How Gabriella Gould brought her film Balls and Chains to international festivals

The first festival selections

At the start of her fourth year, Gabriella submitted her film to several festivals. “I hoped it would be selected, of course, but I also saw it as practice for my graduation.” After that, not expecting anything in particular, she continued working on her graduation project. Then, just before her final assessment presentation – an exciting moment for many students, as this is when feedback is given on completed work – she received two emails with selection confirmations. “I was quite nervous, and suddenly I read ‘congratulations’.” With extra confidence, she walked into her presentation. One of the selections was for Kaboom. “That’s when it suddenly felt very real, because it is an in-person festival. I realised I would soon be sitting in a cinema watching my own film. 

When the script didn’t work

Originally, Gabriella wrote a script with dialogue between two dogs. She recorded all the dialogue in the studio and edited it into the film. But during the final edit, it did not work. “I added the audio and it just didn’t feel right. I thought: now the whole film no longer works the way I imagined.” She tried moving the audio around and making different versions, but nothing helped. Then she exported a version without dialogue – only breathing. “Suddenly it clicked. Without words, the intensity and physicality came through much more strongly.” She decided to remove all the dialogue. “That gave me freedom in the editing. In the end, that’s why the film works so well. You now focus on the room, the sensations and the awkwardness of the sounds.”
 

Learning to trust intuition

For a long time, Gabriella believed that a good director should always know exactly what they want to say. “Balls and Chains started from intuition, and that was very different. I thought: this film has no clear conflict and I couldn’t fully explain its meaning.” A lecturer had often told her to trust her intuition, but only during this project did that really sink in. “I allowed myself not to know exactly why I was making the film. Then I discovered that an intention sometimes only becomes clear during the making process. I simply had to trust that.”

Letting go of perfectionism

Gabriella previously completed a senior secondary vocational programme and is familiar with the classic production pipeline: idea, writing, storyboard, animatic, production, editing and compositing. She followed that process for this film as well. “I often see the final result in my mind and want to get there as quickly as possible, but that’s not an option.” In one difficult scene, she struggled with the shadows of prison bars. A lecturer told her: “You’re too close to it. You only need to suggest the effect – not show it perfectly.” That helped her let go of her perfectionism.

What the programme gave her

During a test screening, Gabriella saw her film on a big screen for the first time. It had high-quality sound and music composed by an academy student. “I became a little emotional because suddenly I could clearly see my future. This is something I’ve wanted since I was young, and the reason I came to ArtEZ. And there I was, watching my own film. I realised: it’s already real. I already am a director. The programme not only gave me technical skills, but also the confidence to follow my own voice and collaborate with other creators.”

A message for prospective students

“Don’t make a film for festivals,” Gabriella says. “Make it for yourself. For your own development. Or to share a story you believe is important. You can dream big, but set the bar for yourself. You won’t succeed by making what you think festivals want to see. You succeed by working more honestly and staying closer to who you are. The Animation Design programme teaches you how to animate, but above all how to grow as a maker and director – with patience, feedback and the courage to sometimes let go of everything you first imagined.”