You Look Fine (2021)

Cinematography

Currently in festivals!

Short film | 10 minutes
Format: RED Helium + Cooke Mini S4/i

Katie Byford's directorial debut You Look Fine (2021) is a sensory exploration of life with PTSD, through a woman's struggle to come to terms with the trauma itself. It's set during a doctor's appointment in which Syd reveals she has recently been assaulted.

Using experimental sound and surreal storytelling to recreate the experience of PTSD, our film aims to examine the everyday impact of sexual trauma. With a script endorsed by Rape Crisis, we want this film to shed light on the lived experience of rape survivors, through the story of a moment in one person's life.

Starring Annabel Smith and Sarah Flower

Director — Katie Byford
Producer — Kirsty Dua
Assistant Producer — Brent N. Hunter, Michael Anthony Johnson
Executive Producer — Diane Kunz
1st Assistant Director — Catarina Ribeiro
Cinematographer — Dominika Besińska
Gaffers — Jeff Agenor (IRIS Studios) & Elena Nassati
Focus Pullers — Mindaugas Kairys & Max Edmed
Clapper Loader — Jeff Agenor
Location Sound Mixer — Leonid Gribanov
Production Designer / Art Director — Maddie McNicholas
HMUA — Jasmine Louisa Wratislaw
PA — Simi Abe, Mark Wellesley
Editor — Stella Keith Keir
Sound Designer — Ruth Knight
Colourist — Liz Glennard

Approaching the subject

"No one knows how to talk about rape - it's either too abstract or too close. When you live with PTSD, that closeness is stifling, and this is the daily reality we aim to portray. We're taking an experimental approach to sound, where disturbing and unrelated noises interrupt the narrative and flashbacks without context crowd in on Syd's reality.
We want to take every precaution that the film would raise awareness of the subject, be sensitive to the intricacies and varieties of PTSD, and most importantly that survivors would be able to watch this film without fear of being triggered. This was why we chose to consult Rape Crisis on the script and make sure we were taking the right approach.
Rape Crisis were kind enough to give us their wholehearted endorsement of the script, the approach we are taking to the subject matter and the mission behind the project - in particular the decision to omit any portrayals of sexual violence. On their advice, we will still include a content warning at the front of the film."

- Katie Byford