Booked Out

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

Intacto, Pan's Labyrinth

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

If you want to comment on this blog or to share your top foreign language films then it will be synchronized to the Booked Out Facebook fan page where you can also become a fan of the film.

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 preparing 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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Today I wanted to continue my working with the DoP mini-series (see Selecting a DoP) 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.

Other blogs in this "Working with the DoP" mini-series

• Selecting a DoP

If you want to read more about our DoP Jordan Cushing then check out the links below:

• Jordan Cushing Booked Out Crew Profile
• Jordan Cushing Website
• Jordan Cushing on IMDB

Day 1 of the shoot! I think I slept for 3 minutes and 37 seconds the night before or maybe that was just dozing. After a year and a half of preparations we were going to be filming.

Day 1 Stats

• Locations - St. Pancras Train Station, Mrs Nicholls Kitchen, Mrs Nicholls Hallway
• Script Pages - 3 4/8
• Actors - Mirren Burke, Rollo Weeks, Sylvia Syms
• Scenes - 7
• Date - Sunday 07 March 2010

St. Pancras

The first scene was to be shot in St. Pancras station. We had agreed 40 minutes of shooting time on the station concourse with a minimum crew of 7 people with the powers that be. The scene involved Ailidh (Mirren Burke) finding Mrs Nicholls (Sylvia Syms) in the train station.

An easy scene to start with then!

I met Jordan as he lives near me and we got the train to the station early in the morning. It definitely helped me to travel there with Jordan. I think on that first scene he was my safety blanket to some extent. I had been working with him intensely running up to the film so we had a set of shots and in some places storyboards for the entire film. By this point it felt like I spent more time with Jordan than without him.

I was pretty anxious about a couple of things before we arrived. The first was that I would be directing Sylvia Syms who has worked on lots of films over a long and distinguished career. I had met her briefly before the shoot when she invited me to visit her and we got on well then but this felt completely different. What would happen if she looked at me blankly after I deliver some feedback to her about a performance.

I can't remember his exact words but I can remember Jordan saying something along the lines of "you know the script better than anyone. You are the boss and everyone will be working for you so if they don't get what you say then it is their job to try and work out what you want." He probably said it slightly more eloquently than that though.

Bryan running away as Sylvia Syms and Mirren Burke compare scarfs before the first shot of the film

The other thing I was slightly nervous about was working with the whole crew. I can remember speaking to our 1st A.D., Tom Mulberge before the shoot, where I was asking him how we would work things on set. I needn't have bothered as Tom ran the production on set like clockwork and really made sure that everyone did their job as well as ensuring that I was comfortable with what was going on.

So we got to St. Pancras where all of our crew had assembled. I had met most of the crew at this point (at least for 5 minutes!) but it was strange having everyone come together for the first time. There was a good energy in the air though and everyone couldn't wait to get started.

The camera was assembled and we were ready to shoot before we gave the word to the station guards that we were ready to go. Didn't want to waste any of those 40 minutes that we had allocated. When we finally went for it I was really excited.

Sylvia Syms and Mirren Burke block the second shot of the shoot

We did two shots on this scene. A wide shot which showed St. Pancras in all its wonderful splendor and a tighter shot of when Ailidh catches Mrs Nicholls. The directing went ok for my first scene in a feature film. The most nerve racking thing is saying that you are happy with a take. You can never come back to this station and refilm the scene. It is chalked off the list and onto the next one. By the end of the film I was a lot more comfortable with this but on day 1 I was finding my feet a little.

We packed up at St. Pancras and I think things started off well. Now onto the other location. We were already slightly behind schedule with all the security office palava and now we had to get a full crew through central London to our next location.... Mrs Nicholls flat.

Mrs Nicholls Flat

We arrived at Mrs Nicholls flat which was a flat in Muswell Hill that we had rented for the shooting period. We had 6 scenes to shoot in the kitchen and hallway. The flat was tiny and having 20 people try to fit in it wasn't easy. How we were going to survive in this flat together for the next three weeks was anyone's guess. There was no room for solace or thinking. Everywhere you turned there was a cast or crew member.

