Intimacy in front of the camera - best practice and how-to with Julia Effertz. Moderated by Sarah Bleasdale (Catalyst Acting).

/// About 
Historically, intimate scenes have remained the last grey area during a film shoot - often with dire consequences. Contrary to filming dance, stunt or fight scenes, which have always been precisely choreographed and subject to rigorous safety protocols, there have been no professional standards, choreographies, or structures whatsoever put in place for scenes involving kissing, nudity or the actors simulating sex. The result of this grey area has been awkward, uncomfortable situations on set, a heightened risk of psychological injury for the actors and a complete lack of protection for the actors’ private, intimate body. In both well-known and lesser-known instances, violations of personal boundaries and instances of sexual harassment have occurred.

The Weinstein scandal and the subsequent #metoo and #timesup movements have created a watershed moment, and the industry finally understands that it has to do better to keep actors safe. There is now a clear need for professional protocols, structures, and protective measures for all parties involved in the shoot of intimate content - protection which will result in better scenes, and better storytelling. Since 2018, the demand for intimacy coordinators to facilitate the professionalization of shooting intimate scenes has risen exponentially.

This workshop on intimacy in front of the camera is geared towards all relevant filmmaking departments, with a specific emphasis on directors, producers, assistant directors, DoPs, and actors. Participants will get an insight into the basics of intimacy coordination on set, current industry guidelines as well as Best Practice recommendations. This workshop is a safe and inclusive space, and any information shared will remain confidential.

/// Host
Dr Julia Effertz is an award-winning actress, screenwriter, and Germany’s first trained Intimacy Coordinator. Julia was trained by leading intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien, whose work includes acclaimed productions “Sex Education“ (Netflix), “Watchmen“ (HBO), “Gentleman Jack“ (BBC) and “Normal People“ (Hulu). Following her acting training in Paris and London, and a PhD in Oxford, Julia worked in UK theatre and was nominated for the Off West End Award as Best Actress in 2011. As a screenwriter, Julia has received nominations at the 2018 Funny Women Awards, and the Tallinn Black Nights Filmfestival 2019. As Germany's first (and currently only) intimacy coordinator, Julia has most recently worked for DFFB Berlin, HFF Munich, Kess Films, and X-Filme Creative Pool. She advocates for establishing best practice standards when working with nudity, simulated sexual, and intimate content in front of the camera.

Website

/// Moderator

Sarah Bleasdale is an award-winning, New Zealand-born choreographer and performer, currently based in Berlin. At Catalyst Acting, Sarah teaches the foundations of movement philosophy and screen choreography to the Screen Acting students. She is currently developing a module for the senior students to address for toxicity in the film industry.

catalyst-berlin.com/acting/people/sarah-bleasdale

/// Tickets & info 
When: Friday 16th October, 14:00 - 16:00
Where: Online-only
Participation fee: €7

As this workshop is online-only, a General Admission ticket is not included.

A discussion about having a workflow crisis, how one can approach the phenomena and overcome it with Eluize and Cocktail Party Effect. Hosted by Isabassi (Dry Agency).

/// About 
One of the most frustrating challenges artists come across is a workflow crisis, especially when deadlines are set. Whether you're bored with your current gear, feeling stuck with a project in process or struggling with a blank DAW page, the pressure of concretising ideas and the lack of inspiration can feel quite daunting. Isabassi, Eluize and Cocktail Party Effect will be talking about the phenomenon and how they deal with it, sharing tips on how to approach it and their personal coping mechanisms.

/// Host
Isabassi is a Brazilian sound composer, live performer and DJ based in Berlin. In collaboration with Dry Agency, she's been developing a Creative Development programme which aims at beginners and emerging electronic music artists, offering mentorship, private studio hours and access to additional courses and workshops.

Soundcloud

/// Guests
Eluize is an Australian born, Berlin-based DJ, producer, performer and vocalist who writes, curates and creates a spectrum of house and techno. She also offers free coaching for womxn and non-binary people in electronic music.

Website
Soundcloud

Cocktail Party Effect has made initial waves on Cold Recordings, Osiris and Tectonic, bringing his South London roots to Berlin. He also shares his sound design, breakbeat producing and music writing knowledge as a lecturer and a coach.

Soundcloud

/// Tickets & info 
When: Friday 16th October, 15:30 - 17:00
Where: Matrix (onsite)
Participation fee: €7

A ticket to this workshop also includes a General Admission Friday Day ticket. Please respect our hygiene policy and wear a mask onsite at all times.

Hosted by with Paulina Greta

A workshop is for visual artists or musicians that want to create interactive audiovisuals.

/// About
This workshop is for visual artists and/or musicians that want to create interactive audiovisuals. The workshop aims to show how to produce audioreactive 3D compositions using light, camera, objects, materials. This workshop will provide a solid foundation to gain a basic understanding of the workflow and the setup in TouchDesigner. Participants should bring their laptops with TouchDesigner installed. The workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate level participants.

Note that the free, non-commercial licence for TouchDesigner is suitable for this workshop. You can download this here.

/// Host
Paulina Greta is a Berlin-based artist and creative director focused on immersive and virtual narratives. Her practice spans installation, performance, film direction, augmented and virtual reality. Her works have been featured at international venues and multimedia festivals such as Atonal Berlin, Milan Design and Fashion Weeks, Macro (Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome), festivals in Netherlands, Cile, Russia.
Pauline also tutors on Catalyst Film's VFX programme.

Imaginaria
Aevafutura
Surogaat
@dollsdream

/// Tickets & info 
When: Friday 16th October, 14:30 - 16:30
Where: Co Lab 2 (onsite)
Participation fee: €7

A ticket to this workshop also includes a General Admission Friday Day ticket. Please respect our hygiene policy and wear a mask onsite at all times.

Hosted by Václav Peloušek (Bastl Instruments)

/// About
Looping is one of the fastest and most intuitive ways of making music, but it certainly has its limitations when it comes to composition style or the static nature of the looped material. Several individuals have managed to create custom tools on the laptop, but what if you are not that type of musician? How do you overcome these limitations and go towards the future with the latest generation of hardware loopers? We will look into loopers by Boss, Chase Bliss Audio (Blooper) and Bastl Instruments (Midi Looper, Thyme).

/// Host
Václav Peloušek is a musician (Toyota Vangelis) and lead instrument designer at Bastl Instruments. While developing the hardware tools, he has been extensively integrating looping into his music-making process. Bastl Instruments have developed a range of modular synthesizer modules as well as a couple of stand alone instruments ranging from synths, granular sampling, mixing to MIDI looping.

Bastl

/// Tickets & info 
When: Saturday 17th October, 14:30 - 16:30
Where: Online-only
Participation fee: €7

As this workshop is online-only, a General Admission ticket is not included.