MobileMovieMaking: What motivated you to become a filmmaker?

Kelly: I’ve always been a fan of movies since I was a nine-year-old child. It was “Back to the Future” that made me ask the question “How did they do that?!” And I never stopped trying to find out.

MobileMovieMaking: How did you develop your moviemaking skills?

Kelly: I studied Animation Production in college, I’ve read multiple books on the subject, perhaps my favourite is Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger. It’s the best book I’ve read on the subject of screenwriting—concise, succinct, and really helpful. And yes, I also learned by trial and error.

MobileMovieMaking: Are there any filmmakers who influenced your approach to making movies?

Kelly: Early on it was Spielberg, Lucas, and Zemeckis. A little later Scorsese and Coppola, I then discovered the likes of Kurosawa, Fellini, and Truffaut. Later filmmakers include Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano, Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook. More recently the filmmakers who have been inspiring me are the like of Andrew Dominik, Jeff Nichols, Sean Baker, and Barry Jenkins.

MobileMovieMaking: What gave you the idea for “But Then”?

Kelly: I wrote it during lockdown, sitting socially distant in a cafe and wondering how I could make a film amidst all this. So that was the first question: how could I keep the actors safe? I thought it would be awkward to film them at a distance. I wanted them to be close, so I thought “I’ll do it back to back,” two people not looking at each other. The idea is that they start conversations, and finish them before looking around. But as they get more personal they’re almost too embarrassed to look around, so it becomes like a confessional box.

MobileMovieMaking: How did you plan it?

Kelly: After I wrote the script I approached the actors I wanted. They accepted and we worked out a schedule. Then I secured the location. I met with the actors first, talked on the phone, over zoom, and met in person. We rehearsed the week before for a day, but we had discussed the script a lot beforehand. Before we shot I went to the cafe and sat for a while, visualizing everything—how I would arrange the shots and what angles I wanted, so when we got there on the day I knew what I needed.

MobileMovieMaking: Did you use storyboards?

Kelly: No. I knew visually what I wanted. In the master shot we did the entire script straight through. I did have a shot list that allowed me to get the other shots that I needed.

MobileMovieMaking: Could you talk about how you cast the movie?

Kelly: Gail Brady plays Kate and Darren Behan plays Joe. I’ve known both actors for a long time and have wanted to work with both. Gail has been acting in films for years, short, features, and TV. Darren has been on the local theatre scene in my hometown of Drogheda for many years, and he’s acted in some short films I had seen. This felt like a great opportunity to bring them together.

MobileMovieMaking: Can you tell us anything about the location?

Kelly: It was shot in Stockwell Artisan Foods Store and Café, which is owned by a friend of mine, Gwen Fearon. It was closed during lockdown, so she gave us full access to it one Sunday and we spent the day in there.

MobileMovieMaking: What gear did you use during the shoot?

Kelly: I shot the film on an iPhone 11. I used a RØDE VideoMic Pro to record sound, which meant that I had to be close to the actors, but the script lent itself to that, so it worked out. I used a DREAMGRIP to hold the phone. It’s light and versatile, enabling me to attach the mic, lights, and other equipment.  I use Filmic Pro, which I think is indie industry standard at this stage, but it expands the functions of the camera. I used natural and available light, and a reflector to bounce light onto the actors faces when needed.

MobileMovieMaking: What are the advantages of shooting with a mobile device rather than a traditional camera?

Kelly: It’s versatile, light, and fast, allowing me to get close and move around at ease. The image looks great on the big screen.

MobileMovieMaking: During the shoot, did you encounter any unexpected problems?

Kelly: The phone does tend to switch off if it gets too hot or too cold. That didn’t happen on this shoot thankfully, but it has happened in the past, so that’s a challenge I have yet to over come. There was some light leak and reflect on the filter. I discovered the hole in the filter houses were allowing light in and it was bouncing off the filter. I decided not to use the filter, which was fine, but later realised I could have just taped up the holes. There are simple things, like making sure you’ve pressed the record button properly, and not twice, accidentally knocking it off, as I did in one take. Also, keep an eye on storage. Take breaks to back up your files, back them up twice and delete the files on the phone to make room.

MobileMovieMaking: Was there anything special about creating the sound track?

Kelly: I recorded the cafe sounds, which are faint, in my own kitchen, using the rode video mic into the iPhone memo app. And I recorded the guitar that appears in the film the same way.

MobileMovieMaking:  Could you talk about your approach to editing the movie? What editing app did you use?

Kelly: I edited on Final Cut Pro X. I like using it, I’ve used it for years and I find it intuitive and the work flow is pretty easy and consistent. I edit on a newer iMac, with an M1 chip, so it’s fast and I enjoy the speed, having worked on much slower machines in the past. I cut in an intuitive fashion, I do an assembly, and just start cutting the fat, anything that’s not telling the story goes. It’s hard work, but I do find at some point I’ll make a cut that really works, that flows, and it’ll go from there.

MobileMovieMaking: How do you feel about the finished movie? Would you do something different next time?

Kelly: I love the movie, I’m proud of it. It’s flawed, certainly, but I wouldn’t change it. It is what it is, a one day, one location, two actor film, shot on an iPhone for no money and it tells a tender story that people have connected with and enjoyed.

MobileMovieMaking: Is there anything else you want to say about the production?

Kelly: I was the first of many like this, I made four more films this way, and it’s a really enjoyable, creative and intimate way to make a film. I don’t have a crew, I do it all myself. So it’s just me and the two actors, so there’s no messing around, no waiting, not much set up and it’s all about the story and the performance, and it’s a lovely way to work, I’d recommend it to anyone, especially if you’re stuck. Just write a simple script, grab your phone, two actors and go shoot it in a day.

MobileMovieMaking: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out making movies?

Kelly: Start small, shoot on your phone, do something in a day, cut it together and see how it works, do another one and another one and don’t be too precious about them, allow them to be sketches. Your skills will grow, your confidence will grow and then build on that. I’ve written a book about it called “8 Simple Steps to Make Your Short Film” available on my website, frankwkelly.com. It goes into detail about this and offers tips and advice.

MobileMovieMaking: What’s the best way for readers to keep up with you?

Kelly: There’s my website, Twitter  and Instagram,

MobileMovieMaking: Anything else you’d like to say?

Kelly: Go make a movie!

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The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “But Then” as the Mobile Movie of the Week.