We started to shoot the scenes in the hallway first. This meant getting out the thinnest dolly in the world. Not sure if that is true but it was designed to go in the gap between the seats in a double decker bus supposedly. These scenes were easier as they were essentially tracking shots of Ailidh coming into the flat.

After the small amount of crew that were allowed on St. Pancras station I had my first experience of the whole crew wanting to crowd around the monitor during every take. I must admit that it was a bit disconcerting at first having twenty people standing behind you looking over your shoulder.

Sylvia Syms works her magic in the smallest kitchen of the shoot

We managed to get the couple of hallway scenes done quickly and then it was time for lunch. By this point it felt like we had been running for a few days rather than just a few hours. Lunch was lasagne... I can remember because I think it was my favourite lunch of the shoot.

After lunch we got to work in what felt like the smallest kitchen in Muswell Hill if not North London. I think there was about four possible places to put a camera in the kitchen and we used all of those.

Two of these scenes stick in my memory. One is where Mirren is playing a scene on her own where she is upset with Jacob and is taking it out on Mrs Nicholls tea set as she makes Mrs Nicholls a cup of tea. After seeing the rushes and rough assemblies of the film this scene still shines through. We did the scene two ways. One where Mirren is angry and another where she is hurt. Both were excellent and I can remember after each take I was definitely sure that I had exactly what I needed and more. This was a great feeling and the first time I really felt that way.

The second scene was with Rollo and Mirren where Ailidh is making tea again but she is making up stories for Jacob at the same time. This was our first long scene that ran over a couple of pages and was another learning experience. We did about four takes of the scene and never seemed to get a good take all the way through but good sections in each take. Running out of time on the day I was under pressure to decide whether to keep doing the scene or whether we had enough material to continue.

This was one area that I definitely developed during the shoot as a whole but at that moment I couldn't be sure as I hadn't learned to track the areas that worked and didn't work in my head. After a brief word with Jordan and Tom they helped to reassure me that we had enough to make the scene work in the edit.

Mirren Burke is ready to shoot as Tom Mulberge watches on

I think this is an important lesson to not be afraid to ask others on the production for their opinion. Most of these people are on film sets all year round whereas a director might be on set once a year if he is lucky so you need to use these talented people that you are working with. The upshot is that the more you listen and involve them in the process then the harder they are likely to work.

We finished the day about a minute before wrap. What a day!

Comments

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It's been a week of blogs and this will continue over the next few months. Hope that you are enjoying reading how Booked Out was made. Bad news though... no blogs next week as I am out of the country but they will continue every day once I get back.

I know what you must be thinking that this return to blogging seems to be missing any talk whatsoever about the stars of the show. Well wait no longer for today I am going to talk about the casting of Jacob and selecting Rollo Weeks in the role. You might notice a slight Rollo bias this week (Rollo Weeks Costumes) which is on purpose. The other talented actors will get their turn soon enough.

So casting Jacob. This was by far the role that was the most trouble to cast in the film.

1st Choice

I could pretend that Rollo was my first choice for the role but when I started my blogging I decided that I wanted to be 100% honest about what happened during the production of Booked Out. When I wrote the script I imagined Jim Sturgess in the role of Jacob. I think Jim is an amazing actor and every time I have seen one of his films I have always walked away impressed. I seen Heartless recently and thought it was a great film. Although the ten minutes or so that Eddie Marsan is in the film was amazing. That has got to be the best cameo I have seen for a long time.

So we contacted Jim's agent and sent them over the script. I can't remember the exact response as Sam dealt with them but I think they said they would take a look then we found out later that he wasn't available at that time. It is really hard dealing with agents and I am not saying this is the case here but not knowing if the actor read the script really annoys me. Did he get sent it then turn it down, was he just busy during that time period, did we just get told no because of our budget... I will never know... unless I hunt him down.

I would like to say that looking back now I think the film would have been totally different if Jim was in it and I think I like it as it is to be honest. Rollo was the right actor for this role (I will go into why in a second) and now there isn't a first choice anymore... Rollo is Jacob.

