Elsie Fisher Takes Us Behind The Scenes Of Family Squares - Exclusive
While many of us were becoming accustomed to working from home during lockdown, film crews were forced to get creative when it came to getting their movies made. After all, you can't successfully shoot an entire film remotely — or can you?
The stars of the film "Family Squares" did. Each of them used Zoom to interact with each other on-screen, and crazy enough, much of the cast has still never gotten to meet each other since the movie was made.
While they each logged on to Zoom to act out their scenes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, actress Elsie Fisher got a rare opportunity at the start of production. "Most of my scenes were actually shot on location," she said during an exclusive interview with The List. "I was one of the few who was able to work in person with Stephanie [Laing, our director], and that was really fun."
Acting in the film took only a few days for Fisher. "Nice and easy," she said. Yet, there were many challenges that came with working with the rest of the cast via Zoom — including being able to see herself act in that little box on her computer. "I can barely watch myself in any project, let alone while I'm still making it!" She admitted as she walked us through what it was like filming "Family Squares."
Filming Family Squares was an entirely 'new' experience for Elsie Fisher
Though "Family Squares" star Elsie Fisher had the opportunity to work on location with the film's director, acting out scenes with the rest of the cast proved to be incredibly difficult. When her character Kassidy is communicating with her father through a tin can telephone, for example, she wasn't with her co-star Timothy Simons. "The process of shooting without the other actor in the room was very new," she told The List. "And, I think, sort of challenged my process as an actor."
Even still, Fisher was clearly up for this unique challenge. When she wasn't logging onto Zoom to shoot her scenes, she was being filmed with something we all carry around in our pockets. "We did shoot an awful lot with an iPhone which was really impressive," she told us, and it added to the virtual effect viewers get to see on-screen.
This filming process was something the "Eighth Grade" star had never experienced before. "There were some mishaps, because technology will never be perfect," she told us. Yet, being a part of the film was something that has since inspired her. "Now I'd really love to just start making my own stuff, considering how flipping good I think 'Family Squares' ended up looking!" She said.
"Family Squares" is now playing in select theaters and is available digitally and on demand for rental and purchase.