The Place Beyond The Pines - Scene

In this scene from A Place Beyond The Pines we see Luke Glanton played by Ryan Gosling and another character Robin played by Ben Mendelsohn ride through a forest. At first the riders are unaware of each other, we follow Luke's bike from behind frantically until there is a shift of perspective to Robin's point of view as he scouts out Luke from a far, Luke then makes the same realisation that their is another rider, among him in the forest. Both keep riding occasionally glancing to look at one another, at this point the diegetic sound begins to drown out and a music track is introduced Derek talks about this suggesting that the riders are sharing a subconscious state, they make a connection without speaking. Both share qualities that become more apparent later in the film but from this brief moment its clear they both share a similar look, Derek mentions them being "cut from the same cloth", both have a fondness for motorbikes, outlaws that use their skills to get by. I plan to use a moment like this in my film where there is a subtraction of dialogue from the scene be it a connection between two characters or a character going into his own subconscious state, this will be done with the use of a tonal shift orally and possibly the use of slow motion to suggest a retraction from real time to enter another temporal space. I have the idea that these moments could be when Shawn see's his mother in the state of dementia for the first time so express his grief or the aftermath of the violence when Shawn has struck out at his sisters boyfriend to illustrate his anger and state of disorientation from what he's experienced in recent events. I feel that an extreme CU shot of Shawn's mothers eye would be an iconic shot in which to depart from to end the scene from this we would then leap 10 years into the final scene of the film. Another point in my film in which this subconscious state could be visited would be the shot of Shawn taking a shower as he ponders about contacting his sister. Shower scenes are infamous in films and I feel that a lot depict the character in a moment of reflection, the water of the shower raining down on the skin seems somewhat symbolic. The showers scene in my film could provide as previously mentioned a time of self reflection which could even permit a flash back as a tool not only to illustrate the characters cognition but a way to insight his decision to go and see his sister, informing the audience of the narratives change in trajectory.

Here is an example of a CU eye shot in slow motion, this shot would be of Shawn's mothers eye as she sits there peacefully as the violence ensues between Shawn, his sister Ellie and Ellie's boyfriend.

Location (Shooting Range/ Peak District)

Today I went to the hunting shop on Eccleshall Road to see if I could purchase a cheap air rifle as a prop for the film. The shop owner showed me various rifles at different price ranges but I still felt that the cheapest rifle at £40 was too much to spend on one single prop, I also felt that it didn't look authentic enough for the film. However I was in luck as customer over heard that I was shooting a film, he introduced himself as Jamie, I described what the film was about and he then explained that he owned substantial land in the Peak District and that we could film there. He also mentioned that we could borrow his guns as props for the film saving us money, the weapons he owned were also much more what I was after including shotguns and old fashioned air rifles. He gave me his number so that we could keep in contact as go on a recce at his farm.

Casting - Liam Loughrey

Liam Loughrey - Shawn


Liam is being considered for the part to take the leading role playing 'Shawn”. Luke Wren the art director for the project knows Liam from back home and suggested I take a look at his show reel and CV. Looking through Liam's work I've noticed he's played a solider in a couple productions, I don’t feel that this makes him any more suitable for the role as I feel that the soldier in my film is at a much different mental state and the previous experience playing a soldier wouldn’t aid Liam in preparation for the role a huge amount, however his athletic physique would fit the character, less important but still a consideration I will be making throughout the casting. Liam's physical appearance to me seems slightly old fashioned and I do like that, in one of his photos he has curly hair and a stubble, an under kept look that is a reflection of his character, in terms of art direction and character appearance this is something I would like to explore.

I am yet to speak with Liam about this role but this will be the next step, I will allow George the producer to contact him and discuss dates etc, and I will send him a copy of the script and a detailed character breakdown so that he can send me a video cast of him reading out some of the lines from the script, a sound clip may help but a face to face meeting would need to be arranged to make an informed decision. 

Liam has experience in stage combat which may be useful when acting the violent scene between him and his sister. I will be in contact with Liam asap and will be considering him on the strength of his casting video, meeting and availability.

Casting - Francesca De Sica

Francesca De Sica - Ellie


Francesca gave such a strong performance in the previous film that I felt she should be considered in the major project. She will be playing a very similar role which gives her a head start in the character building process. Her age, image, and vocal tone fit that of the character 'Ellie', Francesca showed a enthusiasm and commitment to the demanding role in our previous film which will be required again in this major piece. Her trust in the crew and myself as a director allowed me to push her performance and I aim to do that same in this film. Francesca is comfortable with very emotional scenes which is the main reason I wanted to cast her again, she can produce an extremely convincing break down as demonstrated in the first scene of “Still in the Night” where she leaves an upsetting answer phone message.


