NCNC Films

Nuovo Cinema Neo Cinetico

Community driven site-

specific artistic projects
 Since 2009 we have been creating unique and itinerant
films which belong to a new cinematic genre: NCNC (Nuovo
Cinema Neo Cinetico).

Each one of these films is the result of a carfully structured

project that includes many months of work out of which a
large part is performed on-site, within the community, in a
designated neighborhood or village.

We have completed 12 of these projects so far each one

resulting in a one-off, totally distinct NCNC film starting
from zero.
 NCNC FILMS are
Conceived, written and created on-site

NCNC FILMS are

Aimed at sharing experiences, emotions and stories.
A means of breaking the barriers every day life
presents, barriers which isolate us more and more

NCNC Films
Have no video or celluloid camera, no reel and
no screening room or hall
The various photos and examples we will
be presenting today are all taken from
just one of our projects; our latest.
(SLIDE)
The project was carried out in
Montpellier, France, in Early 2016.
The result of which was the NCNC film
Akhfa 2027.
 An example of an
NCNC FILM
PROJECTION
2016
Celleneuve neighbourhood,
Montpellier, France
The public takes its seat in
an ordinary movie theatre,
A film critic explains the
NCNC Film fundamentals
The lights are turned off
The emergency exit doors are opened

Music invades the hall

.The first images of the film
come into sight, posted on the
wall just in front of the exit
doors; printed and glued.
Little by little, the audience exits the
hall.
A screening on the theatre screen will
never take place
The public follows the continueing sequence of
posted photos:
An average of 800-900 fotos per film, extending over
aproximatly a one kilometer path
Allowing themselves
to be transported by
the magic of the film
and its storyline
Discovering unseen spaces in
their own neighbourhood or
village
Entering private and
intimate spaces which are
at the heart of the
unfolding story
Each photo is placed in the
exact spot where it
was taken, fiction blends in
with reality, past with
present and with
imaginarythis film exists
only here and now.
Music and sound,
present
throughout the
route, entice the
audience, causing
emotions to re-
vibrate as it is
either played live
by local musicians
or is hidden
within public
space.
And so, slowly
but surely,
following the
images
And sounds
A story unravels; with characters,
conflicts and emotions
The sequence of
photos finishes with an
unexpected ending
And a spectacular
final scene
Starting with our first film, our aim has always been
to create fiction which is relevant to the place we
were invited to work in. Make the story we tell, in
this little part of the world, reveal something of its
present state, and make its inhabitants feel as
though this story belongs to them.

We have gradualy established an intuitive and

sustainable methodology based on curiosity and
total subjectivity while at the same time structured
around clear mile stones and work stages.
How is an NCNC film created?
4 moths of work

4 weeks of non-consecutive on-site

presence in the community

5 stages
 First stage

IMMERSION
The NCNC team arrives.
We live at the heart of the village or neighbourhood.
We walk around.
A lot.
We chat with people, we have conversations.
We listen to them,
we listen and then we listen some more
We stick our nose into everything, everywhere, with our
only guide being our curiosity , our intuition, and the force
vested in us by by the fact that we are passers-by,
unmarked by any bias or pre-existing dynamics.
The immersion stage involves:

Meeting local residents

Meeting which are mostly
unforseen and spontaneous
anywhere in the
neighbourhood
Includes meeting with local organisations:
Associations
Schools
 Bands and choires
Sport sand leisure
clubs
Collecting testimonies,
stories and anecdotes
Researching local
documentation and archives:
photos, documents, videos,
sounds
 Exploring all the different spaces and
environments within the neighborhood /
village by foot
 Second stage

Writing
 The script writing stage is the most complex phase of the
project. It has to be as susceptible and open as possible to
local social, historical and geographical characteristics.
The many representation of "fragility, ranging from the
most concrete to the most symbolic, are maintained as the
main work axis.
We design and layout a route/path: we cling to the
different spaces, their topography, their richness, and in
parallel we write the story, until we come up with the script
which later turns into a real storyboard. All this is done as
we continue to meet with people and organizations.
The writing stage includes:

Drawing and defining the actual route (indoors, outdoors,

public and private spaces)
Writing a story which is
always FICTION
Translating the storyline into a
script which takes place in actual
locations in the neighborhood
Creating the storyboard
Inviting people
we have met to
take part in the
film
Work sessions
with local
musicionas
 Third stage

Shooting
 Filming takes about a week, with the entire
team, now consisting of 5-6 people, present
The shooting stage involves:

Planning the shooting timetable and

coordinating the different tasks
Creating and preparing the set design in
the different locations and spaces
Staging the
dramatization of the
script on-site
in public space.
In outdoor shooting sessions
And indoors
The local residents participate as actors
As Extras
Or as
spectators
In their own private homes
Or on the street
 A large collective scene is always included in the
script and later shot. This opens up the participation
in the project to all the people we have not met or
been in touch with. Everyone is invited to participate
in the collective scene: both local residents as well as
anyone else who wishes to take part.
(SLIDE) The location, shooting schedule and
information relating to the scene is passed on mostly
by word of mouth but is also published in the local
press, municipal newsletter, etc. (SLIDE)
Hundreds of people might show up and
participate
The collective scene is one of the most
spectacular moments in the shooting stage
And is one of the most moving ones for
the team and for the residents
 The collective scene is always one of the most
compelling moments of the entire project; It ends
with a big aperitif, a time for everyone to celebrate
and share their experience together and an
opportunity for many residents who might have
actually lived right next to each other for years to
meet each other for the first time.
 Fourth stage

-Assembly-
starts with

Photo (frame) selection and digital

processing
Out of the 5000-6000 photos shot
800-900 are selected for the actual film
The photos will be
posted on the
neighborhood walls, in
different formats and
sizes
 The NCNC team is now complete, equiped with
trolleys and glue! (SLIDE)
>>> All this preliminary work done before the
actual presentation of the film, is highly
visible in the neighborhood. An excellent
pretext for dialogue and reflection on public
space, housing and the living environment
Photos are posted in the exact
spot where they had been taken
Different installations are assembled
to portray entire scenes
The sound track is assembled on-site
and includes rehearsing with the
musicians
 Fifth stage

Screening
 Preparations and assembly are done
The nighborhood / village is full of hudreds of
photos and hidden sounds by now.
Finally the film is ready to be revealed to all in
its actual NCNC form
It is the moment in which the magic becomes
tangible
The film is ready
Cinematic magic invades the
streets and the written story
is transformed into a shared
story, a shared experience
Different
audiences
meet
The ones which have
participated in the film
And those who have come
without a clue of what
awaits them
 The meeting between the different audiences
is highlighted by the films ending, where the
making of photos are presented as well.
These photos, taken during all the different
stages, portray the different encounters and
the time the team spent in the heighborhood.
The making of is
presented after the
film is over
A testimony to the
moments we shared
 The film participants can then take the time,
with a drink in hand, to discover that they are
part of a bigger adventure, which is larger
than they had imagined. To realize that many
other people had participated in the film,
perhaps at another time but still telling the
same story.
A shared story.
A shared memory.
A story that now
belongs to them.
 Since 2009

12 NCNC films have

been made