Norway preparations

So what are we doing in Norway?
I have just finished a first draft of the shot list, which includes nearly 50 shots, around 10 a day. Some of these are alternates, so I would guess in the end we will shoot 45 different shots.
This is certainly not about shooting pickups, this is all about developing the story of Claire in Norway.
Some highlights...
Claire arrives at the cabin
Until now I have included a metaphor for her past in a box of momentoes she carries with her, which included antique jewelery and photos of forgotten relations. It always felt a weak idea and most everyone found it either confusing or pointless. Now I realise that the image of the past is the cabin itself. She arrives in the day but waits until dark to break in, like a burglar. What does she do/feel in the meantime? It is David's idea to make the cabin a character itself - how does she see this place? Claire has come here because it is about the past, so her arrival and how she relates to this place are central.
Claire goes swimming
On Claire's first full-day in Norway she goes to the beach. This is about Claire finding a new energy in beauty and nature. Currently the scene is weak. I would like to simplify the whole Norway segment by first showing Claire making her way to the beach area. This means we will have a short-hand for these locations later, that is I we will be able reuse them again. And by creating a simple construct - Claire is going to the beach - I will be able to express more conceptual ideas.
Once she arrives at the beach we need to develop the swimming sequence so we understand what this means to her. More on this below.
Not quite the ending
Along with a few shots which are missing or which we felt are weak there is the ending. This too is underdeveloped. Some ideas, such as the coda sequence that follows her view of her sister, is strong, but I think could get more out of this scene by using shots of locations where we have previously seen Claire. For example, the places she passes through on the way to the beach. They would take on another resonance because Claire is now absent from them.
Before the ending itself it also felt that we needed another scene with Claire. She needed to develop in between. So what happens? I am calling this my Claire-as-an-animal sequence, in that I would like to see Claire now changed, as no longer self-conscious, as focused, and full of energy.
The ending
I have already written quite a deal about this, but suffice to say we thinking of other elements around that final shot. Or is it another ending altogether? I suppose we won't know until we have the material and have edited it altogether.
More on preparations coming soon...