Making Waves Film Festival

Author: Freya Marley

Famous Portsmouth – Les Miserables and Transformers
We all wonder about the spectacle of film and fame. Could you have been standing where famous filmmakers and actors once stood? Amazingly, the answer is potentially ‘yes’ as there are several examples of feature length films that have used a Portsmouth (or close by Hampshire area) as a key part of their blockbuster movie.
In this second instalment of Making Waves’ Famous Portsmouth, I dive into two more household names.
Les Miserables, Tom Hooper (2012)
Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables is one of many adaptations of the drama that follows the life of convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who fights to build a new life in the midst of revolution beginning to brew.
Portsmouth’s own Historic Dockyard is used in the gritty opening of the film where Jean Valjean is among the convicts pulling a ship into the dockyard. This behind the scenes video goes into more detail on The Dockyard’s famous moment.
Cast and crew at the historic dockyard for filming of Les Miserables
Transformers: The Last Knight, Michael Bay (2017)
Humans are at war with the Transformers, and Optimus Prime is gone. Transformers: The Last Knight brings together inventor Cade Yeager, Bumblebee, an English lord and an Oxford professor to save the world.
Going slightly further afield, The Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport was used as a location for the film, welcoming A-Listers Sir Anthony Hopkins and Mark Wahlberg. HMS Alliance was also used as a location for the film with scenes filmed on board the boat over three days. Again, this behind the scenes video goes into more detail.
Crew with HMS Alliance for Transformers: The Last Knight
You can find more in this series by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by!
March 20, 2023
Famous Portsmouth – No Time To Die and Tommy
We all wonder about the spectacle of film and fame. Could you have been standing where famous filmmakers and actors once stood? Amazingly, the answer is potentially ‘yes’ as there are several examples of feature length films that have used a Portsmouth (or close by Hampshire area) as a key part of their blockbuster movie. Today I’m going to break down two of them.
No Time To Die, Cary Joji Fukunaga (2021)
The final instalment of Daniel Craig’s Bond journey, No Time To Die, finds him after leaving active service, searching for a tranquil life. However, after an old friend shows up, he ends up on the trail of a mysterious villain who’s armed with a dangerous new technology.
Despite the unimaginable scale of a Bond film, Portsmouth still found a place in it. Film crews were spotted in the waters between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight in 2019 filming boats and helicopters. HMS Dragon, a Type 45 warship based in Portsmouth, was also used in scenes filmed in secret pre-pandemic. HMS Dragon can be seen in the final trailer at around 1m50s.
Portsmouth’s HMS Dragon in No Time To Die, (2021)
Tommy, Ken Russell (1975)
One of the most famous examples is Ken Russell’s Tommy filmed all over 70s Portsmouth. The film follows deaf, mute and blind Tommy. As a teenager, he stumbles upon a pinball machine and as he becomes a pinball champion and later the messiah of a religious cult.
Apart from Tommy’s birth, the rest of the movie was shot around Portsmouth and nearby Hayling Island. Fort Purbrook and the King’s Theatre also feature but the film’s most famous location is South Parade Pier. During filming it burned for the third time since its construction and the film included the event in the movie’s climax (which can be seen at the top of this post!).
Elton John at the King’s Theatre, Tommy, (1975)
You can find more in this series by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by!
December 22, 2022
The Cinematic Style of Wes Anderson
The extravagant visual style of Wes Anderson is one that has been discussed a lot in the world of film and for good reason. He is a major inspiration for my interest in film and filmmaking. I am in awe of the unique way Anderson brings storytelling to life and the relationship between all the visual, cinematic and technical elements presented in his films. So, let’s explore further exactly what it is that makes a Wes Anderson film the way it is.
Symmetry
Symmetry is one of the most notable Anderson features. Action on screen is unusually centralised and/or mirrored which draws our attention to the precision involved. Plus, the psychological connection between the human brain and symmetry could explain why its use is so mesmerising.
The French Dispatch (2021)
Planimetric Composition (and Compass Point Editing)
Planimetric composition (when the camera is perpendicular to elements of the scene) is what makes his shots appear two dimensional. Characters generally move horizontally or vertically in relation to these plains and the camera. Anderson also uses compass point editing techniques such as whip pans in 90 degree increments to maintain this composition. The resulting effect? The filmic space looks and feels constructed and the viewer is likely conscious of this fact. The debate here is whether this effectively contributes to the cinematic experience or if it takes the viewer out of the film instead.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Colour
Another stand out feature of the Wes Anderson style is colour. Notably, each movie has its own colour palette – usually charming pastel colours. When he does use bright colours, it is in contrast to sad events. This overall exaggerated use of colour creates a world far removed from reality which allows Anderson to get away with more extraordinary plots.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Storytelling
As a common thread, Wes Anderson films seem to want to highlight the ‘cinema’ of it all rather than hide the filmmaking. His films are often presented as stories within stories: Moonrise Kingdom (2012) has a narrator who speaks to the camera, Rushmore (1998) uses curtains to separate chapters like a play, and The Darjeeling Limited (2007) has a character who seems to be writing the story we’re inside of.
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
It’s almost impossible to talk in depth about absolutely everything that goes into a Wes Anderson film. There’s also slow motion, tracking shots, typography and more. However, the points I’ve chosen to discuss start to break down key visual and aesthetic choices. Might go and rewatch The Grand Budapest Hotel for the fifth time now…
March 26, 2022
Local Talent Spotlight: Trash Arts
Next up in the Making Waves initiative to explore Portsmouth’s local creative community and why they do what they do is indie-focused production company Trash Arts. Below is just a snippet of what they got up to in 2021!

