Linajalala

Behind the scenes photos and video of Old Age Poem short film

Posted on December 23, 2018December 24, 2018 by Linajalala in oldagepoem

Behind the scenes video of Old Age Poem short film I had a pleasure helping out with this year can be viewed —> HERE

I’ve been running around with camera to take behind the scenes photos, phone to shoot some videos and took care of the clapperboard business. Busy day, but totally enjoyed that!

🎞️ NoWiFi project
📜 Poem written by Mike Timms
💁🏼‍♀️ Director Caroline Hill
🎥 DOP Todd Sheets and Arthur Janowsky
🎬 Assistant camera Lina Jalala
🎧 Sound engineer Anthony Egan
🎭 Actor Mike Timms
🎞️📲 BTS video by Lina Jalala @LiminiCreative shot entirely on OnePlus5 phone while multitasking as AC and BTS photographer

Hanna Wins screening

Posted on October 30, 2018October 30, 2018 by Linajalala in HannaWinsScreening

Halloween is upon us and it couldn’t have been a better time to be releasing and screening Hanna Wins short film, spooky- gangsta- comedy- drama.

A bit of a back history on it. The film was made as part of Dublin Filmmakers Collective Halloween challenge 2017 where we had to write, shoot and complete a short film on a theme of Halloween within the month of October. Which we did.. But it wasn’t the final, final cut that we screened at the last year’s Halloween party..

Throughout this year, myself, Arthur of Shadow Man Pictures and composer Gabriel F. Reyer worked to complete the post production on this film and produce the final final cut. Gabriel wrote a beautiful piece of music (well four, actually) to accompany the film and Arthur worked on the final cut, colour grading, special effects, titles, trailer and sound mix for the film. Bottom point- we made it to the final final cut and I’m really excited to start sharing it with the world.

Amazing and talented people were involved in this project on both sides of the camera and in post production and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work with each and every one of them.

The first screening of the completed version of Hanna Wins is on 31st of October between 7:30PM and 9:00PM in The Harbour Bar at 1 Strand Road, Bray with NoWIFi Horror Film screenings and Halloween Party. Come join us, free in.

Trailer for hanna wins can be viewed –> by clicking HERE

Festival Screening for Night Out in Killashandra

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Linajalala in filmmaking

I’m pleased to announce that Night Out in Killashandra has been selected for 9th Underground Cinema Film Festival 2018.

It will be screened in The Martello Suite at The Royal Marine Hotel Dun Laoghaire with Short Film Program 4 on Saturday, September 1st at 5:30pm.

Here is a link to the festival official page where you can buy a pass if you’d like to see it on the big screen along with great selection of other shorts:

https://www.ucff.ie/saturday-shorts

Exciting stuff altogether!

Voice Over

Posted on July 24, 2018July 24, 2018 by Linajalala in voiceoveracm

To be in shape for recording voice over, I read out loud for at least 15 minutes daily (or add the minutes up and make up for the missed day/s when I skip that practice). When I read, I do it pronouncing the words very clearly and honour the punctuation to adjust my intonation accordingly. Exactly how I would if I was reading for the voice over recording. If there are pieces of dialogue, I sometimes act them out too, makes it so much more fun. For this practice I’d use a book I’m currently reading, news or blog article that I clicked to read or even a lengthier friend’s social post.. So, it is incorporated into my routine quite effortlessly, I read at home, on the terrace or by the lake, choosing relatively quiet places where I wouldn’t necessarily be seen or disturbed/disturbing others. So yeah, I avoid this practice in social places, like on the bus or in cafeteria, although that could have been quite a funny experience, especially if I’d set up the camera to record reactions of the people around me (sketch idea?).

Before recording I try not to eat or drink dairy products like milk, yoghurt, cheese etc, any sugary things like chocolate or sweets, caffeine, sodas, alcohol or greasy/spicy foods. Also, nothing too cold or too hot. Eating greasy and spicy foods or dairy products can give heartburn, dairy products thickens the mucus that will imply me having to clear my throat more often, which is the last thing I’d want to be doing during the recording. Caffeine and chocolate dries out the throat and sodas contain not only sugars but also the bubbles, which might prompt belching in front of that microphone.. Emm, yikes, nope thanks. What I do eat/drink is room temperature water or herbal tea, a spoonful of honey, fresh fruit, nuts, salads. All of these keep mucus membranes and throat nice and healthy.

