In Conversation With Ella Greenwood: Mental Health in the Media
At just 19 years old, Londoner Ella Greenwood is the director of her own production company, Broken Flames Productions. A mental health advocate, she has produced and acted in short films such as Faulty Roots which garnered great acclaim, including BAFTA accredited recognition, following its release in 2020. Now set to become a much-anticipated feature starring Gavin and Stacey’s Melanie Walters and Sanditon’s Kayleigh-Paige Rees, the film centres around teenage friendship and depression. We sat down and had a chat with Ella over Zoom to discuss all things movies, mental health and multi-hyphenate-creativity.
Bloom: So, firstly we must talk about your short film, Faulty Roots, released in 2020. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, could you briefly describe what it’s about and what led you to make it?
Ella: Yeah, so it’s about a teenage girl called Lola who has depression and she’s forced, in a way, by her mother to reconnect with a childhood friend, who is overly positive and happy and he has a genetic illness. So, it’s basically about their friendship reforming and about the differences in the way they view their circumstances, with both having circumstances that can’t be controlled. But, yeah, it’s sort of about the difference between physical and mental health.
Bloom: How much of Faulty Roots was based on your own experience and was it daunting at all to talk about something as personal as mental health so openly and publicly?
Ella: I mean, the reason I wanted to do a film about mental health was because obviously I do have experience with mental health, and I wanted it to be something that I’m passionate about. And, I think, as a first time filmmaker creating my work and as a writer, director and a producer, I wanted it to be something that I had experience with as well. Cause I thought if it’s something that I’ve experienced, no one can tell me it’s wrong as such. So, it almost gave me a bit of a safety net. I guess it wasn’t daunting in that way because you’re putting something out there that maybe people don’t like, maybe they could have experience with mental illness and it’s not that. But it’s my experience. So, yeah, that made it less daunting. But I would say the story isn’t about me or anything like that. But of course the characters are going to have similarities. I’m the one writing it so we definitely share experiences, and, in particular with the way that she {Lola} speaks about her mental health and what she goes through with that.
Bloom: Excitingly, Faulty Roots is being made into a feature could you tell us a bit about that and has the process been interrupted by the pandemic?
Ella: Yeah, so we’ve been developing it for a while. I mean it’s crazy like I never imagined how long things take to make, as such. I was reading Total Film which is a film magazine the other day, and most of the projects said they took about six years to develop! And I was sitting there thinking, “God, please, no! Don’t know how old, I’ll be then!” But, I feel lucky that we were able to spend the time when everyone was at home on their laptops that sort of thing, developing something. Because that’s what you’d be doing anyway. Just working on the script, working on the concept, working on research, and making sure that we’re representing it all as best as possible. So, you know that’s been really nice. Just getting to work on it and see what we want, because the key focus is social impact and making sure that we do a good job and reach the right audience. So, that’s been really nice, and we’ve been lucky that that’s what we’ve been working on during a pandemic! People were cautious for a while like film shoots didn’t go ahead, and now it’s looking so much better and things have restarted. I think for the most part, it was just adapting to Zoom and, you know, people being slower responding to emails, which is fair enough. But, yeah, it’s been great, which is really lucky.
Bloom: I wanted to highlight the scene in the trailer when your character, Lola, said “How ignorant can you get?” in response to her mum telling her to see Zack because it might cheer her up. It’s such a common dynamic that people who know depression or mental health issues will recognise. So, stemming from that do you have any tips for well-meaning parents, or people generally, in situations like that? What should they do or say instead?
Ella: I think one of the most important things to do is to listen. But, a lot of people don’t want to speak up about their mental health so not forcing it either. It’s hard you know, there’s no set thing that you can say. And it is a difficult thing to talk about, because often if you’re the one struggling, you don’t know what you’re going through. So how can you expect someone who’s close to you to understand when you don’t even yourself? Listening is so important. I think with parents, it can be seen as their job to pick their children up, to keep them happy and to try and cheer them up. But, just knowing that that doesn’t have to be their job at that moment in time, just letting them know that they’re supported and listened to and that they have that comfort in you, I think is what’s most important.
