Stéphane Oukrid - In Dreams are Monsters Open Call Results

Back in October we teamed up with the BFI (British Film Institute) to celebrate In Dreams Are Monsters, their horror film screening season running from October - December 2022. We set up an Open Call and four winners were chosen who received a Diana Multi Pinhole Operator and were asked to shoot some photos inspired by some of the horror films shown in this series. Winner Stéphane Oukrid shared his results with us, talked a bit about what inspired his spooky snaps and how he prepared for the project.

Hi Stéphane, please tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello ! I’m a Franco-Algerian amateur photographer living near Paris in France. I was interested by pictures since my childhood. As a teenager I began to enjoy cinema and horror films. I started at this time to take analogue pictures. Later as a student I discovered the photo lab and the joy of developing my own films. Meanwhile my interest for paintings, drawings and cinema grew. Now I’m trying to always have a camera with me. And I still loving to take photographs, or as I’ve read in an art exhibition, to make photographs.

How did you decide to approach this project when you received the Diana Multi Pinhole camera and how did you prepare?

Before I received the Diana Multi Pinhole camera, I began by watching some of horror films and music videos. I listened to some music like The Goblins, Ghost, Carpenter Brut too. When I finally received the Diana Multi Pinhole camera I was so impatient. So I unboxed the camera and read the little book included. I was happy to find flash adaptors and some creative filters. Then I tried to shoot without film and to follow the rules of the different positions of pinholes. The Lomo Diana Multi Pinhole camera's purpose is to shoot with one hole, two holes or three holes. So I began to think about how to play with all these parameters.

Did you take any inspiration from some of the BFI horror films?

Yes I did! Several times I saw the video trailer of the BFI about the season In Dreams are Monsters, and I made a screen capture of the films credits at the end of the video. So I looked again at some classics like "Interview with the Vampire", directed by Neil Jordan, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name. I went to the theatre to see actual horror films like "Bones and All" (Luca Guadagnino), "Prey For The Devil" and "The Menu" too.

But I looked at some extra films on Netflix. I discoverd strange Polish horror films like "The Lure", which is a musical horror film! And I saw black and white old style English and French films like "Sweeney Todd - Demon Barber Of Fleet Street" directed by George King and "Histoires extraordinaires à faire peur ou à faire rire" based on Edgar Allan Poe stories and directed by Jean Faurez. I think that unconsciously during the shooting I was influenced by the George Romero’s films like "Night of the Living Dead", "Day of the Dead" and "Land of the Dead."

How did you find the results?

I’m satisified by the results. I have the pictures that I expected. And I have some strange pictures too due to happy accidents. But I’ve lost some photos too because of error in manipulations. Now I would like to shoot again with the Diana Multi Pinhole camera by day to experiment with some new ideas.

Any tips for other photographers who want to try out pinhole photography?

The best way to have fine pictures is to use a tripod. Use a flash if you want to shoot with long exposure! But the most important thing is to have fun and to apply one of the Lomography rules - "Don’t think, just shoot!"

Too see more of Stéphane Oukrid's photos check out his Lomohome and Instagram page.

Stay tuned for more results from the other winners and check out the BFI In Dreams Are Monsters Season of film screenings.

2022-12-18 #gear #news #pinhole #inspiration #open-call #british-film-institute #in-dreams-are-monsters