Director: Florence Clarke
Writer: Florence Clarke
Actors: Florence Clarke, Jola Awosusi, Ella Bolger, Scarlett Worthington, Alexandra Jivan, Megan Vaughan, Ami Rae Louis, Daniel Vieira, Raphael Bijaoui, Ella-Maria Lopez
Synopsis: Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I have ever known.’
Artists, writers, Viking reenactors. Every cafe has a story, unique, strange, and wonderfully beautiful. This film, written in verse, celebrates the weird and wonderful characters you find in coffee shops up and down the country. The barista walks us through the cafe, telling us about this chosen family.
With The Southend-on-Sea Film Festival will be returning once again from 26th – 29th May, I got an opportunity to ask writer-director Flo Clarke a few questions about the film ‘Mosaic‘ which has been selected to play at the festival on Saturday 28th May at 11am.
Q. What can we expect from the film?
A. Something a little different! It’s written as a poem, but the words are played out on screen for us. This film is a love letter to independent coffee shops up and down the country and the weird and wonderful people you find inside! Expect some kooky characters and a LOT of coffee.
Q. How did the idea for the film come about?
A. As a student the only part-time jobs I’ve been able to get are working in coffee shops. I’ve been working as a barista since I was sixteen and have so many strange stories from my time in these jobs. As an actor and writer, it’s the perfect place to find inspiration and writing ideas, you meet such a variety of people. It’s an actor’s dream!
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. One thing I was certain about was that I wanted a historical reenactor character to pop up at some point. A lot of my influences for that came from my childhood spent in museums and open-air re-enactment centres. I really wanted these characters’ costumes to be as authentic as possible and drew inspiration from these places and people I would encounter as I child. I was actually lucky enough to get some authentic reenactor costumes from my childhood home in Hampshire and this really helped bring that part of my vision to life! As for the style of the film, I have been an avid lover of poetry since my early teens. I am greatly inspired by a variety of writers, such as Sylvia Plath, Sappho, and John Cooper Clarke, so my love of poetry definitely inspired my choice to write the script in verse!
Q. Were there any elements of the original script which were adapted during filming?
A. There wasn’t! As the script is one continuous poem, it was recorded before filming so that we could work directly from the recorded material to shoot what was being described in the poem. However, a lot of our desired shots were reimagined or changed due to our shooting location and problems with my coffee machine that we were using for the film. It broke on our first day of shooting, so we had to adapt some of the shots we had planned!
Q. What were your favourite moments whilst making the Film?
A. All the coffee! I was making so much coffee in between shots to create a cosy cafe vibe while we were filming. I wanted our shooting location to feel as warm and welcoming and homely as the fictional coffee shop that we were trying to create. It was lovely to have a latte waiting for me after calling cut! Also, as all of the scenes we were filming were going to be muted in the final cut, we played music throughout the whole shoot. It was lovely to have the sweet sounds of Fleetwood Mac and Harry Styles playing in the background of all of our shoots. It really helped bring the cast together and make everyone feel comfortable on set.
Q. Did you experience any issues whilst making the film?
A. We struggled to find a filming location for a long time. As this was a student-made film, we had next to no budget and therefore struggled greatly to find an actual coffee shop that we were able to film in. Luckily, we were able to use our university’s Student Union free of charge, but unfortunately it didn’t quite fit the aesthetic that I had visualised before. But, with a bit of sprucing up, and some well thought out camera angles, I think we did well with what we had! It wasn’t perfect, but to me, that’s almost what our film was about. Nothing can be perfect, but it’s what you take from life, and really appreciating what life gives you, that really matters.
Q. What do you hope people will take away from the film?
A. You are important! Every single person on this planet is important to someone, somewhere. You can have an impact on someone else’s life and never even know. Human connection is so important, especially after the past few years we’ve had, and taking the time to appreciate the people in your life, the people who influence you, support you, and shape you, is something I wish we all did a little bit more. I hope more people chat to their local barista, postman, bus driver, whoever it is! I also hope anyone watching who feels lonely in any way knows just how important they are. Everything we do has consequences, which then influence other choices we make, thus more consequences! You never know how many people’s lives you are changing each day just by giving them a smile or taking the time to chat to them on your morning commute!
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are working on?
A. I’m currently in the process of writing a new script, for the stage this time. It’s in the very early stages but the subject content is something I’m really passionate about. A few months ago, I stumbled on an article about something called the International Gay Rodeo Association in America, which is essentially a cowboy rodeo but for members of the LGBTQ+ community! After some more research I found that this rodeo hosts a Drag competition each year and thought that would make the perfect play! It’s a love letter of sorts to the music, fashion, and art of queer cowboys in the 1980s. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a strong advocate for Drag artistry, I really wanted to share this story about community, pioneership and queer joy and love, I’m really excited to see how it turns out!
Q. If someone is looking to direct their first film, what advice would you give them?
A. Do not stress about the budget. If you’ve got the passion and the heart, you can make it work! Shop for props and costumes in charity shops, use your friends and family, make stuff! Being involved in every aspect of your film, especially your first one, is so special, seeing your idea blossom and grow from literally just an idea in your head. That being said, finding people who share the same passion about your project is SO important. Don’t stretch yourself too thin! Having a team right from the start helps so much, everyone has a set job (e.g. Director, Editor, Director of Photography) and can focus on that aspect of the film to make it the best it can be. Even having someone to just bring snacks along to a shoot is great! Find a way for everyone to chip in (if they want to!) and your cast and crew will have a much more relaxed and fun time creating your film!
The Southend-on-Sea Film Festival runs from 26th – 29th
You can find out more about the end and purchase tickets on the website here: https://www.southendfilmfestival.com/
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
