A Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film: Cassandra
Genre: Feminist Sci-Fy
Date: February 20th, 2020
Starring: Mikaela Davies, Elizabeth Saunders
Director: Sherren Lee
Producer: Erin Byrnes, Josh Clapp, and supervising CFC producer, Jessica Menagh.
Writer: co-written by Clara Altimas and Sherren Lee.
Cinematographer: Ian MacMillan
Editor: Rick Bartram
Score: Simon Poole and Anthony William Wallace
Production Designer: Nicola Rose
Costume Designer: Brianna Hopton
Production Company: Canadian Film Centre
Shooting Format: Arri Alexa Classic
Screening Format: The aspect ratio is 2.35:1
World Premiere: TIFF Bell Lightbox CBC Actors Showcase
Website: Go Here
indieactivity: Tell us about “who you are”?
Mikaela Davies (MD): I’m an actor, director, and writer. I was born and raised in Montreal where I fell in love with storytelling. I originally come from a theatre background. I relocated to Toronto from Montreal to work and train at Soulpepper Theatre and then spent four seasons at the Stratford Festival. This year I made the jump into film/TV and completed the prestigious Canadian Film Centre’s Acting Conservatory which is where I made this piece.
Introduce your film?
Mikaela Davies (MD): The short is called Cassandra. In the beginning, we had envisioned this piece as two seconds into the future, filmed in a television studio with a live audience but we couldn’t secure a location within our budget. When it became clear that the feasible option was to shoot in a white studio space, our director, Sherren Lee, pitched that we lean into the futuristic feel with “Hal” style cameras on tripods that served as stand ins for a virtual reality audience. This tonal shift sent Clara Altimas (co-writer) and I back to the script for updates. It quickly became clear that the sterilizing of an all white space worked beautifully as a metaphor for the sterilizing of Cassandra’s emotion.
Introduce your crew?
MD: We had a wonderful crew who volunteered their time with the CFC to make this project happen. Some of my personal highlights were working with:
Sherren Lee (director): I was so excited to have Sherren on board for this project. She has the wonderful ability to communicate seamlessly with actors, creative team, and crew. Sherren approaches her work with a strong vision yet remains flexible to change. I can’t say enough good things about this woman.
Clara Altimas (co-writer): Clara was the perfect match for this piece. She is an experienced writer with exceptional skills for finding humour in dark material. I learned a lot from working with her, she was a key player in bringing this project to life!
Ian MacMillan (cinematographer): We were very lucky that Ian was able to make time out of his schedule to shoot this piece. He is a supremely talented cinematographer. I encourage you to check out his website to see even more of his work.
Liz Saunders (Actor) Liz is a remarkable actor. I was so thrilled to have her as my co-star on set. She commands an enormous presence with minimal effort. She is also an absolute pro.
Simon Poole and Anthony William Wallace (Original Score): Simon and Antony are both CFC Slaight Family Music Lab graduates. Simon immediately connected with the Black Mirror themes of the piece and set to work creating a sonic world to highlight this. Antony was excited to create a cheerful “syrupy” song to juxtapose the dark end for the credits. They both did a beautiful job weaving their original score together.
Watch CASSANDRA by Mikaela Davies (2019)
Nicola Rose (Production Designer): Nicola did a terrific job on a micro-budget. I was thrilled with what she was able to pull off in such a quick turn around. I felt she really brought the world on the page to life.
Rick Bartram (Editor): I felt very lucky to be working with Rick who is a CFC Editors Lab alumni. In the shoot we were not able to get all the coverage we were hoping for so I went into the editing room feeling a bit anxious. Rick was so patient, kind and damn good at his job. He was able to weave together cuts that just kept getting stronger and stronger. By the end of the process, I had forgotten about the missing coverage.
Brianna Hopton (Costume Designer): I was very impressed with working with Brianna. When our location changed to the studio, she was able to switch gears last minute with the stylistic shift of all-white clothing. She brought in a ton of options for us to choose from and managed to make adjustments on set in record time.
What is the source of the idea? How did the story develop?
MD: I once told a guy that things would likely work more successfully between us if I had no feelings. He was a bit confused so I wrote him a short infomercial for a robot girlfriend to explain my point. As soon as I had written the infomercial I knew I had a creative idea I wanted to develop further. When the opportunity to create a piece at the CFC arrived I brought my infomercial to Clara Altimas. Together we came up with the idea of a chip in the brain that could help women achieve greater success in their relationships and at work by hiding their feelings.
You shot the film in days. How long were your days?
MD: We shot the film in 8 hours over one day.
Did the tight shooting schedule make it harder or easier? How did it affect performances?
MD: Like any set we were faced with some challenges. Some missing equipment led to a delay in our start time so I was nervous that we weren’t going to get everything we needed. We had to make some tough coverage cuts on the fly but I’m proud of the final product we came up with.
The film looks stunning. How did you get such a good look when shooting so fast?
MD: We had an excellent cinematographer, Ian MacMillan, who has a long-standing working relationship with our director, Sherren Lee. I was very excited to have this duo on board as I knew we would save time without sacrificing quality because of their shorthand together. Sherren and I also spent time sharing reference images and films so we knew we were on the same page for the tonal look we wanted to achieve.
What do you hope audiences will get from the presentation of your film?
MD: This piece presents a question: In our society would a woman’s life be easier if she didn’t express her feelings? This is not something I advocate for in the slightest but I am curious to examine the many ways in which I feel this is true. I hope audiences can take Cassandra as an invitation to think about the constant messaging women receive to change and suppress who they are.
What else have you got in the works?
MD: Sherren, Clara and I are in the early stages of fleshing out how this idea could be developed further. I have another tv project in development with Polly Phokeev about the failed mission to colonize Mars. I am also co-writing a musical based on the novel Master and Margarita commissioned by Crows Theatre with Phokeev and Hailey Gillis.
Tell us what you think of the Case Study for Cassandra What do you think of it? Genre? More genre? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter @oladapobamidele
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