Conversation with actress Annick Van Couwenberghe
Actress Annick Van Couwenberghe has pursued several projects. She starred in the hit TV series Vloglab #Stories and Billie vs. Benjamin. More recently, she participated in episodes of Move On, on air on Vtm Go, and tv series Dertigers, which aired on VRT1 and VRTMAX and whose online version has received millions of views.
You are developing a TV series. Can you tell us anything about it?
Well, we are in the treatment-phase of developping. We have our storyline covered and are diving a bit deeper into the main characters at the moment. This time we're going for a "film noir"-type of dramady. Exciting to work on a genre that is completely new to us. And when I say us, I mean my script writing partner-in-crime Trees Goethals and myself. We feel there is a big demand at the moment for mini-series, not only from streaming platforms but also from production companies all over Europe. When I listen to what the majority of people all around me watch, series are much higher on the watchlist than movies at the moment. People still like to watch movies, but they want time to watch the movie at once, in full. But than you need at least a couple of hours time. The episodes of series are shorter and easier to divide into different days to watch the full series. You can easily watch an episode after work, before dinner, before going to sleep, in the weekends in the morning when you have some "lazy time", ... Just naming a few opportunities. And for us, with a series you have more time to develop the story a little slower and more in detail which is also nice.
You are also working on a film. What is it about?
Yes, I have been playing with the idea of writing a script with a character in it I could play myself. And a plot for a thriller has been in my head for some time, so I thought : "Why not develop that plot into something I could see myself act in ?". So I did. The plot is ready and I've started writing the first part of the thriller. The story's plot includes main characters of different ages and different backgrounds and could be set anywhere in the world. Of course I can't tell you the full story, but it's about a woman who gets confronted with the criminal she helped acquit so many years ago and who wants to pressure her with all the means at his disposal into doing the same for his son.
Your short film Kasteel has been selected for the Movielife Film Festival. What do you think of film festivals as a promotional tool?
Film festivals to me are the best places to network and get to know people from the industry you can relate to. And going to a film festival with a movie that has been selected gives you the ideal tool to start a conversation. You have something specific to talk about and it opens the opportunity to talk about other projects you are working on or would like to been involved in. As an actress a movie in an official film festival selection is your opportunity to showcase your acting skills. It might make people curious to see more of you and look you up on IMDb or on social media, where they can find your showreel and discover the different roles they could cast you in. It's like a business card you can share with a lot more people at the same time. And next to film festivals as promotional, it's just fun to be around people with the same interests as yourself and watch screenings to discover new talent yourself.
What about using short films to bring together a small team that can deliver an audiovisual product?
I can tell you from experience that doing a short movie with a small group of people develops friendships for life. It's the same concept as I said before : you bring together people with the same interests and that clicks. For a short movie you work very close together and you don't need a huge budget to get things done. With a good story and good equipment you can get far. Like for "Kasteel" it was the challenge to make it with only an iphone and some lights and microphones. The dark and mysterious story about a love triangle and the original music score were the main focus for the movie. Another example of short movies being a means to bringing a small team together are the 48hour-filmprojects all over Europe. You probably have already heard of the concept. You get a genre, a word and a prop to get your team started and then 48 hours to hand in a short movie. The winning film goes on to the next level, the festival that gathers all the winners from different countries/cities. Which is a great way to get seen and to connect with other filmmakers, DOP's, script writers, actors. You see their skills and that might lead to another project together in the future.
You took part in a reality show. What was it about?
Now that was so great to do ! It is a new concept of dating program and I was one of the actors involved in pushing the participants to get to know each other without knowing they were pushed. The series is called "The Conspiracy". The participating singles subscribed into a dating program a while ago but then got to hear the program was canceled. And from then on, they are in "the conspiracy". Their friends and family give information about their whereabouts so the production company can create opportunities for the singles they think would be a good match, to meet and get pushed into the interests they both could share. The actors, like me, create situations thought out by the production company to make them bond without them knowing they are "pushed" towards each other, not by chance but by us. You can imagine that it was not easy for the wonderful crew of PIT Productions to make this happen, because it often involved last minute changes to a schedule or even planned events/meet ups that got canceled last minute because the plans of one of the singles suddenly got changed (as often happens in real life). But their efforts made a fantastic show and wonderful concept. Huge shoutout to them ! And only at the end of the series you find out which pushed couples actually stayed together. You will have to watch to find out !