On the day of recording I’d warm up with some breathing exercises to make sure I’m using my diaphragm rather than the chest voice when I record, stretch my face muscles by making funny faces and do the lip roll. By the way, I also sometimes go through this routine before I start with my daily reading.

Lastly, when recording, I speak clearly and with confidence, as if I’d be talking with a friend and telling a story and make sure that I mean what I say when I say it so it sounds believable, rather than something I’m reading off the piece of paper. Having attended tonnes of acting classes and spent time on film sets and theatre stages certainly helps acting out the text and sounding natural, adjusted to the situation I’m meant to be in.

Hope this was somewhat helpful. Click –> HERE to hear the latest voice over that I have done for the ACM‘s video on Multiparty Privacy in Social media. I also appear in the video’s b-roll browsing social media and taking selfies 🙂

Corporate Shoot Tips

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Linajalala in corporate

Whether you just got a new client or booked your very first corporate shoot and are looking for the information to help you prepare and make sure everything runs smoothly, I’ve compiled these SIX TIPS based on the corporate shoots I’ve recently done.

If it’s a large corporation, they will most likely provide you with detailed specs of what they are looking for technically (what cameras and lights to use and a description of approximately what they are looking for as an end result). If it’s not the case, you’ll be discussing that with the client and agreeing on before the shoot.
The video will be on some sort of topic. If it’s not scripted yet, it would be good if you could get client to script it to make sure what needs to be said is covered. Get involved in preparations if needed. That way you will be able to make sure you have all the footage needed on the day and will give you ideas for b-roll.
With the main presentation/interview/discussion, you will most likely need to shoot b-roll in order to make the video more interesting. Get as much information on the subject as possible. That will help you to compile ideas of relevant things you can film that would add to the video. Have ideas written down and discuss them with your client. It’s good to have couple of extra ideas of what you could do for the b-roll. In case client doesn’t like one of them or it just doesn’t work in the setting or on the day, you will have something to fall back on. This will make things run smoother and take away stress of having to come up with new ideas on the spot under pressure.
Discuss clothing, make-up and possibly hair in advance. Get the person being filmed to bring in couple of clothes changes, just in case something doesn’t work on camera. Small patterns and big unrelated brand logos are probably not a good idea, talk about that with client. For make-up, the most important thing is that client’s nose and forehead are not shiny. I always bring powder and brush on set with me if there is no make-up artist involved. Client may have had powder applied in the morning, but by the afternoon the face may get shiny under the big lights that are generating heat. For those cases having a powder and brush at hand is a must.
Make it fun and comfortable for the client. Friendly chat, encouragement, couple of jokes and just a positive and relaxed air from yourself will go a long way to make it less awkward for the client, who may not be used to presenting on camera.
On the day, you may face all sorts of unexpected things happen, as they usually do with shoots. Just roll with it and tweak your initial plan to what’s feasible to achieve with the conditions you are presented with. Enjoy the process!

Here is our crew picture from corporate video shoot I recently produced for DELL. Fantastic team on both sides of the camera! I was so impressed with employees being so capable in delivering their pieces and improvising! It’s been an absolute pleasure!

Female Filmmaker Friday

Posted on May 25, 2018May 28, 2018 by Linajalala in filmmaking

A little sneak peek into mine..

Saw the first draft of the movie that we filmed recently (it’s looking awesome yaaaay!) just few minor tweaks and it will be ready for submission to festivals- check ✔️

Voted to repeal the 8th – check ✔️

Got my hair cut and looking all pretty – check ✔️

Visited my ex-workplace (Microsoft) and their new shiny building in Leopardstown and got to hug and chat with my favourite peeps with whom I spent loads and loads of hours working and who are still my dear friends + made a party (I DJ’d with my Spotify play list) in the dressing area and got to meet new amazing ladies + chilled out on the rooftop terrace with cakes and latte’s (afternoon tea traditions like back in the days were revived- indeed, indeed) – check ✔️

Ladies Evening at Leopardstown Races – check ✔️

Now on to script editing… It’s past midnight, I know. It’s OK, I’ve got coffee.. Cccccchheeeecck (loading)

Hope you all had a fantastic and productive Friday! Happy weekend!