Rollo Weeks preparing for a scene talking to a dead man - Photo by Chris Burgess

Initial selection problems

When the "go for Jim" trick didn't come off I held auditions for the role of Jacob from actors on Spotlight. I seen about 60 potentials Jacobs over a three day period and although some came close there wasn't that one that stood out above the rest. There was a couple that I definitely would like to work with in the future but no one stuck out as being Jacob.

Jacobs main traits that I was looking for was someone who could be vulnerable and who could naturally bounce off the other characters in the film. No one was able to show me this at the auditions.

Second round

It was a while before we did another round of auditions. By this point the other main actors were in place and we were looking for the final piece of the puzzle that would work well with them all and tie everything together. Jacob is the one character in the script that interacts with every other character throughout the film.

Rollo Weeks in a scene with Mirren Burke and Sylvia Syms as well as the infamous Mr Nicholls - Photo by Chris Burgess

For this round of auditions we were a lot more selective in the actors that we auditions. We asked agents for suggestions, viewed their material and showreels and only saw the actors that we thought could show us some Jacob.

Rollo though was actually due to the following Bryan technique... I went on IMDBPro and did a search for male actors between 20 and 25 based in London and ordered the results by their StarMeter score. This is basically their popularity rating in IMDB. I then spent a weekend looking through a few hundred IMDB pages and made a list of actors that had the right look for the part.

Then after my eyes had reset from staring at a screen I went through my list and tried to get hold of any films or drama that they had appeared in and watched their performances. If they looked suitable we got in touch with their agents. With Rollo my concern was that his pictures on the internet show him when he was significantly younger than he is today and I nearly discarded him for that reason but decided to try and get him in to see us to see what he looked like today.

Rollo's Audition

We did two auditions with Rollo. The first was a couple of short scenes that we did with all of the actors we seen to see if they had the right sort of qualities for the role. At this stage we had already selected Mirren for the role of Ailidh and we were lucky enough that she came and read with all of the candidates.

It is always interesting to see the Jacob candidates interacting with Mirren when she is playing Ailidh as Ailidh is quite a strong and direct character. A lot of candidates reacted to this by becoming stronger themselves in order to match what Ailidh is doing even though Jacob is a more vulnerable and introverted character. Rollo understood this and allowed Ailidh to be Ailidh and therefore gave himself the chance to find out who Jacob was and how he felt when he was around Ailidh.

I was really impressed by Rollo during the audition and from watching the tapes back from the audition he came across really well on screen and him and Mirren looked like a good fit together.

Rollo Weeks and Mirren Burke showing that chemistry they displayed in the auditions - Photo by Chris Burgess

The second audition I wanted to test Rollo on a scene that happens right at the end of the film. What was interesting though was that information wasn't passed onto him before the audition for one reason or another so Rollo showed up and I put him on the spot with this important scene.

We decided to improvise the scene after Rollo had two minutes to swat up on the general flow of the conversation. This is what really sealed the role for me. Rollo did a great performance and worked really well under those circumstances. It is strange to think what would have happened if the message had got to Rollo and he came fully prepared for this scene. Would it have had the same energy and intensity? Who knows....

Would be interesting to try some more improvisation at casting sessions in the future. Not sure if this would spread joy or terror into the actors head if I was to do that.

Rollo Weeks also worked well with Claire Garvey - Photo by Chris Burgess

So in the end we offered the role to Rollo following that improvised audition and the rest as they say is history. I will talk about what happened after that audition on a future blog but it is safe to say that we made the right choice.

The links part

If you want to comment on this blog then it will be synchronized to the Booked Out Facebook fan page where you can comment and discuss the joys of casting Jacob and the lovely Rollo Weeks.

If you want to read more about Rollo Weeks then check out the links below:

• Rollo Weeks Booked Out Cast Profile
• Rollo Weeks on IMDB

Costume Design and the DoP have had their chance in previous blogs but now it is the chance to focus on the production design of the film and the work between myself and the talented Sara Ranieri. I want to talk about the choices we made in defining the colour palette for the film.

This also falls into the overall category of the look and feel of the film which is made up of a number of aspects that I shall cover over the next few weeks. This blog will focus on the colour palette for the 3 main locations within the film.

