Q+A WITH ELLA GREENWOOD
Ella Greenwood is a 19 year old filmmaker, director, actor, and mental health advocate from Great Britain. At 18, she wrote, produced, and starred in her award-winning short film “Faulty Roots” and is currently working on the feature-length version of the film. Ella’s work spans from running her production company Broken Flames Productions to being an ambassador for teen mental health organization stem4. I spoke with her over Zoom to discuss her inspiration, goals, and processes.
photo courtesy of salisbury relations
Q: What inspired you to create Broken Flames Productions?
A: I've always wanted to be sort of involved with films, TV, that sort of thing. And I always just thought as an actor. It's hard; I've had an agent from a young age and been auditioning and, you know, waiting for the call. I just wanted to have a bit more control, create work that I was so passionate about, and share my own experiences; that sort of thing. So, I thought, why not give it a go making my own films, and that's where Broken Flames came from,
Q: Who are some of your biggest influences both in and out of the film industry, and why?
A: That's a hard question; I would say so many people. I think Phoebe Waller-Bridge is an amazing writer. I think her writing is just so fresh; it’s so current. That’s someone, as a writer, that I definitely look up to. My favorite filmmaker ever is probably Mike Flanagan. He does horrors, but he's just got a way of creating such an environment with films and TV shows where you're just thinking about them for so long after. To me that's incredible, especially with horrors; you wouldn't really associate that, sort of the impact that they can have.
Q: Going back to your inspiration in your personal work, what do you think your 13 year old self would say after seeing your work today?
A: I think she would be quite confused, just from the fact that I'm spending most of my time filmmaking, producing, writing. I always hoped that I'd be doing that one day, but I don't think I would have assumed that I'd be doing it so early on, still as a teen. I think she'd be quite shocked, but I hope that she'd be happy with what I'm doing.
Q: Going into Faulty Roots and the production of that, I can imagine that by acting in addition to writing and producing the short, you were really able to channel your personal experiences and emotions associated with mental illness. What challenges have you faced having another actor lead in the feature-length film?
I'm so lucky that the actress Kayleigh-Paige Rees is incredible. She is so passionate about mental health, and she also has experience with mental health. I think that's something that's so incredible; she's a great actress, and for me, writing it, it's still my experience. I think it was a lot easier [than I’d expected] for me to separate those two things. I thought it would be extremely hard not acting, just because acting’s all I wanted to do my whole life, but actually it's been pretty easy to sort of separate everything.
Q: In the Faulty Roots short, were there any challenges that you faced having so many similarities with the main character?
A: I don't think so. I think for me it was almost therapeutic as a process to do; I know the differences between myself and the character. I guess it was just the fear of other people not necessarily knowing that just because I have a friend character or a mum character I’m not implying that my mum was the same as the mum in that. That was sort of a fear more than separating me and the main character.
“I want to represent the small things; maybe you can't get out of bed that day, maybe it's just that someone says a comment that hurts you. I think that representation is needed a lot more.”
Q: If you had to choose one scene in either the short film or the feature that's coming up that everyone should watch, and you could only choose one, what would it be?
A: I don't know if there's one specifically, but I think it would be a scene where it’s not major; there's nothing sort of extremely dramatic. In the short, there’s a scene where her mum says a line such as “stop moping around” and that has an effect on her. It would be something simple like that. Maybe the film's not going to make a huge impact, but if it can make people aware of certain small things that don't help people who are suffering with a mental illness then I'd hope they see a scene like that.
Q: It's good to see those small acts of representation. Going along with that, what is the main thing you feel is currently lacking in today's films with regard to mental health advocacy and representation?
A: Quite a lot, to be honest. I've always found that when I’d watch TV shows or films, they’d use mental health as a factor in making it more dramatic and making it more entertaining. So, you know, there's been issues with films and TV shows recently romanticizing suicide and using it for for entertainment value; I think that's a major issue. And then sort of having to have it as just major moments; maybe a major suicide scene or someone just absolutely breaking down. But, [in reality] it's not. I want to represent the small things; maybe you can't get out of bed that day, maybe it's just that someone says a comment that hurts you. I think that representation is needed a lot more.
Q: I agree 100%. What aspects of your work with stem-4 do you find show themselves most in your writing and filmmaking?
A: What’s incredible is that stem-4 focuses on young people – on teenagers – and early intervention. And I'd like to think that with my work, i'm still a teenager, but I’d like to also represent younger teenagers too, and their viewpoints. I think [it’s just] the fact that hopefully we can both sort of try and promote positive mental health for younger people and have their experiences valued and shown.
Q: How has your work changed since the beginning of the pandemic?
A: It's weird; I still feel like I would have been somewhat similar if there wasn't the pandemic, because a lot of my work has just been emails on my laptop. There probably would have been a few more meetings in person if not, but for me, I don't think it's actually changed that much. I suppose it's more just work, work, work, whereas, before, it would have been some more social things too. I guess also being able to fit more meetings into a day, whether that’s a good or bad thing; it can get intense.
Q: Aside from filmmaking, and things like that, what outlets do you find most beneficial in managing your mental health and well being in general?
A: Definitely going on a walk or doing yoga. That’s sort of a typical thing, but it helps so much and that's a reason it's promoted so much. We're back in lockdown now so [while] things like [seeing friends] are difficult at the minute, just connecting with people, whether it's watching a film together, or a TV show, or playing cards; I do love board games and card games.
Q: In closing, if there's anything that you want your audience to know about you – or just about anything – what would it be?
A: I think, just, that there's always someone there who's going to be there for you; if anyone wants to DM me on instagram or get in touch, I would be happy to chat. There’s always someone who’d be willing to listen to you and support you.