In the meantime Lu continued battling the schedule, while Roland went to the airport early to pick up the rest of the crew. I was worried about them as I had cruelly put them on the early flight, which left London at 6:30am. They would have had to get up at 3am to get to the airport and would be coming quite tired, not ideal for an afternoon and evening of shooting. I had asked Lu if it were possible to switch the evening shoot for a rehearsal we had scheduled but she found this was not possible. They had a very long day.
We began by shooting some simple scenes in the cabin, and then in late afternoon hiked to a series of locations near what we called the beach. Here, we began by shooting a scene where Claire and Natalie go out hiking, Claire leaving Natalie behind when she cannot keep up. As we scrambled about in the brush for a shooting position we managed to loose the eye cup for the camera. This was a blow as we imagined trying to put our eyes up against the sharp metal end of the eyepiece for the rest of the week. This was the first and certainly not the only time that Anton became a hero. Later, while we were waiting for the sun to go down he dug up in the brush and found the thing. Anton had come along to help Azahara with the art direction but he also did work shooting making of video, carrying loads up and down the hills, clearing jellyfish from one of our swimming locations, and finally building a BBQ down by the water for our wrap dinner.
We stayed at the beach through the evening. David was back at the cabin and set us dinner by boat. We shot a number of shots, without actors, and then finished the evening by a series of shots of Claire in the forest at night. This was one of three shots where we moved the camera in the film, a tilt down from high in the treetops to Claire at the base of the tree, looking up. Probably the most difficult part were the midges which were attacking everyone but me. As JC tilted the camera down Ania was blowing the midges off his hands.
What else did we find out there? Midges, which made Roland and JC their special victims. Each evening it was good to sidle up to either of them as the midges would leave you for their more delicious flesh. A few mosquitoes, but also ticks. Roland find a one big one on his leg. Lu also found a few on her legs, after she decided to abandon the outdoor toilet for the grass. There mice in the toilet and a few of the girls preferred the outdoors. Now Flora was especially concerned for the jellyfish as of course she was meant to swim in the fjord. They were everywhere, particularly when the tide shifted in certain directions.
The next morning we began shooting Scene 60, where Natalie arrives at the cabin unexpectedly. We had to shoot this scene on the Wednesday, as Ronny, my former flatmate, and the owner of the cabin was leaving that day. He played the Norwegian boatman who delivers Natalie to the cabin.
That evening we did the difficult Scene 61, the confrontation between Claire and Natalie. Flora got up to a performance level and threw a number of things without hurting anyone, while still be believable. And we saw some interesting things in Natalie too. I found finishing this scene a great relief.
I found the next few days a blur. I remember shooting scenes, but cannot place them on days. We spent one afternoon climbing into a valley near the centre of the island we were on. Here we found a number of locations, including the scene where Claire hides from a couple she runs into out on a walk. I had asked Anton to get some video of all of us climbing up the hill and went up on a ridge and captured us, ala Aquirre style, in a long row carrying equipment and provisions.
When we were finished with Flora a small crew stayed behind and we staked out what we called codas. These were stills of the landscape that I have a vague plan to use. The idea has been to create a place that is beyond the world that Claire inhabits, but which she has a part in. This meant we needed to show this world sometimes with her in it, and sometimes without her. It is as if this world has its own story and even its film and were shooting part of it.
We also shot Scene 68, the final shot, in which Claire stands in, moves about in, and finally dissolves into the landscape. This was a critical shot and when we were done I was not convinced we had captured it yet.
We spent evening shooting more interior scenes, scenes between Natalie and Claire, in which they do some actually speaking!
What day was this? I really not sure. Probably Lu could tell us.
Everything was going to schedule until I woke once again far too early on Friday morning. It was raining hard and we had planned to shoot a number of key outdoor scenes. Before we even had breakfast Lu had rescheduled.
More on that in the next post, but a few photos from Beth, who not only did make-up but managed to capture these at the same time. I will save David's photos for a final Norway post.
Katrine, and Flora on their way to the location. Roland fills up the car.
Our location, with required Norwegian flag.
I think this was our first shot. Natalie goes through some childhood toys and books.
JC and Ania, our first camera assistant.
The location we named the beach. We shot a number of scenes here and nearby.
Flora and David, with Ania in the background, on their way back from the beach on the first day of shooting.
Anton and Roland in the boat wrangling the jellyfish. After an hour there still more coming and we had to rethink how we would shoot this scene. JC, Ania and myself discuss shots that would never be.
In the location we called the valley. Lu stands by ready to organise us. Kendra, the 2nd camera assistant waits for me and JC to make up our minds.
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