Another quality that Francesca posses is her people skills, she quickly got on with David Worden our supporting actor from “Still in the Night” despite meeting him moments before shooting the explicit sex scene and I hope that she can achieve this creative dynamic again with the actor that she will be supporting this time round. She is comfortable with directional changes and adaptions on set quickly understanding what I wanted to achieve, responding with her ideas to flesh out the rendition.


I feel that Francesca's voice has the ability to fathom an instant response or influence the audience simply from her vocal tone, she has a resonance that feels familiar and filmic. I'm hopeful that Francesca's voice can compliment the lead actor to build an interesting dialogue sequence. I understand that dialogue is like a symphony and that bringing in the correct pitches and tones can fabricate an accomplished complete sound, I aim to find this arrangement so that the soundscape is an accurate reflection of her disposition.


Francesca was comfortable with violence and even gave interesting input into her previous role in which I welcomed, her feedback allowed me to produce a convincing scene with her insight and experience, this is something I will imminently come to grips with in the argument scene which will take place in the later scene of this script. I'm looking forward to working with her on a more developed character, we both have more freedom and time to investigate a character that has an interesting relationship occupied by intense emotions and questions.

Land Rover

I managed to borrow a Land Rover off a friend from back home, this car would serve as Jim's vehicle in the film. The car is currently under maintenance however I'm assured it will be ready and running in time for the shoot. Their is a rear window in the car that we can potentially shoot through if need be but shooting from the passenger side would also work. The car has three seats and so I plan to not only use the car as a prop but a transport vehicle for the crew and equipment. I feel that the bright yellow is slightly iconic to look at I feel it adds character to the film rather than being intrusive. With my insurance policy I can drive the car though we will sort out the necessary requirements for the actor prior to filming. I spoke to Luke Wren the art director about the car and he mentioned dressing the interior to suit the character of Jim, he talked about hanging rosary beads from the mirror suggesting that Jim is a religious character, I would lim to get a close up shot of these beads hanging from the mirror to maybe open the car scene, a motif that relates to the biblical theme of the film. 

The car may be useful when filming the dream sequence that opens the film, I plan to get a shot looking back at Shawn as he runs toward the camera down the road, shooting out the back of the Land Rover could work to achieve this, if the road is smooth enough.  

Manchester bar

Peak District

The image above feature the type of roads I would like Jim and Shawn to drive through during the car scene, a field pictured above would also work where the car will be parked before they drive off. 

I plan to shoot in the Peak District for part of the film, the Peaks will be where Shawn and neighbour Jim will reside out in the open plains. I feel that this location would suit the aesthetic of the film, a contrast with the later scenes in the bar in Manchester, this contrast serves as both a stylistic choice and to express the distance between Shawn and his sister. For the opening shot that features Shawn running down a road toward the camera, I would like to shoot on the road that runs through Winnats Pass near Castleton, I picked up a Peak District magazine from a tourist information shop in Sheffield, Winnats Pass was on the cover, I thought it looked rather iconic and there seemed to be no road markings I liked this because it made the road seem even more rural and nondescript, important to the dream sequence as people wouldn't be able to decipher his location. I'm checking the weather conditions regularly and hoping that there will be mist or fog on the day we shoot, the fog is something I wrote into the poem that will open the film but I also experienced it whilst driving home through the Peaks recently and thought it would add character to the mood of the scene, almost surreal looking. 

Once the F5 camera is bookable myself and Tom will go out and find these locations and mark them on a map for reference when we come to film, we aim to capture the wide shots of the fields and hills before we start our week of shooting with actors. These shots will be used in the film but Ste the sound designer asked myself for some opening shots so he could layer some sounds to build an idea of what it may sound. 

Super 8mm Film

Above is some test footage I found on Vimeo from the Canon 1014 XLS camera, this is the camera I would like to use to shoot the Super 8mm footage. 

This is another example of the footage from the Canon 1014 XLS.

I've looked into purchasing one of these cameras and at the moment its down to wether I can afford to buy one, if I can't obtain one then I'll look into purchasing a cheaper alternative camera from Canon like the 310 XL. A company called 'Gauge Film' sell the film stocks, process it and telecine the footage, this will be the company I will be using to deal with our footage.


UPDATE

Today I went into stores to see if they had any Super 8 cameras and it turns out that they have 5. I spoke to Mark Parkin briefly and he told me that Lynn at stores would be able to tell me about the cameras they had and could give an in depth decryption of each camera. I went to speak to Lynn, I then took some photos of the cameras she showed me so that I could go and see what results they produced by borrowing through Youtube and Vimeo to find videos like the ones above.

Here is a list of the cameras that stores have to offer, and which one I plan to use.

