Do

7.40am

On way to set by train. Marina's car is in the garage. I got the full 8 hours sleep last night which shows I am in the rhythm now!

Apart from having a really good sleep, yesterday was the least enjoyable day for me so far. It reminded me of that scene in "Apocalypse Now" where Martin Sheen is stuck in the hotel room but can't get the war out of his mind or that scene in "Peckinpah's Cross of Iron" where Corporal Steiner is recovering in hospital but can bare it less than being on the Russian Front!

"Why?" you'll probably ask. We'll 'family and friends' is the answer. No-one who has never been on a film shoot can really understand what it is like, how all consuming it is, how intense it can be. Sometimes people just can't understand why they don't get their texts or e mails replied to, their calls returned etc. and expect you to have time for them and be able to accommodate them in your busy schedule. They think film-making is just like any other job.

It is not.

The whole process is a totally involving, a seemingly endless process of decision making, problem solving, checking things, implementing and just doing. I'm not complaining though, it's what I do and I certainly would never entertain for a second a thought of doing anything else.

I feel most alive while making a film. I'd even go so far to say the rest of life is preparation for the next film, a form of enforced hibernation!

Anyway, the hardest thing I've done in the last week is to keep my eyes open from 5am to 7am Sunday morning after an hours sleep to see Lewis Hamilton's brilliant victory in the Japanese GP! BRAVO!!!

Last night, I should have dropped off a bottle of Tequila to Dougal Porteous, the actor who plays the Hoody skulking outside Callum's towerblock. When I called I could tell he was already in the mood so it is now in my bag as a present. I envisage shooting a ridiculously big E/C/U of him on one side of frame and Callum walking home in W/S on the other side of it. I want to see in his eyes how out of it he is!

I wonder now how many crew members come back from illness today and how many more will drop like flies.

9.28am

On set setting up for first shot. We have switched the order of scenes as John Gavin, my friend who is letting us use his porsche as Sark's car, has put back his own call time.

Off the MIA list are Holly Rivers and my assistant Marina who is still full of cold. Ian, the prop man is MIA and it seems Hugh is worse and thus KIA'ed. I think we will have to take Axle to France rather than him. She has really stepped up to the plate well and also entered into the spirit of things "Good for plane!" etc.

Roger just told me people were unhappy with the food on Saturday. Least they got some food. I was in a production meeting then. Also the previous two days were a little too long for some people it seems - 13 hours. Crazy really. On The Frontline we did 16 hours routinely. On promos and commercials longer days are not impossible I've found. Anyway today should be under 12 and tomorrow even easier maybe 8 hours.

2.07pm

Pouring with rain now here in Bethnal Green. Luckily the scene of Sark pulling up does not have to cut continuity-wise with anything else. I hope that we cut from beautiful sunny France to rainswept London.

What I need, though, is for the rain to abate after this sequence as the other two scenes I have to shoot today will cut directly with scenes we shot on days 1 and 2.

6.16pm

Just shot last shot on Dougal, actor who is playing the Hoody. In first scene he looked like he had been properly mullered the night before. All good.

Also shot first scene of Sark's. When she tries to visit Callum to see where he is. The white chanel suit I wanted for her worked perfectly as did the little improvisations of different telephone calls. One ring tone for office, another for child minder and a third one for lovers. Worked beautifully.

Now about to finish the coming home scene with a beautiful skyline shot of London as Callum clears frame. Next a quick night scene then that's it.

One point of interest is that is seems Ian, the poor dressing props man who is currently MIA after sleeping and girlfriend problems has been replaced on set by Seanne with an efficient Swiss girl, Alessa Gallian, who will now do on set dressing props. Ian will do backup.

9.42pm

Wrapping gear now. 7 days and haven't dropped a shot yet. Perfect. Even though we had to deal with loads of local residents and the local drug dealer it was all done in remarkably good humour. A couple of locals appeared as extras even and really got into it.

Jonnie produced some real magic in the coming home scene where he invites Malika inside but she declines. It may have been very simple but he really was in the moment. I absolutely saw and believed his thought process. Beautiful.

Julie was as sublime as ever. I loved her twirling backlit under the walkway as she says goodbye. As she has two days off now, I told her at the end of the shoot to look forward to the beautiful stuff we will shoot in the forest.

My only concern now is stock. I am still shooting over the ratio, although less than the first 3 days but I have still not seen any rushes yet. That makes 7 days shooting blind now. God, I hope I can see some before we depart for France on Thursday!

10.55pm

Home now. I shared a train ride back to Stoke Newington with Rhys and Alessa. We talked about silent cinema. I recommended they watch Stroheim's "Greed" and Gance's "Napoleon". Both of which they had not seen.

I must say what a wonderful crew I have. It is really heart-warming to see how much everyone is enjoying the shoot. We have so many laughs on set. It must be the happiest set I've had since Boston Kickout! Not that I ever have unhappy shoots. I don't.

When they pull things off I get great enjoyment from their accomplishments. Matt Hyman, my grip, did a great job today for instance. The best shot of the day was a tracking shot behind Callum pulling focus to a beautiful skyline of London.

It was nice also to have Seanne on set all day as well as Roger again today. The two of them are like my right and left arms. I would be lost without them and it is so much pleasure to work with them. Hopefully I can make a film more regularly and enjoy their collaborations more often.

Tomorrow we start later at 3pm outside a School in Islington. Then we shoot in a real life Tai Chi class. In some ways it is the backbone of the film showing Callum's spiritual longings. The problem will be doing it during the class in terms of timescale. Also it will be our last day in London before we get ready for the trek to Brittany. 

T

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