On the 17th January I attended Flickerfest's 'Love Bites' screening at the lovely Bondi Pavilion, a combination of authentically strange and wholesome. It was there that I was lucky enough to watch NSW based filmmaker Rebekah Jackson's directorial debut 'For the Girl in The Coffee Shop'. A 9 minute whimsical tale of romance and intrigue all set in the confines of a hipster cafe in Camperdown. I chatted to Rebekah about her film and wanted to find out what her advice would be to upcoming short filmmakers!
Tell us about your background? Where did you learn to make films ? How did you start out?
Rebekah: This was my first time directing! I studied acting in Sydney, and LA, and then worked at a film school for a few years, which is a great way to get paid to learn film making. From there, I tried to get as much experience in the industry as possible, working as everything from a one-woman art department to assisting the music department on The Lego Ninjago Movie and Peter Rabbit. After seeing all those different productions, I felt pretty confident that directing was the way for me to go.
How did you come up with the idea for the film?
Rebekah: I was keen to make something fun in the rom-com genre, and went to one of those very cool cafes in LA where everyone sits by themselves on their laptop all day, expecting all the creative energy would rub off on me. The only problem was that everyone was on twitter, no one was getting anything done. However, it did get me thinking about how we imagine the lives of the strangers we see regularly, and I wanted to play with how that would work within a short.
Tell us about what it was like working with your actors? Do you have a particular method of directing actors ?
Rebekah: There’s very little dialogue in my film, so our rehearsals were very useful in all the actors feeling the rhythm and pace of the film. When it came to the shoot, the main job was translating that pace to a set full of people. It was really fun working with Rory and Tequila on the scene where they do actually speak to each other, because they were so keen to keep surprising each other (and me!) with their performances.
Can you tell us about the production ? Any fun production stories ?
Rebekah: We shot over two days at the Little Lord Cafe in Camperdown. In one shot, Rory slammed the laptop closed so hard, that it knocked his coffee over, and spilled it all over the laptop and table. Safe to say, we called cut pretty quickly.
What was your approach to blending animation with the live action elements?
Rebekah: I was really nervous about this. I have very little experience with animation, but I thought it would be an interesting and dynamic way of demonstrating Will’s feeling. Four of the eight animations were set in the cafe, with on illustration based off the shot it would fade into. It was important that the tone of the illustration was in keeping with the rest of the production, and on an aesthetic level, in keeping with the whimsical design of the cafe.
What was the post production like and what were some challenges and hurdles ? Tell us a bit about your amazing team you used?
Rebekah: Amelia Ford was my editor, and it was really a film that didn’t come together until we hit the edit suite. Amelia is a dear friend, and collaborating with her was a lot of fun. Andrina Manon created all the illustrations, and Karen Horne animated them. The amazing team at Trackdown handled all sound, and Angela Little composed the music.
What has the response been like to your film ? Where else has it screened ?
Rebekah: People seem to really like the film, which is really all you can ask for. I do enjoy the variety of responses people have to the ending. The film premiered at Dances with Films, and went on to screen at Cinefest Oz, Niagara Falls International Film Festival, Portland Film Festival, Lone Star Film Festival, Port Short and Flickerfest.
Where can we see the film next ?
Rebekah: The Film is on a national tour with Flickerfest’s Best of Australian!
What’s your advice to other aspiring short filmmakers ?
Rebekah: I think it’s really important to give the audience something they don’t quite expect. I think audience members are always trying to outsmart the filmmakers, so twisting their expectations is really satisfying for the audience (and the filmmakers!).
What’s a site people can follow your journey and work at ? And what’s next for Rebekah?
Rebekah: The film has a facebook page, an instagram account (@thegirlinthecoffeeshop) and a website. and I’m on instagram (@rebekahjackson). I’m currently in scripting for a feature film, based on the inspiring true story or para swimmer Ella Jones.
You can watch Rebekah Jackson's short film on tour with Flickerfest this year! ''
'For the Girl in the Coffee Shop' stars Jacki Mison, Tequila Rathbone, Rory O'Keefe and Alex King.
Head to https://flickerfest.com.au/tour/ for dates and locations.
Article by Joshua Belinfante for the 'Australian Short Film Network Journal'
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