Instagram livestreaming made its cinematic debut at the 69th BFI London Film Festival, thanks to actor-director Bradley Banton and his feature film More Life, which had its world premiere during the event.
The BFI’s website describes the film as “an impressive,
fresh, and beautifully observed debut” set in the ultra-performative world of
Instagram livestreaming.
Backed by Michael Fassbender’s DMC Film, More Life
stars Tuwaine Barrett (Hard Truths), Dipo Ola, and Jordan Peters. You
can check out a preview clip of the film for a taste of what to expect.
Behind the Scenes: The Making of More Life
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Banton
and Barrett discussed the film’s origin and how audiences reacted at the
premiere.
“I was watching a Nicki Minaj livestream,” Banton shared.
“And I just thought, ‘This is so entertaining. There’s a story here.’ That’s
really where the idea started.”
The film was initially going to take place in London. “But
then I realized livestreaming can happen anywhere,” Banton explained. “So I
picked my favorite city—Copenhagen.”
Unlike traditional productions, this one didn’t take months
of filming. But one major decision was whether to shoot it in a single
continuous take. “We originally considered doing it all in one long take,”
Banton said. “But with only four hours to film, that would’ve been insane. I’ve
seen films like Boiling Point and Victoria, but we decided to use
‘glitches’ to transition between takes instead.”
Because livestreaming typically happens on phones, the film
was shot in a vertical format. “We always knew it would be vertical,” Banton
said. He added that he wouldn’t be surprised if younger viewers end up watching
it on their phones in the future.
Audience Reactions: Real Connections
At the premiere, the response was encouraging. “There was
this young guy sitting in front of us,” Barrett recalled. “He was completely
absorbed. He didn’t touch his phone once. I think he saw something on screen
that he really connected with.”
Barrett added, “He’s probably always on Instagram—scrolling
reels and watching live feeds. So seeing that kind of content on a theater
screen really made an impact on him.”
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