A group of friends show concern when another friend goes AWOL after some bizarre text messages. Through a string of video calls, a friendship that had waned begins to show the embers of something more meaningful.
Written & Directed by AELLA JORDAN-EDGE
EM THANE as BRETT
APRIL NERISSA HUSON as SENNA
JAMES BRADWELL as RIK
Produced by EWA STRYCZEK
A short film made during 2020 lockdown, with actors filming themselves at home on smart phones and Aella directing remotely on zoom.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FILMMAKER
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
My background: I've always loved stories. After studying Theatre and English Literature at Uni I started working as a Production Assistant on Music Videos and Commercials in London. Whilst learning on the job, I began directing narrative music videos for friends. I got my break from a contact who worked at a label and needed a low budget shoot executed quickly. From there an older director took me under his wing and repped me at his production company where I was sent briefs and began developing my music video portfolio. Music videos were, and continue to be, my film school: I get to try out new things, be creative, explore and play. However my love of narrative and my passion for working with actors and scripts meant that my ultimate goal was to direct drama. So alongside directing music videos, I wrote and directed my first short film 'Unclasped'. We shot in 2018 and it premiered at The London Independent Film Festival in 2019. I have written two short film scripts since then but when Lockdown 1.0 happened, I had to think quickly and creatively in order to continue developing my directing skills. So I wrote a new script and that brings us to my lockdown film 'Remember That?'
As a filmmaker I'm mostly inspired by the stories around me, by the things I see and feel, by stories we tell each other about our past and present, by my friends and family, by things I read and ultimately just what captures my imagination. I'm especially interested in exploring the subtle nuances of intimate human relationships. Through music videos I use metaphor, fantasy and dreamlike imagery to physicalise, and help work through, a protagonist's thoughts or emotions. In comparison, my short films are more grounded, almost hyperreal, as I chart the subtle transitional shifts between people who are navigating a difficult situation together.
What was your inspiration behind Remember That?
This year has obviously been unprecedented. Life as we knew it shut down for months, everything put on hold. Zoom quizzes and long video calls became the new normal. I wanted to create something representative of what a lot of people were going through. To explore how we were finding ways to communicate with loved ones from afar, confined to our homes but digitally connected more than ever before.
On an emotional level it was inspired by video calls I’ve had in the past during stints of long distance with partners. I was interested in the way video calls can feel intimate, bubbling with chemistry and potential. There was often a hopeful fantasy of what it might be like once we saw each other again… However on a practical level an early version of the script was a submission to a writing competition which asked us to apply the limitation of using video calls to tell a story. It was a good exercise to frame and express what was swirling around in my mind at the time… and that’s what later became the script for ‘Remember That?’. When it wasn’t chosen for the competition, I knew I still wanted to make it anyway.
Finally, another less glamorous answer is that this film gave me a passion project to put my creative energy into, a reason to get up in the morning during a very uncertain time.
Any hacks or tips for making a lockdown film?
We used Filmic Pro which is an app you can download from the app store. It's about fifteen quid per download and it meant our shots were better quality than if we'd just recorded the actors on zoom. The app was also the right frame rate and packaged better than if we just shot regular smart phone videos. The way it worked: the actors would film themselves on selfie style videos on their smart phones at home. The other actors would be on an additional device, on a video call, with me also directing remotely on that zoom call too. That way the actor could hear the other side of the conversation (the one not being filmed in that moment) and respond accordingly. We also had a lot of rehearsals beforehand which helped the actors to imagine the other person they were supposed to be talking to once we were actually shooting. We then edited it all together like a video call, all the post was done remotely. It was made on a shoestring so I would just recommend anyone with a lockdown film idea to try it! Each film will be different so it totally depends what the idea is. If you fail, you fail... but it can definitely be a fun experiment to see what happens when you push your creative boundaries!
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
I considered the traditional film festival route but this really felt like a film that needed to be watched here and now. It felt so relevant to what we've all been going through this year so I wanted to release it online, while simultaneously applying to some festivals that didn't require a premiere status. I limited our festival applications to those I thought might be interested in something made in lockdown / quarantine as well as to festivals that were screening in the next 6-8 months. This was because I wanted it to be seen sooner rather than later. Having said that, I hope it ages well, acting as a kind of time capsule for life in 2020. I also had a very limited budget so I had to be strategic about it on that level too! In terms of an online release I made a press release and applied to different sites I thought would be interested in what we had made. So far I've had really lovely responses and I'm excited to see where this film's journey takes us!
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
In terms of feature films, my top picks watched during lockdown would be 'Capernaum' directed by Nadine Labaki, 'Les Miserables' directed by Ladj Ly and 'The Nightingale' by Jennifer Kent. I also love anything by Celine Sciamma, all her films are such a joy to watch.
In terms of short films, one of my favourites is still Stella Corradi's 'Little Soldier'. I also really like 'Constellations' directed by Anna Macguire. Recently I also enjoyed 'Mandem', 'Two Single Beds', 'Shagbands' and 'Good Thanks, You?' at the BFI London Film Festival this year (watched in my pyjamas on BFI player of course!).
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?