SF3’s Co-Founder and Director, Angela Blake, is also the Online Accessible Filmmaking Tutor for the amazing Bus Stop Films – a pioneering, not-for-profit organisation that uses filmmaking and the film industry to raise the profile of people living with disabilities and other marginalised groups, on both sides of the camera.
Last year, Angela and her class co-wrote a short sci-fi thriller called ‘The Society Experiment’. Shot on the iPhone 13 Pro Max and directed by Angela with cinematography by Rah Sharma.
A famous Cliqtuber, in a bid to get more likes and followers, decides to spend the night in an abandoned building and live stream throughout the night. Unbeknownst to him, the building is not abandoned but is a secret undercover government rehabilitation facility; detaining people with intellectual, emotional and physical disabilities and ‘normalising them’ for release back into society. The Cliquber is arrested and thrown in a cell and must band together with the other inmates to escape.
Director’s Statement
The Society Experiment was collectively written by myself and my online Bus Stop Films class, which is a fact I am deeply proud of. I am the Online teacher for Bus Stop Films and am a huge advocate for inclusive filmmaking and this film is the perfect showcase of inclusivity in creativity, action and purpose and the magic of Bus Stop Films.
I held weekly writer’s roundtables in my class; plotting, devising and writing The Society Experiment. The original idea is a mesh of two separate ideas from class members, Nicholas and Jacob. I combined their ideas into the one film and we ran with it. The class was very passionate about being able to display some of the things from their lives and disabilities onscreen. Each student based one character on their life and was in charge of leading the writing for that character and the issues they face. In many ways The Society Experiment is a kind of autobiographical film for my class and right from the start it was extremely important for me that each student be deeply involved in every aspect of the film, especially with the story and characters.
The big idea of our film is that there is no normal. No matter how hard a government or society tries to homogenise humans, they cannot; we are all unique and wonderful. Just look what we created together!
About Bus Stop Films
Bus Stop makes films with, for and about people from diverse backgrounds and abilities.
Our programs are taught by passionate filmmakers and industry experts to give our students a holistic filmmaking learning experience and offer students increased, social, literacy and work ready skills.
Students who participate in our programs benefit from exclusive workshops, excursions, workplace opportunities, mentoring with industry professionals and the opportunity to work collaboratively on a film project.
#inclusivefilmmaking
