WXFF 2020: Lauren Vevers & Jen Corcoran
We have a new interview for you with the fantastic Lauren Vevers and Jen Corcoran, director and producer of LOVE SPELL. The film is part of our Unconventional Connections selection at Women X and is a wonderful LGBTQ+ short. Here, we talk to them about creating a 90s aesthetic for the film, their current projects, and working with the BFI Network.
Tell us about yourself and the work you do
Lauren Vevers is a Writer/Director from Newcastle upon Tyne. LOVE SPELL is her first short!
Jen Corcoran is a Producer based in Stockton and Newcastle focusing on contemporary female voices, creative documentary storytelling and new narratives from the North East.
Can you talk a bit about your experience with BFI Network and getting funding through them?
LV: LOVE SPELL was first developed with the BFI Network on the Film Hub North Script Lab in 2018. After meeting Jen at the Script Lab showcase event, we worked together to develop the script further and build the world of the film. Film Hub North were very approachable and helpful through this stage of development, so we had a good idea before we applied of things like what budget level we should pitch a directorial debut at. The team at FHN in Newcastle are a very warm and collaborative bunch and it has been fantastic to have their support in bringing LOVE SPELL to life.
Why was Buffy such a big part of the film? Was it coincidental or was it because it holds a strong place in the LGBTQ+ community?
LV: Before developing LOVE SPELL with Film Hub North, I knew I wanted to make a film inspired by nineties popular culture, but with a modern take. Nineties and noughties media had a huge impact on me growing up - taking me out of my lived experience in a small northern city to different, exciting and alien places. As a teenager, there were very few representations of LGBTQIA+ characters that I found relatable. Buffy The Vampire Slayer had kick-ass female leads paving the way to positive representation and empowerment of women on screen. With LOVE SPELL, I wanted to draw on that and tackle representation in a positive and uplifting way.
The 90s aesthetic is so strong in this film, how did you go about creating that?
JC: We worked together with our brilliant Production Designer Ayesha Linton Whittle and Costume Designer Hannah Whyte using a mixture of research and own our memories of the 90s to build a reference bible for the time period. Ayesha and Hannah trawled eBay and local charity shops to find a fantastic range of materials to recreate the aesthetic, buying second hand wherever possible. It was an incredibly fun part of the pre-production process picking through nostalgic items from our childhood like shagbands, butterfly hair clips and paisley print! Lauren was keen to keep a romantic pastel palette and pink and red aesthetic throughout, which became our reference point for the production and costume design. This was also reflected in the lighting (#putagelonit) and grade to give a grainy, 35mm effect.
Why the decision to have Amber break the fourth wall?
LV: I wanted the audience to identify with Amber straight-away. It's a trope that's used a lot in 90's comedies. When she speaks straight to camera, it's a way of creating a specific type of intimacy that's difficult to achieve through dialogue between characters. Amber's confessions are based on my own experience of coming to terms with my sexuality and my teenage obsession with transatlantic television like Buffy, Charmed and The O.C.
What is your proudest moment of your career so far?
LV: I'm still at the beginning of my career in film so I'd say receiving support from BFI Network and rising to the challenge of directing. I worked as an usher in a cinema for years and filmmaking felt like a pipe dream – until now!
JC: Whenever I feel the spark of a good idea taking shape and given depth by talented and creative collaborators.
What themes do you want to explore in your future work?
LV: At the moment I'm interested in the transformative and consuming nature of female desire but it changes from project to project.
JC: Female ingenuity and resilience; love and longing; faith, superstition and inner-belief systems.
Tell us three things you're grateful for?
LV: Swimming in the sea! Fun, inspiring and supportive pals! Bright autumn days!
JC: Wild swimming, the north sea coastline, spending time with family.
What three things do you always have on your bedside table?
LV: A pile of books I feel guilty for not reading (my day job is in publishing), my phone (I know, terrible habit), and a notebook.
JC: iPhone, half drunk cups of water/tea/wine, Ilya Kaminsky’s Deaf Republic.
What are you working on at the moment/next?
LV: I'm working on an audio drama as part of the BBC New Creatives scheme. It's a collaborative piece with a Sound Artist and I'm so excited to bring it to life.
JC: I’m currently in the edit for Nascondino, a Naples-set creative documentary project, and a new North East-based documentary feature with Director Paul Sng.