Production Designer

Our production designer for the project was Sara Ranieri. I was really impressed when I first met Sara. In my eyes she is a real artist who wanted to help me create something beautiful. This was her first feature film but you could tell that she had all the creativity, knowledge and energy to do a great job.

Overall colour

If I got a pound for every time I said the following words I would be a rich man. "I want a film that is earthy and autumnal and where each location must be an extension of the characters who live there". I also kept going on during pre-production about loving the film "The Reader" as a reference to a film that I loved the colours within. I would describe the colours in The Reader as really earthy. It looked slightly worn as well but a world that was lived in.

Still of David Kross in the film The Reader

So with this high level goal in mind we made our choices in selecting the colour palette for each of the flats that belonged to Mrs Nicholls, Ailidh and Jacqueline.

Mrs Nicholls Flat

I wanted Mrs Nicholls flat to have a lived in feeling but I didn't want it to look really dull. I didn't want the whole film to look dull for that matter. It should be bright and full of energy and life. I wasn't set on a colour for Mrs Nicholls but between myself and Sara we decided on a green. That prompted me to suggest that Sara watch Delicatessen as I was convinced that there was some really nice earthy greens in that film.

Still from Delicatessen - You can just about see the lovely green colour

From that Sara got out her paint colour charts and we discussed them with the DoP, Jordan Cushing/production/crewmember/Jordan_Cushing, before selecting the final colour. It is a bit scary to chose from a colour chart and the next time you see that colour the whole room will be painted in it. I can remember Sara saying to me "Are you sure that's ok? I'm going to buy the paint now".

I think we chose really well though and the green colour complimented the dark wood furniture that we had chosen for Mrs Nicholls flat. The following is a still showing Mrs Nicholls living room with its green aesthetic.

Mrs Nicholls living room in gorgeous green

Ailidhs Flat

There was never any doubt in my mind about Ailidhs flat. It had to be orange. I had a colour in my head and it was Sara's job to work out what it was. I lost count of the number of Oranges that Sara showed me in our journey to get the perfect colour. Ailidh's flat was the last location in the shoot so we were looking for the perfect colour up until the last minute.

I can remember we were filming in a record shop and it was the last scene of the day and Sara had came over to make the final choice on the orange and I was hunting through the shop for record covers that had oranges on it. Most of which Jordan would inform me were actually brown. Not sure if this helped but probably helped to explain why the decision taking a while was due to my colour description techniques!

We chose an Orange that we were all happy with. Jordan was concerned that the orange would really affect the actors skins under the lights and make them look like aliens. We did a few scientific tests holding colour charts against peoples arms and shining lights in their vicinity. Finally Jordan was satisfied and the colour was set in stone.

Ailidhs work room in its orange splendor

The orange came across really well in the end and didn't make the actors look like pasty aliens. Not sure why Jordan thinks aliens are pasty anyway. Maybe some past experience.

Jacquelines Flat

This was an interesting character to work with. We wanted a colour to reflect Jacquelines shattered and broken life. Something that showed that she wasn't ready to face the world. We also needed to make sure that her flat kept in the same overall tone with the other two main locations of the film that we had definite ideas about.

Sara spoke about a film called Fur that had some lovely colours that might fit Jacquelines room. Below is a still from the film that shows a lovely set of blue colours. I think we had found our way forward with Jacqulines flat.

Still of Nicole Kidman in FUR

It was time to get the colour charts out again and examine them in fine detail before making another important choice on our journey. We went with a light blue to reflect the coldness surrounding Jacqueline but with a tone that fitted with the others colours that were chosen.

Jacquelines room in light blue

I think that Jacquelines flat probably was the most normal colour out of the three but I think it helps make the other two flats stand out more. So if you want it was the steady location compared to the more flamboyant ones.

Finale

As always if you want to comment on this blog then it will be synchronized to the Booked Out Facebook fan page where you can comment and discuss the colours choices we made.

