Film, Archive, and Music Lab (FAMLAB) is a week of screenings, live performance and collaboration between film and music professionals hold by the British Council in partnership with the British Film Institute, PRS for Music Foundation and HOME in Manchester.
Film, Archive and Music Lab explored the creative potential of collaboration between the worlds of cinema, film archive and music. The British Council has invited 16 artists and producers – including music makers, filmmakers and video game composers – to take part in a series of workshops, masterclasses, screenings and networking events all with the aim of increasing opportunities for cross-sector work, while providing a fertile breeding ground for future collaborations. The programme is inspired by the creative and popular success of event cinema and live performances of film scores, including the BFI Archive’s international tour, "The Hitchock 9".
FAMLAB brought together an exciting group of participants from East Asia and the UK as part of this opportunity for professional development and they were: Lisa Meyer (UK), William Doyle (UK), Masaaki Yoshida (Japan), Ruth Paxton (UK), Jessica Curry (UK), Roly Porter (UK), Shiva Feshareki (UK), Nick Abrahams (UK), Jay Bedwani (UK), Owen Wang (Taiwan), Aoura Chandra (Indonesia), Nguyen Manh Duy Linh (Vietnam), Fikri Fadzil (Malaysia), Jeremy Mayall (New Zealand), Chunhwi Park (Korea) and Thanapol Setabrahmana (Thailand). PRS for Music Foundation has helped to fund and select the UK based music creators who are taking part in the Lab.
The British Council Indonesia has invited Aoura Chandra, CEO of Famous ID, a part of Kapanlagi Networks and a filmmaker to take part in FAMLAB. Having produced several movies as a producer, Aoura brought his expertise and knowledge in film industry as a great addition and combination with other representatives’ background in music industry.
The British Council Indonesia talked with Aoura about his experiences during FAMLAB
How did you feel about the whole experience in Film, Archive, and Music Lab (FAMLAB) ?
FAMLAB was a good programme. The 16 participants were getting along really well and come from really diverse background. At the beginning, I was a bit confused where the programme was heading, however the diversity actually really makes the discussion we have really interesting
What was the best moment during FAMLAB? What makes you feel that way?
One of the highlights was to see a live scoring session of the classic masterpiece “Shooting Star”. It was one of the restoration projects and the live scoring was created and conducted by John Altman, a seasoned conductor. It was really special and I feel really lucky to be able to have that experience. It also really inspires me for my future projects.
What was your favorite session during FAMLAB?
I have a few favorites, but one of the best is the discussion we had with Saint Etienne about their Archive film. So the film was created fully from archive footages. However the music and edit totally give the movie a new life. I personally have not been exposed to many archive projects. This particularly, really touched me and inspired me.
What was the most eye-opening and inspirational thing you encountered while you’re in FAMLAB?
Again the whole program was really inspiring. However, what my biggest take was my POV (point of view) towards live music event and how it impacts the whole film experience. Indeed sitting in the cinema is an experience, but putting live music into it, really creates a whole new experience.
After attending FAMLAB, do you already have an idea for future project and collaboration? And what is the impact that you’re hoping for the idea of your future project?
Yes, I have a few ideas that I’m developing after the program. The goal is to give a new experience and really opening new opportunities for musicians and filmmakers to collaborate and create a new form of work.
Who were the people who made a very great impression during your time in FAMLAB?
I was impressed not only to the speakers but also other participants. Many of them were really creative and passionate about their work. John Altman, was once of the speaker that was really interesting and inspiring to me.
In brief, what did you learn from attending FAMLAB and what are you hoping to do after you attended FAMLAB?
What I learned from FAMLAB is that Film Archive was such a precious source for filmmakers. It is immortalized and provides a real historical and social context to our current modern society. Not only that, it has huge entertainment value when done correctly. I really hope, I can start applying these inspirations from the programme to my upcoming projects.
Also, I hope I can create collaborations with some of the fellow participants I met.