Hello, my name is Simone Louise Smith and I’m a filmmaker and theatre professional from Glasgow. After making a couple of music videos over the last few years, earlier this year I wrote, produced and directed my first short film entitled RED.

RED is an experimental, psychological drama in which a photographer is haunted by visions of war. See the trailer below:

RED takes place in an eerie quarry just outside of Stirling. Extreme wind and rain, broken umbrellas flying off the grid, a drenched cast and crew climbing back and forth over piles of rocks, a rifle (not loaded of course!) and a dark and confrontational storyline…  you could call it a crazy shoot over three weekends. Cast and crew performed amazingly throughout though. It felt like everyone just soaked up the pressure and channeled it into the craft. Everyone worked for free too which was amazing (super and forever thankful to all involved!)

Once I finished the edit, I decided to submit it to the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. Organized by the Festival de Cannes, the Short Film Corner is the essential rendezvous for filmmakers. Directors get to show their latest work, talk to possible buyers and attract as much attention as possible to their shorts. It also increases the chances of seeing your film selected by other international festivals as many top festival programmers and directors are in Cannes on the hunt for fresh new films and emerging talent.

Wonderfully, it was accepted and added to the festival’s annual catalogue of films.

This was pretty cool! Suddenly I got very excited about going to CANNES! The biggest film festival in the world… I figured if RED got in then I’d promote it like hell and as a reward (from the stormy shoot in Stirling) I’d soak up the sunshine and dip my toes in the French riviera.

Topping up the good vibes was that I’d made RED on a zero budget and it was self-produced. All I could literally afford was money to cover petrol costs and snacks for the cast and crew so it was quite a feat getting to this point. The possibilities were now endless. Yeah, you could say I felt pretty unstoppable at this point.

On the weeks running up to the festival I mellowed out my Cannes thoughts. Other film projects ticking away were taking my full attention so I didn’t have time to think about the festival or devise any kind of plan…but now, with only a couple of days to go, my business brain snapped into action. I need flyers! I need accommodation! I need to pack my case.

I got my flyer designed by my designer friend Wil Freeborn and got around 100 printed off. I figured having a bunch of flyers to dish out to the big industry players wherever and whenever I’d bump into them was essential.

So here I was ready to brave the world of the Cannes Film Festival on my own.

Mon arrivée en France!

I arrived on Wednesday afternoon, having flown into Nice Airport the night before. I stayed with friends in Nice (thank you Johan and Ana Is!) and travelled back and forth to Cannes by train.

It’s a pretty surreal experience watching the film industry’s cream of the crop fluttering around in such close proximity. The street towards the Palais was packed with paparazzi, spectators and seemingly very important people. Lots of lavish middle aged men with suntanned skin, silver hair and quirky hats… women with dogs in handbags, fully clad in glittery frocks… so many people shoving and jostling, holding up placards with requests for invitations… all eager to get into a film screening or premiere. C’est bizarre!!!

I could feel myself slowly turn into a pap myself… (perhaps using my camera as some sort of defense mechanism)

Viggo Mortenson!

My next port of call was to explore the Short Film Corner. I arrived during ‘happy hour’ and with my first alcoholic beverage in Cannes, I began to relax and soak up the atmosphere. Everyone discussed their films and hopes for the future and it was clear that everyone was on it networking-wise. There was an amazing buzz in the air.

Numerous film flyers on the wall

Inside the Palais

Going to Cannes on my own was exciting but there were moments when I felt quite overwhelmed. Everyone seemed to be with someone and knew where they were going. I felt lost in the maze. The festival is HUGE by the way. It has a complex structure to it and more or less everyone I met was surprised that I came on my own so I felt a little out of it at points. However, that feeling soon transformed the moment I got a supportive text message from a friend. So I stood up and thought ‘Da hell with this, I got a film to promote.’ Liberated, I went for it and started dishing out my flyers, talking to everyone. Immediately afterwards, everything just flowed. I ended up meeting loads of people, getting invited to parties on the beach and was able to meet one person or another in the industry who would then connect me to another person that I could talk to about my film.

Rob and Richard

Another nice moment was meeting my friend Rob (by chance!) who was a sound recordist on a feature film ‘Sightseers’ (directed by Ben Wheatley) and his friend Richard (actor in Sightseers) I had such a good time hanging out with those guys. It was a relief getting the chance to share stories and laugh at all the madness, and again meet more contacts that night.

My big career highlight there would have to be attending a Short Film Corner breakfast. There I ‘speed dated’ with some of the biggest players in the short film industry (festival programmers, distributors and buyers). I pitched my film to a few of those guys and three distributors asked me to send it to them right away. Filmmakers and Producers came up to me randomly (and emailed) telling me that they “loved RED”, asking me where the idea came from. It was a great feeling.

What’s next for RED?
Through the Short Film Corner I’ve been invited to enter into other international film festivals. I’ll be speaking to distributors next week and one Producer asked me to be in his documentary when he shoots in Glasgow this year. Haha, no idea what I’ve to do though. Overall it’s been an awesome experience and I feel like I’ve learned loads. I understand how the festival works now and most importantly, I met loads of cool people who share the same dreams as me.

