer) and I have collated some ideas that we are aiming to shoot early April. On paper they seem really cool, so hopefully you’ll see the results of these online later on next month.

 

The PINS

video directed by Sing J. Lee is due out on April 5^th (watch this space) and for more of Sing’s work and to keep abreast of his latest projects, check out his site and follow him on Twitter .