Women X alumni: An interview with Lucy Chappell
We spoke with filmmaker Lucy Chappell, whose short film Yellowbird was featured in Women X Film Festival 2021, about her inspirations, experience with Women X, future plans and work-life balance.
Though you wrote the script for Yellowbird in 2017, the theme of isolation has become especially relevant over the past two or so years. Do you feel that’s contributed to the strong response to the film?
It's possible, but I couldn’t say for sure! Isolation is definitely a main theme in the story, but I think people have been drawn to the dynamic between these characters, the mood and tone of the film, or other cinematic elements.
You utilized Kickstarter to fund Yellowbird’s production. What was that experience like? Did you find it helped build a community around your film? Is there anything you would do differently if you crowdfunded future projects?
Though I enjoyed making the visual material and the video for the Kickstarter (the fun stuff, really!), I found it very challenging overall. It was an entire month of waking up thinking about it, talking about it all day, and going to bed thinking about it. Trying to get people you know to see your vision and understand what you’re striving to do is one thing, but getting complete strangers is another. It was incredibly rewarding though. You do build a little community of people who are keen to follow the progress of the film, and it feels amazing to have that support.
I am extremely grateful still to everyone who donated or shared my Kickstarter; we would genuinely not have been able to make it otherwise. If I were to crowdfund again, I think one thing I would do is have more members of my team or HoDs as part of the video with me sharing their part and vision for the project; it felt quite lonely to do it on my own.
Yellowbird takes place and was filmed in Scotland. What was it like filming there? Were there any particular highlights or challenges?
I was born in Scotland and my mum's side of the family is from Glasgow. I've done a lot of hiking there and visited a few of the islands. I generally just love it and it feels like home to me, so it was only natural to set a story there and shoot it there. The dramatic Scottish landscape is pretty unbeatable and lends itself so well to dark drama.
The challenges were mainly logistical. Thankfully, my producer Anna and our DoP Laura knew quite a few crew in Glasgow who could help us out, which made things a bit easier. We shot on a farm owned by my mum's childhood friends, but it was about 45 minutes from Glasgow, so it was a long drive for most of the team in the morning and evenin, but the location couldn't have been more perfect for the world of the film.
What inspired you to make a thriller/horror film? Is it a genre you’d like to explore again?
Yes, absolutely. I've always loved it, and everything I’ve written has some horrific element to it. It's the genre I find most exciting as a storyteller. I’m really interested in the human psyche, body, and condition, as well as the idea of “otherness,” whether that be a person, place, feeling, or intangible thing. I think horror is an incredible space to explore those things.
What was your experience like participating in Women X Film Festival 2021? Is there anything that stood out to you?
I’m not sure where to start, to be honest. It was just the loveliest experience and time, the best festival experience I had throughout Yellowbird’s run, and it still makes me smile to think about it. I’m extremely honoured to have received the nominations and wins that I did and the support from Caris and the entire team. They are a force to be reckoned with, clearly so passionate about what they do and really understand life as a new female filmmaker trying to navigate this industry.
It was so refreshing and from start to finish I felt valued and respected, and also part of something bigger. I couldn’t recommend the festival enough and I’m very sad I didn’t have a finished project I could submit this year! Sending so much luck to everyone who has submitted – you are going to be so well looked after and have a great time.
What are some things you look for when choosing which festivals to submit your work to?
Yellowbird was my first festival experience as a director. I submitted to festivals that either industry friends recommended or I knew about through acting, as well as some I found through my own research, particularly those with a female filmmaker category. Also, those that were actually affordable! It’s not a cheap process, which can make you feel shut out from certain festivals.
It’s really exciting that new festivals like Women X have come into the circuit more recently that just understand what filmmakers and the industry need more than ever before: safe, supportive spaces for emerging talent to show their work that doesn’t cost you the earth, that are fun, progressive, and particularly those with a focus on championing female and non-binary filmmakers.
Has your work been influenced by any particular filmmakers or films?
I love British indie cinema, particularly dark and unsettling drama and thriller, and am a huge Rose Glass and Andrea Arnold fan. The mood of Yellowbird took inspiration from films such as Shell, The Levelling, Under the Skin and Tyrannosaur. I’m also really inspired by photography; for this project it was the work of Milly Cope and Todd Hido.
What projects have you been working on?
I've been assisting in production on a number of TV, film and music video projects. This year I have directed two music videos for emerging artists, have a short in post-production, and have an endless list of projects I’m planning or developing.
Do you have any interests or hobbies that help you “decompress” from the filmmaking headspace when you need to?
Writing has always been my best outlet for decompression, though it’s very tied to work! I find exercise of any kind my meditation, and love photography, urbex, being in nature, spending time with friends and family, going for a dance. Or just a trip to the pub, to be honest.
Have you found it difficult to keep a work-life balance? Or are you someone who enjoys staying busy with work and projects?
I think all creatives (the ones I know, anyway!) have a hard time switching off. There's either the 24/7 grind mode, with deadlines, being available at whatever time of day and dropping other plans to work, or the barren abyss of unemployment. It can be really difficult to get the work-life balance when so much of your life is scheduled around your work, or vice versa, and the industry is incredibly volatile. I mean, I absolutely love what I do, so I enjoy staying busy with projects, and feel an absolute compulsion to create, but I have definitely been through periods in the past where if I wasn’t working on something, then I wasn’t using my time well or ‘achieving’, and that’s not the one.
I think I’m better at it now, but it’s been a learning process. Projects and ideas can take time to develop; you have to enjoy your life in the meantime. It really is too short. And as many people say, we have to experience other parts of life to be creative–all the highs and lows, people we meet, taking risks, making mistakes, making memories. I think that’s something the pandemic has reminded many of us in the industry: time is incredibly precious and you never know what is round the corner. Enjoy your work as part of your life, not your whole life.
