Page 10 - Fujifilm Exposure_35 Miss Potter_ok

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THE DP VIEW
ASHLEY ROWE BSC
STARTER FOR TEN
“Using the Reala 500D has helped
give us that period ‘look’ we were looking for.”
high priority. “From the money side, they are always trying to prevent you travelling too far with a film crew. For me, it was important that we had some days to shoot scenes there especially given that the story was set around the time I was at Bristol.”
Using Fujifilm stock for the first time on Starter For Ten was DP Ashley Rowe BSC, a multi BAFTA Cymru award winner for TV films before becoming a regular feature cine- matographer boasting credits like Still Crazy, Calendar Girls, Alfie, Widow’s Peak, Affair Of The Necklace, The Governess, A Man Of No Importance, 24/7 and The Woodlanders.
Rowe, who more recently has been doing ‘pick-up’ shots for Miss Potter in Scotland, said he particular- ly enjoyed re-creating University Challenge. The scenes were filmed at Teddington Studios – utilising in- house cameras, lighting and vision
mixing desk – as well as some judi- cious use of walls and corridors at BBC Television Centre plastered with suitable Granada logos.
Meanwhile, the writer and director reflected on their graduation from tele- vision to the big screen. Said Nicholls: “The writing isn’t different – rather, it’s the re-writing. There are a lot more factors and opinions involved. For TV, you write the script, put it on the telly and hope people will like it. Movies have so much more at stake and that’s a great learning experience.”
Added Vaughan: “A step up? Yes, certainly. It feels like I am finally doing the thing I’ve waited all my life to do.” ■ QUENTIN FALK
Starter For Ten, opening in the UK on October 13, was originated on 35mm Eterna 500T 8573, Reala 500D 8592 and Eterna 250D 8563
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like The Cure and The Smiths...’ Anyway, the powers-that-be said ‘Great. We’ll find that extra bit of money and get you that music because it all seems to be working.’”
American support, in particular, for such a very English period piece, might seem, on the face of it, quite surprising.
Explained Vaughan: “The Americans see it as a college movie and there is, of course, a great tradition of this sort of movie-making over there. They all seemed to love the ‘Britishness’ of it. That was a pleasant surprise to us.”
How autobiographical was the story for Nicholls who, like Vaughan, went to Bristol University where the film is set?
Said Nicholls: “I used to lie a lot and say there wasn’t a trace of auto- biography in the whole thing but first novels are frequently autobiographi- cal. In the novel, however, the loca- tion isn’t specified; it’s a nameless university. Obviously that doesn’t work on screen so I was in the
bizarre situation of seeing scenes quite similar to ones that happened to me taking place in the places where they happened.
“That was quite un-nerving. The more excruciating excesses are, I’m pleased to say, not autobiographical. Some of the milder moments of embar- rassment are,” he laughed.
Vaughan added: “I grew up in small town in Scotland, went to a comprehen- sive and ended up going to Bristol. I remember the massive culture shock when I arrived there especially meeting the sort of posh, confident group of people I’d never encountered before.
“I also loved the fact that here was a very funny, very human story which also had a good shape and structure to it that could be turned into a good-looking movie. It’s also a ‘coming-of-age’ movie, about making mistakes and falling in love. I also think that audiences will pick up on the nostalgia element.”
Actually getting their old alma mater on screen was, suggested Vaughan, a
had been talking to Daf Hobson about Fujifilm stock as he had shot a test for them using the new Reala 500D and he liked the stock very much. Shortly after
my conversation with him, I was hired to photograph Starter For Ten, which is set in the 80s, and I thought this was an opportunity to try out Fujifilm.
Our main challenge was to find a period look for the film. I wanted to light the film using mixed lighting - white daylight through the windows and practicals on inside.
The main character, Brian, lives in an East Coast Seaside resort and hangs around with his mates in amusement arcades which are full of old 80s fruit and pinball machines. His home has 80s-style practicals.
He ends up at Bristol University where I used lots of mixed coloured flu- orescent lamps to light corridors and dorms – greens, blues and magenta.
For almost all interiors you have to use a fast film stock to get a good Aperture: in the past we had to use 500T. When using this Tungsten stock, most practicals will read as a white light. The great thing about using the Reala 500D is that all practicals read as rich coloured lights. The lamps are rich and warm, while the coloured flouris are enhanced and car head- lamps have a warm glow.
Tom and I both hate blue moon- light, so by using the 500D, I could use HMI lamps for my moonlight (HMI gives a blue light using Tungsten film and reads as a white light using Daylight film) and have rich practicals from shop windows and so on.
I think we remember our past by looking at photos from the period, and most photos would have been taken using daylight film. Using the Reala 500D has helped give us that period look we were looking for. ■
Photo main: James McAvoy; above left: director Tom Vaughan, James McAvoy and writer David Nicholls; scenes from Starter For Ten
8 • Exposure • The Magazine • Fujifilm Motion Picture