WE ARE LADY PARTS PRODUC T I ON .
A confused mix of hash anthems and sour girl power. One part boredom, two parts identity crisis. This is how our leading lady first describes the titular girl band at the centre of We Are Lady Parts , accompanied by visuals of band practice in a hazy bedsit. The Channel 4 series, shot on the Arri Alexa Mini with Cooke Anamorphic lenses, chronicles how mild-mannered PhD student/guitar virtuoso Amina (Anjana Vasan) becomes swept up in the rock and roll world of the Muslim female punk band, as their lead guitarist. The show is underscored by this feeling of merging worlds – the meeting of punk and pastel, of fantasy and reality. The stories of British Muslim women are all too rarely told. The experience is homogenised, often denying them autonomy and individuality in media. We Are Lady Parts is a breath of fresh air that treats us to a cast of distinct characters with unique experiences, thoughts, desires and perspectives. They are goofy, moody, creative, intelligent, anxious, angry and flawed. The show manages to explore themes of racism, sexism and LGBTQ+ identity, while remaining vibrant, upbeat and effervescent. COLOURFUL CHARACTERS DOP Diana Olifirova recounts one of her favourite parts of the process: the pre-production meetings with writer and director Nida Manzoor and production designer Simon Walker, where they developed a visual language for the series. This focused largely on individuals, she explains: “We thought a lot about what each character is like, and how they feel in their space. We tried to decide who each scene is ultimately about – and that would inform decisions on-set.” These
A SENSE OF DIRECTION Nida Manzoor (above) won a Rose d’Or Emerging Talent Award for her work on We Are Lady Parts
conversations also centred around how to keep visuals consistent and rooted in reality, while leaving the freedom to heighten them as the story progressed. The character-led aesthetics focus primarily on Amina and lead singer Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey). “The show is so dynamic and fast, we were able to explore the other characters a little, but chose to focus on those two,” explains Olifirova. Saira, an unlikely champion of Amina, sees something in her and fights for her position as part of the band. She is edgy and Amina is straight-laced, and these contrasts in personality, mannerisms and outlooks are echoed in the stylistic decisions of the show. Brighter, cleaner lights, static shots or smooth Steadicam and dolly movements are used for Amina, whereas Saira is characterised with a
darker, muted palette and a rougher, handheld perspective. The production team’s visual rules are so deceptively simple and contrasting, it is easy for the audience to immediately understand the message they convey. As a result, they could also choose to deviate from these rules to show a shift in character. An example is a scene from episode 4. One of Saira’s arcs revolves around her relationship with family, commitment and romance. She is dating Abdullah (David Avery), but struggling to provide him with the vulnerability he desires. Saira coaxes Amina to a poetry open-mic evening in order to help her overcome stage fright. Unbeknown to her, however, Abdullah has been set up on a date for the same event. The lighting is low, warm and naturalistic as Saira congratulates Amina for getting onstage, but there is a jarring shift in mood, tone and lighting when Saira spots Abdullah. “The content of the scene was quite intense, so we needed it to be powerful,” Olifirova explains. “We had to take it in a completely different direction, to emphasise her feelings at that point.” The lamps and hanging Edison bulbs begin to flash, and spotlights are used to illuminate Saira’s face – as well as Abdullah and his date. And the camera slowly, but smoothly, tracks towards the two parties. The most daring element is the addition of blue flashing lights that flood the room. These serve a dual purpose, providing contrast to the spotlights and further drawing us to the warmly lit faces – but they place the scene somewhere between naturalism and a more heightened style. “I thought this would be interesting, because it’s in-between being real, but also very
“The series, shot on the Arri Alexa Mini with Cooke Anamorphic lenses, chronicles how mild-mannered Amina becomes swept up in the rock and roll world”
11. MARCH 2022
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