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The Girl In The Cafe Intro
STORY
After many years of living with regrets Ashley Hammond returns to a Community Café which she hasn't stepped foot in since she was a teenager. Ashley starts writing a short story about life in the Café back when she was younger. With help from a Stranger and the Barista, she overcomes her repressed feelings and starts overcoming the painful moments of her college years.
Taken from the full film
CONCEPT
In the Summer of 2014, when I first came up with the idea of Eyesight Productions, I started brainstorming a swarm of ideas of what my first short film could be. After a lot of false starts and many ideas later I came to the idea of a story I first titled ‘The Coffee Girl’.
I wanted to film something cheap, easy and with a great storytelling hook. Since there is an abundance of Café’s in Market Harborough, where I live, I knew this would be a great setting for a story. Having the story revolve around a single character, this ‘Coffee Girl’, made writing it a bit more easier. I was wrong.
Say hello to the cast
WRITING
The script went through two years of re-writes with characters being added and others being removed. The story of a female Barista helping out customers was greatly re-worked too. Then in January 2017, I had an idea. I decided to make the ‘Coffee Girl’ character into a character in herself, in a story written by someone else in a Café. This idea changed the titled into ‘The Girl in the Café’. After four to five months of refining the script, the film was beginning to take shape.
CHARACTERS
CATHY
PIPER
Sarah Parker plays Piper, who is one of Cathy and Ruby's friends. Piper is in many ways like Cathy, she is selfless and kind-hearted and Piper always supports her friends whenever they need her. Ever since Piper met Cathy she has had feelings for her, but she never opened herself up to her. She eventually does and the two of them begin a relationship, which is soon threatened by an event in Cathy's life.
ASHLEY
Kate Gamble plays Ashley, the storyteller of the film. Ashley turns up one day in a café which she hasn’t been to in years. It’s this café where she used to meet up with her friends when she was younger. One of the ways of moving away from her past is by writing it out like a story. So throughout the film, the dedicated, emotionally-sensitive Ashley writes about love and how it has damaged her life.
Maeve Brannen plays the titular ‘Girl in the Café’, otherwise known as Cathy. Cathy is a selfless individual who puts others first and herself last. She is very sweet and caring and a bit of a romantic at heart. The story follows Cathy as she unravels her feelings for a close friend, but unfortunately something happens in Cathy’s personal life which puts her new relationship in jeopardy.
RUBY
Jess Hardy plays the part of Ruby, one of Cathy’s oldest and closest friends. Ruby is very chatty, very intrusive and likes to know what’s going on in everybody else’s lives. Ruby and Cathy have a history together, both romantically and platonically. Despite the fact that Ruby digs her nose into other peoples business she also has a sweet, caring side to her. She is the catalyst that brings Cathy and Piper together.
JANE
Nicky Mawer plays Jane, the Barista of the Café. Jane is very much a people person, and loves the atmosphere of the Café, even if there aren’t many customers. Jane also acts very motherly to Ashley. As Ashley struggles to write her story Jane offers up tips for motivation. Ashley finds comfort in Jane’s free-spirited personality, and they soon begin to bond with each other.
STRANGER
Lachlan Murray plays the Stranger, an unknown local customer who resides within the Café. The Stranger is the only other customer in the Café besides from Ashley. When Ashley struggles with writing, the Stranger shows his nuturing side by giving her advice and listens to her worries. He represents the good in people, he has a helpful demeanour who is also extremely considerate of other people’s feelings.
LUCY
Paula Wright plays Lucy, a person from Ashley’s past. Lucy and Ashley share history, a history that is vaguely told through Ashley’s story. Lucy, like Ashley, hasn’t done a lot with her life, and lives with plenty of regrets. She has a kind heart, loving personality and is also a great friend. Together, Ashley and Lucy learn to become better people in order to put the past behind them.
The manuscript from the film
PRODUCTION
Throughout 2017 I started the process of casting, hiring out a venue to film and getting all the relevent equipment needed to shoot this short film. It was a long road, and with little-to-no experience in filmmaking I had to truly learn as I go. Through months of Pre-Production, four days of Principal Photography and around five months of Post-Production I had my film. In January 2018 I held a Private Screening to show friends, family and cast the film I had made. The reception was amazing and I am incredibly proud of the film I made.
Film music
MUSIC
Niall Murray, a graduate from Guildford with a Music Degree, helped out with creating the score for The Girl in the Café. His music included a piano to create an atmosphere and tone that made the film feel like you were inside a real café.
His sensibility and music knowledge made him the perfect choice for getting involved.
WATCH IT
"A CAPTIVATING STORY"
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