Behind the scenes of “Banter” and “Night Out in Killashandra” short films

Posted on May 14, 2018July 24, 2018 by Linajalala in banter

My example of time well spent.. One day. Two short films made. Amazing banter was had. Literally..

Banter is the name of a short film written by Fabien Oman. A beautiful piece that explores mental health through… well, a bit of a friendly banter. I believe that talking and being open about mental health issues helps. This is why I was really keen to get involved, to spread the word and share it with more people on screen.

Night Out in Killashandra is another short film that we filmed on the same day, last Saturday. I wrote the screenplay for that. Seeing people in a pub or a bar swiping left and right on popular dating apps and not paying attention to the immediate surroundings prompted me to write it. It explores another theme too… To find out, you’ll just have to watch the movie when it’s out.

How did we manage to squeeze production of two short films in one day?

They were very, very short. 1 minute short to be precise.
It was a very intense day on set with a very talented bunch of people on both sides of the camera.

Click HERE for behind the scenes video that was filmed by Conor Tobin and edited by Philip Kidd.

Film talk with Matt from The What I Watched Tonight Show

Posted on May 7, 2018July 24, 2018 by Linajalala in WIWT

I’m pleased to share my very first interview as a filmmaker.

Check it out on What I Watched Tonight <– CLICK HERE

You can expect to hear about how disastrously “well” my first acting class went, how I got on filming short films “If I would have been back home” and “Hanna Wins”, also about who my favourite film directors are and why…

Learning about screenwriting and finding motivation

Posted on May 4, 2018May 4, 2018 by Linajalala in Uncategorized

Confucius once said “A man should practice what he preaches, but a man should also preach what he practices”.

I’m taking the liberty to amend the quote slightly, to include all genders. So, it would go like this:

“A person should practice what it preaches, but a person should also preach what it practices”.

How about this now? I personally like it better and will be able apply it to myself with this post. Because… I’ve been one serious book worm for about a month now. Well, a writing maniac at first, and then a book worm. I’ll explain..

Thing is, I’ve started writing my first feature film screenplay! Exciting! Right?

Also, a lot of work… I was dreading it for a long while, as my attention span is like… Well.. Short.. Can I consider myself a millennial if I’m 33 and I reach for my phone every time it vibrates with a notification? Switch the sound off already and concentrate Lina! Anyway, you see what I mean when I mention my attention span.. I’ve already deviated, haven’t I? Which proves that I’m a millennial, my theory is rock solid!

Writing and re-writing and re-writing is the key, I’m being told by some knowledgeable people.

Don’t take that first draft as a precious document. Work and re-work and rework it until.. Well until I can say that I’m proud of it, and, I guess, get others to agree. And by others I mean industry professionals, not my mum.. Just wanted to clarify that. It’d be nice if she liked it too..

I was very fortunate to have some established industry professionals read my treatment and 25 pages of the sample script.

The verdict?

I need to learn more about screen writing and fail better next time (plugging in another quote here). But some feedback was very thorough and super motivating. So here I am, surrounded by books on writing, and being an enthusiastic book worm. Thought I’d quote some of the advices I have received here, maybe you’ll find them helpful (I certainly did):

everything that’s in the screenplay has to have meaning, every single little detail. In other words, if there is a gun on the shelf, then by the end of the screenplay it needs to fire
there is no writer’s block, there is only lack of a deadline
get into your zone to create something authentic (here the reviewer mentioned my first film “If I would have been back home” as an example and I cannot explain how much this statement has meant to me)

With that feature screenplay and treatment, I was pushing toward a deadline to apply for funding. Doing 14-hour days. And I think at some point in that chase I got disconnected from my zone, that authentic place from where great work can be created. So, what I’ve taken from this experience, is that deadline is great, it keeps me motivated, but if it’s too tight, look for another one and give myself time and some breather space to write from the zone.

During this past month, I was resorting to a book called “Immortal Words” by Terry Breverton for some inspiration and motivation, that’s where I found Confucius quote. I have to say I found the practice of reading great quotes daily amazing.

It gave me a kick up my backside, to put it simply.

So, I thought I’d share a quote that had struck a chord with me and solidify its meaning into my life and my routine..