Top Films of 2011
I have written a top films list for the past couple of years and this year is no different. I know there is still a few days left in the year but I am not planning on watching any new films over the next few days. There are also quite a few films that are on other lists that I haven’t managed to watch yet but I think the list is a good selection of what I felt were the films that had the biggest impact on me. They are in reverse order starting with….
10. Melancholia
In at number ten is a treat for all the family… oh wait.. its the end of the world seen through the mind of Lars Von Trier. This film made me feel uncomfortable during the film and also afterwards which is probably a strange thing to say about a top film of the year but that is why we go to the cinema, to be affected by whatever we are watching. Probably not a film that I would put on just to escape for a bit. I think its power came in the sum of all its parts added up. There are some films that you watch and certain scenes really hook you in and grab you and I don’t think that Melancholia does this but instead it has an overall force that affected me. Much like the inevitability of the planet Melancholia in the film.
9. It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Slightly more light hearted we have a teenager who spends a few days in a mental health ward after contemplating suicide. (note to self… maybe that’s where I should be with these film choices). In reality it is a lot more light hearted and its the sweet moments that won me over along with the sadness that comes from some of the older patients in the ward. I wasn’t really expecting anything from this film to be honest and it surprised me and left me with a nice feeling.
8. Black Swan
Again similar to Melancholia in that when I watched it I can remember not really knowing how I felt about the film but it stuck with me for a few days afterwards and not many films do that for me. In a way it reminded me of Aronosky’s Requiem for a Dream with the way it was shot and put together. If you analyse the story it seems relatively straight forward but he puts it together in such a way to bring a sense of dread and unease which really affected me as a viewer.
7. Beginners
Continuing the sombre tone of this top ten we have Beginners which is based around a young man dealing with his dad revealing he has cancer and that he is gay. In some ways it covers some of the same ground as It’s Kind of a Funny Story but in a more serious, grown up drama type of way. Again its the sweet moments fused with the sad situation that hit home for me.
6. Senna
I found this documentary really gripping and moving. I have watched F1 on and off for a while but I don’t think that really has anything to do with liking the film. Ayrton Senna was a really inspirational person and the film is put together really well with excerpts from interviews and races during his career.
5. Drive
Probably on quite a few top film lists this year and I think it deserves to be. I liked it because it was unique and unusual how it didn’t pander to the audience and it just sucked me right in. I do think it was carried along by Gosling’s performance but it’s easy to say that as the whole film centres around him.
4. 13 Assassins
A fun film at last! Well the most fun film on this list. With all your big hollywood action films this year and the last few years I think someone should make whoever made them sit down and watch this film. I am a bit of a fan of Japanese cinema in general and this has to be one of the best Samurai films I have seen. There is a 40 minute battle scene at the end and somehow it still leave you wanting more.
3. The King’s Speech
It feels strange to have The King’s Speech on the list as in my head this feels like a film of last year rather than this year but I watched it in January. I think everything that could be said has already been said on this film and for me it worked well and left me with a little lump in my throat during the ending so whats not to like.
2. Tyrannosaur
I have swapped Tyrannosaur from the number 1 spot to number 2 countless times but unfortunately I setted on leaving it at number two. I may have already said this but watching Tyrannosaur is like being hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer. I can remember having my day all planned out and first on the list was watching this film but I ended up staggering out of the cinema and going on a bit of a wander. It is a very raw film and although very violent doesn’t judge it’s characters or hold them up as beacons for us to behold. Instead it feels that we are allowed to witness them first hand and make our own judgement. I always think of the scene in Donnie Darko where the annoying teacher is asking Donnie to draw an x on the line of good and evil and he loses it and tells her that it isn’t as simple as that. I feel the same way in trying to sum up my thoughts on the characters and the film. It’s just beyond my reach to be able to explain that in words, all I know was that I was hit with a sledgehammer.
1. Blue Valentine
If I could have made any film this year (other than Booked Out!) I would like to have made Blue Valentine. Following on my sad and sweet theme this has to be the saddest and sweetest film of the year! Well maybe not the saddest but you get what I mean, it had the mixture just right. The getting together scenes are just wonderful nuggets of film-making and it has my favourite scene of any this year where Gosling plays Williams the song on his uke. Check out the trailer below which features that scene (with a few bits and pieces cut into it but you will get the point). The broken parts of the film work well as they don’t explain the whole story and leave it up to me as the viewer to decide my point of view and interpretation of events.
So there you have it for another year… did I miss anything? are any of these your worst films of the year? The things with lists are that it’s very personal to me so I am bound to not have the same list as you but I like putting it together. Hopefully next year Booked Out will make it onto someones 2012 top film list. Probably a bit cheeky to be on mine!
Booked Out Locations
This blog is for Catherine Jezequel and anyone else interested in where we shot the feature film Booked Out. I have collated together all our locations and shown you what they looked like before and after we got there. For those of you that want the exact locations I have also included them on a handy Google Map.
Before I get onto describing the locations I must say a huge thanks to Martin Walker and James Player who found all of these venues for me, without them we would have been filming in a car park.
Fancy Dress Party Venue
Location: Grange St. Pauls Hotel
The fancy dress party was shot in the basement of a hotel near St. Pauls cathedral. The hotel were actually turning it into a nightclub so it was a building site when we found it and the building site was perfect for our warehouse style party. Actually when we arrived to shot the scene they had done a little bit too much building and we have to make it look more like a building site before shooting. We shot the fancy dress scene in one long and hectic day. I can’t imagine going back there now as it will be turned in a fancy nightclub.
This picture is of the room in its state when we scouted it. There was lots of wires hanging out the roof as you will see but when we returned they had all been fixed up.
Fancy Dress Party (scout)
This is a picture of the actual party. You can see where we tried to recreate the lots of wires thing on the roof. Big thanks to all the extras that came along and dressed up that day.
Fancy Dress Party (on set)
Swing Dancing Venue
Location: Grange Wellington Hotel
We didn’t shoot the whole film in hotels, don’t worry, although the Grange were really nice and the benefit of shooting in a hotel is that they are used to managing large groups of people so for the days that we had a lot of extra’s they were ideal to look after us.
For the swing dancing I wanted a room that was like an old church hall or a local dance class that is intimate. When we had secured the fancy dress venue they told us about this hotel which has a small chapel attached to it. So we went down and had a look and it had the intimacy of a church hall but also had some nice quirky details that would make it stand out.
We had two days to shoot this scene and the luxury of two cameras as well. We definitely had lots more footage of this scene compared to another other on the shoot. It was also my 30th birthday when we shot this scene and a strange Booked Out fact is that me, Rollo and Gabriela all share the same birthday and I made sure that we were all on set that day. Not time off for celebrating!
This is what it looks like when they hire it out to businesses who use it as a meeting room.
Swing Venue (scout)
This is what it looks like when you get rid of all those chairs, add about 50 swing dancers and a film crew!
Swing Venue (on set)
Train Station
Location: St. Pancras International Train Station
One thing London does have is lots of lovely old train stations and my particular favourite has to be St. Pancras so Martin had the job of convincing them to let us film there. This was the first shot of the film and we were allowed about 40 minutes in the station really early on a Sunday morning. The shots came out lovely with the sun beaming down through the glass roof.
This picture is of some of the crew at the end of a day’s worth of recce-ing locations.
St. Pancras (scout)
This is a shot from the finished film and you can see the rays of light shining down through the roof.
St. Pancras (film)
Riverside Walk
Location: Southbank (outside Tate Modern and beside the Millenium Bridge)
I always imagined this scene on the Southbank of the Thames and have walked this route a number of times. I actually wanted it slightly further up the river just outside the BFI building where there is a canopy of trees which go alongside the walkway but we couldn’t get permission to shoot there unfortunately. Where we did shoot was funny as you had the tate modern behind us but its such a large building that we couldn’t get it in shot, especially when shooting in a 2.39:1 ratio.
(I think that if you don’t get aspect ratio jokes or haven’t been to the Southbank you should skip this section!)
We did our one and only steadicam shot here and again only had a couple of hours to shoot the scene so there was a lot of pressure on everyone to make it work. Its fun looking back now but at the time there was that moment where it was touch and go as to whether we could get the shots before being thrown out. Also the number of tourists behind us got quite large as well so lots to deal with.
The following are two similarish images taken from the scout and then on set.
Riverside Walk (scout)
Riverside (film)
Record Shop
Location: Rough Trade East
I have always been a big fan of Rough Trade Records and independent record shops in general. It would probably take a couple of blogs to go through all the record shops that we looked at but I chose this one as I had personally been there and experienced it myself as a customer and that held sway over me. It was a short scene in here so we literally got here with about 30 minutes till wrap and shot the scene. We had to keep asking the shop manager to turn off his music between each take. They were really keen on switching the music back on as soon as we finished each one for some reason.
This picture is taken on the scout and we shot where the guy with the brown jacket is standing and over on the left by the desk.
Rough Trade Records (scout)
This is near enough where the brown jacket man was standing. Thats the lovely James Payton of Harry Potter fame who helped us out with a little cameo as the record shop worker.
Rough Trade Records (film)
Bookstore
Location: Josephs Bookstore
Similar to the record stores in some ways that there are lots of little cool independent book stores in London and Martin trapsed around to quite a few of them for me. This was my clear favourite and also had the added benefit of being owned by a lovely Jewish man which meant that he closed the shop on a Saturday normally so we didn’t have to arrange for him to close the store especially for us. It also had the benefit of being connected to a cafe next door that we used for the cafe scene (see below).
We had a day at the cafe and book store, shooting the cafe scene in the morning before it opened and then moving into the book store after that.
This is me and Martin on the recce of the store and if you look up on the left you can see the entrance to the cafe.
Book Store (scout)
This is Mirren and Gabriela from the film. Must point out the Jason novel that Gabriela is reading… if you like graphic novels then you should check out the Jason ones… he’s Norweigan if I remember write and has some wickedly funny and inventive stories.
Book Store (film)
Cafe
Location: Cafe Also
As described above this is the cafe that was right next door to the book store.
This picture is of our 1st A.D. Tom Mulberge who I think was pretending to be one of the characters in this scene. If you look at the left hand side you can side the route in the book store.
Cafe (scout)
This is taken from the film and I love the way the image bends with the blinds in the background.
Cafe (film)
Cemetery
Location: Hampstead Cemetry
I scouted this location myself as part of a day of reshoots that we did for the film and it was a bit strange to be honest. Going around different cemetry’s with a camera and taking pictures just made me feel a bit weird. Especially when there are others around visiting graves. I went once on my own and then I made Sam came with me next time and he is in the picture below.
Cemetry (scout)
This picture is when we were on set and I still felt a bit weird that day too but with something like permission for 40 minutes to shoot the scene it quickly focused my attention.
Cemetry (on set)
Park 1
Location: Southwark Park
There are two park locations in the film and this one has the wonderful title of Park 1 which in reality was Southwark Park. We needed a park with a nice momument type feature and we chose this because it has a lovely bandstand and also because it was reasonably close to the Southbank where we had to be before this. The shots we got of this park were really lovely and all the different shades of green came out really nicely.
I can remember we got here late after shooting at the southbank and everyone was a bit frazzled but everything we shot at the park just seemed to come out really easily and before you knew it the energy was back and everything was exciting again. Sometimes it really does feel like a day on set equals a weeks worth of emotions.
This picture shows the bandstand that we chose the park for and also a bench that you will have seen Jacqueline sit at if you have taken the time to look through the booked out photos on facebook.
Park 1 (scout)
This is Rollo beside a little water fountain. I remember we were focused on the bandstand but we then needed a none bandstand area for Rollo’s scene and we stumbled across this lovely little feature. As I said above, everything just fitted into place that day.
Park 1 (film)
Park 2
Location: Hampstead Heath
More of a heath than a park as the name suggests. I have walked here quite a bit and I reckon most people in London will have been at this spot at one point in time. In the pictures below they are pointing down a hill but if the camera was to turn over to the right you can see out all over London. Pretty sure a few other films have filmed here too… answers on a postcard.
Park 2 (scout)
Park 2 (on set)
Bus Station
Location: Golders Green Bus Station
Mainly chosen due to its proximity to the cemetry but also because it isn’t a huge bus station but isn’t too small either. Known as the medium bus station to the locals who frequent it. When I scouted the bus station it was full of buses and you could hardly get a shot without at least half a dozen buses in view but when we got there there was hardly any so we had to work hard to give it that busy bus station vibe.
I don’t have a still from the film for the bus station scene so you will have to wait for that but here is the one I took during the scout.
Bus Station (scout)
Bridge
Location: Regents Canal Bridge No. 13
This was actually a stunt double bridge as the bridge I actually chose turned out to be inside London Zoo. This was part of the reshoot and I scouted it myself so can’t even blame anyone else for that fopaux. There are some lovely bridges along the Regents canal if you ever fancy a walk along the river. I also remember Jordan being particularly fascinated by the canal boats that were going by as he wanted to get them in shot all the time.
This picture shows the bridge we shot on plus my original chosen bridge which happened to be in the zoo in the background.
Bridge (scout)
And here is Claire modelling the bridge so beautifully.
Bridge (film)
Jacob’s flat
Location: My old flat
This is the only location that I have no pictures of and its where I used to live. We used this as part of the reshoot day that I talked about earlier so what is more indie film-making than using your own flat. I was living in a small studio flat at the time and basically everything I owned was lying outside when we filmed these scenes.
Hairdressers
Location: Glamourize, St. Albans
Just a fleeting visit to this one which was close to our main flats location. Nothing more to say really that the following picture doesn’t do itself.
Hairdressers (scout)
There are no pictures of the filmed parts of the hairdressers but here is a picture of Rollo sitting outside it.
Hairdressers (on set)
Art Supplies Shop
Location: Coral Press Ltd, St. Albans
Not really an art supplies shop but one of those shops that does a bit of everything. Art Supplies, Stationary, Printing, Signs, etc, etc. We didn’t film it but they had a cool basement storage room with loads and loads of boxes that was like something out of Delicatessen but thing it only would have fitted one person at a time.
Here is the shop with and without Kris Abrahams who plays Norman in Booked Out.
Art Supplies Shop (scout)
Art Supplies (on set)
Art Class
Location: Ace Art, Hatfield
This was a slightly surreal little find. It was like an art supplies warehouse on an industrial estate which held art classes in an upstairs room. Again another location with frightfully little time to shoot the scene we had but we got it done. I don’t have a picture for this place before we got there but here is Rollo and Mirren on set.
Art Class (film)
Flat Exteriors
Location: Lichfield Court, Richmond
You would think that we would just get one blocks of flats and shoot it all there but no, not when you can go to different locations to get the perfect look for each part of the flats and create your own flat monster. The exteriors were all shot in Richmond on a single day. I don’t have any pictures from the scout on this and think that we probably picked it based on looking at photo’s on Martin’s laptop. The picture below shows you the nice grand style entrance which was the main reason that we picked it.
Main Flat Exteriors (on set)
Main Flat Interiors
Location: Cunningham Avenue, Hatfield
The bulk of the film was filmed in a single flat in Hatfield. We redressed the flat three times to make it look like Ailidh, Mrs Nicholls and Jacquelines individual flat as well as filming in the stairwells and generally being a nuisance to everyone who lived there who seemed pretty relaxed about the whole thing given that we were there for three weeks.
This picture shows Mrs Nicholls version of the flat from the film. The window in the background is actually a kitchen which you see in Jacquelines flat. We went for a warm and cosy granny flat for Mrs Nicholls with all the nick-nacks that she would have collected.
Main Flat (Mrs Nicholls)
Then you have a complete contrast with the warm and vibrant Ailidh’s flat. Behind Ailidh in the picture is a large painting that is covering the kitchen from before. We actually couldn’t make the canvas big enough to fit the gap and then be able to get it into the flat so the artist (Kimi Baek) came to the flat and painted it in the flat and then it had to be dismantled when we were finished with the room.
I must say a big thanks to Sara Ranieri and her team who did the set design on these three flats. Each one of them looked amazing!
Main Flat (Ailidhs)
The last picture is of Jacquelines flat which was bare and empty in comparison to the other two. I couldn’t find a picture of the kitchen with the actors in which is annoying but you will see it in the finished film.
Main Flat (Jacquelines)
Flat Interiors 2
Location: Barrington Court, Muswell Hill
As well as shooting the main rooms above we also shot in a kitchen in another flat for Mrs Nicholls kitchen, just to keep up the fun puzzle of trying to make all these locations look like the same place!
If you see the picture below, the original kitchen was pretty nasty with a horrible yellow colour. I think after filming they wanted us to reinstate that horrible colour again. I think they thought it was brightening the room up but they must have been mad.
Flat 2 (scout)
We transformed it into Mrs Nicholl’s green and added her old school tea making equipment which made it a hundred times better. Here is Mirren making some tea.
Flat 2 (on set)
Locations wrapped
So there you go. I hope that was interesting for some of you. If you have any questions about this then feel free to add them to the films Facebook page and I will do my best to answer them.
Back in the writers chair
Its been a long time since I wrote Booked Out (coming up for 3 years) and over the last month or so I have started to write a new project. I know what your thinking… but when is Booked Out coming out. Its a bit of a broken record story on that front at the moment. There are a number of things that we are working on but nothing concrete to share and I don’t like saying we might be doing this or we might me doing that. So instead I thought I would describe how it feels to be writing again… sorry!
It is a strange thought when you think “I can write about anything in the world so why I am writing this?”. Most of the time I don’t really know the answer but that nagging doubt has crept in over the last couple of days as I ponder whether the first 20 pages of this film cut the mustard. Pretty sure they do or at least they do for a first draft but just being a little too critical of late. So what is this film and why am I writing it…
I don’t want to say too much as it still feels like my baby and I’m not giving it anyway that easily but… its a coming of age sci-fi story about a boy who finds an Alien Rover. Something like this… but an alien version…
Its set on earth though so feels more like a coming of age, losing your teenage marbles type of film rather than overtly sci-fi. I have always been a bit of a fan of sci-fi but not really all the fantasy stuff but more the kind that involves science or science concepts. I also did a Maths degree so I kind of like a bit of geeky science theory.
I’ve been thinking of writing again for a while and feel like I’ve started a little process that has been bourne out of writing Booked Out and going through all the different phases – editing, soundtrack, filming, etc. So here is what I do and then I’ll tell you what I’ve learned and how I am trying to incorporate that.
My writing process
Start by making lots of lists! Basically I have lots of notes of little ideas that I have recorded for too long now and I went through all my old notebooks and collated them into a list. Then I noted a list of films that I love. It helps to stare at your DVD collection for a while when doing this. Next up I did the same with film genres. From this I dreamt up more high level film ideas until I had a decent list. About half the way through this process I came up with the sci-fi idea and couldn’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the time so by the end there wasn’t really a need to have a selection as one was already nagging me to get started.
During these initial stages I seem to be fixated on a couple of random images that somehow help to crystalise the idea in my head. I think its important to me at least to have these as they help set the film in context. One of these is the image of the boy running through long yellow grass but the image being filmed in a way that it looks very red in some sort of homage to Mars. Another is that he fixes old radio’s (remember when people fixed things instead of buying a replacement?) which gives the side-effect of having the idea of the noise of static being a constant tension in his life. I also like the idea that he is someone who likes to take things apart, investigate them, understand them and then he can put them together to fix them. This being some sort of metaphor for what goes on in the film although its there in the background rather than being obvious to the viewer.
So with these thoughts and a random idea I then try to create an outline of the film. I’ve heard this called a lot of different things and I can never tell if people mean the same thing or not but essentially for me it means a list of bullet points that describe the story. Some points may be really high level and others might be detailed. I don’t really mind at this stage as long as I can work out the broad points of the story. Around this I usually try and brain storm other things at the same time which help to make the outline better.
These have included:
- Question and answers about the characters. (age, music they like, first kiss, food they like, do they care about their appearance, etc). Anything that rings a bell.
- The characters specific goals in life, moments they have been let down. I feel this and the last point are different. One gives me a general idea of who they are whereas this one tells me what drives them through every moment of their life.
- Random ideas about the film or an area I am stuck on. (i.e. I know that I want the character to feel let down by another character so lets make a list of things that could make them feel let down)
- List films and books that feel like they are connected in some way.
- Watch those films and write a list (did I mention I like lists) of things that the film did well, things the film didn’t do well and what similarities there are with my idea.
- Make music lists. The boy is 15 years old so I am making a playlist of music I listened to when I was fifteen. Its also set in the 80′s so I have created an 80′s playlist too.
Some of these are more like procastination than writing but in my head they help. At this stage I had a rough outline so next step was to let a few people read and comment on it. Its a weird time as I really want to save some readers for the first draft of the script but I really want feedback before writing 100 pages. I decided to send it to a couple of people. One being the DoP of Booked Out who I trust to give constructive feedback and I know that he will be able to give good comments on the script even though he has read the outline.
I then took the outline and rewrote it a couple of times. It then felt like it needed a few more rewrites but I couldn’t help myself so for the past couple of weeks I have been writing the script which has made me get even deeper inside the characters so I am not sure if I jumped too early or not but there you go.
I tend to go with the idea of “keep writing the script and don’t look over scenes that you have wrote so far or you will never get past the first ten pages”. I also tend to not be too fussy about dialogue either in the first draft. The characters are a bit direct but I know that getting the story in the right format is the main thing then I can finesse that later on.
I wrote about this before I think but I also like going to different places to write and especially like getting out of the flat (or more away from the computer) to do the thinking up parts. I would recommend Yumchaa in Camden if you are looking for a writing den. I’m the one with the beard and a notebook if you come along.
Writing differently from Booked Out
There are probably lots of lessons that I have learned that I can’t put into words as I just feel like I have a better grasp of what I want to do, what I need to do it and what will and won’t work on the road there…. but… I thought I would try and describe a few things that I have noticed in particular.
- Try and make every scene as dramatic as possible. Might sound simple but even with simple scenes you can add little moments of tension in.
- Use actions by the characters to try and show their feelings instead of words. Kind of your show and don’t tell but focused on the characters actions in particular.
- Ensure the transition between scenes flow well and won’t jar.
- Establish everything up front in an interesting way but ensure the audience understand the needs of all the characters.
Not my best list ever but mind has started to slow down with all the talk of lists.
Acting up
If you follow the Booked Out Facebook Page you will have probably seen this but I appeared in Mark West’s (one of the Booked Out composers) music video for his band The Lost Cavalry. I was chosen because I was the only person who had a beard like a frozen arctic DJ. It was quite fun doing some “acting” but think I prefer to being behind the camera. Take a look and let me know what you think
Back to the grindstone…
Ok, blogging time is up and scripting time is about to begin again. Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any writing tips I can incorporate!
Booked Out for Sound Part I
Hi everyone… thought I better write a blog before it gets much longer since the last one…. but what to talk about…. Seen as I haven’t really blogged for about nine months I was puzzling over what to cover, majority of that time on Booked Out has been on editing, sound design and colour grading. There is loads to say on these topics but a lot of it is really hard to talk about without the context of seeing the film. Imagine listening to a DVD commentary track without ever having watched the film… it would be horrible.
So instead I have decided to talk about the process of finding the tracks that we used on the soundtrack of the film which hopefully will be an amusing and insightful topic.
Tracks from the shoot
There were a few scenes that needed music played on set so we played some tracks during filming and only one of these made it all the way through into the finished film. The biggest issue was our swing dancing scene as all the cast and extras needed music to dance to and with our rush to shoot the film we didn’t have the music cleared in time before the film started shooting so we took a big risk that we would shoot the film with music that we knew we would have to replace. In the end we had five swing tracks in the film and we were lucky enough to be able to clear the track “Jump Session” by “Slim and Slam” which unfortunately there is no link to online so I can’t share that track with you… you will have to wait for the film to hear it!
Clearing old swing tracks was a bit of a challenge to be honest. The hardest part is trying to locate the owners as they didn’t have a nice database of artists back then containing who had signed up to what so there was a lot of chasing down avenues that revealed themselves to be dead ends. So out of the tracks used on set one made it all the way through… which I think is nice, makes it feel special.
Tracks from the edit
During the editing process there is a temporary soundtrack added to give a feel of the final film and to guide the song choices for clearance and these tracks for Booked Out came from myself and Faisel the editor.
The first one was a suggestion from me of an Iceland band called For A Minor Reflection that I had seen live at a festival in Brighton called the great escape. I remember watching them for the first time well as they were given a venue which essentially was a corner of a hotel basement and it was a really surreal environment to watch a gig…. but in someways I could have been anywhere as they were far and away the highlight of the festival for me. All their songs are instrumental tracks but they have their own sort of emotional quality that I find is really hard to describe. If you are in the right mood they will blow your mind… and I was in that mood that night. The track we got for the film is called “Dansi Dans” and on that night the two main guitarists in the band sat down their guitars and played this beautiful piano based track with the two of them sitting at the piano playing the keys together. It really is a uplifting but heartfelt track that brought a tear to my eye and I came away from the festival and back into the edit suite and immediately knew that I wanted that track for the film. We dropped it straight into the edit and it worked straight away.
In order to get the track for the film I went along to a later gig of theirs in London and went up to them after the show asking to use their track and telling them how great I thought they were. Luckily they couldn’t hear me that well so won’t have heard all my gushing but I managed to give them a Booked Out card and they got in touch soon after and the rest as they say is history.
The second track that made its way from the edit to the final film was suggested by the editor and ever since he showed me the scene with the song it felt like a poisoned chalice as we knew that song worked perfectly but it would be hard to get. The song is “Overpowered” by Roisin Murphy and I must admit that I am not a huge dance music fan but I know what I like and what I don’t like and Roisin’s music on her own and with Moloko is definitely my type of dance music. It is hard to describe without watching the scene but the track feels slightly unusual to me but also quite straight so it works really well with the scene. It was also cool to watch the Sound Designer Roland Heap playing around with the track in his cinema speaker set up. I think he was trying to blow out my eardrums with the bass at one point!
I was going to cover all the tracks in one blog but I got a bit carried away with my For A Minor Reflection reminiscing that I think its better to split it into two digestible chunks… Think Kill Bill or the Hobbit!
Thanks again for the feedback on the Booked Out Trailer and keep in touch!
Booked Out Trailer Launch
This is my first blog in its new home “Bryan Makes Films” which used to be the Booked Out Diary. I decided to move it away from Booked Out so I could blog about other things as well as Booked Out and also to move it onto a blogging platform to take advantage of all the built in blog features rather than the old version which was essentially coded from scratch. I want to write about all the things that I released last Friday as part of the Booked Out Trailer Launch Day and let you know my thoughts on it all. It feels like I haven’t slept for weeks but was really great to finally put everything together.
The Trailer
You have probably all seen the trailer by not but if not then check it out below and let me know your thoughts
I have had some great feedback via email on facebook, twitter and YouTube which is great. There hasn’t been one negative comment (yet!). It felt like I was unveiling my baby to the world so there was a lot of trepidation to let it out there and once its out you can’t stop it.
Making the trailer was also an interesting experience… trying to condense a feature length film into 90 seconds is really hard work. I knew that I didn’t want it to be one of those trailers that give away the whole story and all the best bits as for me there it really devalues the film. It was also important to get across the tone of the film as well so that the audience get an idea of what it might be like to watch the film without giving the game away.
It would be great to hear your thoughts!
Website/Facebook
I had been wanting to give the website a makeover for quite some time and the trailer launch gave me the perfect opportunity. I made the decision to make the website an information site and to use facebook/twitter as a place to collaborate and talk with everyone interested in the film so in some ways we tightened up the amount of content on the website and added new areas to the facebook fan page. I will talk about the new facebook bits and pieces in a second but I just wanted to say thanks to Kimi Baek who did the graphic novel drawings that I used as part of the background collage for the site. Kimi did all of the artwork for Ailidh’s room in the film as well and I think you’ll agree that it has its own unique little feel to it.
In terms of new facebook we have the following new content:
- Lots of new production photographs – I finally got round to organising and cropping all the pictures we had from the shoot and decided to put them all into facebook albums. I think even the background shots give a sense of the film as well as the hard work and dedication that has went into making it.
- New Cast and Crew pages – These are copies from the website but slotted into facebook. If anyone is bored then ask me how to do this as its a bit fiddly to make it look right. It always annoyed me that if you found the film on facebook that you wouldn’t have the same details as the website as you are forcing the audience to look at two different sites if they want to check out your film.
- Score - Mark West of the Lost Cavalry and Derek Yau put together a really cool score for the film and we decided to put it online for you all to listen to. Thanks to the guys for a great job and to Mark for preparing all the songs for the website. Sure they would love to know what you thought of them.
- Soundtrack - I spent about four months scouring the internet for music for the film and the results of this is a pretty exciting collection of tracks that you can watch YouTube videos for. I will talk about each one individually in the coming weeks but check them out.
- Wee pictures – The little images next to the links for these on facebook I came up with as well… its meant to be a smiley Polaroid pictures. This was done at about 3am one night when I thought it was a great idea and it stuck ever since.
Blog
So that only leaves this blog as the last piece of the puzzle. This is the part where I say I’m going to blog lots now and no one really believes me! I am hoping having the blog using blogging software will make it easier for me to write blogs and therefore for them to come out more often. Heres hoping!
Whats next?
The one question I get asked more than ever just now is when will the film come out and where will it be shown. We have submitted the film to a number of film festivals and will hopefully hear news soon from them. We are also in discussion with a few distributors about actually getting the film out there but these are still early days so I don’t imagine a release date will be set for a little bit but I am as keen as you are for the film to get out there but we need the right people to do that for us.
Personally I have started writing another film which is still forming in my head as you read this but I am hoping to write about this on this blog over the coming months.
My Top Five Films of 2010
Following in the tradition of my Top 5 films of 2009 I have made my decisions for this year. This years best films seem to feel a bit more blockbuster than last years for some reason. Not sure if my viewing habits have changed or not.
Ok, so here is my list starting at…
5. Greenberg
I went into watch Greenberg with high expectations as I had loved the director Noah Baumbachs previous films “The Squid and the Whale” and “Margot at the Wedding”. I can remember coming out the cinema a little disappointed if I am honest but then I think the film grew on me and I have watched it since and there are lots of lovely little moments in it that I love but passed me by on the first watch.
For those of you who haven’t seen it, you have Ben Stiller playing a serious part where he is basically trying to figure out what he wants from his life. I think the Ben Stiller not being the Ben Stiller that you are used to does take a little while to get over. Its the performance of his co-star Greta Gerwig that makes the film special for me.
Ben Stiller in Greenberg
4. Heartless
Next up is a totally different film in the psychological horror film Heartless. This film is in my top 5 because of the performance by Jim Sturgess (which if you have been reading my blogs you will know I admire) but also because I wanted to have a British film in the list that took a few risks and tried to create a unique film. The film intrigued me throughout and I would recommend it!
Jim Sturgess in Heartless3. The Social Network
I think that this is probably the best put together film of the year. When I review the storyline and think back then I am still amazed at how they made the story feel so intense and intriguing throughout the film because the actual story is a million miles away from being interesting (in my point of view!).
David Fincher just works his magic here again. I watched “The Game” just after watching The Social Network and that is probably one of the best films of all time. The Social Network is an almost perfect film that if you haven’t seen it then it should be on your must see xmas list!
Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
2. Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3… what can I say that hasn’t been said already about this and the other films in the series. I think that they just get everything so right all the time. Surely there must be someone at Pixar who makes wrong decisions!
They get the balance right between kids film and adult entertainment, graphics are brilliant as always, story moves along well and they even managed to get a cameo from Studio Ghibli animated legend Totoro.
Check Out Totoro in Toy Story 3
1. My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
The last two films probably deserve the number one spot but they weren’t the film that stayed with me the most. I read a lot of reviews which totally savaged the film but for me it really hooked me in. Some of it is probably a bit over indulgent but you are watching a Herzog film after all. Its another horror film but more strange and weird without any real gratuity. It just makes you feel out of your comfort zone as if the world has titled an extra degree and you know something is off but can’t put your finger on it.
The one thing that makes the number one film of the year is the performance by Michael Shannon. He is just so intense for the whole film. The score and some of the camera shots are equally unsettling. David Lynch was the producer and hard to tell how much he was involved but you can feel his influence in a few areas of the film.
Would you have dinner with these guys?
That’s a wrap!
There you go. I think most people will disagree with me but if you do then lets discuss it on the Booked Out Facebook Page which will display this blog and where you can also become a fan of Booked Out.
I hope you all have a lovely xmas and hope to show you my finished film in the coming year!
Reshoot Diary – Shooting Day 1
Months after the original shoot and we were ready to get the camera back out and to shoot some more film! Our editing process has been going really well but we realised a couple of months ago that there were some areas of the film that needed strengthening in order to make the film as a whole work better. I think reshoots or additional photography or whatever you want to call them are a must for any film, especially if like us the film was shot over a very short timescale.
We were lucky that we could fit all our little loose odds and ends into a two day filming spectacular. Day 1 was planned as a documentary style shoot day with a small crew traveling around London to shoot in six locations. I think all of the crew looked at me as if I was mad when I mentioned this plan. If there was any sort of traffic problems then we would be doomed.
Talking of crew, most of the old favourites from the first shoot came back to work for us again. The few that couldn’t were swanning around on Martin Scorseses film set and the like. They didn’t know what they were missing!
The night before the shoot was another those sleepless ones for me personally. Everything is in place and you want to get some rest for the next couple of days but then you lie awake with a million things going through your mind.
Our first stop on our documentary style manoeuvres was Hampstead Cemetery for a graveyard scene with Rollo Weeks and Claire Garvey. I had scouted the location beforehand and it is pretty weird to walk around a graveyard taking pictures and discussing what gives you the best view. I think graveyards will always be eerie. Even with the crew and actors there on the day there was still the sense that this was a place for thought and contemplation rather than a bustling film crew.
The Booked Out Reshoot crew preparing for the first shot of the day. Photo by Rob Baker Ashton
It was as if we had never been away to be honest. Rollo and Claire both knew there characters inside out by this point so were fully prepared for the scene. Jordan was busy making the cemetery look good. Sophie and Heather had the actors looking good. All that was left was to run the camera and shoot action!
It was funny coming back to filming when we have a full edit of the film to look at. It takes the thought that you know what you are looking for to the next level. You know exactly what you want and what is required in each scene. First time around I knew what I wanted too but this felt different. I also wanted a couple of options on certain scenes as well so that we could try different routes in the edit. All part of the learning process but I felt more in control this time with the knowledge that the editing process gave me.
After the cemetery we traveled in our minibus to Golders Green Bus Station for an action scene! Rollo was performing a scene where he is looking for Jacqueline in the bus station. We put on an impressively big long lens for this scene and stood outside the station as Rollo ran around inside it. I relayed directions to him over the phone. I think Rollo’s skateboarding background came in useful as he jumped over a couple of the fences in the station. In my head I was thinking that he was saying “parkour, parkour”. This scene is going to come out well within the film I think. I shouldn’t say this as most likely we will decide to cut it in the next week!
If not to torture Rollo enough we next sent him off on a bus. As usual with London buses it seemed to take an age for one to come by the time we were set up. I would feel sorry for Rollo having to get on the bus and ride a stop before coming back to us but he borrowed my oyster card to pay for the journey so I think we are even.
Rollo Weeks and Claire Garvey preparing for a scene in Booked Out. Photo by Rob Baker Ashton
After all his running around I think Rollo was relieved when we called lunch. It was funny at lunch as I got a call from the 1st A.D. from our main shoot Tom Mulberge who was just calling to see if we were ready for the shoot as we had brought the filming forward by a couple of days. I was talking to Jordan at the time and I thought it was nice as it felt to me that he was there with us finishing the film.
When lunch was finished we were definitely in motion and filmed a scene with Claire on Regents Canal. The canal is a really interesting place to film I think. There are lots of little nooks and crannies around that have probably been that way for years and years. Jordan seemed to take a fancy to the passing canal boats and was always keen to roll the camera when one of them came into the distance.
Last up for the day was the journey back to my studio flat which we were using for each of the interior locations and inserts that we planned to do over the two days. The last scenes today were all of Jacob in his flat. I was surprised that you could actually fit ten people in my flat although everything that I owned was sitting in a transit van outside. In these scenes we allowed Rollo to improvise and give us additional options as I mentioned earlier. Part of me would like to improvise more often but I think it would be scary to do it for a full film unless you where filming in sequence. Shivering at the thought of that!
The end of the day was upon us and as everyone left my flat I managed to find a small space to sleep for the night. The tiredness that comes with a days filming hit me again. I had forgotten how it is the most unique, stressful but exciting experience in my life. It was great to be back on set and reminds you that you are a filmmaker and are making a special film.
I also want to give a special mention to Iain Thompson who was brought on board to be our clapper loader but on the day was told that he would be focus puller for the two day shoot. He did a great job throughout the shoot and it was a pleasure to work with him again.
That’s a Wrap
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Top Foreign Language Films
Inspired by Rollo learning French for a scene in Booked Out during day 2 of our shoot and a few comments on our facebook fan page I am going to try and make those hard choices to decide my top foreign language films. Instead of coming up with a top 5 or 10 I thought I would make one selection per country. I haven’t watched films for every country in the world though so the selection of countries will be random at best. Not least hampered by my memory skills.
Japan – Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
I could have picked any Studio Ghibli film to be honest but Nausicaa is my favourite of all time and comes out as my Japanese selection. The character of Nausicaa is such a strong and powerful female lead who takes you on her outstanding journey. There is a final battle scene which is just beautiful and probably the greatest thing I have seen from a animated movie. I am deliberately not saying too much about this and the other films in case you want to watch them yourself! Wikipedia has enough spoilers if that is your thing.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Other Contenders:
Hana Bi, Princess Mononoke, Ikiru
Germany – The Lives Of Others
Another film that completely blew me away. I remember going to watch it at the cinema but without really knowing anything about it and coming away wanting to tell everyone and anyone to go and see it. It is compelling from the word go and the central performance from Ulrich Muhe is so mesmerising and understated. Still sad to think that he is no longer with us. This is a film I have watched a number of times since and it just seems to get better every time I watch it.
The Lives Of Others
Other Contenders
The Wave, Goodbye Lenin, Aimee & Jaguar
France – Amelie
Amelie is one of those films that makes you fall in love with cinema. I find it impossible that anyone could walk out of the cinema after watching this film and not to have a smile on their face. The film manages to create Amelie’s world, the production design is exquisite and Audrey Tautou makes you fall in love with her. I loved Delicatessen so was looking forward to Amelie and when it came out I was hypnotised. I think its hard for a film when you go in with such high expectations but this film exceeded all of mine and still does.
Amelie
Other Contenders
L’homme du train, I’ve Loved You So Long
China – Chungking Express
I think this is my favourite Chinese film primarily for Faye Wong‘s character in the film. I could watch that character for a few hours nevermind 90 minutes. The film as a whole is ok but now when I watch I just want it to get to Faye’s part. This was one of the first Asian films that I watched and it got me hooked on finding out more about world cinema so deserves the top spot for that at least. I nearly picked In The Mood For Love as it is truly beautiful but I went for this because hearing the name ‘Chungking Express’ always brings a smile to my face.
Chungking Express
Spain – Talk to Her
Pedro Almodovars Talk To Her was another film that I didn’t know anything about before I went to see it and it introduced me into a new kind of cinema. I see it as poetry on screen, gentle and sympathetic treatment of a disturbing subject. I think you probably either love or hate Almodovars work and I love it and this is my favourite film of his. It was the first one that I watched as well, perhaps that has something to do with it.
Talk to Her
Other Contenders
Italy – 8 1/2
Supposedly you can’t make an indie film these days without reference to a Fellini film. I watched Youth in Revolt the other day and they had a reference to La Strada. Did anyone do it before Kevin Smith in Clerks?
My reason for loving eight and a half was down to the very beginning of the film. Guido being trapped in a car seemed like a really sinister way to start the film but it caught my attention and worked perfectly for the circus that was to follow after it. Whenever I think of this film I remember that scene. It is remarkable.
8 1/2
Others – The Battle of Algiers
Not sure what category this film should fit within. Arabic (language), French (language) or Italian (director). Whatever category goes in though this is a film that everyone must see. This is one of my favourite films of all time and one in which needs more people to know about it. A struggle between the French army and Algerians insurgents. It feels like a documentary and takes a even handed view on the conflict so you as a viewer is unsure what side to support and I think that is its masterstroke. At the end I wasn’t sure how it made me feel, surely some of the actions on either side could be considered terrible but the film didn’t paint it in such a way that this was obvious.
If you haven’t seen this film then go and watch it today! and the others too!
The Battle of Algiers
That’s a Wrap
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Production Diary – Shooting Day 2
After making our way through our first day the second one was on us immediately. The focus for day 2 would be the goings on within Mrs Nicholls living room and the interactions with her dead husband!
Day 2 Stats
- Location – Mrs Nicholls Living Room
- Script Pages – 3 7/8
- Actors – Mirren Burke, Rollo Weeks, Sylvia Syms
- Scenes – 4
- Date – Friday 12 March 2010
Preparations
Following on from the excitement of day 1 I had a few hours to contemplate how things had worked, what I needed to improve and how I needed to get the best out of the experienced resources at my disposal. One thing I read before filming started is that a director should know when they need to be on the ball and when they need to rest during a shoot. On day 1 I think that I was treating everything equally and trying to always be on the ball.
On reflect there are a few moments throughout the day where I could get away from things for five minutes to clear my head in order to be more effective when I was required. If the actors are in make up and the camera and lighting team need time to light a room then neither of them need me getting in their way. Instead I can find my own space to be reading over my notes on what I want out of the scenes we are shooting that day.
In someways this feels self indulgent with all the activity going on around you but I know believe it is essential in order to be a great director. Another thing that I thought of since we wrapped and fits nicely with this mini revelation is that at the end of each day I always made a point of helping to pack equipment away with the rest of the crew. I wanted to show everyone that I was a team player and to help foster a team spirit where everyone is making the film together.
Bryan O’Neil discussing the day 2 schedule with our 1st A.D. Tom Mulberge – Photo by Chris Burgess
Although a noble thought I think that for my next film I wouldn’t help out in this way. We probably spent about 20-30 minutes packing away depending on whether we were moving location and there are a number of things that I could have been doing with that time that would have served the film better. Preparing for the next day’s scenes, watching rushes, talking with the editor about footage, etc. Even though I am writing this I have a feeling inside me that if I was in the same situation where the whole crew are chipping in then I am not sure I could stand by and watch.
The other area that I wanted to concentrate on was to ensure that for each scene we were shooting that I would have prepared beforehand exactly what information I needed in a short concise format. On day 1 I had lots of notes on each scene, mostly focused on information that I needed to provide to the actors. For day 2, I cut these down to the essentials with some additional notes on the shots and in particular how I was planning to use the shots in the edit. The second point was to give me more confidence in committing to each take.
Mr Nicholls
Day 2 introduced an an additional character that you won’t find on this website, IMDB or Facebook. His name is Mr Nicholls. He is the dead husband of Mrs Nicholls (played by Sylvia Syms) who she believes is still alive and talks away too. He is personified in the film by his chair. The chair that he always used to sit in when he is alive.
This meant that we had to find a chair that embodied the life and soul of the quiet (some may say silent) Mr Nicholls. It was funny getting lots of pictures of chairs from our production design team and judging them against what I had in my mind as the residence of Mr Nicholls imaginary body. We settled on a worn leather brown chair. I had always imagined it being worn leather, the kind where the imprint of someone who has sat in the chair for the past 40 years lingers on.
Sylvia Syms acting with a chair that seats her imaginary husband Mr Nicholls – Photo by Chris Burgess
French Lessons
The other interesting aspect brought up by day 2 was that one of the scenes involved Rollo Weeks talking to Mr Nicholls chair in French. I won’t tell you why he is talking to a chair in French but will leave that for you to see when you watch the film!
For this we enlisted our script supervisor Irene Maffei to work with Rollo beforehand where he went over and over his lines in French. Rollo was really conscious that he wanted to get the pronunciation correct and all during the lighting set up you could hear him in the background going over his lines.
Rollo Weeks reparing to talk with the imaginary Mr Nicholls – Photo by Chris Burgess
I must admit that I don’t know French so he could have being saying anything as far as I know but you could tell that the emphasis was in the right places. Last week I was in Spain and during my time there I watched part of a film that had been dubbed in Spanish and it was really interesting what you notice when watching a film in a language that you don’t understand. You notice the cinematography more closely and if they aren’t conveying the right information then it can get confusing or boring to watch. Might be a bit of homework there to watch some non English language films (a favourite of mine) without the subtitles on.
Day 2 Thoughts
Day 2 went well. We finished slightly before schedule. I felt more committed to what I wanted during the day and all the team were working really well together. It is funny looking back to think that this happened as early as day 2 but each day felt like it lasted a week so that might be why.
Sylvia Syms and Mirren Burke during a scene where they watch Jacob talking with the imaginary Mr Nicholls – Photo by Chris Burgess
There was a real chemistry when we had Mirren, Rollo and Sylvia Syms on screen together. These scenes really work well within the current edit that we are putting together and have done since the very first assembly.
Mr Nicholls didn’t do too badly either!
Comments
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Working with the DoP – Camera Movement
Today I wanted to continue my working with the DoP mini-series to talk about camera movement and our selections and thoughts on how to tell the story in a visually interesting way that stayed true to my overall vision.
At the outset I had a fixed idea in my mind that I wanted to move the camera differently to reflect the different characters within the film. I will reflect on those initial choices and how they panned out within the filming process.
I will try and not give away any spoilers in the story but talk about high level concepts so as to not give away the details and nuances within the story.
Jacob and Jacqueline
Jordan Cushing performing a handheld shot
The relationship between these characters has been stale for a long time and neither character is actively looking to change the status quo that has built up. To emphasis this we decided to have the camera completely static on a tripod at the beginning of the film. The only movement that occurs in the actors moving through the space available on screen.
As their story progresses this status quo starts to fall apart so we introduced some hand-held camera work for a few particular scenes to build this idea up in the viewers minds. The feel of the hand-held shots wasn’t all Paul Greengrass mind you but more a subtle moments to ensure that we didn’t stray to far from the style of the rest of the film. I didn’t want the audience to notice the camera work instead of the actors.
Ailidh
I really wanted to contrast Ailidh with the relationship between Jacqueline and Jacob so whenever Ailidh is on her on we used hand held camera work. I don’t think we used one dolly shot of Ailidh in her own environment in the entire filming process. We wanted the movement to create a passionate environment that she lives and dreams within.
We didn’t use handheld for the entire filming of Ailidh as I felt that this conflicted with the overall style of the film and wouldn’t really allow the audience to get close to her character.
Mirren Burke preparing for a scene where we had the camera popping over her shoulder
Ailidh and Jacob
Then there was where the two worlds collided and we moved the camera but using a dolly instead of going hand held. This allowed us to show the awakening of Jacob to a brighter future but also to depict Ailidh finding appreciation and love for her true character.
Conclusion
Focus Puller James Matai preparing a dolly shot
In the edit suite we are still cutting away but I feel that these distinctions come across well. As the story develops then introducing these movements helps put the relationships into a new perspective. Towards the last third of the film the distinctions become less clear and the characters actions start to dictate the movement of the shots.
As well as all of the movement described above I also had a secondary aim of allowing the actors to portray the scenes with the camera static. I didn’t want a really choppy film but one that moved as if conducting an orchestra. As I said before even the hand-held shots were executed as close to being on a dolly as humanly possible to allow the film to flow and for the audience to remain engaged with the characters and the story as a whole.
In talk of the overall film we are still in the edit suite working away to create the best film possible. i am really pleased with the results. The performances of our actors have been extraordinary, the film looks visually amazing and the costumes and hair and make up fits the aesthetic perfectly. I feel that we have something that fitted my original dreams and we are using our time to ensure that we make this special film fulfill everyone’s dreams. Even those who don’t know that they have dreams yet.
Makes me want to go and watch Inception! As if I wasn’t excited enough about that already.
Special scene – Steadicam
I will go this area in more detail when I go through that day in our production diary but from the first draft of the script there was a “walk and talk” scene where Ailidh and Jacob walk alongside a riverbank and talk for about four minutes. From day 1 I always envisioned this as a single steadicam shot. Most of the other decisions on the film where done with lots of consideration but this for me was more of a gut feeling. It had to be steadicam and it had to be in a single shot.
Looking back and from watching the edit this occurs at the point when Ailidh and Jacob are starting to get to know each other and it coincides with Jacob starting to feel comfortable being around Ailidh and coming across as he always wanted to. I think this shot allowed Rollo to portray that moment and for Mirren to acknowledge that he was more than just that interesting boy next door.
Steadicam operator Pete Murray preparing for a shot on the Southbank facing St. Pauls Cathedral
That’s a Wrap
If you want to comment on this blog then it will be synchronized to the Booked Out Facebook fan page where you can also become a fan of the film.
If you want to read more about our DoP Jordan Cushing then check out the links below:
