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MOTION PICTURE & PRO-VIDEO shorts focus
ONE FROM THE HEART
Hand Righting signs the way ahead
J ournalism and film-making may share some links but Jake Barnes was under no
illusion just how much work lay ahead of him when he decided to make the career change.
Previously a journalist for papers like The Daily Mirror and The Sun, Barnes admits that it took some time to make headway in the world of film production.
He explains: “I stopped getting a salary and decent food. Short film making doesn’t pay in any financial sense and you have to largely finance yourself in working towards a differ- ent direction.”
Barnes stresses he did not want to move straight into feature pro- duction and undertook a lengthy learning process.
He says: “It took a long time to learn how to write scripts properly and learning the industry was like get- ting to grips with a different world and language. I practised, went to Cannes and was also lucky enough to study under DP Michael Seresin on Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban.
“I made my first film which was not that great, but you have to learn from mistakes, build up confidence and most importantly be realistic as well as ambitious.”
Two years and four shorts down the line, Barnes, who now runs iBrotha films in West London, is very much on the up. His latest offering, Hand Righting, has already generated interest from online broadcasters and is set to be screened at the Notting Hill Film Festival this month.
The film concentrates solely on a man’s signature in a tale of a man cre- atively stifled as a child who spends his life refusing to fit between the lines.
Hand Righting represents some- thing of a turning point for Barnes as
it was the first time he had shot prop- erly on film – and Fuji stock to boot! Barnes views Hand Righting as a
different type of film. Shot in a build- ing near the Hurlingham Club in London, Barnes explains that the loca- tion was able to fulfil a number of pur- poses in the six- minute production.
“The film is set in a number of dif- ferent places and the building let us draw out a surprisingly big world as it comprised of both plush apart- ments and a basement that doubled as a prison.
“We found that by focusing on handwriting, we could easily create a grand world and make a panoramic short film without a huge amount of production,” says Barnes, explaining what he was trying to achieve with the piece. “The film focuses on someone’s life progressions, redemption and diffi- culties. The character cannot fit between the lines both literally and metaphorically.”
Barnes was also able to call on some very experienced personnel for the film including his DP, Boyd Skinner.
“He really understands everything about camera and film and, what’s
more, he owns his own camera which helps to keep costs down! His whole house is full of cameras,” says Barnes, glowingly.
“He’s an old school craftsman and the cinematography on the film is out- standing. There is one scene where ink leaking from a pen comes out in a heart shape. It was not designed to happen like that but Boyd captured it perfectly.”
Although Hand Righting has been seen in a few locations in the United Kingdom, Barnes says the film has not been accepted generally nationally, meaning he is now looking abroad. With a feature film about a graffiti superhero getting interest, it seems the future is looking bright for Barnes and iBrotha.
He says: “You have to know a huge amount to be a good writer and director, including getting to grips with camera, lighting, drama and narrative. It is a vocation and becomes your life’s work. We have fought to get our films made. The future is tough for everybody but the ones that get through are the ones that persevere.” ■ TIM GREEN
for newcomer Jake Barnes
Photos above l-r: DP Boyd Skinner & Director Jake Barnes and scenes from Hand Righting
Fuji Motion Picture And Professional Video • Exposure • 21
Hand Righting was originated on 16mm Fujicolor F-250 8652 and F-400 8682 Motion Picture Negative