Braun Nizo S 800

This is now going to be my camera of choice, I've researched some videos with this camera with the 64T 100 Ektochrome and Vision  500T and 200T. I chose this camera over some of the alternatives for a number of reasons, according to reviews and reading up on its specifications I've learnt that the lens of a high quality and offers a varied focal length with a powered zoom and manual zoom, the camera can shoot at there different frame rates 18, 24, and 54, I like the sped up jittery look to the 18fps it has a dated aesthetic which would fit the era of the start of the film (1950' -1960's). After looking about on Ebay its clear that this camera is more expensive than the others that stores showed me giving me confidence that this camera will produce better results, and after holding the camera the build quality surpasses the plastic ones. The automatic zoom feature is something I will confer with Tom Newsham about, the zoom to me seems very organic its not seen in current films but as this Super 8 footage will serve as documented shots from the characters childhood the zoom would be something that would be used by the operator back then, this contrast with the footage from the F5 in the actual film will create an interesting sense of layers to the piece as a whole. In terms of film stock the Ektochrome offers more contrast with the Vision film offering a flatter image with more latitude. I feel that the Vision film may be a good decision as if the image feels too flat then we can always add contrast in Final Cut Pro without ruining the footage though I wold rather leave the processed footage as it comes, which is why the Kodak Ektochrome could be a better choice. I will discuss this with Tom Newsham the director of photography before making a final decision to see how he feels aboutt each film stock.



Beneath is a video showing the different Super 8 film stocks from Kodak and how they differ in colour, grain and latitude.

Synopsis and Style

Dishonourably discharged soldier Shawn returns home after fighting in Iraq, he's fragile from the toil of war and the post traumatic stress is a constant battle. He resides in his empty family home in a rural location far from society, Jim a family friend and only neighbour keeps in touch to aid his rehabilitation, but its a struggle. Shawn finally gets in contact with his sister and its clear that their relationship is decayed, Shawn and sister Ellie's father has always been distant from the family, a broken home, the consequence of a shoddy childhood. After his visit to her house, he's grief stricken after seeing his mothers condition and quickly learns his sister Ellie is at the hands of a pusher and owes him money, Shawn takes it upon him self to meet the pusher and resolve this financial predicament.


I would like this piece to illustrate the bitterness of human relationships and how they from time to time break down, yet we long to make amends often with great struggle. I would like a strong focus on displaying Shawn's emotion and how through minimal dialogue and body language that can be communicated. I would like to utilise long takes when capturing the characters without cutting to sustain a more profound relationship so that the audience can value that character in real space and time. The narrative will flow in a linear fashion however I would like to use a dream sequence to open the film establishing Shawn's mental conflict, in this we will see Shawn run down an open road in the Peak district dressed in his military uniform as he paces toward the camera through the mist surrounded by the endless fields, as we witness this, a poem will be read out by an older man displaying his emotional battle and his actual solitude pacing down the open road alone:

"He's alone, its an open road ahead,

the rain, its already soaked him to his skin,

his heart is racing, he begins to run,

he knows not what follows him but keeps on running,

he doesn't know where only that he'll get there soon,

behind his eyes he's fighting,

he clutches his rifle, the steal is bitter cold to the touch,

his view is short as the fog is thick,

a gentle breeze across the land,

the path lined with emerald grass and endless fields,

the black road beneath his feet leads him far from home,

in the clearing they await,

He has returned."

In the early scenes I would like to capture the vast rural landscape where Shawn resides at his rustic family home, the open fields and low lying mist in the early hours. The greens and browns of the rolling hills, a black road and Jim's tattered Land Rover. This will be directly contrasted by the deep reds and polished aesthetic of the pushers expensive restaurant in the heart of the city. The visuals will accommodate a vivid colour palate with punchy uses of red and gold, the grade throughout will be high contrast. A minimalist soundtrack will compliment the simple photography, building tension witnessing the tainted nature of the pushers callous trade. The drama between the family will be raw to achieve an emotional response from the viewer clearly depicting Shawn's selflessness when aiding his sisters difficult position. The opening will set the tone for this beautiful but agonising short, poetic and sometimes melancholy, an intimate portrait of a damaged man facing tragedy.