If you want to read more about Sara then check out the links below:

• Sara Ranieri Booked Out Crew Profile
• Sara Ranieri Website
• Sara Ranieri on IMDB

Following on from my thoughts on selecting a DoP for you film I thought I would move onto costume design. I won't be writing a blog about selecting a costume designer though but instead the first in a series where I will discuss each characters costume design in turn. There was a couple of big costume design scenes as well and those deserve blogs in their own right.

Costume Designer

Our costume designer for the project was Sophie Howard who came highly recommended to the production from another crew member. Sophie came on board without a lot of preparation time before the shoot and I can vividly remember our first meeting where I had rushed from meeting to meeting all day. I think I blabbed about the film non stop for about 45 minutes and Sophie probably wanted to run away!

Luckily I didn't scare her off and she came back to me within a few hours with some photo boards for the characters with her interpretation of my ramblings as well as adding her creative streak to the proceedings. Sophie was great to work.

Bryan's Thoughts

Now onto the main part of the blog, Jacob's costumes. For Jacob my high level description was something like - "An indie kid but nothing too fancy" but I think that does him a dis-service. I think that Jacob is someone that is very conscious of his appearance but doesn't have the confidence to wear any clothes that he would consider are too fancy or out there.

I think that he feels the way a lot of people do when they are trying to discover what their own style is and as a consequence dress within a certain genre but conservatively. I really wanted his vulnerability to come through in his clothing choices. So even when he makes a gesture for himself it doesn't feel like a big gesture to anyone but himself and those closest to him.

I had been trying to collect a set of images for each of the character from various internet sites and below are a couple that I took from a site called the The Sartorialist. The images there are way too fancy for Jacob but I wanted to be able to give Sophie some ideas even if I had to say afterwards "but not as fancy".

Image captures from The Sartorialist

As you can see from the images these are variations on clothes that every man in the world must have. Jeans, Trainers, T-Shits and sweaters. This is basically all that Jacob would ever wear. I liked the idea of him always appearing the same throughout the film as I feel that it fitted his personality to always come across the same.

In some ways I wanted his costumes to not be noticed by the audience. If the audience had noticed the costumes then they would either have been because they didn't fit his character or that his character was making a statement through his clothing choices. Neither of which I wanted.

Sophie's Input

Sophie bought into who Jacob was straight away and she compiled a set of pictures which were mostly images from young indie bands where they were wearing jeans and t-shirts. Nothing fancy just things that make Jacob feel comfortable and at home in his own body.

A section of cuttings that Sophie prepared

Once we set out the initial context we had a few quick conversations around what suited Rollo as Jacob. In my head these were plain/dull colours such as blues, greys, browns and blacks. I also wasn't keen on any large or showy designs on his outfits.

Not sure why but I also didn't like Rollo in a v-neck t-shirt or jumper. I think this was down to the differences between Rollo as a person and Jacob. There was quite a few costumes that Rollo tried on and we had to scrap them because Rollo came across too cool in them.

The Outcome

I believe that the costumes that we chose for Jacob really suit his character and also made sure that Rollo understood the character that he was portraying. It is in this area that I feel costume design is really important. It contributes not just to the visual side of a film but to helping the actor get to the character that they want.

Rollo Weeks wearing Jacobs favourite Jacket

We chose two main jackets for Jacob to wear. A brown and orange one that he never seemed to have off his back during the filming. I like this fact as for any boy it is pretty normal to have your favourite jacket that you wear constantly.

The other was more of a jumper than a jacket but it was a grey wholly sweater. I think it even had a small hole in the elbow if I remember rightly. Not sure if that was there before or after Rollo got his hands on it. I think this jumper more than anything else said Jacob to me. It just felt like I was watching the person that I had dreamt up when reading the script.

Rollo Weeks wearing my favourite piece of clothing - Photo by Chris Burgess

Next up is Jacobs jeans. Too be completely honest I have no idea what Jacobs jeans where! It's funny but as a director I think you notice what is out of place and fix that so if things are perfect they don't your attention. This must be really hard for crew now I come to think of it.

They do lots of work to breakdown the script into different costumes, come up with a portfolio of images for each character, fit each character and provide me with the images which show the result of all this work and I say something like "not sure I like v-necks on him".

