For the Love of Storytelling
A tickly cough. That’s all it takes to derail Minster for Environment Fiona Lacey – played by Maxine Peake – in her career-defining interview. From here, things escalate uncontrollably on social media. It keeps getting worse and worse. We were thrilled to screen this hilarious short as part of our Comedy Official Selection at last year’s festival! It’s a film that finds the fun in the insanity of social media and modern politics. Learn more about the project from two time BAFTA-nominated director Jill Worsley, along with her journey into filmmaking and her lifelong love for stories.
ASFF: Could you introduce yourself and give us a rundown of your filmmaking journey so far?
JW: I’m Jill, and I’m from Yorkshire. I originally moved to London to make films, and ended up working in documentary and factual television. I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over directing and filming series with fascinating people like Paul O’Grady & Ben Elton, as well as celebrities climbing Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief. I’ve been nominated for two BAFTAs, one was for a feature documentary called School for Stammerers about some very inspiring people overcoming their stammer. I found my way back to film during covid, when I entered a BBC Writers opportunity to write a script to be filmed on Zoom. Of 6,800 scripts entered, Fred Gets Feedback was one of 8 chosen to be made. It went on to win a Rose D’Or. Since then, I’ve made three more shorts, including Choked Up, which screened at Aesthetica 2023.
ASFF: Which film sparked your love of cinema?
JW: That’s a hard one – there are so many! I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love stories. I consumed books and films throughout my childhood. The films I have the most powerful memories of growing up are E.T, The Goonies, Labyrinth, any Disney that came out before 1998, old school Tim Burton, Star Wars (obvs) and classic musicals like The Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz and Singing in the Rain. When I got a little older, I loved Jurassic Park, The Shining, Mulholland Drive, Scream, Seven, Fight Club… anything that, for me, extended the boundaries of what cinema could do or how a story could be told. Special mention to Stephen King’s IT – the Tim Curry one – the first film to terrify me!
ASFF: What’s a movie you could talk about for hours?
JW: Star Wars: A New Hope. I know, what a cliché. But the reason I love talking about it is the process it took to wrangle it into the blockbuster hit it became. It’s the epitome of the adage: a film is made three times – the script, the shoot and the edit. I find that very comforting. There are so many points during the timeline of making a film that as the writer and/or director you lose faith or perspective, and its so easy to beat yourself up and assume you’re just a bit shit. This film reminds me that everyone needs a great team and brilliant peers around them. If you don’t have the answer to every question yourself, if you can’t find a way out of that dead end, or figure out the cuts to make that scene work, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed!
ASFF: If you could become any character in cinematic history, who would you choose?
JW: I thought about this for ages! I went through all the great adventures that I thought I’d love to go on, but the truth is that even if the character gets a happy ending, they go through the mill during the film. It’s thrilling to watch, but it would be awful to experience. I think I’d rather sit on a comfy chair and watch them do it! So I’m going for a superhero, because when else am I going to get the chance to fly or have super strength? Plus I’d love to be part of the MCU. I’d say Scarlet Witch but she’s dealing with a lot of trauma, so Captain Marvel!
ASFF: How do you want audiences to feel whilst watching your films?
JW: If a film succeeds in making me laugh and cry, and gives me a character I can root for, that’s a big win, so that’s what I’m always aiming for in my stories – joy and pathos. Even better if it gives you something to think about afterwards. I don’t enjoy the feeling of watching a film at an emotional distance, not caring what happens to people. I think laughter is a shortcut to emotional engagement. I get the “save the cat” concept, but for me, if a character makes me giggle early on, they can probably leave the cat in the tree and I won’t mind too much!
ASFF: Which themes do you find yourself gravitating towards in your projects?
JW: Definitely the madness of social media – that’s what inspired Choked Up. I love going down a Twitter (yes, it’s still Twitter) rabbithole to see all the arguments in the comments. Person 1: “Oranges are great!” Person 2: “WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM WITH APPLES, YOU BRAEBURN HATER!” It’s that ridiculous.
The theme that’s in both the feature films I’m writing is female relationships – friends, siblings, mother and daughter. Those relationships have heavily defined me. One of my scripts has two best friends as the lead characters, and I’ve loved writing their friendship. They have great banter. They challenge each other and there are times where their connection is pulled very thin. However, in the end, they’re always there for each other.
ASFF: What’s a film genre you haven’t worked with before but would be interested in trying out?
JW: I’m always up for a challenge, and I don’t like to be pigeon-holed, so there are loads of genres I’d like to try. It would be easier to tell you the genres I wouldn’t be interested in! I love horror, but I have no interest in “torture porn” (anything in the vein of Saw or Hostel) so I’d run a mile from that. I’m not into Arthouse/experimental either. Obviously everything is on a spectrum but when a film doesn’t have a clear narrative I struggle to get through it. As I may have mentioned, I like stories!
ASFF: What is one piece of advice you would give to budding filmmakers?
JW: Go to Aesthetica. (I swear they didn’t pay me to say that!) Seriously though, attend as many film festivals as you can. I’m pretty sure every major city has at least one, but you can find reviews online that will give you an indication of the ones that offer the chance to meet and connect as well as watch the films. I met my producer Stephanie Hazel in a networking session at a festival, and we’re now working on our third short together. My second piece of advice would be to read lots of scripts. I like to watch a film, read the script and then watch the film again with the script in front of me. Mostly I do that with films I’ve enjoyed and admired, but sometimes I do it with films I really didn’t like, to try and figure out why they didn’t work for me.
ASFF: How has screening at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival impacted you?
JW: When I made Choked Up, Aesthetica was the festival I most wanted to screen at. I’d been before with friends to see their films and I loved the range of shorts as well as the talks and masterclasses. The atmosphere was awesome and the networking didn’t feel like “networking,” it felt like hanging out with a bunch of awesome people who wanted to chat about film. I also love York – it’s not too far from where I grew up and it’s a brilliant city. So, when I got the acceptance email, I was beyond thrilled! I went for 4 days and got to have a meeting with a BBC film commissioner and took part in a panel session. There were so many great opportunities. I was also asked to take part in a Q&A for local business owners to provide insight into the festival, which was a great honour.
ASFF: What projects are you working on at the moment?
JW: I’ve just finished another short called Where To? It all takes place in a taxi and was filmed in one day with 53 passengers and 1 dog. I’ve entered it into festivals – including Aesthetica –but I know how many entries the great festivals receive so I never get my hopes up. And I’m in the process of writing my first feature film – a comedy horror about social media influencers. I’m discovering that writing a feature is exponentially harder than a short, but its gradually improving! I’m also directing on 007:Road to a Million, a series for Amazon Prime where contestants take on James Bond style challenges to try and win a million pounds. As my background is documentary, this is a great opportunity for me because it is a doc series but with a very cinematic aesthetic. The shoots are going to be really challenging. I can’t wait!
See more of Jill’s work: Website
Watch more incredible films at Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2024, which runs from Wednesday 6 November until Sunday 10 November. Tickets coming soon!
Learn more: asff.co.uk
Stills:
- Choked Up (2023) dir. Jill Worsley
