0:00:02 > 0:00:03One, two, three, four,
0:00:03 > 0:00:07five, six, seven, eight.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10And one, two and three,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14four, five, six, seven, eight.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17And one, two...
0:00:17 > 0:00:18Well, I suppose this is the story
0:00:18 > 0:00:21of how Young Men grew from its beginnings
0:00:21 > 0:00:24as a, kind of, experiment in the studio,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26which then developed into a full-length stage work.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29And now, I suppose, it's become a sort of meditation
0:00:29 > 0:00:31on men at war, told without words...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Great. Great, guys. Great.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35..and that's what I like about dance and movement -
0:00:35 > 0:00:36the way it has this ability
0:00:36 > 0:00:38to tell a very complex,
0:00:38 > 0:00:39emotional narrative
0:00:39 > 0:00:41without the use of any words.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44DRAMATIC CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We've been interested in film-making
0:01:03 > 0:01:05for as long as I can remember, really.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07We joined the Royal Ballet Company together
0:01:07 > 0:01:10and almost immediately bought ourselves a camera
0:01:10 > 0:01:11and then a video camera.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13But with our own company, BalletBoyz,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15we're constantly looking for opportunities
0:01:15 > 0:01:18to get dance on the screen.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22Starting your own contemporary dance company is no mean feat.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26You know, we were dancers with the Royal Ballet,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28but we wanted to create new work.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30We wanted to keep exploring.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33And at first, when we started this company,
0:01:33 > 0:01:34it was just the two of us
0:01:34 > 0:01:37and we were commissioning choreographers to make work on us.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40So, when we decided to retire from the stage,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42it seems like the right thing to do, to...
0:01:43 > 0:01:45..find other male dancers
0:01:45 > 0:01:47that could then take that knowledge
0:01:47 > 0:01:50and continue performing and creating,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54exploring the possibilities of men dancing with men.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56We're always looking for new people
0:01:56 > 0:01:58to come and choreograph for the company -
0:01:58 > 0:01:59and one day, Michael was...
0:01:59 > 0:02:02looking at some different choreographers on YouTube
0:02:02 > 0:02:04and found this guy, Ivan Perez.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06We didn't know anything about him.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10He'd been an amazing performer with Nederlands Dans Theater,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14and had now begun to devote all his time solely to choreography,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18so we asked him if he'd like to come over and work with our company.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20The BalletBoyz.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23It was 2013, two years ago,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27and they invited me to see their show at Sadler's Wells,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29teach a class with the dancers,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31'see how the connection...
0:02:31 > 0:02:32'could work.'
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Just one thing,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37these would be canon until...
0:02:37 > 0:02:39here. Bam, bam, bam.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40Then you go together.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43Yeah, exactly. Yeah?
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Right away, we had fun in the first class.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51I enjoyed the talent, and also,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53sort of, the bravery of the dancers...
0:02:56 > 0:02:59..and we got together, two weeks, to do our research,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01to see what was the potential.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Very quickly, in the studio,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06we could see that there was something special going on.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07You know, a really strong connection
0:03:07 > 0:03:09between Ivan and the dancers.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Watching material he created over those few days...
0:03:14 > 0:03:18I don't know if he meant it, but there was one duet in particular...
0:03:19 > 0:03:21..we were watching, and,
0:03:21 > 0:03:22after a couple of minutes,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24I immediately imagined,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27"This is a duet, this is about two men being soldiers."
0:03:28 > 0:03:30You know, there's this element in the choreography
0:03:30 > 0:03:32where they're struggling.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34One's kind of holding the other one back,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36or there's something going on,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38a story being told...
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and Michael said, "I think that they could be soldiers.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44"If we get them a uniform, and they're in the sea."
0:03:44 > 0:03:46I said, "Fine. Do it."
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Stand by!
0:03:49 > 0:03:51So, we decided to experiment.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53We filmed the choreography,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57set it in the sea, in a dramatic location,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00to try and enhance the atmosphere of the work.
