Logline

We meet Sam, a dancer battling his crippling anxiety, and Cathy, a dance teacher trying to push the right buttons. Will Sam be able to bloom into the dancer that he desires to be with Cathy's help?

Discordance (or The Mirror Dancer Poster)

About the film

Discordance (or The Mirror Dancer) is a labour of love and an achievement of community support. This was a crowdfunded project created through the collaboration of a diverse group of individuals early in their narrative filmmaking journeys. We are exploring the power of self-expression through dance. Its surrealistic visuals and emotive storytelling offer viewers a chance to reflect on their own journeys.

The despair of a comedian bombing on stage, a magician unable to deliver an experience, and a dancer unable to wow. This story originates from the personal struggle that creatives go through when exhibiting the art they create, and the fear of how people will respond to the performance they have practised, in isolation, for hours on end.

The idea and themes were influenced by films about obsession to achieve a dream, most notably ‘Whiplash’ (2014) and ‘Black Swan’ (2010).

Stills

Characters

Sam

SAM is a man who has always had self-doubt. He uses dance as a creative outlet, his eye for detail and adherence to doing things “properly” gives him technical proficiency, but lacks finnesse. He is someone who goes at things solo, keeping to himself, and focusing on his craft, but missing out on the immense joy received from exhibiting his creativity.

Cathy

CATHY has been dancing and competing since a young age. She grew to a mindset of needing to be perfect in the eyes of those that judge her, pushing herself to a breaking point. She lost her love for the art form, leaving Cathy with no idea how to express herself with honesty, struggling with self-identity. After a long struggle, she now runs classes at the dance studio, crafting the best out of the dancers that come, whilst ensuring to instill a healthier relationship with dance, one she still struggles with.

Crew

  • Aum Patel is a London-based writer, director and cinematographer. He combines his study of philosophy, magic and psychology along with his degree in Computing to create films from a weirdly unique perspective. He’s been practising filmmaking for the past 5 years and has created for a variety of mediums. He aspires to create films that combine the magical into reality, with the goal of best depicting the complexity of the human experience via a visual medium.

  • Paula is a London-based cinematographer with three years of industry experience. She has worked as a freelancer on a variety of narrative and commercial projects.

  • Alex is a graduate fresh out of BA Film from Middlesex University hailing from a multicultural background, Alex has lived in South Korea, Singapore and UK. This diverse blend of perspectives has been a driving force for his aspirations to be a feature film producer. Alex specialises in organisation and man management, these skills have been greatly refined through his experience working on various short films.

  • Ibrahim is a London-based writer, director and producer. A passionate artist from a young age, Ibrahim has always had a drive and love for storytelling, making films since he was eleven years old. Ibrahim has had the unique opportunity to study and live in Seoul, South Korea. His time there further developed his understanding of film, photography, and the arts. Following this, he now works in the industry as an Assistant Director, his most recent role was on Sam Mendes’s ‘Empire of Light’ premiering at LFF this year.

  • Harry Reeves is a writer and director from Hertfordshire. He has been engaged with film for as long as he can remember and has a particular interest in foreign cinema. Completing a Film degree at the University of Kent, Harry wrote and directed ‘Birdwatching’, a short film about a father trying to reconnect with his son, which went on to win Best Local Short at Ramsgate International Film and Television Festival. He has been working as a videographer, filming, producing, and editing on a multitude of different projects from Music Videos to Training Programs.

  • Sam began his career working in London on commercials for brands including 02, A-cold-wall, Boxraw, Project Etopia & Stella McCartney. After working successfully for a number of years Sam moved into narrative, shooting films and documentaries for the freedom and creative possibilities this offered.

 Read the Other Projects

(click the titles to go to their respective pages)

 

The Mirror Dancer

A dancer is learning to be more comfortable with himself and becoming self-confident; his anxiety is represented through the delayed reflection in the mirror in the dance studio.

CCTV

Looking through a CCTV Camera lets us see so much more of people’s lives than we should see.

Mandelbulb

A physicist descends into madness after the death of his wife and daughter whilst desperately struggling to prove the existence of an unseen Dimension, and its connection to his family’s death.

An Addiction

Two people have a one-night stand after sharing details about their bizarre addiction in a local AA meeting. At the next meeting, only one is there.

Schizophrenia

This Fourth-Wall-Breaking project follows a schizophrenic person, who believes they are being watched by an audience. Has this person developed schizophrenia or just simply, developed the ability to be self-aware?

Library

Librarian accidentally falls over the edge in the Library of Babel. Animated using paintings.