SHORT FILM PROPOSAL
BY DIRECTOR- RIFFY AHMED
WWW.RIFFY.COM
THE PROPOSAL
I am proposing to make a beautiful visual portrait (in a 3-5 minute video) of Ayumi LaNoire, a performer I met at an art gallery in Camden, London earlier
this year. I was absolutely blown away by her performance particularly due to the stark contrast of her image and the dance form she works with: pole
dancing dressed as a traditional Japanese Geisha.
These are 2 images I would not directly associate with one another as pole dancing is often presented with negative/sleazy connotations and the Japanese
are often presented as sexually coy with a focus on social conduct and anything seeming sensual to be still quite hidden and seen as a taboo. Yet it was
the most beautiful and elegant thing I have ever seen and was most impressed with the way in which she challenges her body seamlessly on this pole to
the point where she looks like a blossom hanging from a branch.
Ayumi grew up in Tokyo, Japan, starting her career as an actress before training as a dancer where she always sought to find a form of performance that
she is meant to below to. It was upon coming to London that she was introduced to pole dancing and instantly fell in love and now works professionally
and has won national championships. (She has also been trained in Fire Eating and Fire Poi, Japanese rope art which are her other passions.)
I made contact with Ayumi straight after seeing her performance and have agreed to collaborate to make a film together. I believe she is a fascinating
character to capture as not only is her journey interesting in how she got into pole dancing which she sees as an art form, but in doing so she has
reinvented the image of the Japanese Geisha character (which has been part of Japanese culture for over 400 years) and the perspective as a woman to be
empowered by a form that has been seen to objectify, over sexualise and be derogatory to women. Ayumi pointed out to me that Geisha’s are often
mistaken for prostitutes, when in fact the women sell their talent for entertaining and not their bodies to the rich and powerful and she wanted to look at
modern ways in which this tradition could be reinvigorated.
Layout of the film
I envision this film to start with Ayumi’s journey and her relationship with her body and this art form undertaking the ritual of wearing the geisha outfit
from doing the clothes, hair make up to being ready to perform on the pole. In doing this, there are several strands of images lacing up to form one
picture, which is the performance in itself. Her voice will be narrating from the beginning to the end in Japanese (with English subtitles), talking about how
she came to be here as well as referencing her heritage of being Japanese and the values she grew up with contradicting the art form she loves. I would
like to capture this film as being very movement based and intimate to really see the abstract and beautiful image she has created with the fusion of two
very different acts. (Please look below of images of Ayumi in action)
PROPOSAL DOCUMENT ALL COPYRIGHTS TO  RIFFY AHMED
Visual references
Street Angel
This is a beautiful portrait of a strong character with a story to tell about their life with really dreamy camera moves that float around them and would like
to achieve something similar with Ayumi in how she tells her story about falling in love with a dance form that juxtaposed strongly with her cultural
https://vimeo.com/91928597
AnOther Magazine- Movement trailer
This is very dance focused but really like the variable speeds in which the movements are captured and in the same way would want to capture Ayumi in
different speeds to show the intensity and challenge she puts her body through, yet appears seamless in.
http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2015/where-fashion-dance-and-film-unite/#
PROPOSAL DOCUMENT ALL COPYRIGHTS TO  RIFFY AHMED
FKA Twigs - pendulum –
This video is a great example of capturing performance beautifully but also unravelling the story of the image with the camera movements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8yix8PZKlw
fka twigs Glass & Patron
Particularly the parts with the material, I really love how ethereal and sensual the movements are captured as well as getting framing the parts of the body
to track out in unveiling a bigger picture, yet is already very sensory and intriguing in the little we can see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNbFc-fa-ww
Purple fried
I love the simplicity yet starkness of this video in which have very striking mise en scenes for the characters in this video and which are distinctive in its
reference to cultural figures and fashion. Similarly I would like to capture Ayumi in a monumental and ethereal manner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m08H18QaZbw
THE TEAM
DIRECTOR (yours truly): RIFFY AHMED – www.riffy.com
My work can also be seen on my vimeo: www.vimeo.com/riffy
PRODUCER: COURTNEY EDWARDS - www.courtneyedwards.co.uk
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
Howard Mills - https://vimeo.com/howardmills
PROPOSAL DOCUMENT ALL COPYRIGHTS TO  RIFFY AHMED
(Both have expressed interest will be down to availability)
EDITOR: TOM CHICK OR DAVID DAVIS
GRADE: THE LOOK GRADE HOUSE
COMPOSER: JOSEPH REUBEN - www.josephreuben.com
Or track contributed by RYAT- http://www.ryat.info/ - !
The team I have listed above are people I have worked with on various past projects and have a lot of experience working in high
production and would very much deliver in making sure this is shot professionally and beautifully. Their experience is widespread
across shooting fashion films, commercials, music videos and dramas. In addition, I have a lot of experience in production as various
roles and therefore confident that I could configure this project to work.
PROPOSAL DOCUMENT ALL COPYRIGHTS TO  RIFFY AHMED