Sarah-Mace Dennis

Education

About me

With a highly successful career in film making, writing and moving image practice, I am experienced in crafting powerful stories across dramatic, factual and experimental screen media formats. This includes directing and editing narrative, commercial, documentary, dance and multi-channel video works in the UK and overseas.

A strong aesthetic vision and interdisciplinary technical skills allow me to deliver high quality multi-platform screen media outcomes: accurately translating creative briefs within tight timeframes and challenging environments. With the ability to imagine and realise powerful, concept-driven stories, I combine emotional and entertaining narrative devices to fuse together factual, real and symbolic worlds. My creative and conceptual skills have been officially recognised through numerous commissions and awards including: The Reel Walthamstow Scene Moving Image Commission, Kickoff Commission for Sport and Art and an ArtsHub Critics Choice Award.

In addition to filmmaking, I have experience as a workshop facilitator, mentor, and sessional lecturer. My critical and creative writing has been published in various books and journals I have written scripts for award winning short films and promos.

I am currently looking for new directing, editing and copywriting contracts. I am always interested in talking to new producers and production companies about new collaborations and narrative and documentary ideas I currently have in development!

Additional Information

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Scene Cinema & Waltham Forest Council commissioned a moving image work that provided opportunities for local engagement and collaboration. As Creative Lead, I conceptualised a high-end multi-platform project that involved community participation. This included interviewing 15 residents about memories of the area; editing stories into short documentaries for online distribution; writing a short film script that echoed interview themes and; casting/ directing actors in lead roles. Successfully directed and edited Everyday Stories of Colossal Importance, a short film that premiered at the opening of new Scene Cinema.
• The State Library of Queensland commissioned a music inspired video installation that aimed to give viewers a genuine ‘venue’ experience. As freelance Creative Producer, Director and Editor I led the development of this multi screen moving image work including: interviewing 20 musicians / music fans; scripting the project across multiple narrative frames; researching and selecting archival footage and; thinking conceptually to spatially intersect past and present stories across multiple projection surfaces. Successfully presented the celebrated exhibition Sounds from the Emergent State: the library’s most popular show with 60k visitors.
• Queensland Multicultural Centre commissioned a large-scale public projection project that would promote cultural diversity and enliven the entrance to the building at night. As Creative Director / Producer I developed a community-driven concept inspired by local migrant experiences. This included: collaborating with community groups to develop the projection’s narrative structure; following ethnical protocols to support Aboriginal dance groups to contribute to the development of the story; directing ethnic dancers in the interpretation and choregraphing of key narrative ideas and; drawing on a wide contact base to gain international press coverage. Delivered the highly acclaimed Moving over the Shorline, winning an Arts Hub Critics Choice Award 2012.

Referees

Available on request

Skills

Secondary Job Title	Editor
Job Titles	Casting Assistant, Casting Director, Compositor, Content Producer, Development Researcher, Director, DIT / Data Wrangler, Editor, Editor (Avid), Editor (Final Cut Pro), Editor (Offline), Editor (Online), Film Tutor, Lecturer / Teacher, Producer, Producer/Director, Researcher, Script Writer, Writer, Writer / Director
Years in industry	6+ years
Experienced in	Arts, Commercials, Corporate, Digital/Online Campaigns, Drama Reconstruction, Film (Short), Health, Music Promo
Interested in	Arts, Drama Reconstruction, Film (Feature), Music Promo
Languages Spoken	English
Organization/Union Membership	BECTU (UK), Directors UK (UK), WFTV (UK)