Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,
Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:
Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,
Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues…
[Loves Labor Lost] 1588, Shakespeare.
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder…thru the camera…by the audience. All beholding a movie and hoping it provides an escape into adventure and beyond the tough realities of the day. Or bring us closer to our own humanity. That being said I want to say a few more things about the art of cinematography. While some directors and cinematographers like to wing it, so to speak. That is, to use the camera as a recording instrument and capture as much footage in a free and experimental way much like a documentary. Others prefer the more traditional structure of planning and mapping out how to use the camera, lights, actors etc., as efficiently as possible in order to glean the performances necessary to tell a great story. Not that one way is better. It all depends on the project and the vision behind it. Stanley Kubrick was known for taking 100 takes of the same scene/set-up because he wanted to get it right. It was incredibly frustrating for the actors involved. I think Sydney Pollack in Eyes Wide Shut made some interesting comments about the way Kubrick worked --- being a director himself. At the other end of the spectrum is Clint Eastwood with Million Dollar Baby who does maybe 2 or 3 takes at the most and then moves on. Both movies are equally wonderful examples of exemplary filmmaking. In watching the unfolding production of A Rogue in Londinium, I have been privy to the mechanics of getting this huge undertaking in the can. The director is very specific in her planning of scenes and such working with Patrick who is the cinematographer as well. Since she is an accomplished artist herself she has utilized the storyboard in almost every scene. The drawings themselves are little pieces of art and are incredibly helpful in communicating what she wants. Patrick is then able to compose a beautiful frame based on the boards. And if you look at some of the edited scenes and compare them to the sketches, the shots are almost verbatim. Storyboarding, especially on costume dramas is a tool that helps to cut down on time. While everyone is standing around in costumes (possibly a tad uncomfortable) under lights that are trying to recreate historic atmosphere it would be counterproductive to wander around trying to figure out where the camera goes and then where to place the lights so they look authentic. The actors get testy and the crew gets cranky and then the whole morale of the thing can go into a nosedive. Trying to resuscitate everyone can take twice as much energy. And we are all trying to go green these days, aren’t we? Even on a physical level.
Once on the set the Director frees up. She is open to ideas from the DP as long as they match the thru-line of the scene. Patrick comes up with ideas to combine shots while keeping the intention intact. However, she gets a lot of flack from the producers about coverage. Now, I know she is trying to cover her butt. Others think she is spending way too much time on scenes. During a break I ask her how she tackles the issue.
“Sometimes I know exactly what I want. Other times I want to see what the actors bring to the scene. The actors are the most important element since they are telling the story. I want the performances to be as nuanced and truthful as possible and if it means I take the extra time and set-ups with the DP to get what I want then that’s what I am going to do.” She answers.
“The producers seem to give you a lot of crap about coverage.” I say.
“I respect them. I know that time is money. But I also know that one cannot force a performance. And although I try to cooperate with them a great deal they are not as versed in editing as other producers. In that way, I hope that they trust what I am trying to do and that I will bring in a project that has quality even if it takes a little more time than we thought.” She replies.
“So when you have set-ups that record the same bit of dialogue it seems like you can’t make up your mind about what you want. Is that true?” I boldly ask.
“Sometimes. But at other times I want to see if the actor surprises me.” She says. “If I am surprised and moved and inspired by a performance then the whole thing is worth it.”
“Don’t you think that you’re coddling the actors a little?” Again, another bold question. She’s going to hate me by the end of this interview.
“I will do whatever I can to make an actor feel safe and relaxed enough to give me the performance I want.” She says.
“Isn’t that the actors job, though?”
“Maybe. Have you ever tried acting? I’m not talking about the high school play. This kind of work is really taxing because it is usually shot out of sequence. So you have to find those emotions at the drop of a hat. Then you have to match that to what you may have done a week ago…again and again, take after take. It’s hard work.” She says. Touché…The one thing I can vouch for is that she and the AD scheduled scenes that never went beyond twelve hours on any given day.
The current scene under the lens is with Judy (playing Catherine). She has just come offstage from playing Gertrude in Hamlet. Victoria and Charles greet her in her dressing room at which point Charles asks Catherine if she knows of some poor artist willing to paint Victoria’s likeness. Socially conscious Victoria would rather offer the money to an unknown painter rather than contribute to the hubris of having a John Singer Sargent in her living room. Since Catherine and Richard are friends ‘with benefits’ she recommends Richard for the job. Victoria has no idea that she will be meeting the mysterious man in the street from several nights before.
I watch as the grips set up the dolly for one of the scenes later. I ask the DP what makes him choose a dolly move over a static shot or a jib shot.
“The scene is intimate. Two people are having a conversation. A slow dolly move in makes the audience member feel as if they are leaning into the conversation. They are an active, intimate part of the scene without knowing it.” He says.
We break for lunch and Thom and Eddie are unknowingly enacting the odd couple yet again.
Felix: You know I pick Oscar up and I tell him I’ve got a lot on my mind and I really want to be of help to the director so I’m going over things silently as I drive and what does he do? He starts talking.
Oscar: You spend way too much time alone, Felix.
Felix: That does not mean you can just gab away when I specifically ask you to be quiet.
Oscar: I’m just being friendly.
Felix: You just talk because you can’t help it.
Oscar: You don’t want me to talk to you?
Felix: Yes. When I ask you not to---and especially if I am in the scene. I want to go over my lines but I can’t if you’re just chatting in my ear about nothing.
Oscar: Coffee is important, Felix.
Felix: Not when I have to do a scene!!!
Oscar: Well you should’ve done your preparation before picking me up.
Felix: I have to leave now because I’m going to hit you.
Rebecca is in stitches and Judy can’t contain herself with laughter. This, my friends, is the sideshow…Dolly in. It may even be richer than the one we’re filming.
“It’s certainly funnier!” Judy exclaims.
Whit walks in wearing a full beard and jeans. His eyes are dark and menacing. He looks incredibly creepy today. Everyone picks up on it. In a scene later that day he frightens Catherine. He has arrived with the appropriate energy.
The next set-up is when Richard finally visits Catherine after her performance and they share a glass of absinthe. Richard has been scarce and distracted. During his absence Catherine has found out that Victoria has a thing for him and they are spending quite a bit of time together. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I won’t give the scene away but Catherine begins a hateful dance of seduction ending in Richard on the street with what looks like blood on his clothes and hands. She is screaming murder at the top of her lungs. It is one of the most provocative scenes I’ve ever witnessed and I hope it makes it into the final cut.
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