REINIS SPAILE
DIRECTOR & WRITER
CREATING A SPACE
During the past winter we teamed up with DOP Janis Jurkovskis to create a concept project - a visual essay ‘’In Winters We Don’t Freeze’'. It is a collection of short scenes that reflect on the frost and different ways how people keep themselves warm.
It was actually a honeymoon to the countryside with 35mm and 16mm film cameras having no restrictions. We got support from the local rental house BBrental providing us with the equipment + film scan and Kodak Germany which supported us with the film stock. Everything for the road trip was set.
A skeleton crew of 7
We created maximum flexibility by selecting a slim film crew so we could fit it in two vans - one for camera equipment and a camper for the wardrobe, makeup and actors. We decided to use natural light with the help of two portable led panels. The key was to find naturally rich settings that do not require the art department. This gave us the possibility to do an incredible variety of scenes in just a few days and significantly cut the budget. Also, it allowed us to react on the momentum which you miss when having a large crew.
We traveled for the winter and we found it all in our hair and shoes.
Firstly this allowed us to test the 35mm and 16mm film in different environments and settings to become more confident with this medium. Secondly, we learned that efficiency provides us with a lot of creative space. Finally and most importantly we managed to produce a project that was motivated by a pure desire to create. Filmmaking became tangible and brought us joy.