From asking fans for songwriting help on Instagram Live to wearing green screen bodysuits for at-home music videos, pop sensation Charli XCX stars in “Alone Together” as she created her quarantine album “how i’m feeling now.” The film will premiere on the closing night of South by Southwest 2021 on Thursday.

Directors Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler, known as Bradley & Pablo, spoke with The Daily Texan about creating a film during the pandemic and the art of using fans to tell a story. 

The Daily Texan: What was one lesson you both learned during this process that you'll use in your next projects?

Bradley Bell: We really did have to just pick up a camera and decide to start shooting, even though we had no idea where it (was) going to go. (It’s a) really valuable thing to know that you can actually, just with a seed of an idea, (make a film) that we're now sitting here talking about. Also, (we had to let) go of a lot of the control that you want to have around filmmaking. We had to send cameras to Charli, and she decided when to shoot. … But I think that was a really valuable lesson … just letting the story kind of speak for itself as opposed to being overly controlling.

DT: The inclusion of fans in the film added a raw and relatable element. How did you go about directing fans over Zoom, phone calls, etc.? 

Pablo Jones-Soler: We spent a lot of the early days of the project just (on) Zoom … talking to various fans, and we initially went through Instagram on Charli’s (profile) to see what fans are reacting positively to the project. As soon as we started talking to them, it became clear that there was this tight community of kids who (were) also in contact with each other so they would help us find … other fans. 

Part of the “casting process” was their ability to shoot themselves as well. They had to be really hard working and creative (and) active participants in the production. A lot of the people we were talking to … struggle with a variety of mental health issues. It meant that it was quite a hard thing for them to do: turn on the camera and film themselves when they don't think they're that interesting. I think hopefully the process of taking part in this helped in some way.

DT: What was it like going through hours and hours of footage of seeing Charli at her most vulnerable?

PJS: We have been working together since 2015. … Over the course of the project, we've grown so much closer. This (project) went so much deeper than any of the conversations we had up to this point. There was a period of time where she went offline when it got really tough. She sent us a voice note like, “I fucking hate this documentary,” and then we didn't get any clips. We would just wait at the end of every day on Dropbox to receive a folder of stuff and didn't really know what was coming. We would send messages like, “We want more stuff of you just like, eating salads.” I think by the end of it, she (was) pretty over our notes.

BB: (She) wants to offer a different perspective on celebrity popstar life and the realities of it to her fans. That was … part of the reason why she was probably so willing, because she felt it's important to see what mental health (issues) look like and how it does affect everything.

DT: From navigating the world during a pandemic and making an entire film remotely, would you do this type of project again?

PJS: Toward the end of the editing process, I was like, “I would never do this again.” But now, after a few weeks have passed, yeah probably. I don't think a project exactly like this is ever going to even present itself ever again. It was a very unique moment in time. 

BB: I really got a lot out of connecting with real people, Charli included obviously. Being able to connect with these kids in remote areas who are going through something and just hear their stories — I found that very moving and inspiring.