Sound design - II

On Sunday I went to Roland's to hear the first cut of the sound design. I have to say it was the same disquieting (sorry) experience I had on my last film when I first added the composer's music to the cut. It had became another film, like a child who has grown up, someone new, something else besides the parent that raised him.
It also lifted the film, brought it to another level.
It fixed or solved or completed ideas I had from the beginning, but which I had forgotten were there.
I would have to describe from the end: when the male character leaves the flat and goes into the world, the sound too pushes out and expands outward. The sounds of London are a whole universe, layer after layer of textures, close, far and near.
(And Roland experimented with something that I still can't decide upon: as the picture goes from him, looking out, to the close landscape, to the far landscape, the volume increased abruptly. It was odd at first, but then added to the expansion and widening affect).
Then, if one thinks backwards, some of these same sounds are heard inside the flat, in the silences between the couple, far in the background, a voice, children playing, the roar of traffic, so subtle you would not be certain you heard them (I could be imagining the whole thing).
And in the beginning, in the title sequence there is a low hum, and behind it, again very subtle, a birdsong, as if the means for their reconciliation were at close at hand.
Roland wanted to add a few more layers, that particular London white noise, heard from afar. Then he will post the next cut for me to hear. It's getting close...

Sound design

Just a quick post-production update.
As I have completed the final edit, the next stage is the sound design.
So on Sunday I will deliver the edit to Roland. It should be complete at the end of the week.

The last edit

On this past Sunday evening I watched the final edit.
What did I think? Well at this stage I felt I had finally gained some objectivity. Perhaps it was that this was the first time I watched the edit alone (I have a projector and a screen in my flat, so watching the edit is very much like being in the cinema by yourself).
So, with my eyes clear all I could see is where it is weak, and what I could have done.
For the most part, this revolved around that point in the story where a reconciliation of some kind has already occurred between the man and the woman.
The worst part? I used dialogue. What more could I have done with something physical between them? Here, it comes to me as writer, and that I really needed to push further.
It is in the moments of the script that I am happy/satisfied with, but not truly taken with. It is easy to miss the weaknesses when you probably more pressing problems in the script. But this where the difference lies between good and great.
So now I must apply this lesson to the next script.

The final edit - update

Just a quick update...It is down to the final edit. From the 7 different version Emma and I came up with over a week ago I have chosen three, edited it into the existing edits and burnt to DVD.
Tomorrow David, Lara, and perhaps JC will come and give feedback. I need to decide which of the three works the best.
More when I return from San Sebastian, Spain at the end of the week.

The pickups - photos

So the shoot is done. It went very well.
My friend Morten was in London for a visit and kindly snapped a few photos of us putting it together.
I brought the footage down to the lab and it will be ready Tuesday.











JC and Boyd setting up.











Meanwhile Nichola was prepping Emma upstairs.











Emma and I discuss what we were going to do. We had a lot of material from the Saturday rehearsal.











And so we were ready to line up the shots. Here I prove to JC that I do know which part of the camera to look through.











We had the rough edit on DVD so we could match shots. And also playback the dialogue for Emma to work against.











A few more rehearsals...











JC gets his reading.











And we're ready to shoot.

Thank you Emma, JC, Boyd, Nichola and Morten for your hard work. It was a lot of fun.

Pickups

I am preparing for the pickups to be shot this Sunday, and one of my issues is the term, 'pickups'. In regards to the way I have always thought about shooting this, and Tidal Barrier words like 'pickups' and 'inserts' do not do justice to the thought and significance of these shots. (I have seen the word coda to describe Ozu's 'inserts', better).
But on...
The scenario:

She is in the living room, on the sofa, reading the paper, enjoying the weekend. He is off camera, speaking to a male friend. We do not seem him until later.
At first the conversation is somber. He is getting the friend's help in moving some things. It changes quickly. After the move? They will go out for drinks, and take up where they left off, before the relationship began it is implied. Then they begin to recount past exploits, which is of course only of interest to them.
All through this she remains in the living room, until she finally stands, goes into the kitchen and retrieves the vacuum cleaner.
So what she is doing this whole time? It is 1.5minutes. This is such as simple situation, and that is why I found so many different things I could do with it.
One idea:
She is neutral. Could be somber but from here can't be sure.
She is at the edge of the frame, extended out (her legs), looking down at the floor (which is out frame).
We hear him off camera. Low and somber.
Then his conversation changes, picks up.
She remains where she is, then leans over and picks up something. Dirt?! Is this what was taking her attention all this time? Yes, and now. At least this is what has been distracting her.
She leans back, takes furtive glance in his direction. Is this annoyance?
He carries on, boasting, and she looks annoyed.
A change of pace. She changes her position, takes up a magazine. Begins to read. For a time succeeds.
Then it is too much. He is too distracting.
The spell is broken. He crashes into some pots. She is startled, looks his way, then quickly away again. A moment she looks in front of her.
Then turns away from him.
Is she laughing? Yes, to herself, or at him.
Enough of this.
She gets up and goes off.

And I have several other different versions and and elements to explore. And only 5 minutes of film. Some hard choices...

Update

Just a quick update. The pickups are scheduled to be shot Sunday Sept. 16th. I will rehearse with Emma in the morning and JC will join us in the afternoon.
Development and transfer will happen the following Monday, and the final edit should be complete mid-week.