Florence Film School

What people say about our program:

Supermarkets are a peculiar place. Here, managers attract customers through a wide range of predevised, tried and tested methodologies. These include; product placement, brash advertisement and slashing prices. A new term is entering the marketing vocabulary. A term that places the emphasis back on the product. Slowly it is becoming a brand in itself, yet it merely represents the process through which the item bearing it’s name came into existence. Organic.

When, in October 2006, I shopped around for a film school I very much had my eye on the organic label. The New Renaissance Florence Film School became the obvious choice for me. I was lured by the idea of creating something new and positive through an intuitive process. Through guided interaction with the inspiring artworks of the renaissance, yoga and other meditative exercises, the creator within me was magically awoken. This, coupled with the supportive environment created by both students and staff, I was able to confront my inmost fears and desires and create a vision that surpassed my wildest imagination. I discovered my undiscovered self.

Film schools are a peculiar place. What fills them is forever shaped by the spirit of those that open and those that enter it’s doors. In an industry that is concentrating its efforts primarily on consumer and marketing opportunities it is comforting to know that there still remains a section, a solace in the midst of countless aisles filled with an ever increasing amount of “E’s”, one that places its focus on the personal, the human, the organic development of creativity.

ABOUT THE FILM:

Judgment is the process through which all humans determine the value of their actions. Artists are no different. Indeed these most sensitive of creatures are oft more susceptible to the crippling effect inflicted by this arbitrary exercise. Eye Talk was an attempt to confront this dilemma in both process and form.

The film was written, shot and edited during a six week intensive film programme at the New Renaissance Film School in Florence, Italy. The first three weeks of the programme were dedicated to the scriptwriting process. Under the guidance of three tutors, I wrote and rewrote the script four times. Each time a number of elements and plotlines were kept, while those that appeared contrived or superfluous were discarded. This was a painful process. The process of releasing myself from the various images and characters that I created was aided by the use of yoga and other meditative exercises. It gave me the ability to evaluate the project in a more objective, less self judgmental manner.

The script began it’s life as an exploration of one man’s angry confrontation with God. What it ended up being is a love story. Funnily, it was the only genre that I felt incapable of exploring before I started the programme, a testament to it’s value. Through carefully selected exercises that included; communicating to statues, paintings and deep meditation, the student explores avenues in the infinite depths of his or her own personal psyche. Creating with the aid of pure intuition.

The shooting process really forced the intuitive side of me. Without detailed storyboarding or an on set monitor to aid my creative decisions I was forced to handled all shots based purely on feeling. The decision to shoot only with hand held camera supported this choice. Nevertheless, it was a constant battle to accept my intuitive decision as an authoritative guide.

The story changed once more in the editing suite and after ten days of being locked away from all social existence it was complete.

The project was a challenge. A challenge that forced me to stand-up and begin to believe in what I was creating. The script started with a man’s angry confrontation with God. It has ended with it’s creator understanding a bit more about what it actually means to be burdened with God’s responsibility. I now view it as a burden that can only be carried if one has faith in one’s own ability to respond to the situations that one faces and those about which you have no prior experience are only explorable by utilising your intuition. The process is unpredictable but the result offers what the word promises – inner learning.


Julian Ulriches

Director of Eye Talk
The Short Film Corner Cannes Film Festival

The Spiritual Core:

These spiritual foundation worked wonders for me. The hypnotic suggestion reminds you to love yourself always, (something that we need to be reminded of everyday), and it opens you up to allowing positive changes to come into your life. Even after the first class I began to feel better about myself and my future and with time I found I was looking forward to the future, with a sense of wonder and excitement about what was going to happen to me next, instead of the fear I had been feeling before. The classes increased my self-love and positivity while decreasing my fear and negativity. The visualisations focused on increasing our energy levels. These classes gave me the helping hand I needed; gave me the energy I needed to get to a new level of being where I could begin to help myself; where I could meditate better, think more positively, be more calm. Sometimes we just need a helping hand from the outside to get us to this new level; to get past some of our karma. I would recommend these classes to everyone. They would be one of the nicest gifts you could give yourself; a gift of love."
Paula Grogan,
Freelance Writer