I didn’t get to see many films as I was busy fluttering around the marketplace but my fave short film was Tram directed by Michaela Pavlátová. A brilliant and bold animation about a sex mad tram operator. Hilarious.
My favourite feature film was Mud directed by Jeff Nichols starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, and Reese Witherspoon. A truly moving and inspiring story about life, growing old, love, and freedom. Still thinking about it. On the Road directed by Walter Salles (based on a novel by Jack Kerouac) was the perfect movie to end on before catching my flight home… got me thinking about the true meaning of adventure.

Tips for Filmmakers
Submit your film to the Short Film Corner, find accommodation in Cannes (book well in advance), bring plenty of flyers (even some screeners of your film) watch at least one film a day and believe in yourself. Believe in your film and know why you’re there. Talk to everyone. Enjoy the ride. And when it’s all over, go for a swim in the sea!

View Simone’s trailer for RED here and visit the production company website here. Follow the Production company on Facebook and keep up with RED film updates on Tumblr. Follow Simone on Twitter here.

The studio came about six months ago when a space opened up in the iconic Nicholas building. A hub for artists for many years I jumped at the chance to be a part of something really special. During that time I’ve concentrated on creating a rather strong aesthetic. I suppose you’d call it Victorian Gothic. Using a very monochromatic colour scheme I’ve tried to not only instill the artwork with a feel of a bygone time, bridging the gap between painted portraits, silhouettes and early photography, but to also give the space a feeling of something long since lost.

People are encouraged to enter the space, so its now not only a working studio, but also a gallery and a retail outlet for some of the other pieces I make. You are even encouraged to bring in old frames or pieces to use in creating something special. Having come from a strong retail background and working in the events field as an art director for the last ten years I was always conscious of creating something that wasn’t just a piece on the wall, but also something that had a history and perhaps a darker meaning. Whether it was an heart ornament, a painted book or a cushion all the pieces could sit comfortably together and hint at something else that was going on inside.

Many of the works are done with vintage fabrics and papers, frames with original distressed mounts and found objects. Most of the portrait work are of artists and authors of the time all of which held darker secrets and had scandalous private lives. The pieces can be taken as simple bizarre objects or take on a deeper more macabre meaning. Its interesting to gauge from the reactions from the public just what someone will either laugh at, me moved by or simply walk away from.

Its about plugging into peoples memories,some good and some bad under the illusion that its a literary theme. Its all packaged up as the romantic side of the Victorian Gothic era, but of course there is allot of suppressed sexuality, the supernatural elements, love gone wrong, religion, madness, monsters, murder, loss and life and death. All of the experiences we don’t like to talk about but make up who we in fact are.

So the studio although having a rather dark theme is handled in a fairly light manner. The customised voodoo dolls, the children’s torture toys, Rorshack cushions or even the gruesome hearts all give the viewer a chance to laugh.

More: Blog

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‘Where I Make’ invites readers behind the scenes of artists from many disciplines to share photographs and a little insight about where they create their masterpieces. See more from the series here.

With hundreds of films and events taking place during this month’s Edinburgh International Film Festival it can be difficult to know what deserves your attention. Here are my picks of the festival, with a special focus on those events which cross disciplines and embrace film, art, sound and animation.

Sound:Art:Image (20 June, 21.00)

We may be a little biased here but this event really will be unique (and it’s free!). This is the culmination of Central Station’s Roderick Buchanan soundtrack project.  See a final screening of the film complete with the soundtrack developed by our winning composer Andy Sim and his group Fear Wasabi. There’ll also be drinks, so stay around after.

Perestroika (25 June, 17.00)

A documentary by Sarah Turner that explores the themes of memory and loss through the retracing of a journey along the Trans-Siberian railway. It interweaves haunting imagery and evocative use of sound. Read an interview with the director on AP engine here.

Brothers Quay Animation Event (22 June, 17.15)

Join a conversation with twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay as they show their latest film Maska and talk about their acclaimed work. A must for fans of these influential animators who are known for their distinct style, especially their use of eerie dolls and puppets.

Digicult Shorts (21 June, 13.30)

A showcase of six short films produced through Scotland’s award-winning digital film project. Visit Digicult’s website here.

Sideshow (24 June, 20.30)

“Please leave your mobile switched on and do not touch or feed the animals” is the strange request that accompanies this screening – the result of a cross-artform residency by artist Torshen Lauschmann at the Collective gallery. Expect a cinematic experience like never before.

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror (23 June 19.45)

It’s a horror film but without images described as the world’s first audio horror film. An immersive audio experience adapted from H. P. Lovecraft’s classic work filled with things that go bump in the night.

Black Box 1-3 (24, 25, 26 June)

Three separate screenings of experimental film based on the themes of Great and Small, Time Travel and Open Your Eyes. Great and Small looks at nature in all it guises, Time Travel offers a conceptual journey that explores real and imagined landscapes and Open Your Eyes examines the perception and the materiality of film and video.