The importance of creating a safe space for your team

Ella Boucht, Designer

What does HÄN stand for?

HÄN is the gender-neutral pronoun used by/for everyone in Finland, equal for everyone. In the Finnish language, you do not refer to anyone based on their gender, which is more inclusive for all expressions and notions of gender today.

Why did you choose this title?

We chose the title based on what HÄN stands for, and because it resonated with what the film was based on. It felt welcoming and free, transformative, and left space for interpretation.

“Most often queer stories are set in city environments, taking place at pubs, clubs, and busy streets, like London. Instead of continuing that saga, we wanted to take the contemporary queer experiences out of the city.” – Ella Boucht

What is the story behind the film?

We wanted to explore the challenging, liberating, and euphoric experience of transitional identity today. To find a new representation for butch, non-binary and masc identities within the contemporary LGBTQI+ and to highlight their personal stories set in a rural environment.

Most often queer stories are set in city environments, taking place at pubs, clubs, and busy streets, like London. Instead of continuing that saga, we wanted to take the contemporary queer experiences out of the city, and bring them to the island in the archipelago of Turku, Finland. Building a queer safe haven, a safe space to be free, liberated, and happy, surrounded by stillness and nature; creating a new visual image of what queerness is and can be today. Queerness in Finland has a rich story to tell, and we wanted to highlight it along with the personal stories behind it through the film.

How did you put together the team you worked with? Is it important for you to build a ‘family’?

We started the project as a collective, I,  Heather Glazzard, and Nora Nord. Bryanna Kelly jumped on board after we were introduced by a friend of mine. The rest of the team, the sound designer, translator, post-production assistants

were either friends from before or got introduced to us. It was really important for us to build a fully queer crew, that got along and felt welcoming.

“We managed to gather an amazing group of people that got along so well. It felt like the queer summer camp we all would have wanted to go to as young.” – Ella Boucht

How did the casting operate for this project?

We did the casting via social media and through my contacts in Helsinki. We reached out to the people we thought could both be a good fit for the film but also tried to gather a group that would get along and feels safe together. It was an interesting and challenging way of casting, as we weren’t able to meet the cast in person and had to do everything via zoom and social media. Chatting with everyone via zoom was a very warming and beautiful experience, even if it was through a screen. I could definitely get a feeling of who each and everyone was and their individual characteristics. Due to Covid three people sadly dropped along the way, so we managed to cast the last people in Helsinki, meeting people on the street and through Instagram. We managed to gather an amazing group of people that got along so well. It felt like the queer summer camp we all would have wanted to go to as young.

Did you know the cast before you designed the clothes?

I decided to organise private zoom meetings with each of the cast. To get to know them, understand who they were, what sort of bodies they had if they had anybody or gender dysmorphia that was important for me to know of, and what textiles and colours they preferred. The design process was very much linked to each person from the cast. It did change along the way but the clothes were designed with them in mind. An interesting and new way for me to design and create.

Could you take us through the design process of this project?

Where the film’s idea stemmed from. The feeling and the act of transformation queer people go through was the starting point. I thought a lot about how important clothing is for self-expression, often used as a tool for self-creation and gender expression – almost as a performance of characters. This shaped my thinking and how to address the clothing development for the film. Radical self-affirmation often starts from garments and fabrics, grooming, and style. For example, a binder can play around with gender exploration, while codes and conventions of tailoring can subvert gender codes and create a new sense of belonging.

“A lot of the fabrics and colours stem from the view, the nature, and memories from my childhood with a contrasting hint of sex, kink, sensuality, and role play.” – Ella Boucht

What and who were the main influences/inspirations?

Some of the main influences were; the writer behind the Moomins, Tove Jansson and her partner Tuulikki Pietilä (one of the only lesbian couples known through history in Finland), my best friend, an incredible illustrator and artist, Edith Hammar, Diane Torr’s performative research and work; and Cass Bird’s photography. But also the cast. It was very personal. I also developed the design with the archipelago in mind, which is where I grew up. A very calm, sacred place for me. A lot of the fabrics and colours stem from the view, the nature, and memories from my childhood with a contrasting hint of sex, kink, sensuality, and role play.

How was it received in Finland?

Incredibly. The number of people who came to the premiere was unbelievable, so beautiful and everyone was very touched by the film, coming out with tears in their eyes. Which was very touching for us to experience as well. Many came up to me to say they’ve never really thought about how important nature is for themselves and their queerness. I think many could really resonate with the story, the location, and the emotions in the film.

Could you please drive us through your relationship between Finland and London?

I grew up in Finland, in Helsinki, where my family is still living today, and is a place I visit every year, to see them and be in the archipelago. London is my newfound home, and where I’ve found my chosen family and got to know the most amazing queer community.

But for the first time in a long time, I had a hard time leaving Helsinki, after showing HÄN. I wasn’t sure if I had just left home or if I was heading back home. This project made it possible for me to connect with Finland in a new way. So we’ll see what the future holds between these two very different worlds.

What is next?

For the film, the next is film festivals, potentially more screenings, panel discussions, and distributing the film wide and loud. For the pieces made for the film, I’ve recently launched a few leather pieces online on Apoc Store and some might become available as made-to-order special pieces next year. HÄN is also a part of a bigger project that I am developing, so there is more to come.

Bryanna Kelly, Producer

How did Ella approach you for this project?

Ella and I have a mutual friend who we are both close to personally and work with professionally. When Ella realized they needed a producer, that mutual friend directed them my way. Many independent projects consider forgoing producers to save money, and that’s fair if it’s a smaller shoot with a smaller crew and cast to manage, but when you throw in a larger budget, a cast and crew of 10+, and international logistics, I think it can be very overwhelming for everyone on set without a producer. I felt that the stories behind the film needed to be shared, and I wanted to make it easier for the crew to bring those stories to the rest of the world.

