The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite actor spotlight collectively and pass this to other artists in line. Swinton, also shared that they are raising £3.5m for the cam- paign to protect Jarman’s legacy; his Prospect Cottage of Dunge- ness, which he restored from a fisherman’s house and made into a sanctuary of art. The aim is to create a residency programme for artists, writers, gardeners, filmmakers, academics, activists and others, and engage as many people as possible with Jarman’s life and work, and for the first time, allow members of the public to apply to visit inside the cottage. However, to achieve this goal, it is vital to get the funding so that the Prospect Cottage would not be sold privately, according to Swinton. The second movie discussed was Orlando (1992), based on Vir- ginia Woolf 's 1928 novel Orlando : A Biography, directed by Sally Potter. Orlando is a story about a person viewing four centuries of experiences through the eyes of both sexes; the film is still a convention-defying spectacle to behold over 25 years on. Costumes were designed by Sandy Powell, who also attended the event and was sitting in the audience. The film was initially fund- ed by Russia, and then followed by funding from France, Germa- ny, Holland, and England. According to Swinton this movie was and still is so relevant “partly because of the time it was made, and I am intrigued by Orlando forever because people mainly describe it as a movie about gender when truly it is more than that: it is about freedom, freedom of national prescription, time, class, immortality.” Kermode observed that Tilda tends to work with the same film- makers over and over again and the question he asked was: “What is the connection with the filmmakers?” The actress firmly said, “It is about conversations, a relationship that means I could have a sense of ownership and that I could work collec- tively from project to project.” She also explained that, “Most of the time the films that were made would have come out of those conversations.” When asked about tips on acting and how she pre- pares, Tilda shyly said she has no tricks and struggles to teach other actors. She shared that she needs to know what frame and lenses are being used in a mo- ment of filming. That knowledge and understanding of the frame allow her to recalculate the intensity of emotions and body movement required to portray the character. She said, “I am such a nerd - I need to know what’s being held in a frame.” Another movie discussed in the talk was We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). “A horror film and the nightmare scenario for anyone who’s ever thought of having a child” is Tilda’s description of Lynne Ramsay’s movie, adapted from Lionel Shriver’s novel. As a mother struggling to connect with her socio- pathic son, she viscerally maps her trajectory from a newly married bohemian to a husk of a woman, ably capturing her conflicting emotions and suppressed trauma. The host asked her if she emphasises the character. She answered and said she's either super low or su- per high on compassion. The actress explained that there’s always uncertainty and people not knowing the answers about their own identity. According to Tilda, she identifies herself with “wake up and choose your iden- tity kind of existence” and she aims to make sure she never lands anywhere because that allows her to keep moving forward. Next in line, the David Bowie music video for The Stars (Are Out Tonight) was a very pleasant experience for Tilda. The of- ficial music video for the song premiered on 25 February 2013 and was made by Canadian-Italian director Floria Sigismondi. It stars Bowie and Tilda as his wife. She shared that Bowie (of whom she was always a huge fan) rec- ognised her on a shop corner in west London and that was the beginning of their conversations. The host asked the actress if Bowie was everything you wanted him to be. Swinton reassur- ingly answered “and more”. She also revealed that every time they would sign an email to each other they would write at the end, “We have a nice life”. The movie Snowpiercer (2013) directed by Bong Joon-ho and written alongside Kelly Masterson also secured a place during the conversation. It is a science fiction action film based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benja- min Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette. His 2019 movie Parasite, a South Korean-Czech production, made history at this year’s Oscar as the first non-English language film to take the top prize and also marked his English-language debut. This post-apocalyptic thriller is set on a train, which remains un- released in UK cinemas until now. In describing the director, Til- da said that Bong always has a highly developed storyboard and works closely with the editor so that they know exactly where they need to start and finish every shot. The actress shares that they call him Joye (French for Joy) and he is very delightful to work with. In the film, Tilda portrays Minister Mason, engine creator Wil- ford's right hand, spokesperson, and second-in-command on the train. About the character, Swinton said, “It's a portrait rather Film - Snowpiercer-WebIMDB-Observer