0:04:03 > 0:04:09BELLS TOLL IN DISTANCE
0:04:12 > 0:04:16STRING MUSIC PLAYS
0:04:16 > 0:04:20The original idea was to make a short dance film with Ivan,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23and we used that as a way to discover
0:04:23 > 0:04:25whether there was a relationship there,
0:04:25 > 0:04:26and clearly there was -
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and we really felt strongly
0:04:28 > 0:04:29about what he had produced.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31And we felt that it could sustain
0:04:31 > 0:04:33much longer than three minutes,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36so we said, "Let's turn this into a full-evening work for the stage."
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I like to question human life,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44and how we are actually, you know,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47we're vulnerable to forces external to us.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Within this process,
0:04:50 > 0:04:51I...
0:04:51 > 0:04:55connected to man-made hazards, and war is a major...
0:04:57 > 0:04:59..major force.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05And the fact that I didn't have so much information about it,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07it made me curious.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And also, having an all-male dance company, like the BalletBoyz,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and having all these dancers
0:05:16 > 0:05:17in this sort of age frame
0:05:17 > 0:05:19where the soldiers could be like,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I felt it was the perfect ground to explore something like this.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25This can turn into a really crazy dream.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26THEY LAUGH
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Yeah, until you get ready.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30HE MIMICS GUNSHOTS
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Yeah? So, that could be an interesting one.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Music's very important in dance, obviously.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39But also in dance film, where there's no dialogue,
0:05:39 > 0:05:41so the music really has to carry the work through.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And I immediately thought of composer Keaton Henson
0:05:46 > 0:05:47for this project.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Keaton, we were maybe thinking
0:05:51 > 0:05:52to continue with the push...
0:05:52 > 0:05:55He's a composer that we've worked with before.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59He's very well known as a singer and songwriter
0:05:59 > 0:06:03with a huge, devoted fan base.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06You know, he's virtually got cult status.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09He's completely self-taught.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11He doesn't read or write music,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15but, straight away, he engaged with the idea,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17and saw that there was something there,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and started to compose something
0:06:19 > 0:06:22very, very different.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23I've been a fan of the guys
0:06:23 > 0:06:25since they'd used my music a few years back,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and they approached me about...
0:06:28 > 0:06:30doing something a bit more longform...
0:06:31 > 0:06:33..cos I was starting to get into, kind of,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35working with a more classical form of songwriting.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40I knew that would be something that would be challenging and exciting.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Right away, when I met him the first time,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46I felt he was a sort of romantic rebel,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and I really liked that energy.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53He was also referring to Arvo Part,
0:06:53 > 0:06:58referring to other composers that he was looking up to,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and he was willing to search in himself,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05what is that beauty that he could bring? What is that emotion?
0:07:06 > 0:07:08'So, the guys asked me to come in
0:07:08 > 0:07:10'and start work on a stage show,'
0:07:10 > 0:07:12and Ivan would show me...
0:07:13 > 0:07:16..a rough idea or just a movement
0:07:16 > 0:07:19that he was thinking of, and I would...
0:07:19 > 0:07:22develop on that and take that away and write...
0:07:24 > 0:07:27..a theme or a piece around that, and bring it to him,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and that would spur him on to further movements.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34That could be great, because this starts by a simple push,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and this starts, sort of, domino each other. "Boom!"
0:07:37 > 0:07:40It starts kind of growing, so this could be great if it starts...
0:07:40 > 0:07:42"Boof!" ..and then we get the movement going.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- Then slowly... - HE HUMS
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Then the whole thing starts...
0:07:47 > 0:07:49sort of jumping, or...
0:07:52 > 0:07:55I like a lot how he was observing, how...
0:07:55 > 0:07:59he was taking the time to be in the studio with us,
0:07:59 > 0:08:00and to not rush,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02to let the melodies emerge,
0:08:02 > 0:08:03to let ideas emerge,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and to push himself.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09'I was really excited to work with him.'
0:08:09 > 0:08:10OK, OK, stop, stop.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Good, good, guys. Yeah, great, great.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14Thank you.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16THEY APPLAUD
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- Lunch.- Yes.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I think, yeah, we were just saying,
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Ren was staying in the, kind of,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23slightly minor...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26really creepy stuff, and I think...
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- Yeah.- And it just seems like such a good point to suddenly...