How was the production process?

I started the production process by getting to know Ella a bit more and virtually meeting with Hev and Nora every other week just to discuss logistics: when, how, and where the film would take place; which equipment would we need, what could we get in Finland and what’s the easiest way for Ella to finish the collection in Finland.

I then introduced myself to the cast and became the point of contact for questions, and request accommodations for the film. Then closer to the production, I acted as the liaison between the Finnish border and our team from London. This took a few weeks of engaging in email communication with the border and working with my team to gather all the necessary documents to satisfy Finland’s strict entry requirements. I began reaching out to sound designers and editors in post-production who would both fit the style we were aiming for and who were either queer or as passionate about trans-masc, dyke, and non-binary visibility as we all were. We were exposed to so many Finnish creatives doing some amazing and important work through this process.

“I’ve always felt that, in this industry, there isn’t much room for neurodiverse people to ask for accommodations from their team.” – Bryanna Kelly

Have you produced a project similar before?

I have worked on a few films, but HAN was definitely a new experience for me. The professional etiquette I learned from interning in fashion couldn’t be applied to this set, and it really made me reevaluate how I approach future gigs. I was working with other openly neurodiverse folks! I’ve always felt that, in this industry, there isn’t much room for neurodiverse people to ask for accommodations from their team. Fashion has a very can-do attitude when it comes to everything, and it can sometimes be overwhelming for people that can, but maybe need a bit of help or an extra day. There is also the fact that it’s such a hard industry to break into, so I think some of us feel that we have to suck it up and deliver, or the next person will come in and take our place. There was none of that on this set, which felt amazing!

“It was hard to maintain the energy needed to be online all the time for 6 months, especially when you’re a person that needs to take mental health breaks from your phone, but I was lucky to have a team that fully understood that.” – Bryanna Kelly

Any obstacles on the way?

The biggest obstacle was Covid restrictions. The restrictions changed every week and that made it very difficult to plan ahead. This led to us having to wait to the very last minute to book flights, fit-to-fly tests, and accommodations, which ate up a lot of our budget. Another hurdle was that I had never been to Finland before its release in Helsinki! Luckily, most people in Finland speak or have an understanding of English, so I was able to communicate with Finnish border patrol and ground transportation companies easily. Since the UK was red-listed, the border was quite strict. I had to create special documents outlining our entire itinerary and details about everyone on set as if I were applying for a passport/residency. Since we started the production in lockdown, we spent 90% of our time communicating via zoom, WhatsApp, and email. For someone who is neurodiverse, there were times when it became too difficult to process information such as international ground transportation, budget, and just making sure to check emails and text every other hour. It was hard to maintain the energy needed to be online all the time for 6 months, especially when you’re a person that needs to take mental health breaks from your phone, but I was lucky to have a team that fully understood that. I felt very supported by everyone, which is how I was able to follow through.

Heather Glazzard, Director 

What is your creative process for this kind of project?

I pulled a load of reference images together. If I couldn’t find a picture that showed the scene I wanted to capture, I’d collage the scene with found images to piece together a storyboard.

What and who were the main influences/inspirations? 

A lot of my references were b&w photography from 1920’s-1960’s.

How was it received in Finland? 

Really well. A lot of the people who watched it were incredibly emotional and teary. Someone mentioned that it was so good to just see a group of people that were just like their friends.

Is London ready for what you are presenting? 

I think London lives its own bubble and sometimes forgets to acknowledge its privileges. I hope that people who viewed it can connect with the Finnish experience on some level but also learn to be kinder and not get so sucked up in this city.

Nora Nord, Videographer and Editor

How was the filming process of this project?

We lived the film, is the best way I can describe it. We were in the sauna naked, we made food together, we went swimming and sat on the rocks in the sunset and enjoyed a spliff. Ella said to us “You can pee anywhere outside,” so we did. That made it into the film, with Jessie squatting down to pee in ass-less chaps and Hev running around butt naked. It wasn’t just a film, it was real.

What was the main reference for this project?

Hev put together the storyboard for this film while we were still in London and I remember they would say, “Nora look at this great reference I just found!” and it would be Barbara Hammer’s work from the 70’s. It was amazing to see Hev’s photos translated into moving image.

I see the making of this film as a jigsaw metaphor: Heather made the puzzle pieces, Ella made the frame pieces, Ella and Bryanna built the structure for the pieces to be arranged on, and I put the pieces together.

“I like to think we created a space where people could communicate their needs clearly and comfortably. ” – Nora Nord

Do you usually film and edit as well? Do you think this is necessary for it to be done by the same person?

We were supposed to work with another editor but there was a clash of vision and execution. I don’t think it’s necessary to do both but I definitely felt a sense of loss after finishing the filming and returning to London, like giving your baby away to someone else. I decided to edit because I knew exactly what Heather’s vision was and it was important for us to work collaboratively to fine-tune the film. We ended up changing it loads in editing, but it was only through sitting down and bouncing ideas and combinations back and forth that we found what felt right.

How was your relationship with the protagonists on set?

Accessibility is really important to me. Clear communication about what we need and prefer. I like to think we created a space where people could communicate that clearly and comfortably. For example, Hev needed quiet mornings, I have sound sensitivity, and some of us needed plenty of breaks. Also, most of us have ADHD so I felt understood instantly, no explanation was needed. This is how we’ll aim to make all sets we work on in the future.