Organic is not a word generally associated with filmmaking during the pandemic.
Yet such was the experience for Neighbours actor Charlotte Chimes and the Flickerfest-selected short Six Months.
Chimes wrote, produced, and stars in the project, which details a relationship where one is forced to spend more time at home than the other, only for the scenario to be inverted six months later.
Though never mentioned, the impact of lockdowns hangs over the story, providing the context for an exploration of what happens when all of life’s noise is stripped away.
Chimes herself was in lockdown when she came up with the idea, having moved to Melbourne in April 2020 to star as Nicolette Stone in Neighbours, only to find herself confined and in need of an outlet.
After being inspired by a music video from US singer Rainsford, in which a split screen is used to depict the different stages of a relationship, she began taking socially distanced walks with writer and friend Matthew Bon, who offered a sounding board for her ideas.
Once the concept had been decided upon, Chimes wrote the script in the middle of 2021 with the intention of completing filming with director Kate Kendall prior to the Neighbours Christmas holiday break but contracted COVID, leading to a delay.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, with production able to secure a Collingwood apartment for the shoot, as well as the services of lead actor Jackson Gallagher – both of which came from a chance encounter – as a result of the delay.
“I met a woman on a plane who introduced me to her son, James Ballard, who is also a filmmaker,” Chimes said.
“He had just bought an apartment, so he said, ‘You should shoot the film there, which we did’. It was around the corner from where I lived.
“He also introduced me Jackson, whom he went to school with, so there was a lot of work that went into it, but a lot of the things fell into place very organically.”
Six Months was shot across three days at the end of June last year, with cast and crew given a deadline of early September in order for the film to make submission deadlines for various festivals.
Working alongside Kendall and Chimes were DOP Alana Blanch, editor Jonathan Martin, costume and production designer Nicholas Wakerly, 1st AD Brett O’Mara, lighting director Chris Hocking, 1st AC/focus puller, camera operator Vanessa Cox, intimacy coordinator Eve Morey, sound mixer Stefan Zabielski, and composer Tamil Rogeon.
There is also music from November Ultra, a French artist discovered by Martin on TikTok.
Flickerfest will mark the Australian premiere of the film, which has already been screened at the Venice Shorts and Stockholm City Film Festivals.
In making the short, Chimes said she was driven by both individual and collective motivations.
“I really wanted to make the film, first and foremost, to prove to myself I could do it and secondly, to go, ‘Look at this amazing thing we created as a team with no money; Imagine what we could do if we got money’,” she said.
“I could have applied for Screen Australia or VicScreen funding, but I just wanted to get it made.”
The Sydney-based creative looks set to devote more time to project development this year, in addition to her acting work.
Not only is there a potential Neighbours return on the horizon, but she is also working on a feature with Catherine Smyth-McMullen and Gemma Crofts. The trio is in the process of preparing a pitch document for the psychological thriller, which centres on gaslighting.
Speaking about her future focuses, Chimes said while she “loves a writers’ room”, she would ideally like to divide her time between producing and acting.
“I want to work with amazing writers and produce projects I can act in, as well as ones I’m not going to act in.”
“There’s something so gratifying about having an idea and following the whole process from start to finish.”
Six Months will screen at Flickerfest on Monday, January 23.