Profile: Dan Lewsey and Pedro Younis

Why did you pick this subject for Fresh?

Originally this subject was intended for a class at our Uni, (University of Kent), but after we came up with the concept, we felt it would provide insight into buskers in the Canterbury City Centre area, but most importantly their dreams, ambitions, struggles and their aspirations for their careers in the future. As well as showing the rest of the UK a glimpse of Canterbury life.

What motivated you to make this film?

In terms of inspiration for the idea, both of us really enjoy music; therefore we enjoy when buskers perform, whether in Canterbury, London, or Lisbon. We feel it’s a creative and daring way to express the art of music. After watching some videos about struggling buskers who were trying to make it into the music industry, we felt compelled to tell their stories.

What equipment did you use?

The camera we used was a Sony HXR-NX5E.

Tell us about post-production - what software did you use?

For Post-Production we used the editing program Final Cut Pro 7 to edit all the visual footage as well as the sound. We spent many hours in our university's editing rooms mixing each bit of music provided by the buskers into the shots we filmed across a two week period, trying to make it all flow.

Who/what inspires you?

Dan: My main influence in filmmaking is predominately documentary makers and their work. Directors like Asif Kapadia (Senna), Clio Barnard (Lambeth Marsh) and D.A. Pennebaker (Don’t Look Back) all altered the way in which we view documentaries today. This is something I have also tried to convey in my own work by making it unique compared to others and enjoyable at the same time for the viewer.

Pedro: I’m very fond of the musical genre in cinema, normally I enjoy big musical numbers with elaborated performances. But more recently I have been attracted to stories about more relatable characters who use music as a getaway vehicle from reality, and others who use music to survive reality. So I would say that I am inspired by realistic narratives and blending those narratives with the musical genre.

What are your plans for the future?

Dan: I’m open to new things, but he main thing for me is working within the film or television industry, whether this be working on shorts for my YouTube channel or working as part of a production company. Preferably I would like to be directing these future projects, but the main thing is I want to carry on telling a story.

Pedro: Ideally I would like to find a good internship in a company I admire and just take it from there. I see myself as a writer/director filmmaker but in the meantime I am learning how to develop my scripts into something filmable. I would also like to further explore the documentary world, since it has endless possibilities and a lot of undiscovered ground.

What is the most important thing you have learned so far?

Dan: Adapting to different environments and projects whilst also learning my strengths and weaknesses and making best possible use for them.

Pedro: Working with people who I feel comfortable with and telling a story I believe in.