Trash Arts is “a collective of creative minds” that aims to champion all forms of art. They have made short films, feature films, music videos, promotional videos, and documentaries. They also host spoken word and poetry nights and variety shows for example Trash Arts’ Open Ya Mouth which encourages performers of all levels to have a go at an open mic event.
Here Sam Mason Bell, founder of Trash Arts and ex-director of Making Waves Film Festival, gives his thoughts on the Portsmouth filmmaking scene:
How would you describe what Trash Arts does to those coming across you for the first time?
“Trash Arts is a production company focusing on independent films and indie horror, growing new talent and championing indie filmmakers.”
What is it about Portsmouth and the wider Hampshire area that you think makes it such a great place for filmmakers and creatives?
“I am born and raised in Portsmouth; it has [a] fantastic development structure [and] you can go through the poorest housing to the richest housing within a heartbeat. Sure that’s not great for the country or for the people but to have [a] richness of locations close by certainly helps. Having the seaside, the woods, Portsdown Hill so close is fantastic! Not going to lie, will always feel the city council should do more to allow free locations for film makers, maybe one day…”
Why do you think a film festival in Portsmouth is so important?
“Portsmouth has had a problem with supporting its artists, whether that’s down to lack of interest from the city council or the hideous competitive nature of Portsmouth. A film festival offers an opportunity for artists to be supported and for them to network with other artists. Also with so many emerging film festivals it can only help to entice an audience down to Portsmouth for the city to actually have an event!” Make sure to check out Making Waves’ film festival programme for 2022.
What’s going on at your company right now or in the coming months that you’d like to promote?
“Trash Arts has a few films in pre and post production. This year we are taking more of a creative focus on Portsmouth, its history and its rather crazy folklore.”
You can find more information about Trash Arts through their youtube channel and their social media pages linked here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trashartsuk/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trashartsuk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/trashartsfilm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trash-arts-ltd/
January 31, 2022
Local Talent Spotlight: Millstream Productions
As a young filmmaker and film enthusiast living in Portsmouth, I find discovering local talent and talking to professionals is not just valuable but genuinely enjoyable. Therefore, this series from Making Waves Film Festival aims to put this passion into practice by exploring content creators in Portsmouth and the surrounding area, what they do, and why they do it. Recently, I got the chance to chat with Millstream Productions. Watch their showreel and then read on to find out all about them!

Currently celebrating their tenth anniversary, Millstream Productions are one of the leading and most established video production agencies in Hampshire. In their own words: “each year we create quality video content for global brands, forward thinking companies and the public sector”. That covers corporate, social, animation and documentary! Millstream have also produced content for high profile brands including the NHS, Porsche, and the University of Portsmouth.
Here is a short interview with Ben Cloud, the co-founder and creative director of Millstream.
What is it about Portsmouth and the wider Hampshire area that you think makes it such a great place for filmmakers and creatives?
“Portsmouth is where we’re from. It’s a fiercely proud city with a unique community and we love working within the city and surrounding areas. There is a wealth of creative talent coming out of the University and colleges each year and they bring life to the city. It’s an amazing place to create content because of the forward thinking attitude of the people here. Of course, the varied coastal, city and countryside locations make it a perfect place for filming.”
Why do you think a film festival in Portsmouth is so important?
“As filmmakers, we produce work to be seen and not kept on [a] hard drive! People enjoying other’s work is why we get out of bed in the morning and there’s no better feeling of celebrating the hard work and creativity that goes into producing a film.” Make sure to check out Making Waves’ short film competition for 2022.
What’s going on at your company right now or in the coming months that you’d like to promote?
“We’ve recently celebrated our tenth year and are so proud to have produced more than 3,000 videos, travelled the world and now employ 9 local filmmakers. We’re excited to be more involved in our local community and developing filmmaking skills with those that work with us.”
You can find more information about Millstream Productions through their website and their social media pages linked here.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millstreamproductions/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillstreamProductions
Twitter: https://twitter.com/millstreamprod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/millstream-productions/
December 18, 2021