Bloom: Following on from that last question, do you think it’s a generational thing; this need to cheer up and fix things instantly instead of honestly talking them through and allowing the anxiety or depression, whatever it is, to exist, without necessarily ignoring it or pushing it away?
Ella: Yeah, definitely. Luckily things are improving as the years go on, because even when I was a young teenager, which was only a few years ago really, I just didn’t know what I was going through. Like, the term ‘mental health’ just hadn’t been spoken about at all. I had absolutely no clue! But now, it is. There’s such an importance in it and people are realising that. I don’t think it’s the generation before us necessarily not wanting to speak about it. It was just the fact that it wasn’t common knowledge that mental illnesses and mental health are so important. And primary schools now are even speaking about it and they work on awareness from a young age - so that’s amazing. It’s hard, I guess, because it is an illness. If you have a mental illness, it’s an illness and if you hurt your foot or if you were ill, the emphasis is on getting better, and getting better fast. You know, “what can you do”, “how can I have the quickest recovery period?” That’s a difference between the physical and mental, like with mental you have to realise that you can’t speed it up in a way, there’s not much that you can do to change it because it’s so uncontrollable. So, knowing that things will get better is important, but the rate is dependent on various things, still, eventually it will get better.
Bloom: Even just that little moment in the trailer represents so many everyday issues that crop up when living with a mental illness, yet I’ve not seen similar scenarios depicted in movies and the media as often as I wish I had. I feel like a lot of mental-health-related media aimed at teenagers is, or has been, sensationalised; things like 13 Reasons Why stand out to me. Do you think we’re moving away from that – almost era- now? Would you say that the presentation of mental illness in film has improved? Ultimately, how would you like to see mental health issues concerning young people depicted as we move forward?
Ella: I think it’s hard, I mean there hasn’t been much representation at all! With developing Faulty Roots, we’ve done a lot of research, and asked so many people on films about mental health and what they liked. People just couldn’t think of a film really, they just couldn’t. And you’d get a few like Silver Linings Playbook that sort of thing, and they’d pop up on this list of films that represented it well and they’d also pop up on lists of films that didn’t! So, it’s quite hard and I think there’s always gonna be an issue with Hollywood in a sense, and maybe a big budget, of needing that dramatic effect and needing entertainment value. So, if the theme’s on mental health, then it has to have entertainment value, it has to be dramatic because that’s what they expect of a TV show or film. But, that can be incredibly harmful. 13 Reasons Why came out a few years ago now but Netflix’s film All The Bright Places was again criticised for romanticising suicide and that was, I think, last year. That’s content that reaches millions, and is aimed at young people, so it’s so harmful I think to have content like that. I hope that it will get better because you know people will learn from that what they did well and what they didn’t. But I still think there’s such a way to go!
Bloom: Returning to Faulty Roots, I read on your site that you said you wanted to have a main character with depression, but who wasn’t wholly defined by it. I understand that when living with depression, it can feel like your defining feature. But, on a positive note, what features or values are important to you and, aside from mental health, which other topics would you like to shine a light on through your work?
Ella: I always think something that’s so important that I show always in my work is just humour. Like, to me, humour is so important and I feel like, even when I was at my lowest moments, I could still make a joke and still have that sort of side. I think it’s so important to keep that and to keep the humour. So, I love bringing that into my work. And another thing that I love is female filmmaking. I will always promote that because again… that’s a whole other topic! But the numbers are quite bad actually. And another thing that I love promoting is young creatives. I understand that it takes a while to build your career, and people at the top who are perhaps middle-aged, are there because they’ve done so much work. But it just leads, like with politicians, to people in power who don’t understand young people, and who don’t put young people’s best interests first. Even though young people are so creative, full of life and have so many new ideas. So, I’d love to try and help as many people, through training and stuff like that, and keep promoting young work and voices.