0:08:29 > 0:08:30"Bom-bom."
0:08:30 > 0:08:34- Yeah, and to flip the piece into another territory, definitely.- Yeah.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Like, I think we've got it there.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39- I love it.- Cool. Great. Great.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42There was no question in our minds that this...
0:08:43 > 0:08:45..choreography was very strong,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47the ideas were strong,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49the dancers looked fantastic.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50The choreography...
0:08:50 > 0:08:53It just slowly built and grew,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55and Ivan would go away
0:08:55 > 0:08:57and come back, choreograph some more,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59go away again and think about it.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01And the result of that is
0:09:01 > 0:09:05that the choreographic process becomes so rich and complex,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and had a huge amount of integrity, I think,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11and we hoped that it would work on stage
0:09:11 > 0:09:12and hold an audience.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16BalletBoyz, I guess,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19has a reputation for being an all-male dance company...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22..but, quite early on,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24we had the idea that, perhaps, we were missing something.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27For this particular storyline, or narrative,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30we felt there was space in it for a woman's voice,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34and a little research showed us that there were great characters
0:09:34 > 0:09:36and great storylines that would lend themselves...
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and so we had an audition.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43'I saw that BalletBoyz were auditioning,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45'so I came along...'
0:09:46 > 0:09:50..and, after the day of the audition, like,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54it must have lasted about a few hours, but Billy and Michael...
0:09:56 > 0:09:57..gave me the job that day.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01So, then, I think we started a month later...
0:10:02 > 0:10:05..and Ivan gave us really strong characters.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07We didn't have much to do,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10but what we had was really significant
0:10:10 > 0:10:12in the power and the meaning behind it.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19And as I was creating the project,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21each of the dancers were kind of finding their own place,
0:10:21 > 0:10:26since I was using their natural characteristics...
0:10:26 > 0:10:28and Bradley, right away,
0:10:28 > 0:10:29became the strong fighter,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31the believer.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35The one that would sweat the most.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Go, go!
0:10:38 > 0:10:39Nice.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Go!
0:10:43 > 0:10:45When we hire choreographers and they come into the studio,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48we never really give them the full background on our dancers.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52We like for them to see the dancer in the studio,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55and to base their choices upon that, and it was interesting.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59From day one, he started to work with Bradley.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01And Bradley had just joined the company -
0:11:01 > 0:11:04so, really, he was our new recruit.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And they formed a really good relationship in the studio.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10And I think Bradley, being brand-new,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12was just so keen to please.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15He had just this enormous amount of energy about him,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and would do anything for a choreographer.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20So when we started working with Ivan,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I was completely new to the company,
0:11:22 > 0:11:23I was quite fresh.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27So it was such a big experience for me to work with somebody like that,
0:11:27 > 0:11:33and it really shaped the way that I worked from there onwards.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35And he was such an inspiration
0:11:35 > 0:11:37to have in the studio each day.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40And by the same token,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42he knew what to get from Matt,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45who's been with us probably the longest of all the dancers.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49He found something else completely different for him.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51- Go!- He seemed to have...
0:11:51 > 0:11:54He seemed to get to know each of us personally,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56and know how to get the best out of us,
0:11:56 > 0:12:02and he must have seen that I had some kind of acting skills.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06In the studio, we'd done activities and tasks
0:12:06 > 0:12:09to bring out, sort of, the best in everyone,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13and he seemed to bring out the best in my acting skills.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14Great, great.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Can we mark from that one?
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Matt Rees is a very special performer because...
0:12:22 > 0:12:25..he always gave me the feeling that he was not a professional dancer,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29and it always seemed a little interesting.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Because you never knew if it was intentional,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34this approach he had to dance...
0:12:37 > 0:12:42..and he really strike me when we were working on theatrical ideas,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46and he would always bring it to a place
0:12:46 > 0:12:48where he's connected to the action,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51he's connected to why he's doing it,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and connected, also, to the response of the physicality.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01AIR RAID SIREN BLARES
0:13:09 > 0:13:13STRING MUSIC PLAYS
0:13:38 > 0:13:40APPLAUSE
0:13:40 > 0:13:44We were completely delighted with the stage show...
