First of all, what made you title this short film It’s Raining, It’s Pouring? Any significant link with the old nursery rhyme?
Yes, the film is loosely based on the nursery rhyme of the same name. Nursery rhymes and song lyrics are perfect for adaptation and can be interpreted in many different ways to create new ideas.
What made you create this short?
Back in early 2019, my grandfather was admitted to hospital with giant cell arteritis. The condition stopped blood flow to his head and caused extreme pain, flu-like symptoms, and sight problems. This condition affected his way of seeing and understanding the world around him. Thankfully, he’s recovering from this but what I learned from visiting him in the hospital is how complex and fragile the brain actually is.
It's Raining, It's Pouring still – Ronan Mckenzie
This gave me the idea to create a diary film like ‘The Hart of London’ (1970, dir. Jack Chambers) and ‘As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty’ (2000, dir. Jonas Mekas). The latter intertwines it in non-chronological order for there is no order to these memories. Every time you recall a memory you rewrite it and because of the unrelenting movement of time that memory deviates further from what you had originally remembered.
If you should explain your creative process what would it look like? Did It’s Raining, It’s Pouring fair any different?
The process is identical to my 2 other short films, ‘Infinity’ and ‘every angel terrifies.’ What this consists of is myself creating all of the visuals almost intuitively and often in an improvised way. An example could include a strange-looking tree or printing photographs of moving images from an old archive and painting over it. I then import it all into editing/vfx software and from there; I just see where it takes me.
The results failed often for this film but I was motivated to push myself into creating new ideas, depths and layers for the imagery. Essentially, It’s an experimental process of constantly filming and editing simultaneously while conjuring up new designs and styles. I often find patterns and connections that can be interwoven to create some kind of order (in this case – disorder) in the film.
At Voice we pride ourselves with celebrating the arts, and bringing that first love of creation into all we do. So, what got you into the arts and why was it something that you made into a career?
I was always into books before making the move into film and multimedia in my mid-teens. A lot of books have already explored new ways of writing, including techniques like the stream of consciousness most famously used in Ulysses by James Joyce. Film, for me, is much more exciting and untouched because it combines all other art forms into one. I believe it is why so many artists like myself turn to cinema as a means of expression because it is truly limitless. The ways of seeing, hearing, and feeling are endless with cinema. There is still so much to explore but I do believe many filmmakers are held back by formulaic stories, conventions, ideas and are afraid to explore cinema for its true potential. To quote Bresson: “The cinema is immense. We haven’t done a thing.”
I’m personally enamoured with how haunting the animation and visuals that accompanied this story were. Why did you choose to portray the short in this way?
First of all, thank you. I wanted to create a ghostly presence in the film akin to that of The Caretakers ‘Everywhere at the end of time’ (2016 -2019) and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining’ (1981). The animation, visuals, and story reflected in this film peers into a past that once existed but now it’s fading away into complete chaos, nothing makes sense. The film is like a diary filled with fragments of feelings and experiences of an old man attempting to reconstruct his identity.
It's Raining, It's Pouring still – Ronan Mckenzie
If there were any takeaways from this short, what would you want the audience to know, learn or reflect on.
I’ll leave that one open to interpretation. It’s up to the audience to experience the film and draw their own conclusions.
How integral was the support of BBC New Creatives for your projects and artists alike? How do they help artists like you?
It’s very important because you have the funding and support to create a piece of art that you’ve always felt that you needed to voice and show to the world. BBC New Creatives understand that everyone has their own way of working, creating and managing things. If you’re like myself, who enjoys creating animation by themselves, then New Creatives will nurture and improve those skills to further your career and ideas.
How has the pandemic affected you as a creative?
It’s been a 50/50 for me. I love the solitude and can work peacefully from home while experimenting with new ideas. I have had access to a stupendous amount of films, music, books, and video games at home to keep me occupied and inspired. On the other hand, I have found disadvantages galore; it’s affected everything, pretty much. As an artist, you can get very unmotivated to do anything while stuck in the four walls that surround you, repeating everything constantly. All I want to do is get out there! Thankfully there is a light at the end of the tunnel and my creative brain, like a lot of other individuals will finally come alive.
What would be some tips on keeping motivated throughout a pandemic?
The pandemic is still really hard for a lot of people’s mental health, especially young people. I would highly recommend exercise, particularly if it involves getting outside (walking or running) to get your body and brain active. I do this to get some fresh air and to feel more motivated to keep pushing with whatever creative endeavor I’m doing. Furthermore, focus on positivity as much as possible, do the things you love, rediscover something you used to love, and see where it takes you. If you’re not feeling motivated because of rejection, just remember there are a lot of people in the same boat – just keep applying for opportunities! Even if you get rejected constantly, keep applying! Something will come your way soon. Remember, rejection is redirection.
How did it feel to gain acknowledgment for this short through the Nomination for Best Experimental Film at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY)?
To be internationally recognised at the largest youth film festival in the world was an incredible achievement and something I was honored to be a part of.
What should the voice readers be looking out for from you Ronan?
If there is anyone who would like to see more of my work then I have two more upcoming short films. One is an animated short experimental, coming of age film. The other is a documentary about my grandfather and grandmother who lift the curtain of working life in the mental health service during the mid 20th century. More information will be available about these projects soon.
Click here for more of Ronan's work https://www.ronanmckenzie.co.uk/
You can also read our review of It's Raining, It's Pouring here.
New Creatives is a talent development scheme supported by Arts Council England and BBC Arts. Check out our New Creatives coverage in the New Creatives Voicebox.
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