Bloom: Given that we do have lots of creatives reading, could you say a bit about your creativity? Particularly in regards to writing and filmmaking? Is there one role that you lean towards, and how do you balance it all at once?
Ella: I love all of them so much! I really do and I think it helped my mental health so much when I started filmmaking. When I was just acting, it’s so much waiting around and so much relying on other people to decide what you do with your life. And that’s so tough, it’s incredibly hard just waiting around and all the rejection and all of that. So, I love filmmaking and writing because you get to tell your own stories, but also, you get a bit more control in what you want to work on and what you want to do with your time. But, then again, I absolutely love acting and getting to be different people and experiencing situations that you wouldn’t normally. So, yeah I love them all equally.
Bloom: How has the pandemic impacted the creative process of putting together a film and your creativity more generally?
Ella: It’s the extra things. Like when you do budgets and stuff, you’ve got to have all the supplies and the tests and a COVID Officer. It’s so funny that they call it a COVID Officer, who’s someone to just supervise. It seems like such an intense title for a person- a COVID Officer! Yeah, like luckily with film shoots they are still able to go ahead, it’s just taking into account the distancing, the masks and everything. Obviously it’s not as nice as it would be normally, but we’re still getting to tell stories and create work so we’re definitely lucky. Yeah, it’s just making sure that you remember, especially if you’re filming a scene. I’m doing a short soon where there will be a party scene - like a birthday party- and there will be tests. But, we’ll be filming and it’ll be weird to watch something that just can’t happen right now. So, yeah, it’s weird but we’re lucky we’ve been able to shoot it.
Bloom: What is your favourite film? Or films if you can’t narrow it down to one?
Ella: I always feel like I should have such better answers! I feel like I should say more prestigious films. But, I just love all types. And it is so hard, like I have a favourite horror, my favourite horror is Hush, I love it. My favourite Disney film is Inside Out. I love the way it approaches mental health, like Sadness is my favourite character ever. And that was one of the first times that I was like “Oh, I like Sadness” you know, I like that part of me. Eighth Grade, I think that represents anxiety quite well and just growing up. And Rocks, the recent film. The lead actress, Bukky Bakray, I’ve worked with her and God, she’s just… I was lucky enough to see it {Rocks} at London Film Festival, it premiered a while ago, I think it was two years ago even. And, I was just like, “I want to work with her!” So, two years later I’m like, “Finally!” But, yeah, she’s incredible! And, I loved that film’s portrayal of Londoners and young teens really. Yeah, a range of films!
Bloom: If you could give one piece of advice to someone currently in the throes of depression or any mental illness, what would it be?
Ella: I think it’s so hard because you always focus on what’s going on right now and the future seems so hard to focus on. But that is what I’d always advise, that no feeling lasts forever. That everything has to change. Change always happens. If you’re feeling sad, it’s pretty much impossible to feel that way forever. So, just to remind yourself of that.
Bloom: And, finally, what are your hopes and plans for the future? I know it’s quite hard to have any at the moment. But, what have you got in the works?
Ella: Self-Charm, which is one of my films, needs to be finished soon. I’ve got tight deadlines for that, so I’ll be sharing more of that soon. And then I’ll be shooting my new film Smudged Smile soon, the feature version of Faulty Roots, and another short that I can hopefully announce soon. And then, I’d love to do a horror - I love horror films! It would be such a challenge though because that’s so objective - like you’re either scared or you’re not- so I feel like that would be a good challenge. And animations, I’d love to have done another animation, and a TV show. I mean anything - any work, I will take it!
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Big thank you to Ella for taking part in this interview! I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more from her in the future, as she continues to positively re-shape the conversation surrounding mental health in the media.
Interview by Lauren Burns (editor)
Follow Ella’s Instagram
Find out more about Ella’s Work Here
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