How did 'Eat Me!' come to be?
Pre-Production
We thought this website would be a great opportunity to share not just the final product but the hard-work that went into the pre-production of this film. So, here is the story of how Eat Me! came to be!
Idea & Cafe Nero
A random day in September, Lauren and Willow head to Café Nero in Covent Garden. Somehow, they find themselves stumbling upon this strange idea for a film completely focused on a cake. It would be ten minutes long, and the plot would centre around someone resisting the urge to eat a cake - they fear it. Before they know it, they've fallen down a rabbit hole, realising this story is one involving a drug-trip and inevitably... the characters of Alice in Wonderland.
Script, Storyboard & Crew
Willow then eagerly got to writing a script, delivering her quickest and most adrenaline-fuelled first draft ever to Lauren days after Café Nero. Instantly, Lauren got to work on building together her favourite crew of people. We were beyond excited to find so many of our fellow filmmakers keen to join us on this absurd journey. Soon enough, we found our dream team and Willow set to work on a storyboard - something she'd never done properly before. She'll admit too, (look to the right) that her drawing is not the best! The storyboard process took to thinking about the script more practically, simplifying how many shots there were - but also, keeping it insane.
Casting, Read-Throughs & Photo Shoots
With a crew in place, a script breakdown, storyboard and producer Lauren managing the madness, we set out to find the cast of our film. We sent out a casting call through posters at our uni and posts on social media (which birthed our Instagram page, @eatmeshortfilm)! We were taken aback with the talent, but also shocked... things were getting real! With showreels and monologues (from a play Willow wrote many moons ago in her 16 year old angst), we found the members of our tea party. Excited to get going, we quickly jumped on a Zoom call and did our first read through. To get into the mood of the film, we also put together a photoshoot with the actors, exploring the concept and characters...!
Production Design: Costume, Set & Props
One of the most thrilling parts of making this film was creating it's world. Pro costume-makers (they wish), Willow and Lauren, got to designing what each character would wear. We were fortunate enough to have raised £750 for our film, so Lauren held the reigns on the budget - but its safe to say, we knew it would be going towards our Wonderland! And not a penny went to waste! Willow painted Alice-inspired canvases, plus two rogue portraits: one an alien, one Chappell Roan, for the flats. We collated props from any weird and wonderful treasures we had at home, and purchased the truly specific things (retractable syringes and such.) Surprisingly, Alice's skirt I did just have lying around at home, but if you know Willow - that's pretty unsurprising.
Schedules, Call Sheets & Meetings
Here is the stage of pre-production that Lauren was at her most stressed and most happy (the woman adores a schedule.) No one can do it like Lauren, with the help of her First AD Ryan, and with still a couple of weeks to go, we had a full on two-day schedule and call sheets. Lauren went into full-on producer mode, but we needed it! Willow was away with the fairies in Wonderland, so Lauren's very real problem-solving about the practicalities of actually bringing this script to life was very much vital. There were many meetings to make sure we were all on the same page and a careful plan for the leadup to shoot-day that ensured we had camera tests, enough time to build the set and a hilarious trip to Leyland (we were a touch clueless) for paint. Lauren's top tip is a meeting the night before a shoot, either virtual or in person, to verify that every member of cast and crew is in the know and ready to go!
Building the Set & Preparations for the Shoot
Finally, as the shoot days approached, Willow, Lauren and Martha got to painting and building the set. It was a case of all hands on deck and the Wicked movie soundtrack. They wallpapered, assembled flats, had a team of six people fashion a table out of random objects and agonised over the placement of creepy objects (ceramic dolls, alien paintings etc.) After a very paint splattered pair of jeans and Willow scaring the shit out of Lauren carrying the heaviest flat down a flight of stairs, we soon go onto the fun and slightly less labour intensive bit: putting fairy lights everywhere! We doused our set in petals, tealights, doilies, cake forks, playing cards and most importantly our cake! See the next page for a look at our shoot days!
