A Soluble short

SHANE HOSEIN’s film, Soluble, earned him the Jury Award for Overall Winner in the inaugural instalment
of the Very Short Shorts Mobile Film competition at Green Screen – The Environmental Film Festival. In this Q&A, Hosein, 38, shares his experience on making Soluble, a film which aims to raise awareness of soluble pollutants introduced into the natural ecosystem from activities of daily life.

Q: How did you hear about the Very Short Shorts film competition and what moved you to enter?

I saw a post on instagram, and after coming across it a few times over a few days the thought of ‘my water story’ kept looping in my head. Also on loop was the music by Erik Satie–I knew this would be the track if I was going to do it. Then I decided, “Right I’m doing this”. At this point, I didn’t have a title.

Are you passionate about the competition’s theme, ‘Stories of our rivers and seas’ and environmental issues, more generally?

I am, I spend whatever spare time I have, when I’m able to, in the bush, by a river, on a beach, even if it’s just enough to run up from where I live in Belmont to the spring in Fondes Amandes, St Ann’s for a dip and to chill with the trees. Nature makes me happy, and I love that feeling.

Tell us about the idea for your film and how you developed it. How different is the original idea from the final product?

Hmm, I’d say it’s actually 95 per cent of the original thought. I had the visuals in my head for a very long time. Since I was a child, I’ve been worried about water and how we treat it. Everytime I thought about the story, I could see it, I knew how it was going to look, what I wanted to see in a story like this.

You’ve been working in the film industry for nearly two decades now, what stands out in your experience of making a film for this competition, apart from winning first place, of course?

Definitely it’s the feeling of seeing your work/vision/idea being projected on a screen, making it larger than life. I never knew how that felt, even working on other films and productions and seeing them on the screen as well. When Soluble came on in the IMAX on opening night, my eyes welled and my jaw was dropped for the entire 60 seconds.

How challenging was it for you to meet the competition’s two main requirements: filming with a cell phone and telling your story in one minute.

Filming with a phone has its limitations and nuances. For example, a phone’s camera app is constantly adjusting exposure, white balance and focus according to the subject, and this is something I didn’t want to see in the frame of any shot. One of the first things I did was scour the internet and app databases to find one that allowed me to lock these settings. I love editing and in the edit I worked backwards as I knew which part of the song crescendos for the ending sequence, placed that near to the 50 secs mark and off to the races!

What aspect of Soluble were you most pleased with when you first saw it on the big screen at Green Screen’s opening night?

The sound! I was super duper pleased to hear the audio loud and clear and well balanced. This film was as much about the emotion of the music track and feeling the thunder as it was about the visuals. I thought to myself, “Yes!!! they gonna feel it too!”

Sharing and interacting with young people on the topic of filmmaking seems natural to you. Are you used to relating to young people and might there be a teaching career in the stars for you?

I have never done any public speaking, I have always been very mic and stage shy. Doing it now for the first time I’ve found talking to youth invigorating. I am the eldest of six: I have one sister and four brothers,so perhaps being a big brother has helped with being able to relate to younger ones. Teaching, yes! Talking to the youth, yes! I truly love doing it and if my vigour could inspire others that’s just freaking awesome! I’m in!

Do you see the potential for the Very Short Shorts to help raise environmental awareness? How would you like to see them used to this end?

They’re already raising awareness! There are a few concepts among the finalists shorts which I think neeeeed to live on and either be produced as further films/documentaries or series productions for the Caribbean. Best example is Toco Tim: his approach/concept is appealing to youth. He addresses environmental issues in a package that is funny, cool and relatable to a wider audience.

How do you see the prospects of us shifting attitudes and behaviours in TT in relation to the environment? What do you think is needed?

I am an optimist to the end. With persistence and non-stop education we can advance the minds of those who don’t yet understand their impact on the environment. We the people have made our bold move by standing up and demanding a shift in consciousness from self to environmental. The Government has to make a bold move too. We need them to ban single-use plastics and styrofoams immediately.

Can we look forward to seeing you in 2019 edition of Green Screen’s Very Short Shorts competition? What advice would you offer newbies?

I want to say yes. I also want to do a short narrative for the 2019 TT Film festival as well. So, everyone thought I shot my film on an iphone, but I did not. I have a OnePlus 2, a Chinese phone. So it’s not about the fancy, expensive phone. Making a film is about telling a story; a phone is just a tool to help you. At the end of the day, the story trumps all.

* Shane Hosein received the $10,000 prize for Soluble in the Very Short Shorts Mobile Film competition, sponsored by SWMCOL, on the opening night of Green Screen on October 31. The festival ended on November 3.

Hosein started his career as a filmmaker on the set of Westwood Park, during season three in 2001. His skills have allowed him to pursue storytelling through film and television productions, documentary and commercial advertising.