The Story Behind ‘Openness’, an Initiative and Beautiful Short Film to Tackle Loneliness During Lockdown

 

André> At Papel & Caneta, we are always working on missions around the world and dealing with different social issues. I already knew that in 2018 loneliness had reached epidemic levels. So when social distancing started, it was quite clear that we were facing a new context: an epidemic inside the pandemic, and that it was very important to create a mental health project and help people during this incredibly difficult time. 

 

André> OPENNESS emerged from a creative process divided into two stages. First, a six-day immersion with experts, Brendo+Gonfiantini and professionals from various agencies to work together through Google Meet. It was during this period that we defined the need to create a platform, not just a film. The film would serve as an invitation to get people's attention globally, but the site would serve as inspiration for anyone who would like to help and say something to someone, but doesn’t know how to take the first step. The entire workshop and filming process took about three weeks. 

André> The starting point was for Brendo+Gonfiantini to brief and activate a network of film directors from different countries who were willing to contribute to a cause from inside their homes. The first principal was to respect social distancing. The second principal was to make sure that we worked solely in a collaborative manner in order to develop a film that would reflect diversity in the world and illuminate a sense of union and compassion. More than creating a beautiful and inspiring film, it was important for us to instill the idea that during this time, we all need each other, and that we’re all one.

 

Brendo+Gonfiantini> We wanted that this message to be shot from as many points of view as possible, as we are all united by social isolation. It was then that we invited directors and DOPs, mostly friends of ours, emerging and established professionals, so that together we could reach a result with a strong image and emotional narrative.

 

Brendo+Gonfiantini> Freedom was a major principle of the project. We tried to have each director or DOP’s vision to bring their interpretations of the script, but we also created an extremely detailed creative deck and visual board, which contained some important scenes for the narrative to be told. 

 

Brendo+Gonfiantini> Since the beginning, this was our goal and challenge: to produce a film with the highest quality possible and with the least resources available. To achieve this, we created a form to be completed by our directors and DOPs so we could understand the technical structure, cast and location for each of them. We chose professionals that we work closely with to make sure a minimum quality of delivery would be achieved. This way, we would be safe with the footage we would receive, and to our surprise, we had nine hours of raw material. The quality in the finishes was also another essential point, so we invited partners in colour grading and music production that we trust and believe into the project.

 

Brendo+Gonfiantini> It was incredibly immersive and engaging. We saw ourservelves portraying an autobiographical story. Each discussion or scene created was part of our daily life. But it was a process of emotional involvement that we had lived before, because our work is very focused on our LGBTQ+ community and minorities.

 

Brendo+Gonfiantini> As it is a project that involves a legitimate and current feeling, present in the life of each of the directors and DOPs, our challenge was to make them comfortable and mentally stable after participating in the project. We were happy to receive feedback in which they said how comforting it was to tell, in images, how they were going through the process and how they could contribute to others.

A full list of creators is below.