Meet Mark French XXX
See examples of Mark's work:
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Can you tell us about a film you have shown at the Electric Palace or at our film festival?
I’ve been involved with EP for many years now, curating programmes by Hastings filmmakers including Seaside Super 8 for Coastal Currents Arts Festival at the Electric Palace. I also curated the inaugural Hastings Filmmakers festival and have premiered many short films here.
Do you remember a moment when your love for the moving image was sparked?
The first film that really made a major impression on me was Stanley Kubrick’s “2001”. I had to cover my eyes and ears when the black slab appeared. However, I’m more influenced by the French New Wave- Goddard, Truffaut, Rivette et al, as I was taken to see them at The Academy cinema in Oxford Street in the 60s and early 70s. Consequently actresses like Anna Karina, Juliet Berto and Bulle Ogier were my heroines.
From these filmmakers and others of the European vanguard like Tarkovsky and Fassbinder, I developed a love of politically aware cinema in the European idiom.
Can you tell us about a film that you would have liked to have made?
I have a project with Ben Cole called “Stolen Identity” about two groups of teenagers involving a stolen iphone and the virtual and real drama that results between them. Still hoping to get this one made.
What does filmmaking offer you as an artist?
A reason to get out of the house and expose myself to whatever influences may result from the crazy plan. So the balance between planning and chance is particularly relevant to filmmaking.
Is there something you try to subvert, avoid or rebel against in your work?
The same solution.
How do you plan your work – with a script, storyboard or another method?
I like to set up a scene with a plotline and then improvise around that. I’ve got lots of productive methods for making this work and it encourages spontaneity and truth. Likewise if I’m making a documentary I like to have some prepared questions then to actually have a conversation with the contributor. This way you have to research them and then get to know them.
Do you need to collaborate to make your work?
Virtually all filmmaking is collaborative, even at the basic camera to subject level. I do often work entirely on my own, covering camera, lighting, sound and editing. I find this makes for the most coherent result, but there is always an interaction with the audience and other contributors to think about. Having said that I also still work as a Gaffer on features occasionally, and then the effort is entirely contributory.
Has living in Hastings influenced your work?
Hastings has linked me in to so many extraordinary artists, filmmakers and musicians, and I find that very inspiring and productive. Of course it’s also a fantastic location.
Is there a difference in producing films for a large screen or making work for online viewing?
Recently due to lockdown everything has gone online, and it’s the best way to get work out there and seen by the maximum number of people. However, unless they respond directly to you, you never know what they may think of the film. Cinema is a shared experience and long may it remain so.
Have developments in camera technology changed the way you work?
Recent years have brought a plethora of new technologies within the grasp of most filmmakers for little money. So the means of production are in our hands. This makes it much easier to film what you want, when you want and to a high standard. The availability of powerful edit systems for the price of a piece of software has revolutionized the way we work.
Do live audiences in a cinema matter to you?
It's always great to feel the response of an audience when you sit in the same time and space as them.
Can you tell us about an unusual event where you have screened your work or attended a film screening?
I’ve projected films on just about any surface you can imagine. I love getting cinema out into the public realm. Barefoot Opera’s production of Alcina filmed by Nichola Bruce that we screened in the shopping Centre was a highlight. It’s like a cathedral.
What continues to inspire you as a filmmaker or artist?
A request.