The Tempest – Film Festival Appraisal
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on”
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on”
The Tempest
By Dawn House School – appraised by Lauren Brewer
It is my great pleasure to congratulate you, Dawn House School, on your brilliant film, The Tempest, submitted as part of Shakespeare Schools International Film Festival 2024. It was a joy to watch you bring this story to life on screen, and I’d like to spend some time now highlighting all the aspects of your production that I loved the most.
By using a black and white filter, alongside a booming voiceover, you really set the tone for your Tempest. We could instantly tell that this was a world full of power play, where magic, malevolence and mischievousness would be of equal importance. Giving Prospero’s lines in this way really accentuated that she was in complete control of all of
these goings on, commanding Ariel to complete her will. It was incredibly impressive to see you use the capabilities of film to bring out the personalities of your characters.
I loved the sci-fi setting you chose for your film. In our ‘Season of Reimagining’ you put a fantastic new spin on this well-loved play and I could tell you’d all had brilliant fun making the film and finding your unique angle. I particularly enjoyed the scenes in ‘Mission Control’. You used sound effects and dramatic backdrops to immerse your audience in the film, transporting us all to another world! What brilliant costumes you all had as well – those hazmat suits were especially fabulous and helped you all commit completely to your characters. We felt the heightened stakes as you worked hard to avoid being taken to ‘Planet X’ and your frustration as you were unsuccessful.
You chose effective shooting locations for your film, a desolated forest becoming the perfect setting for the line ‘Hell is empty, all the demons are here’. We really got a sense of a dystopian landscape that felt unnerving and unnatural for our characters. The dramatic rock face also created some great shots. Throughout the final dramatic sequence you used special effects and your brilliant acting to build tension and finish your story with great gravitas, fitting to the genre you chose and giving this story great impact. You all landed your lines with passion and conviction and I was so impressed by
the ways you differentiated all of your different reactions. Prospero finally returning to her rightful place ‘back on earth’ was a perfect ending to your phenomenal production of The Tempest.
This was an impactful and impressive production of The Tempest from an inspiring company!
We are in awe of all your passion, hard work and creativity! What you have accomplished is something truly special, and we are already looking forward to reimagining Shakespeare with Dawn House School again next year.
The video can be seen by clicking on the link below:
