SATURDAY 26th of March
Arrival on Set: 4pm
Scenes: Bathroom Scene - James on the Phone
On this day our talents were Jamie portraying Elisabeth and Andre playing James. The first scene we shot was the bath scene, one that proved challenging for Jamie due to the fact that the position she had to hold was uncomfortable and the bathroom itself was quite small. We were rather consistently behind schedule, an issue which I promised to fix by the next day.
We also had Teddy on set to help with technical stuff on camera, and she was invaluable, as I made a critical error during the first shoot. Due to Danay’s requirements on footage, we’d have to record in 4.2.2 ProRes, something which would be recorded on our Blackmagic external recorder monitor, which I was holding. Unfortunately, I had not been briefed on the fact that to record on the monitor, it had to be done manually, and it wasn’t an automatic process through the camera, so everything we had shot that day was in essence not adequate.
We reshot the phone conversation after dinner and scheduled the bathroom reshoots for the following Monday. We finished well behind schedule, but haAving learned very important lessons for the future. The team was extraordinary and kept the spirits up even when they learned of my mistake.
SUNDAY 27th of March Arrival on Set: 10am
Scenes: Bedroom Scene - James arrives home
On our second day of filming, we say a marked improvement over the previous in our efficiency. We were consistently ahead of schedule and just generally got better shots in. Teddy was around to help again, but the real MVP awards go to Jessica on Cinematography and Millie on schedule. They were both knocking shots out of the park at breakneck speed and making time for shot inspiration. For example, Jess had the idea to light a shot from the inside of a closet as it opened, which most of us thought wouldn’t work. However, it turned out to create just the right atmosphere we were hoping for, proving yet again that she has an eye for visual creativity that makes her extremely suited to being a cinematographer.
We shot 3 scenes that day: Linda’s discovery of the gun - Her preparing her murder - James’s arrival at home.
In the morning we shot the first two, set in the bedroom. This was Jamie and Jasmin’s first scene together and the first time they’d be alone together in the film. I was very conscious of the fact that they had to seem like proper sisters, and thankfully it took very little coaxing from me. They were both fantastic and I only had to direct them in terms of blocking and very specific nuances in their interpretations of the text.
In the afternoon, we shot Jasmin and Andre’s first scene together as James and Linda. This was a very technically ambitious scene. We were working with creating a venetian blind effect through the window on Linda, as well as using a dolly track and pan to be able to fit the scene in one shot, which would create a dynamic sense to the scene. It took us several takes to even get comfortable with the movement, and in hindsight I would have focused on establishing a more defined blocking and pacing sense, which would have allowed Jessica to anticipate the movement of the actors a bit better and not have to ‘chase’ them with the framing. However, I also think we still managed to get across that omniscient camera feel that we were aiming for, and Jasmin brought an amazing energy to Linda.
MONDAY 28th of March
On Monday we reshot the Bathroom scene. We were very thankful for Andre being available to do so, and Jamie was such a delight as always. They managed to bring even more energy and charisma to their performance, especially now that they’d both been able to ‘rehearse’ the scene in its entirety once beforehand. We even took the opportunity to change some of the aesthetics from the initial shoot, as now we could establish a better sense of continuity with James’ arrival that we’d shot the day prior.
TUESDAY 29th of March
Scenes: Beach Epilogue
A stripped down crew this time. Just me, DOP Jess and Producer Millie along with Jamie and Jasmin to shoot the beach epilogue scene, which serves as the final scene in the film. It was a very demanding day for our actresses, as they were in thin costumes on a very windy beach. We’d brought along blankets and coats to help keep them warm, but I still don’t envy their position. The great part is that they, as per usual, were flawless in their interpretation of Elisabeth and Linda, and it allowed us to get the shots much quicker than we expected, and even get some extra ones.
WEDNESDAY 30th of March
Scenes: Carousel Bar / Walk Home
On midday we had the good fortune of being able to shoot at Carousel Bar, where we shot the post-murder reflection scene of Linda in the bar. We were on a rather tight schedule, as we only had roughly an hour to shoot everything. Thankfully, there were only a handful of shots we needed to get, and we managed to make them look spectacular, as always a result of Jessica’s vision. Jasmin as well was able to give us a lot of great silent acting material.
On that night we shot an exterior shoot with Andre and Jamie, which will play around the midpoint of the film. It was one of our hardest shoots, because we were shooting in a cold street and the shots kept getting interrupted by cars driving by. Our actors and crew were absolute troopers, bearing with the cold and the cars and still managing to give great performances. While an exhausting shoot, the footage looked fantastic when played back, and I think it will add more diversity to the locations and the span of the film.
THURSDAY 31st of March
Scenes: Blue Room rehearsal / Exit from the Blue Room
An exceptionally intense shoot, but one which yielded what I think will be some of the most gorgeous shots of the entire film. It was also one of the most crucial ones for me, as it is the only scene in the entire film which includes all of the main players of the film (excluding Detective Foster, by design). I was very focused on the dynamics between all the characters, and ensuring that the relationships between them felt natural yet real. Our first scene was Madeleine’s rehearsal, and not only did it look gorgeous with the lighting we’d design, but Paloma was able to sing the song herself, and she blew us all away with her talent.
After that scene, we shot the ensemble scene where all our characters interact. This was a very demanding scene due to the amount of shots. We needed to get personal and intimate with every character, yet also maintain that uncomfortable energy required by Noir. While intense, we managed to get everything well within schedule and it looks absolutely fantastic. At that time, we also received Viktor, who would be playing Detective Foster.
That night, Emma took some of us to start building the set for the Murder Scene, which we’d be shooting the next day.
FRIDAY 1st of April
Studio Shoot
Scenes: Phone Conversation / Murder Scene
This day was the most intense shoot day we had, as we were working in the TV Studio. The entire team was firing on all cylinders. Emma’s Production Design was on full display, as the Dressing Room looked absolutely gorgeous. Due to our tight schedule, the previous night Jessica had sorted through the shot list and cut or combined shots so that we would have less to do and more time for each one. We sorted everything and then brought in Paloma for the phone conversation.
This was a scene that I knew would be key, as it is the only scene in the film where James and Madeleine talk directly to one another with no one else (that they know of) listening. It was imperative to me that Madeleine not come off as the house-wrecking seductress, but a kind and passionate soul that had let her heart get the best of her. Paloma and I had had a long talk about this scene prior to shooting, and she delivered even better than I could have anticipated.
After that, we shot the murder, which is the entire centrepiece of the film. This was a scene I had been both looking forward to and dreading. If it didn’t come out right, the entire film would crumble. This was when both Paloma and Jasmin really pulled off some amazing emotional acting. Paloma was able to create this sense of tragedy and fear yet also empathy with only her eyes, while Jasmin was able to show such an intense amount of fury in her eyes, she reminded me of a shark in how detached she was from Paloma’s face. When they were done, everyone on the team gave them a round of applause.
We had Julia’s flatmate Tiff, a forensic science student, on-set who helped us sort out the blood-work and ensure that the murder was accurate to how it would have worked in real life. It was very helpful to have her help in that regard, and while I was worried that I would have had to veer off from ‘accuracy’ to ensure that the right dramatic moments were carried, it turned out that what was written on the script and planned was actually very close to how it would have worked in real life.
After shooting the murder scene, it was time for the discovery of the body, and this was where Andre was finally able to showcase that emotional depth that he’d subtly imbued into James throughout his entire performance, and really go all out. His performance was raw and painful and brought tears to my eyes, and it was honestly difficult to focus for a moment. Extraordinary.
Outside Shoot Scenes: Detective Foster closes the case.
This was a short night shoot we had, that would serve as Detective Foster’s last scene in the film, and the closure of the case. It was a simple scene: Detective Foster smokes a cigarette and closes the case, dissatisfied.
I felt it was good for Viktor to slip into the role of Mr. Foster with his most subdued scene, as he could focus on finding the right energy for Foster without needing to overly focus on monologuing or complicated lines. I also think it’s one of the highest testaments to Jessica that this scene looked so stunning. We really captured the traditional smokey noir aesthetic in this one shot, and it looked spectacular.
Once we’d returned the kit to the house, I stayed with Viktor and Jamie to rehearse the following day’s interrogation scene. We blocked it out and performed it several times, and that allowed us to really play through the push-and-pull nature of their performances.
SATURDAY 2nd of April
Scenes: Interrogation Scenes
This was the final shoot with any of the main cast, and we started with Jamie’s interrogation. It was a rather interesting set, as we were shooting in a Canary yellow recording room, and we did our best to tone down the yellow in our lighting and create a clinical and cold feel to the environment, highlighting the mood of the scene.
We shot Elisabeth’s interrogation first, as Jamie had her train home that afternoon. As mentioned, we had rehearsed the scene the night prior, so there was minimal time required to get the actors ready. We only had to adapt some of the blocking choices because of the nature of the room we were shooting in. Jamie poured her heart out into her final scene, as she had the entire shoot, and she was able to bring a gravitas and nuance to the lines that far exceeded what I had anticipated.
That afternoon, we shot James interrogation which will serve as the narrative framing device for the first half of the film. Andre was on point as per usual, and Viktor made the most out of his one big scene, really bringing out the gruff yet empathetic nature of the character.
And with that, we were done shooting.
After that, we all took a well-deserved break and went off for Easter. Soon as we were back we got back to work on the final bits. Danay is hard at work in the editing suites sorting through the footage, as I write up a rough timeline that will inform the structure of our film for the edit. Millie has drawn up some amazing artwork that will be used for the poster of the film, and Julia has been hard at work on the EPK, arranging all of our contributing factors.
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