Lucy Gohm

Competitions, Selected Storytellers

Storyteller

Surrounded by the mountains I grew up in a small village called Scharnitz in. Tirol, Austria, located right next to the border with Germany. Although I am not actively playing anymore, music has been part of my life from a young age. Playing the drums also led me to falling in love with the Marimba and the Vibraphone. Music never left me , but, instead, transformed from playing an instrument to a source of inspiration. Together with my broad interest in movies, I studied film in Salzburg and during that time strengthened my skills in camera work and storytelling.

Over the last few years I was working at sea as a Videographer travelling around the world. There are a lot of places I visited and enjoyed to explore, but certainly can’t name one as my favourite, because to me every place has something special. Austria will always be home, nevertheless with celtic roots through my father, I also call Scotland my second home and it will forever be a special place for me.

Friends and family would probably name travelling my greatest passion, but the mountains and the sea undeniably have a big part in my live. Starting as a hate relationship, hiking used to be my biggest nightmare as a child. Over the years and mostly because of spending so much time abroad it turned into pure joy and excitement. There are not many things in life that can beat the achievement of getting to the top of a mountain and of course the view. In contrast to conquering massive mountains, underwater is my place of peace and whenever I can, I spend ages looking for tiny sea slugs. Diving is a tool for me to discover an extraordinary world and I believe you could compare this with a camera being a tool for me to invite others to see through my eyes. Even if I tend to be indecisive about my favourite movie, book or song, I certainly enjoy portraying people the most. During my last contract on board a cruise ship I interviewed an inspiring woman named Serena in the Caribbean. Serena told me about how she got to where she was and how her life struggles had led her to invent a little sculpture named Chi-Chi. It symbolises „the big sister“ which is a very important figure to people from Curacao. She has a very high status in a family, due to her responsibilities in the house and for all the other siblings. It was very impressive for me to hear how something out of necessity translated into art. Serena built up her company and as she used to be a single mom having a difficult time to earn an income, she now uses her „big sister“ for other women on the island so they can also earn money for their families from home. Besides, she talked about coming to Curaçao on a boat and compared life with sailing. She said: „If there is a storm you should take down the sails and if there is no wind you have to calm down, wait and see.“ Her words will stick with me forever and did leave me thinking. I believe it means, no matter how bad or huge something seems, if you stay focused, positive and true to yourself, you will always overcome anything. For me this is a perfect example that you can always learn from others, regardless of where they come from and what their background is.

Years ago I played in a youth orchestra and it was always fascinating to me, how all of the different sounds complemented one another and how the instruments acted jointly although every musician played his or her part individually. In a way for me music and video are also two independent elements, but hand in hand they can have more power, more drama and more significance. Combining the composers with the storytellers will hopefully have the same effect. One by one we function in our own field but collectively we will create a meaningful story together.

I am grateful to be part of the DYCE project as one of the Storytellers. Not only because it is very inspiring to follow the creative mind of a composer transmitting something through music, but also to witness how initially imagined sounds eventually metamorphose into a tangible piece. It will be very interesting to observe the young composers, to find out how their vision originates, to see what will lead to the structure of the final composition and to perceive music in a different but distinctive way. Not solely through a piece of paper on a music stand, but through learning to understand the process behind the inspiration and finding the composers signature through hearing. In my view the project connects a lot of things I get excited about: music, art, different point of views and stories about talented individuals which need to be told.

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Leo Geyer

Competitions, Selected Storytellers

Storyteller

Leo Geyer is a young composer, conductor and presenter. He began his career at the Royal Opera House as a Cover Conductor for The Royal Ballet and is now the Founder/Artistic Director of Constella OperaBallet. As a guest conductor, Leo has collaborated with the likes of the BBC Concert Orchestra, English National Opera, Birmingham Contemporary Music Ensemble and the National Theatre. 
Leo has received various accolades for composition having most recently been awarded the Lord Mayor’s Composition Prize. 

His music has been described by The Times as “imaginative and beautifully shaped”, and receives performances by ensembles including Rambert Dance Company, Opera North, BBC Singers and the English Chamber Orchestra. Leo is currently working on his first major film commission, creating a soundtrack for the Ukrainian silent film Man with a Movie Camera. Over the last year, Leo has been training as presenter with the BBC, and made his debut at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, live on Radio 3. Leo is currently developing a TV programme on the Orchestras of Auschwitz with Two Rivers Media. Leo is studying for a doctorate in opera-ballet composition as the Senior Music Scholar at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford and is also an Associate Lecturer in Composition at Plymouth University.

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Otso Väisänen

Competitions, Selected Storytellers

Storyteller

My name is Otso Väisänen and I got interested in filmmaking from a young age making short films and videos with my younger brother. While in high school I attended international film workshops and courses and decided to pursue a career in the film industry. The films I have worked on have toured on international film festivals. Listening to music has always been a big part of my creative process and I usually get my best ideas when I’m browsing through different genres looking for new music. 

After working nine months for the Finnish Border Guard as a videographer I decided to start my own production company with my brother. I’ve always loved filmmaking, performing, music and telling good stories, and believe that this project would be the perfect way to combine these passions of mine. What distinguishes me from my peers is that I am laser-focused on telling a good story. Everything else is secondary.
When I’m not making films I am working as an actor in indie short films and commercials.

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Emily Macrander

Competitions, Selected Storytellers

Storyteller

Born in Germany, I moved to England seven years ago to take up film studies and complete a practical BA in Filmmaking as well as an MA in Film Studies. For over three years now, I have established myself as an emerging freelance director with short format work ranging from music videos over branded content to narrative short films. I initially focussed on directing but have recently turned my attention toward scriptwriting finding it to be incredibly beneficial to my work as a director and I have grown confident in creating stories that matter and writing engaging characters. 

In early 2021, I completed my independent debut short Without Warning. The film enjoyed a successful festival run winning Lift-Off Network’s First Time Filmmaker Sessions among other awards. Most notably, the film was picked up for distribution by TAPE Collective who premiered the film at the BFI London and screened it across the UK for several months. As part of the tour, I spoke on a panel on the themes of identity and language in film. My most recent short film RAVE (2022) is currently on the festival circuit and has earned me nominations in the Directing and Screenwriting categories of the 2022 NYFA as well as having won awards and selections at international festivals. The project allowed me to pursuie my love for experimenting with the film format in terms of both style and structure as writer and director. But the project also put to the foreground my love for music and finding ways to explore it aesthetically in her work. I am excited to expand this interest through my upcoming work with DYCE.

 

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