The first position Rae, Ryan, and I were looking for to bring on to Collision was the choreographer. I was looking for someone who knew contemporary dance and ballet, was able to work with the emotional beats I had laid out, and was able to work with props. I wanted the piece to be felt, and choreographed improv suited us best for Collision. We met many talented choreographers but the one we went for was literally the last interview scheduled.

I met Akti Konstantinou the second week of January and just from her outfit I already knew we’d get along; it’s called taste, darling. We chatted about the vision, and I learned her approach. She loved the garments and loved the emotion; we were already bouncing ideas back and forth – after discussion Rae, Ryan, and I welcomed Akti to the Collision crew.

What Akti brought to the table was something very special. Of course, the dancers were some of the best I’ve worked with as well. I attended the first rehearsal which was mostly getting to know everyone, warming up, and getting into the vibe of the emotional arc. I was on a location scout with Rae and Ryan while the performers were rehearsing the second week; and I briefly spoke with Akti, but it’s one of those where I just knew that she “got it.” It’s my job to make sure all creatives involved understand what’s in my head, and I trusted Akti entirely to deliver; what I saw on the third rehearsal, the dress rehearsal, was so beautiful. Akti and I barely spoke in between and I just left her to it, and I love being able to trust people. The foundation was placed in magnificent fashion, I came in and finessed things like wanting to see more of an angry build, and making it more exponential, but I emphatically felt the emotional beats of Collision as they were happening in front of me, and it was so special.

From involving a choreographer, we built the rest of the crew. This was easier, as we had people to already call on and we could already vet the people we knew much more easily. I brought on a very good DoP I had worked with prior ages ago, Dave Wyatt – who again, trust. I said what I wanted, he made it happen. The lighting was great from Chris Wilson, a gaffer who I’ve worked with many times now. They rigged two large (1.2 HMI) lights on a forklift which was a fun experience; it really set the tone in real life as well as on screen.

Most importantly, we made both days. We got every shot we planned for and we wrapped on time. Absolute cheers to Rohan Reddy for that one. Every Assistant Director has their own methods, some are a bit yelly others are a bit one-on-one. The bottom line is if you can control a crew and manage time while working under stress, you did your job as an AD. If you’ve ever been on an independant production, you know that sentence is way easier said than done. Rohan is both likeable and authoritative; and as a director who can get carried away wanting the best performance possible, I absolutely need someone that checks all of the aforementioned boxes.

Here’s another notebook excerpt:

So we did day 1 yesterday and man does it look good – this is the most talented cast and crew I would have only dreamed of; except they’re real, they’re here, and they’re downstairs enjoying pancakes – what a beautiful delightful way to enjoy Shrove Tuesday. We get to depict emotion for a living, and people believe in what we have to say. I believe in Tsilindr and a strong fruitful future of bringing vision with heart to the world, always rooted in truth and love.

Let’s shine, day 2 is here and I’m more than ready to bring the vision of Collision to life. Let’s kick ass!

Honestly, if any one cast or crew member had changed in Collision, it wouldn’t have been the same production or product. I won’t name-drop everyone, but please know I love all of you for what you brought to Collision.

I’ve rarely been in a position to have someone else edit my own work. It’s a combination of not having met an editor I could trust as well as not having a budget (or lack thereof) to justify asking someone to dedicate so many hours in front of a computer. I’d known Ben Robertson-Kay (who was our DIT) for some time and I had heard only great things about his skills as an editor, so when it came up in conversation that I would be open to seeing someone else’s take on the vision, it was a no-brainer.

I spent the entire production process of Collision learning to root everything in love and trust, being surrounded by some of the best people I knew for the job. Getting an editor was the logical next step. I love editing, but fresh eyes bring something new always. Ben has ideals and focuses on the performance and the vision, he loves what he does and he loves telling a story through cuts. He gets what has to be done, and he pushes himself for the best product possible. His verisimilitude is palpable in his work. There’s that word again. I am so grateful to continue to expand the crew and it also lets me focus on the main thing for me – directing. I want Tsilindr to scale, so I can’t edit forever. I didn’t try to edit Collision, but I can confidently say that Ben’s edit is leagues beyond what I could have done.

Dave and I met up shortly after Collision with Aiden Tobin, the colour legend himself. Aiden has been my go-to since we met during Vive Le Rock. It’s come to a point where I know his style, he knows my style, and we just bash through looks and the colour grade. Love and trust. He knows way more about colour science than I probably ever will, and he’s a brilliant artist himself.

The way I approached the music to Collision was by only directing through emotional beats, not visuals. I sat down with composer Max Cambridge and told him the same emotions which the dancers and Akti knew. Curiosity to frustration building up to explosive anger until a moment of realisation and release with understanding that peace is good and we can’t let everything the world throws our way get to us. I also relayed this to Paolo Morena who is doing drums for us, as well as Richard Nash who is our guitarist. As I type this, we’re still working on the composition, and the virus slowed us down a bit. From everything so far and making sure they all understand the emotion fully, everyone is absolutely killing it and nailing the tone without even having seen the film. On our “Recording Day” we’ll go through the last batch of notes and they will finally see what they’ve been composing to. It’s fascinating to direct purely from emotion, they’re such talented people and I’ll write a lot more about the process once it’s done.

The most important thing is belief in the project. I can believe in it, no worries – it’s my job to and it’s my vision. Cool, but I can’t carry twenty people who don’t think the same way. We are artists and entertainers in a beautiful industry where we get to create, tell stories, and depict emotion as a job. Every crew member is crucial to making the vision happen, and I firmly believe every position creatively involved or not should both love and believe in what they are contributing to. We are a collective, and we all elevate each other. I know to always approach anything with love, no matter the position, and I know in my heart and through the proof right in front of me that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.