David Ellington on the production of ‘Liberty’

It happened in 2003, Sam Dore, a good friend of mine and established filmmaker,

photographer, director and owns Bursteardrum website, and Mac Dunlop, whose strong

side on poem, now based in falmouth, Cornwall, and I received the funding to support the

young deaf children from the Bristol Youth Deaf Club to make a simple 90 second

challenge film called Freedom of Hands. At the same time, we organised our first

VisionSign film Festival at Watershed, Bristol. It went so successful. As a result, we set up

our VisionSign Production. This is where we have created numerous short films over the

years. This is our history.

Before this, how I learned the technique of filmmaking, I did performing solely in BSL poem

in the early 2000s as well as acting in acclaimed deaf TV drama, RUSH on Channel 4.

This is how I learned a lot of tips from Ray Harrsion Graham, our black director whose

accomplishment in TV/film industries, he has two BAFTA awards (children programme).

Around that period of year, I have been studying briefly on HAIKU - Japanese style poem,

really interesting experience exploring how it did work using 3 lines at all (hearing version)

and transforming it into a visual expression. This is how I have attained.

Fast forward to late 2016...

CENTRED - Community organisation that provides service / support / information

I was invited to do a VV piece at Xmas warm party at Centred in Soho, London, whereas it

catered Black and Asian LGBTQI+ people for social christmas drinks and buffets. It was a

lovely atmosphere and they enjoyed listening and watching my bits.

How was I involved in the progress of Liberty?

One of the members from Centred asked me to do another poem piece for Batty Mama #3

- staged performance at Hackney Downs Studios - Friday 19th January 2018 - night

event for Black gays queers.

It was really out of blue, so I was thinking of what piece I would do. After watching and

listening about President Trump’s reckless, excuse and outrageous behaviour towards to

black and gay communites. This angered me so I looked at the rainbow flag, how many

colours it has and I wrote each colour which represents human, society and mood. For

example red, you need to think of it like a heart, as a symbol of love and so on. It then built

up with each colour, I found it fantastically that drew me deeply giving my thoughts and

interpreted the meanings .

I worked out what letters would be put on . I realised and decided to write 7 letters that

named Liberty. When it was done, I showed it to one of my black interpreters, Jacquie

Beckford. She thought it was brilliant and it should be shown to the public. At that time I

was half not ready and ended up putting it on the shelves. So, this is history!

Back to last summer, during the lockdown, George, I remembered very clearly, texted me

and asked me to create any digital work in whatever you want, in relation to filming and

was happy to give me an offer of  1k. I thought, ‘Hang on, about the offer’. I was really

clueless and suddenly I popped out of my head about Liberty. I showed it to him and he

was very impressed and gave me a green light.

During the shooting process, I had my own Canon 5D Mk4 camera, and lighting equipment

at home. I drawed up the visual plan, mood storyboard and schedule planning to help me

to speed up the progress which convinced to George and Polly

As I thought I could do self shooting in the living room, open field, and the roof but I

realised about time consuming and security of my camera equipment. I asked Samuel

Ash, a cameraperson, graduate in film and television at Wolverhampton University, as I

knew he loved being a director of photography. I thought it was a good opportunity to have

him do a creative shot. He was so happy to be involved. We ended up making the shots,

which went well but had a downside, especially wet weather (walking on the road

surrounding the terraced house). It was an amazing experience.

After the draft cut, I was working with Kyra, an expert in visual, translation arts as I know

her doing to support deaf poets for translating from BSL to English on poems. We

discussed the progress of the poem especially in English, which was really insightful.