0:13:44 > 0:13:46but we thought that there was more to it,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49there was more we could get out of this idea -
0:13:49 > 0:13:53and it, kind of, coincided with this ambition we've had,
0:13:53 > 0:13:54for such a very long time,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57to create a dance feature film.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00And so this seemed like the ideal moment
0:14:00 > 0:14:04to take what we had on stage and turn it into a movie.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06So, one of the first things we had to do
0:14:06 > 0:14:09was to get the dancers back into the studio,
0:14:09 > 0:14:15and make sure that they were really defining the characters correctly.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Once you get her, and it's all about,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20you can maybe move in space a bit.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Because if you're like, "What? What? I have her."
0:14:23 > 0:14:25So you provoke some movement, you know?
0:14:25 > 0:14:27And then...
0:14:27 > 0:14:29So, once he gets you,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32the idea is that he's going to walk a little bit in the room.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Obviously, when you're on stage, people are sitting
0:14:35 > 0:14:37maybe 200 feet away.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39And on the screen, the camera was extremely close.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43And the justification for the movement, the narrative,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46obviously needed to be adapted.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Yeah, so, in a way,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51she is actually somebody's mum, or something.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Yeah? Or she could be anybody.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55LAUGHTER
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Or she could be bringing a story,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00or, in a way, just the female energy.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Some of you feel relieved.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06The stage version had been quite ambiguous.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10It was not set in a particular moment in time,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and all of the dancers had different things to say
0:15:13 > 0:15:16about different aspects of soldiering and war.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19But for this, we felt like it needed to be much more specific.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20The characterisation,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22the narrative, needed to be closely followed
0:15:22 > 0:15:26by particular dancers playing particular roles.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28So, we had to take the original choreography,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and turn it to this new purpose.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38THEY LAUGH
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Our initial idea for the period in which we'd set this film,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44we were pretty open at first...
0:15:45 > 0:15:47..but, looking at the choreography,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49there was one scene in particular,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51in the stage performance,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53that was called "Lookout"
0:15:53 > 0:15:57and we always imagined this to be set in a trench.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00So, trench warfare.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03So, that really set it firmly, for us,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06in the early part of the 20th century.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Because we didn't want to have the dancers portray particular soldiers
0:16:10 > 0:16:13in a particular battle, we needed to make a, sort of,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17abstraction of army uniforms of that period.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19So, we asked designer Katherine Watt
0:16:19 > 0:16:22to help us put together the look,
0:16:22 > 0:16:23to help us design the costumes
0:16:23 > 0:16:26that our particular group of soldiers would wear.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29We knew that she had a fantastic eye for detail,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and a highly specialist, sort of, understanding
0:16:32 > 0:16:36of what dancers require in their costumes.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38It's OK making something that looks great,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41but the dancers really need to be able to move in them.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45After seeing the stage version at Sadler's Wells,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I wanted to get involved...
0:16:48 > 0:16:50..cos I found the choreography
0:16:50 > 0:16:52and the musical score
0:16:52 > 0:16:54quite moving on a personal level.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01When I first saw the boys lined up in their outfits,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05that pit of nervousness that I first had dissolved,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and I saw all the different combinations
0:17:07 > 0:17:09and elements working together.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11There's always that chance that...
0:17:11 > 0:17:14you might get it wrong, and they might not work.
0:17:14 > 0:17:20The uniform design had a combination of different elements
0:17:20 > 0:17:22to represent many nationalities.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24Some of those were....
0:17:26 > 0:17:27..the soft caps,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and the cuff and collar styles
0:17:30 > 0:17:31were German influence.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35The boots and the trench coat design were British,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39but the helmets and overcoats were French and Belgian.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41And the way the tunics were cut away
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and tailored at the centre front
0:17:44 > 0:17:45were like the Scottish military.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51The uniform and the boots were restraining a bit, I guess.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53They were really well made but we were so used,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57we are so used to having costume that has to serve us,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02and that costume had to serve the movie, the subject itself.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08The score was the next thing we had to look at.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12We knew that what we really wanted - this is a movie -
0:18:12 > 0:18:14we wanted something epic,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17a colossal soundtrack.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21And so we basically had to set Keaton back to work -
0:18:21 > 0:18:23recomposing, rescoring,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25reimagining.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27So, the score itself,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31I wanted to build it on a couple of, kind of, themes and ideas.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33When you're working with dance,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35there's a certain element
0:18:35 > 0:18:36where you have to set the scene.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38For me, the important thing was
0:18:38 > 0:18:41finding some kind of emotional hooks that I could work with.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45So the first of those for me was the idea of an inner sound,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48something that sounds like it's happening inside your head,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50like you're...
