Behind the Film: Meet-Cute - Worcester Film Festival

Introduction:

Meet-Cute is a rapid-fire rom-com for the anxious, nerdy and neurodiverse. It was created as part of the creative Professional Development at Solihull College.

Jaded by endless dates that go nowhere with people too afraid to put their real personality out there, Mark and Mia decide to lay it all on the line: their pet peeves, red flags and their sexual hard nos! The bar is so low you couldn’t limbo under it! Despite their differences, they appear made for each other; there’s only one small problem…

Inspiration:

I wanted to make a feature film about two people bonding over their shared cynical outlook and finding love. Quickly into writing, I realised it could work brilliantly as a short. The story is very loosely inspired by my own experiences and people I know, but with a comedic twist. The discourse around dating seems to be more divided than ever, with fewer young people engaging in romantic relationships. Dating apps, podcasts, financial instability and cultural shifts all seem to contribute to this trend. Whilst this is well-worn territory, I believe Meet-Cute offers a fresh, sharply funny take on our desire for connection (a theme running through all my work) and the struggles to find it and keep it.

The Process:

Filming primarily took place at Kilder bar in Digbeth because we loved the décor, with most of the cutaways shot in the studio at Solihull College. We had ten weeks of pre-production where everything was designed and storyboarded by hand, as we had a no-AI policy. With such talented artists on our team, this was a no-brainer. This was also my first attempt at mixed media animation, printing off and even painting photographs myself (with help from my daughter) before rescanning to really give that handmade feel to sections which could have easily been done digitally.

We spent a full day rehearsing one of the camera moves in the film because we knew we needed to get it right on the day. One of the biggest challenges on set also provided us with some of the funniest moments, as our DP had lost his voice and had to resort to miming to communicate. I also found it incredibly hard not to laugh out loud during takes, and I resorted to biting my shirt; our 1st AD had to block me from the actors’ view so I didn’t set them off into a fit of giggles as well.

What It Means to Be a Finalist:

It means a lot to be selected as a finalist for Worcester Film Festival. I attended university in Worcester, so I feel a strong connection to the city and the film community there. I have also attended the festival multiple times and would rank it as one of the region’s foremost film festivals. My films Dosed and Blackout were selected in previous years, and it’s always an honour to be involved.