There was one night when Jacob gets asked to meet Ailidh and she takes him to a swing dance club. We wanted to make Jacob seem like he was making a little bit more of an effort for that night than in other scenes. We decided that we should get him a tartan shirt for the scene.

This might not seem a big change but for me it was him showing Ailidh that he wanted to impress her. I personally wear tartan shirts now (can never get them off me) but I can remember at first being wary that they suited me so I felt that Jacob would feel the same way too.

Rollo Weeks wearing his tartan shirt while dancing with Mirren Burke - Photo by Chris Burgess

Finale

As always if you want to comment on this blog then it will be synchronized to the Booked Out Facebook fan page where you can comment and discuss the joys of Jacobs costumes.

If you want to read more about Sophie then check out the links below:

• Sophie Howard Booked Out Crew Profile
• Sophie Howard on IMDB

As promised... The Booked Out Flogfest begins! Starting with a mini series on working with the DoP (Director of Photography for those of you non film buffs). Don't worry I will cover other areas throughout the week so stay tuned if reading about the DoP isn't your thing.

I should say before I start that this isn't me stating something what I believe is the law but just my thoughts and experiences from making my first feature film. Hopefully it will be useful and interesting.

Role of the DoP

I believe that the role of the DoP is crucial throughout the entire process of making a feature film and it is essential that this appointment is correct. I don't have a technical background in camera or lighting and I am not particularly interested in doing so but I want to be able to tell my story in a way that interests an audience but stays true to the vision in my head. I thought that it would be a good introduction to the DoP area to discuss the selection process that we went through before selecting Jordan as our DoP.

Meeting the candidates

We met with a number of DoPs through the selection process and everyone of them brought something different to the table. From my perspective meeting my first DoP was an interesting process. I got asked a million questions about what I wanted and what my intentions are. I tried to answer them as best I could but to be honest I came away having probably put one of the better candidates off but a lot more experience to take into the next DoP rendezvous.

The first thing I learned was that I needed to be able to communicate what I was looking for in the style of film I was creating. I waffled a lot in that first encounter and I think being concise helps with the communication. The DoP will not always communicate in exactly the same language as so you have to make it as easy as possible to get that connection.

Through the next set of meetings I noticed something else. The DoPs definitely had a leaning towards being camera operators or storytellers. I think a great camera operator might be the best fit for certain genres of films but it wasn't what I was looking for in Booked Out. In my very limited experience there seemed to be more camera operator DoPs than storyteller ones. Disclaimer... this is my thoughts based on 1-2 hour meetings and not a general rule!

Booked Out DoP Jordan Cushing with Rollo Weeks on set

The next learning was that personally I was more at home talking about the film in relation to other films that I felt the film was like. That set the common ground that we could talk around and gave a context to the story that I wanted to tell. It is also quite a good way to weed out someone who isn't on your wavelength when they haven't seen any of the films you liked and refer to The Matrix as a reference to your quirky indie comedy.

Another little thing that I found useful was to try and make them talk about what their thoughts were of the story and what style of film that conjured up in their heads. If they have no ideas at this stage then it wouldn't give me confidence that they will have ideas when you have to scrap your storyboards and go off the cuff to shoot a scene in a single shot. Put them under pressure!

If they don't have any areas of your script that they are questioning or feel don't work then I think that is a big problem. No script is perfect and you want one of your key collaborators to help you to get it to the best state before you start the cameras rolling.

Gut instinct... I think this goes for every crew member on the production. As soon as I meet someone I get a positive or negative feeling about the person. Sometimes this is a better indicator than anything I have mentioned above.

The last part of the interview with the DoP is the technical discussion on what format we are planning to shoot on, where we are shooting, etc. All the big decisions that a production has to make at the outset. Asking their opinion on this will give you an idea of how interested they are in the project. That is my opinion anyway. If they make good suggestions or are willing to help then you know they are keen and interested in helping you make the film.

Making a decision

The decision to select Jordan as our DoP was an easy one. We had some good candidates before I met Jordan but once I met him there was no other choices.

