Page 34 - Fujifilm Exposure_17 Africa_ok

SETTING UP WATCHMEN
Blue Glass Productions’ Watchmen, a 35mm short, was put together by actress Paloma Baeza (writer/director) known for her lead roles in film, TV and theatre and BBC Radio Five Live presenter Anna Rajan (producer). Along with experienced DP Martin Testar, who works mainly in commer- cials, they talk about the making of their first film together...
What were the main challenges you faced in making a low budget short? Paloma: I had never directed before and as an actress, your role in a film kicks in at a stage in production when many cre- ative decisions have already been made. As a director, I had to marry financial constraints with creativity.
Anna: Getting over the awkwardness of asking people I’d never met to do us HUGE favours! And time; everything takes twice as long as you anticipate. Martin: Like any larger film the main challenge was shooting the project with- in the time allocated. Matters were com- plicated by shooting a central London residential location at night.
How did you overcome these obstacles?
P: Preparation! We made sure the script was really tight and rehearsed it well. I storyboarded everything and worked with Martin to make sure it was realistic. I wasn’t afraid to ask questions.
A: You just pick everyone’s brains who’ll let you! And as far as the favours, well, they just come if you ask nicely!
M: Planning meetings when the three of us weren’t working. Most shots were night exteriors seen from interi- or or vice-versa. To balance there I chose Fuji 8582 which worked wonder- fully in combination with Panavision’s Cooke S4s.
CLIGHT FANTASTIC
ongratulations to Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and John Mathieson (Gladiator) who were, respectively, winners of this year’s Oscar and Orange
British Academy Film Award for Best Cinematography.
AFUJI AT GREENWICH
key sponsor at last year’s Greenwich Film Festival, Fuji has confirmed it will also be involved in this year’s event to be held in October.
Andy Shelly, who scooped the Best Short prize in 2000 for his five-minute, dialogue-free film, Grandpa, won 16,000 ft of Fujifilm 35mm stock.
With it, he has now completed a new short, The Tail, a bittersweet surreal comedy, written by Malachi Smyth and lit by Jake Polonsky. ■
How did you get such an impres- sive cast and crew together?
P: Cillian Murphy and Barry Ward
are friends, and I knew no one
else could play those parts. I had
a casting session for the others
and was very lucky to get Iain Robertson and Jake Wood. Eve Mavrakis our Production Designer came on board just because she loved the script!
A: It was people we knew, people who loved the script, people other people knew, and diary services! We ended up with a phenomenal bunch of talented and already very successful professionals.
M: I was lucky enough that my regular crew supported me and agreed to do the job!
Has it turned out how you imagined?
P: In many ways yes. The film has changed through the different stages. I’m excited about people’s responses so far. And the performances are fantastic.
A: Even better!
M: Better, because everything seems to have come together; performances, soundtrack, editing...
What now?
P: I’d really like to do more directing. I’m still leading a double life, acting while fin- ishing off Watchmen. I like doing both, butyouneverknow. Watchthisspace... A: Get this film seen by many rather than few. It deserves it and so do the people who made it. After that, we have a few feature film ideas in development, so like Paloma says...
M: Shooting a Diet Coke campaign on Fuji and looking forward to working on Paloma and Anna’s first feature! ■
Photos top (l-r): Director Paloma Baeza; Barry Ward and Cillian Murphy in Watchmen ; above: Ladies Night; right: pictured during filming of The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby are, (l- r), Dominic West, Stephen Whittaker, Sean Bobbitt and focus puller Nic Lawson.
Caroline Hicks, an experienced commercials’ production manag- er, has just made her short film directing debut on the 17-minute, Ladies Night, photographed on Fuji by DP Sean Bobbitt.
A black comedy set in Weston Super Mare, it was filmed over five days in London and Somerset and already been commended in the London Film Festival/Turner Classic Movies competition.
Since then, says Hicks, the film has now completed its final grade and sound. ■
Also nominated on both sides of the Atlantic was Roger Deakins BSC (O Brother Where Art Thou?). Runners-up in Hollywood were Caleb Deschanel (The Patriot) and Lajos Koltai (Malena) while Roger Pratt BSC (Chocolat) and Brian Tufano BSC (Billy Elliot) were eventually pipped in the UK.
Jack Cardiff BSC, 86, who was awarded an American Academy Award in 1947 for Black Narcissus, was the recipi- ent of an Honorary Oscar for a life-time body of work which has stretched across nearly 70 years. ■
LADIES NIGHT
CWHAT THE DICKENS
ompany Televison’s The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby, shown on ITV on successive Sundays through Easter, is already being talked about as a likely
award-winner next year.
Shot on Fuji by DP Sean Bobbitt for
director Stephen Whittaker, it co-stars Charles Dance, Gregor Fisher, Dominic West, Pam Ferris, and Sophia Myles. ■
AKILLER WALES
s the foot and mouth epidemic ravaged the UK, another, much earlier, human scourge was being played out before the cameras in CF1’s medieval drama Anazapta.
Starring Jason Flemying, Lena Headey, David Lahaye, Elizabeth Marmur and Jon Finch, Anazapta (the title refers to a talis- man) is set in 14th Century Britain during the Europe-wide Black Death.
Directed by Alberto Sciamma (Killer Tongue) and lit on Fuji by first-time fea- ture cameraman Alistair Meux, the pro- duction was based around Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons.
According to producer David Ball, the current “plague” played havoc with the schedule in Wales and last minute revisions had to be made substituting human extras for livestock. ■
Photos top (l-r): Screenings at last year’s Greenwich Film Festival; above: Lena Heady and David La Haye in Anazapta (photo by Warren Orchard)
EXPOSURE • 32 & 33