ELLE is an emotional drama about a young girl who struggles to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer.
‘ELLE’ is a 12 minute short film following a young girl as she discovers her dream of becoming a professional dancer and a sudden diagnosis of memory loss that may prevent her from achieving it. We filmed the project in June, and are now in the post production stage.
The film focuses on the struggle with cynicism and loss of creativity in young adolescents as they navigate the educational system. Many people struggle with traditionally academic subjects, but more creative skills are frequently stigmatised and forgotten, as they are seen as less important.
We also feel that it is important to challenge the representation of women in the media, and female characters should not just be strong; they should be given room to be flawed, intriguing and above all human. Elle is nurtured by a powerful cast of interesting women, from Miss Ramon, the quirky dance teacher who is endlessly making do with shrinking budgets, to Elle’s mother who obsessively collects and records even while Elle’s memories begin to fade. ELLE has been written to show a young girl’s determination to triumph despite odds – there is no miraculous recovery or tragic trope in this story – instead, our main character learns to work within her means and live boldly despite her condition.
As many of you are aware, filmmaking is extremely expensive and the money received only goes someway to realising our vision. We received £5000 in funding which covered our filming costs but we now need to raise an additional £1000 for post-production.
The money raised through Kickstarter will cover editing, visual effects, the music, sound designer and grade for the film.
FLORENCE WINTER HILL, DIRECTOR is a multi award-winning director who studied at the National Film & Television School as part of the BFI Crafts Residential. She has been working on Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi while directing Elle. Her work has been praised by Oscar-Winning Director Tom Hooper, Writer Abi Morgan, and Head of BBC Films, Christine Langan. As well as her comedy and surreal short films, she is represented for music videos and commercials by production company Sugarcane Media.
Website: https://www.florencewinterhill.co.uk
MOLLY MCGREGOR, PRODUCER first met Florence at the NFTS residential in 2015. Since then, she has worked at the BFI Film Fund, worked on feature films as a Producer and Director’s assistant and most recently has been producing short films and music videos under Good Gal Films.
ANNA RAWE, PRODUCER is another Alumni of the NFTS/BFI Academy, and has worked with Florence on multiple projects, from short films to music videos.
ED STONE, CINEMATOGRAPHER has worked on numerous short films and commercials as Director of Photography, and is a frequent collaborator with Florence.
CATHERINE GRYFFENBURG, PRODUCTION DESIGNER has also worked with Florence on multiple projects, and managed both art and costume departments on this project.
“I feel that ELLE tells a really important story that resonates with generations old and young. We all grow up having a dream, whether it be to be an astronaut, a famous musician, a chef; through those ambitions come all sorts of barriers, but I think it’s especially creative dreams that are frequently stigmatised and forgotten, as they are seen as less important. ELLE focuses on the struggle with cynicism and loss of creativity in young adolescents as they navigate the educational system and battle the lack of creative opportunities and funding available to help fulfil their dream.”
Filmmaking is always a risky process. Raising money through Kickstarter means an all or nothing situation – if we don’t reach the full £1000 figure, we receive nothing.
ELLE is truly a passion project for the whole crew. Our filming was very successful, but to ensure that ELLE reaches it’s full potential, we need your support in ensuring that our post production process goes equally as well. We don’t want the quality of the film to be compromised during this final leg!
Our film is in your hands! Please support us by either donating or sharing our story through sharing this page, telling your friends, yodelling from the mountains…EVERY LITTLE HELPS!