0:18:50 > 0:18:51hearing the...
0:18:53 > 0:18:56..madness outside, but from within.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04So, I worked with the orchestra
0:19:04 > 0:19:08quite a lot to try and train them out of their clean,
0:19:08 > 0:19:09incredible playing,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11and try to encourage them to play ugly,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and to play pained, and to create sounds
0:19:14 > 0:19:16that they weren't necessarily in control of,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19which isn't necessarily the easiest thing.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Making a dance film is one thing.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Making a dance film on location, about war, is another.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38So, we didn't really know it would work.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41I mean, you can hypothesise in the studio
0:19:41 > 0:19:43about what it might be like to dance in a trench,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45or in a battlefield, or on a parade ground,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48but until you're actually there, on location, you don't know.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50So, it was quite a risk.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53We dug craters,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55we found...
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The forest was nearby where Jenny and Brad do their scene.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00We had a parade ground
0:20:00 > 0:20:01for the basic training scene,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and we dug our very own trench.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07The location was actually really challenging,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10because it wasn't like on the stage or in the studio,
0:20:10 > 0:20:11where it's all flat.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Like, we were in a trench, and on a normal floor with a lot of rocks,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19so we have to dance on that, and it was really challenging not to fall,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21not to trip,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24and to still deliver the movement as it was supposed to be.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28My character in the film is,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30I think, someone who...
0:20:30 > 0:20:33doesn't really want to go to war,
0:20:33 > 0:20:34he's not really interested in it -
0:20:34 > 0:20:36just has to go through it,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38and he waits for only one thing,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and it's to go back to his home town,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and find his family again.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46He is in the trench, and he receives this letter from home,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and the letter brings some really bad news.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55He loses everything that he was supposed to go back to,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57so he loses all hope, and...
0:20:58 > 0:21:02..realising that, he just wants to...
0:21:02 > 0:21:05finish the war by the quickest possible,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07so he takes his glasses off,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09his coat, and leaves his gun behind,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11and just goes on the battlefield,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16and he just waits for whatever needs to happen, to happen.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22For this project, the dancers did a lot of research,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24from books and photographs,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27as well as films from the Imperial War Museum collection.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31We wanted them to portray the scenes of men at war
0:21:31 > 0:21:36in moments that will resonate across a landscape of all wars.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39So, to look at the experience of soldiers in general,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41and to find details
0:21:41 > 0:21:43in the scenes that chime
0:21:43 > 0:21:45with what we know now.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54It's about a soldier who's been traumatised by the war,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56by the horrors of the war.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59So, it's a pathology that came up,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01which is called shellshock,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05and, basically, they were moving
0:22:05 > 0:22:07their bodies without consciousness.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11It was unconscious movement coming from a brain shock.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13And it's quite hard,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15because I had to improvise it.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18We couldn't set movements on it.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22And I think it comes from a place of emptiness in the feelings.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24So, from there,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26you can explore the unconsciousness,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29and the surprise of the body movements.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32My character in the film,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34she's a nurse,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38and she wants that job mainly to find her love,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42and she steals an army uniform...
0:22:43 > 0:22:47..dresses up as a man, and tries to find her lover.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52She finds him...
