Beach Party Animal 2011
BEACH PARTY ANIMAL is 20 minute choreo-mentary film of British eccentricity and Brighton beach life. Set over twenty-four hours, where the land meets the sea and people come to be and be seen, and through sumptuous cinematography we observe private moments in public places, where the sleepers, peepers, spinners and swimmers, drinkers, thinkers, lovers and grubbers gather for fun in the sun, and into the night. It is an artful and cunning mix of staged set pieces, real-life action and an homage to the city that never sleeps.
Directed by Liz Aggiss and Joe Murray
Music: Alan Boorman/Wevie TV
Performers: Jo Andrews, Roger Clayden, Tim Crouch, Antonia Grove, Thomas Kampe, The Two Wrongies
Beach Party Animal was commissioned by South East Dance, and supported by Arts Council England, Esmee Fairbairn, Brighton & Hove City Council, Jerwood Charitable Foundation and The University of Brighton.
Liz Aggiss has been choreographing and directing dance films since 1994. (See Archive Screen). BEACH PARTY ANIMAL is her second collaboration with Joe Murray. Joe Murray is a freelance film-maker and was nominated for a BAFTA Grierson Award 2002 for his documentary Scandal in the Bins. He was the Series Director for the screen dance package Forward Motion published by The British Council and South East Dance 2010. Liz and Joe collaborated on the dance film short DIVA winning the Hong Kong Jumping Frames Screen Dance Award 2008.
Directors statement:
Combining naturalistic techniques with formal cinematography and guerrilla set-ups, this choreo-mentary film is an observational portrait that blurs the lines between truth and fiction. We were a crew of two, and with long lenses, low profile and a month long shoot we were able to capture unselfconscious choreography of life as and when we encountered it, you should visit us to know more about these. This approach allowed us the luxury of inhabiting space rather than controlling location.
RESEARCH
http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/alumni-arts/liz-aggiss/beach-party-animal
KurzSchluss – Das Magazin #562 – Porträt – Liz Aggiss – see Bonus film on Beach Party Animal
http://www.arte.tv/de/KurzSchluss—Das-Magazin-_23562—Portraet-_E2_80_93-Liz-Aggiss/4281526.html
Filmography
Beach Party Animal has been screened at dance and short film festivals, large scale outdoor screenings, cocktail bar installations, intimate presentations in beach huts, and on Arte TV.
2015 Athen Video Dance Festival : 23-25 January : 21 May International Video Dance Festival Burgundy, Petit theatre Chateau de la verrerie Le Creusot
http://videodansebourgogne.com/video-dance-development-workshoptutorat-en-video-danse/
2011 VideoDanzeBA Argentina 22-27 Nov, Agite y Sirva Mexico, American Dance Festival Durham USA, Soundwaves Festival Brighton 15 July, San Souci Boulder Colorado USA 12-17 Sept, White Nights Brighton 29 Oct, Cornwall Film Festival Falmouth 3 Nov, Aesthetica Short Film Festival York 5 Nov, Xontact Film Festival Split Croatia 20 Nov, Cinecity Brighton 26 Nov, Malmo Dancing in the Dark 8-10 December 2011, ArteTV Dec 31. 2012 DMJ International Video Dance Festival Japan Jan13-15, LOIKKA Helsinki, Finland March 22-25, Brighton Fringe Festival The Old Market May 12/13 – 19/20-26/27, Oaklahoma Dance Film Festival 5 Nov, 2013 IDN NU2 Barcelona 14-24 Feb, XONTAKT DFV Slit, Zagreb, Varadin, Karlovac, Croatia, Duke of Yorks July15, LLAWN02 Sept Llandudno Festival, Brighton Beach Big Screen May 2014 Light Moves Limerick Ireland Oct
PRESS
Beach Party Animal is an homage to the city that never sleeps. The camerawork is beautiful, with glorious shots of dozy carousel minders, screaming end-of-the-pier Big Wheel riders, and late-night barbecue lighters, and the soundtrack by Alan Boorman is a cleverly manipulated mix that adds to the hyper-real feel. Beach Party Animal is a very artful and cunning mix of staged set-pieces and real-life action, so deftly edited that unless you are in the know and spot the performers, it is hard to distinguish the plants from the real-live city folk
Dorothy Max Prior (Total Theatre Review, 2011)
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