Director's Daily Shooting Blog

DAY 4 Thursday September 27th ...

8.46 am

On way to set. We’re late. Marina had to pick up Jade the costume assistant before picking me up and there was a delay. Originally Clare Anderson was at the helm of the costume department. I’ve known her for years and we have been trying to collaborate for all that time. Claire has even be badgering me to use her. So what happened? After about two weeks of prep, while I was still in France on the recce, she texted me saying she is now working with Danny Huston (!) and that Jade would see things through. Apart from the odd text or Email, she has not been seen since! Apart from the obvious feeling of sadness, it certainly hasn’t been as bad as I imagined! Jade has taken up the baton perfectly, at times even making and designing new dressed to order! I’ve even done a tweak at the end of the script to specifically accommodate one of these creations.

Seanne Grasso Production Designer
and her house, today's location

8.54 am

Still in the car. Now driving through Camden trying to glide through rush hour traffic.

I’m feeling a bit tired and anxious. I woke up at 5am and couldn’t get back to sleep. It’s not that I have anything specific to worry about. Of course these cue all the things that play in my head that I have to do on the day, directions that I should give, decisions that should be made….

The only other thing is that this far I still haven’t seen my rushes. Not a single rush! I’ve shot “blind” many times before but it’s not ideal. I’d just like to see rushes so as to gauge certain things creatively, the performances being one of those things. When you are on set you have a choice of looking at the monitor or at the action right next to camera. What I like best is to be right behind camera so that I can almost see straight down the barrel as well as the monitor. Shooting in crowded locations can sometimes make that hard.

Jade Page
Costumer Designer

Matthew King
Clapper Loader

Apparently Ken Loach sometimes closes his eyes during a take. The theory is “if it sound’s right, it must be right”. Although I don’t quite subscribe to this, I agree with the theory. So just seeing rushes to me is perfomance-wise just a confirmation that what I see with two eyes, one on action, one on monitor, is the same as the cyclopean camera lens.

The stress now is Hugh, our sound recordist, is ill in bed with bronchitis. Basically it didn’t get any better. It got worse. I just hope someone can be found to fill in before I want to turn over at around 10am.

Now I’ll try and catch a quick nap!

Rosie Fellner "Emma"

Axle Cheeng Sound Designer

4.38pm

Just finished a late lunch. I’m in the green room now where both Julie and Rosie are talking about different projects they have done before.

We have completed the main two Emma scenes 58A and 59. Seanne did a wonderful job in dressing in various ethnic props and hanging loads of loads of origami birds hanging from the ceiling of the conservatory.

My favourite shot was a low 2-shot of Callum and Emma sitting on the floor as she gave him the camping stuff. It had a kind of Ozu-esque simplicity that should contrast nice with all the wider shots shooting through socks and knickers on the washing line! It wasn’t a shot I’d planned and was completely off the shot list.

It has been nice working with Rosie Fellner again. We last worked together on a TV series I did for Channel 5 called Urban Gothic. I think it is one of the first things she did as an actress but since has played many parts in numerous feature films. I got her to play the first scene almost unmade up as her character has just been woken up. Also I had her play the first part with a toothbrush in her mouth and occasionally brushing!

Now we are setting up for a jibbing tracking shot except the jib isn’t here at the moment. Roger has just told me he has come up with a great idea to get over that problem. Hope so!

Steven Norris
Stills and continuity photographer

Michael Neehan on Boom

7.35pm

In the car on the way home. Shoot just finished. We kind of got everything. The last scene of Malika and Callum in the car driving out through London was a surreal one. Standing in front of cars to block traffic. Cueing the action by mobile phone. Me being stopped by a representative of the Hindu Temple to ask why the temple was in the back of shot, why we hadn’t asked permission and how it is a very sensitive issue. I asked him why it was more sensitve than St Paul's Cathedral or Notre Dame? He told me that he didn’t care about other religions and only about his temple.

Anyway we got it. I couldn’t actually record the dialogue on it though as Hugh has one of the radio mikes and didn’t think to send it to set. It appears that he will be off until Monday. He’s in a bad way.

In any event Axle, the boom operator took over the sound recording. I listened to it through a second set of cans and she seemed to do a fine job despite the lack of radio mikes. That promoted, Michael, our perpetually sunglasses wearing Runner to Boom Op on all but one of the shots where I decided it was better to boom Op myself as I could see the monitor and judge the edge of frame better. The last time I did that on a film was 1987 on a short film photographed by my old friend Danny Cannon!

Jade Page, in the back of the Merc, is talking now about fashion and how people who appear to not care about fashion probably do care about it the most. I asked her if she cared. She told me she would wear anything. I asked if she would wear a sack. She replied “Certainly with a nice belt!”

Anyway, day completed except the line of dialogue in the final scene that I’ll do tomorrow. Four great days so far and no unassailable problems so far.

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