0:22:54 > 0:22:56..but that scene only lasts a little bit
0:22:56 > 0:22:58before being pulled away.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02So, it's like that last moment of love,
0:23:02 > 0:23:07and after all that travelling to get to that man and, you know,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10such a journey and such a risky situation...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Yeah, it's a really tragic ending,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and we get pulled away by war.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24The broken bones scene was originally a group section,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and Michael and Billy decided that they wanted it as a duet,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30so they gave Leon and I this idea
0:23:30 > 0:23:33of being physically injured
0:23:33 > 0:23:35and unable to move,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and really struggling to get up and continue -
0:23:39 > 0:23:42but, mentally, still having that fight and that challenge.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47So, we played around with the material from the group section,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51and developed this duet.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I thought that I'd find it hard
0:23:57 > 0:24:00to act with a duet like that,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03but the location really helped.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The struggle was real, so the acting felt real.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08It didn't feel like it was acting.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11It was very natural, the restraint,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13and the struggle through the mud,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and wearing this heavy...
0:24:16 > 0:24:19costume, with the thick mud and the rain.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21I think that it made our reactions natural.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29We've been filming dance for a very long time,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31but I don't think, until this point,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33we've really considered it to be...
0:24:35 > 0:24:38..an expression, an artistic expression, quite as much.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41This film was really an opportunity
0:24:41 > 0:24:44to put everything we'd always thought about,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46and wondered about,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49into practice, and create our own piece of art.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Directing the dancers on set was an absolute joy,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57because obviously I've known them for a long time.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00They're like our own personal army,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03and they're extremely good at taking instruction.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05And because it's a silent film,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07we're not recording any sound on the set,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10I could really get involved in the direction.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11ON WALKIE-TALKIE: 'And again.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13'Getting angrier, Matt.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15'Another one.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19'And another one! Matt, get in there, smash another one.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23'Stop him! No more! Go on, push him out the way!
0:25:23 > 0:25:26'Mark, jump on him, jump on him, jump on him. Take him to the ground.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30'Take him to the ground. Let's do the action. Go. Next one.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33'Take him all the way down, all the way down.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37'All the way down.'
0:25:39 > 0:25:41In the short film version,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43I was a bit of a lost soul,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45kind of headed for nowhere,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47oblivion, a bit...
0:25:47 > 0:25:48airy.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52And then, in the feature film,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54I become more of a sergeant,
0:25:54 > 0:25:55more of a bully,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58more of an angrier person.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01I tried to take it to the extreme
0:26:01 > 0:26:03as much as I was allowed to.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Go!
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Go!
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Shooting this film on location
0:26:25 > 0:26:30was a real challenge for us all in our own ways.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Every time we were on set doing a new scene,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34you'd find that we were complaining
0:26:34 > 0:26:36about things like being cold or hungry,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39or tired, and then we had to almost stop ourselves,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41and remember that we were
0:26:41 > 0:26:43playing real soldiers,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46who had endured far worse
0:26:46 > 0:26:51than we could have ever possibly gone through doing this.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53One that really stood out to me -
0:26:53 > 0:26:56that was probably the most challenging,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58physically and mentally -
0:26:58 > 0:26:59was the crater scene.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Ten minutes before the actual filming
0:27:07 > 0:27:10of the crater scene, me and Brad sort of mapped out how it would be.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14So I tried moves out, and feeling that we were in the crater.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Working with Matt was so great, as well,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21because both of us
0:27:21 > 0:27:23were so involved with our characters
0:27:23 > 0:27:27that when we were doing the duet and I looked at Matt in the eye,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31it was almost as though it wasn't Matt any more.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33We were two different people.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39The characters that Matt and Bradley play...
0:27:40 > 0:27:43..are polar opposites of the human spectrum, really...
0:27:44 > 0:27:47..but they're almost the same, as well.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49It's quite hard to explain.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53I see Bradley as the perfect new recruit,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56and Matt as more of the war-torn,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58damaged soldier.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04But somehow, there's this love between the two men,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and I think you know,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08from the very beginning,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11that only one of these characters
0:28:11 > 0:28:13is going to survive this journey.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19And it's still an attempt.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24The only thing we can do is to attempt to touch the subject.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26It's definitely bigger than us,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29and I think it's also bigger than the spectator, but...
0:28:30 > 0:28:31..at the same time, we're all...
0:28:33 > 0:28:35..given some time in our lives
0:28:35 > 0:28:37to look at it, instead of ignore it,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and I think that already gives it the value.