UPDATE

I adjusted the poem further to read better accommodating different lines that related more to the character in my film, these additional lines also introduce the idea that he has returned recently and is in fact away from the toils of war


The hills cascade beneath red sky,
He now stands on familiar soil distant from foreign,
Truant, a figure, a free man,
He begins a lonely march,
He remembers their faces lying still,
Clutching his bitter cold rifle,
Rain has soaked him to the skin,
A sodden jacket upon his back,
Pacing heavy heart and burdened,
A crumpled picture of those he loves,
The wailing has fleeted,
But still he fights behind glazed eyes,
Longing for halcyon,
A veneer of fog and gentle breeze across the land,
A path lined with emerald grass and endless fields,
The black road beneath his feet once led him far from home,
In the clearing they await his return



I don't feel that the poem is a necessary element in the film opening sequence, the scene will still work without the poem voiced over, I will trial and error this VO in the edit to see whether or not it will work. Please refer to my sound post where I talk about how I'd like the sound designer Steve to fashion the tone and pitch of the voice.

A Single Man 2009

I've referred to this film as inspiration in previous projects because its style and substance are so carefully considered. Tom Ford pays attention to detail throughout, a reflection of his career as a high end fashion designer. Tom Ford's developed and somber character study on George Falconer achieves a remarkable level of emotional intimacy. The dream sequence at the beginning of the film acts as a method to explain George's emotional state without over complication, a vivid scene that shows that he still morns the death of his partner, the image of George in the water as the credits play suggests that he's drowning as he lives alone heartbroken and grief stricken. Colin Firth narrates as we watch George slowly get ready to face the day, in the scene we not only get a sense of his emotional state but what kind of man he is. His house is elegant and precise, clothes are organised in a pristine fashion and when he's ready we see a well dressed man with the expression of despair living in constant struggle, he disguises his sorrow not changing his routine he mentions it taking time to become himself, adjusting his image to retain what people perceive as George Falconer, not ready to let go of his near perfect life he used to have.

Sony F5 Workshop

Though I'm not part of the cinematography group due to taking on the role as the director I still know that having knowledge of the camera that we will be shooting on would be integral when making this film. I went with Tom Newsham the DOP for this film, to the workshop held by Mark Parkin and another technical member of staff in which we were shown around the F5. I had been aware of the camera since the start of the year and knew that using it would allow much more flexibility and overall cinema quality in comparison to the other cameras that have been available. With both myself and Tom being comfortable using the camera it would speed up set up time, lens changing and creative decisions.

We plan to get the camera out asap to do some test shoots and run the through the workflow of this new piece of kit on Final Cut Pro 7 and test the gammas in order to explore what look we can achieve when running the footage through various colour grades. We plan to visit the locations we will be shooting our film which will be more beneficial than shooting in random locations, though we will test the camera prior to traveling to these places to solidify our technical knowledge.

I will be using Nikon and Carl Zeiss film lenses provided by my brother who studied Film Production at Gloucester and his other equipment to push the footage further. My brother is very interested in helping out on set as a runner and I know that his presence will promote an efficient workflow.

I wrote a poem

He's alone, its an open road ahead

the rain, its already soaked him to his skin

his heart is racing, he begins to run

he knows not what follows him but keeps on running

he doesn't know where only that he'll get there soon

behind his eyes he's fighting

he clutches his rifle, the steal is bitter cold to the touch

his view is short as the fog is thick

a gentle breeze across the land

this path lined with emerald grass and endless fields

the black road beneath his feet leads him far from home

in the clearing they await

He has returned

With themes of war, violence, relationships and such in this film I feel that mottos and poems would be an interesting motif to explore. The title of the film thus far is a war motto written in Latin 'Quis separabit' it means "Who will separate us" a statement that my film will play homage to with the relationships that I plan to explore. This short poem that I have written I plan to use as a voice over to establish the first scene which will be a dream like sequence involving the main character 'Shawn'. I would like a older male to voice the poem as we see Shawn on screen running down an open road. The poem could be revisited in the film possibly at the end, possibly a poem that Shawn's father could have read to him when he was younger or just an unexplained piece of writing that creates a sense of isolation, return and restitution. 

Update

The hills cascade beneath red sky 

A lonely march, truant, a figure, a free man

Rain has soaked him to the skin

He clutches his bitter cold rifle

Pacing, heavy heart & burdened 

He fights behind glazed eyes

Longing for halcyon

His view is short as the fog is thick

A gentle breeze across the land

This path is lined with emerald grass & endless fields 

The black road beneath his feet once led him far from home

In the clearing they await his return

Further Update

The hills cascade beneath red sky
He now stands on familiar soil distant from foreign land
Truant, a figure, a free man
He begins a lonely march
He remembers their faces lying still
Clutching his bitter cold rifle
Rain has soaked him to the skin
A sodden jacket upon his back
Pacing, heavy heart & burdened
A crumpled picture of those he loves

The wailing has fleeted
But still he fights behind glazed eyes
Longing for halcyon
A veneer of fog and gentle breeze across the land
A path lined with emerald grass & endless fields
The black road beneath his feet once led him far from home
In the clearing they await his return