My reasons for going with Jordan were

• He bridged the camera operator vs storyteller gap.
• He made observations on the script that I agreed with in terms of areas that needed further work.
• We talked about reference films that we both loved and were in the same category as Booked Out
• We met at 6pm in a cafe and got chucked out at 11pm when they were closing.
• I liked his sense of humour and found it similar to mine which I felt was essential when creating a comedy.

Booked Out Clapper Board with myself and Jordan Cushing

What I would have done differently

I am pretty happy with this area of the film as I believe that we have the best DoP for Booked Out. Now Jordan and Booked Out are merged in my head so I can't separate the two of them.

In terms of the process of getting to this selection I think that I would have prepared more up front in order to be able to explain to them what I wanted from the film. I also think that questioning them on their thoughts on the script they have just read is key. If they keep asking for my opinion then I don't think that they are the right person for me to work with.

Tips for holding a meeting with a DoP

As a first time film-maker I would have liked to read someones opinion on this kind of things so here is my thoughts.

• Be prepared to explain your view of the script.
• Be prepared to talk through the production side in detail.
• Be prepared with reference films to talk through.
• Get the DoPs opinion on the script. What works, what doesn't.
• Get the DoPs opinion on the style he envisions.
• Ask their opinion on technical decisions (medium, location, camera, etc)
• Call previous productions they have worked for to get another opinion (although don't take as gospel).
• Ask them what films the script reminds them of.
• Ask them what actors they see playing the roles.
• Buy them a Coffee as they are taking time to meet you.

Finale

Hope this has been useful or interesting to you. If you want to comment on this blog then it will be synchronized to the Booked Out Facebook fan page where you can comment and discuss till yours hearts content.

Jordan trying to explain to me that there is no space in this minuscule kitchen to fit his camera

If you want to read more about Jordan then check out the links below:

• Jordan Cushing Booked Out Crew Profile
• Jordan Cushing Website
• Jordan Cushing on IMDB

Its been a very long time since my last blog entry and I have put off starting writing down the comings and goings on Booked Out as it feels like I have too many things to go through and didn't want to splurge everything down onto a set of blogs that weren't really thought out. mmm... Excuses over!

I have put together a series of blogs that I am going to write over the next few months which will try to cover two main areas. The first is to give you all a detailed run through of the production process and my thoughts on how everything went from a first time directors perspective. This was something I would have found helpful when making Booked Out so feel that it is a worthwhile thing to write about.

The second is to keep you up to date with what is happening with the up to the minute developments in post production. We are still in the middle of editing the film and getting closer to a finished film.

The blogging will commence in earnest next week when I will get stuck into the details of how we got on during the filming period. I have set a target of a blog a day between Monday and Friday so feel free to beat me up if I don't achieve this.

To wet your appetites for the forthcoming blogfest I have included the first production still taken during the shoot for your viewing pleasure!

Mirren Burke and Rollo Weeks on set - Photo by Chris Burgess

All of these blogs are now being synchronised with the films Facebook fan page so if you want to comment on this blog or any subsequent blog then please go here where you can have a conversation with me and potential some of the main cast and crew who are already joined up as fans of the film.

If you have any comments on what particular information you would like me to incorporate into the blogs then click here to drop me a note.

Last but not least we made it onto IMDB at last so if you haven't checked it out already then go and have a look here.

Thanks for reading!

Bryan x

Booked Out has finished shooting. 19 days of filming in and around London. Argh! It seems like a bit of a dream to be honest. Did that actually just happen? Well there is the footage to prove it so I guess it did. Before anyone berates me for not writing blog entries during the shoot I decided not to. Not sure why but it felt like a bit of a jinx to be saying things are going well in case everything fell down in a heap.

The main thing that I have appreciated over the last few weeks is having the opportunity to work with some really talented and creative cast and crew that have produced wonders for me. I am dying to see the first assembly of the film (next week apparently) and all of the footage I have seen so far looks really good. It is pretty hard to tell at the moment what the film will actually feel like as in my head it is a bit of a whirlwind right now.

I plan to write about the shoot over the next few days and hopefully will get my hands on some of the stills taken during production to stick up on the website but for now I need some more sleep....