LP: We Said We Shouldn’t Die, Remember?

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DIRECTOR / CINEMATOGRApHER / PRODUCER

We Said We Shouldn't Die, Remember? - 花樣年華// 2021

Directed by Giulia Jules Menaspà

“Everyone must have their reasons to stay along the living or walk among the dead.
Why do you feel like dying and what do you live for instead?”

Two girls find in their relationship and in the happy moments together the only way to escape from their sufferings. However, something seems to shift hopelessly when the pain of one of them takes over. How Can a strong bond like this be harmful and saving at the same time?

Scriptwriter, Director, DoP, Producer Giulia Jules Menaspà
1AC Stephan Vinkler
2AC Maxine Lamblot
Gaffer Angel Rose Raju
Script Supervisor Jamie Brush
Set Designer Yijie Wang
Runner Tong Zou
1AD Emma Granger
Actress Ewelina Ruszkin
Actress Maxine Lamblot
Composer and Sound Designer Nicu Bors
Lyrics Supervisor Abel Gatachew
Mixing & Mastering Federico Grella

We Said We Shouldn't Die, Remember? - 花樣年華// 2021

Directed by Giulia Jules Menaspà

“Everyone must have their reasons to stay along the living or walk among the dead.
Why do you feel like dying and what do you live for instead?”

Full film oming online soon.

NOTES for 花樣年華: The characters (Pt.1)

In the beginning, there wasn’t Yve and Jay.
It was just Y and J. Two letters, two different and yet so similar characters.
They were already there, on paper, living in a whole already existing world that I came across. Y and J already had their dreams, their fears, their thoughts, and their relationship. Two people with a painful past and present, finding their own different ways to deal with their sufferings, both ending up with self-harming behaviour. Two people who may (or may not?) have tried to end their life but saved each other in the end thanks to the happy memories they had together.

While reading and learning about them, something in the words of Y hit me.

“Everyone must have their reason for wanting to be dead. And for wanting to be alive. Why did J feel like dying? And what did J live for?”

I there realized that they were two sides of the same coin because J could have wondered the same thing about Y. The two had the same look in their eyes. A look made of broken dreams, fears of abandonment, and the wish of giving up on this world.
And I, as a director, wanted to explore that look until I reach the bottom of it.

THE
PROCESS

‘We Said We Shouldn’t Die, Remember? – 花樣年華’ is my first official work, realized during my Master in Cinematography at Bournemouth University. For this set I had to manage everything, from producing to editing, focusing on achieving a smooth workflow.

Here I show more deeply each step and give an overlook of my working style.

NOTES for 花樣年華: The characters (Pt.2)

The script wasn’t the first thing I came up with. It was actually the lyrics.

I didn’t have a story but I had two characters and a lot of different sensations. I wanted to walk in the shoes of those two people, exploring their pain, and feeling what they feel for each other.

How would Y describe J? And what did J see when looking at Y?

Therefore, I started writing. At that time I didn’t know what it was (a song? a poem? a rap?), just rhymes on a paper trying to become two different people. Two parts with two different points of view that eventually collide in the intro and in the ‘chorus’:

“Needing you is like a knife that I hand you from the blade”

A relationship that saves you and hurts you at the same time. And you are the one that is letting it happens.
This was definitely something that both of them could feel.

NOTES for 花樣年華: The script

I had two characters, their relationship, a “poem”, some images in my head.
I needed a story.

Actually, this was the first script I ever wrote and I didn’t know how to approach it: where do I start? How can I explain things through words?

Only one thing was sure from the very beginning: I didn’t want any dialogue. I wanted everything to be understandable thoughts my shots.

A short film? A long music video? I still don’t know exactly what I wrote. However, something eventually clicked and I was able to come up with a full script.

At that point, the hardest part was the title. ‘花樣年華’ wasn’t actually the easiest working title, HYYH neither, and after almost one year of ‘Needing You,’ we finally found the One (even if it's pretty long, I know, and it doesn't sound like a title but don't worry, I am working on my lack of verbal skills).

Notes for '花樣年華': The Storyboard

Everything started from some images in my head.

Whoever spent some time with me knows that I constantly draw. On a sketchbook, on a random piece of paper, on a post-it: I see images in my head and I draw them. These are usually the starting points and the core of my work. Drawing is sometimes the only way for me to communicate what I mean and what I want to others. And usually, if I can’t picture it in my head, it doesn’t work.

This is the reason why, right after the lyrics, the first thing I did was draw the images that came to my head reading it. These images helped me write the script and then they turned into a full storyboard.

At this point, the work got easier: in this way I already had a shot list, a draft of the final editing, and something to show to my crew, allowing them to understand what we were going to do.

I just needed a crew.

(yes, I am that person who needs to stick stuff on the wall or write on big boards like in A Beautiful Mind)

NOTES for 花樣年華: Crew and Cast

If there is something I learned from my experience in Bournemouth is that people who work with/for you will not remember (or care) if your film is good or not. However, they will remember how they worked on your set.

Of course, working with people who like what you do is a blessing, and I was lucky enough to have them on my crew.

This short film would not exist without my core group, my fellow cinematographers Maxine and Stephan.

Maxine was the first person who joined me: she was my support and my cheerleader. Professional on set and in the pre-prod, she not only was my right-arm woman, she also became an actress for me, deeply understanding my creative intentions and character.

On the other hand, Stephan was my rock in the DoP department: he balanced my lack in technical matters and was there for me whenever an inconvenience showed up (we bond on a previous tragic set, so I knew he was there for me).

Apart from them, I needed more people and I luckily had the chance to work with other colleagues and professionals of my school such as Emma as 1AD on set, Angel Rose as Gaffer, Jamie as Script Supervisor, Yijie as Set Designer (who literally saved my life and helped me with my broken phone) and Tong as Runner, support and friend. I still owe them this first project and I thank them all for helping me during that (tragic) time.

Of course, a big thank goes to Evelyna, who literally joined five days before shooting and she showed me her talent and professionalism. She was able to bring to life that character.

Working with them was such a pleasure and made me proud of the final outcome. I can't wait to show you all what we created (very soon, I promise)

Notes for '花樣年華': Pre- Production

What I value the most on set is time. This requires the right amount of people in proportion to the equipment and good pre-production.

However, in case you don't have a producer (like in my case), you have to deal with the pre-production yourself.

Pre-production can be fun if you think about it as a matter of math and creativity.

You need to find the best and most efficient solution with the equipment and people you have, sometimes in the most unusual way. To avoid any confusion and to reduce any chance of inconvenience, I planned everything in advance, from pick-up times to catering.

Once I had everything under control, I could easily share it with my crew and explain to everyone clearly their role.

Scripts breakdowns, shortlists, location scouting, emails, and bookings were my daily life for at least three months, but I knew it was worth it, it was definitely saving me from having a mental breakdown on set!

NOTES for 花樣年華: Production

There is nothing that gives me the same feeling as being on set.

I love everything about it: the time management, the unusual creativity you need to have to sort things out, the idea of working as a team in order to reach a common goal.

However, what I am really fond of is the feeling of not worrying about anything else except what is happening on the set. I am living in the moment and I feel like nothing else exists.

On this set, I personally reached a good balance between a smooth set and the thrilling feeling of inconvenience. I loved waking up, checking the daily plan, prepping everything, and finally shooting what I had in my mind with the support of my amazing crew. Maybe I didn’t quite like it when, at 3 AM, I had to change the setlist and call sheet for the next day, but it was still worth it.