| |
|
Monday, August 27, 2007 |
| Break a leg…or a toe! |
It’s the night before the start of shooting Passchendaele, and I can’t sleep. I set three alarms, each to go off at five minute intervals. I have to be on time to pick Paul up and take him to set. If I'm late, so is the director, and then consequently the day, grinding the production to a halt. I've often heard the saying "There’s no small part in show business”. One alarm clock goes off. ¬ I put it on snooze. Then another goes off, and I do the same, then another, then the first is going off again, until at 5:20am, half crazed with a ringing in my head, I fall out of bed. I get coffee, juice and nutritional supplements for Paul and meet him at his place. If I couldn't sleep, I can only imagine how his night must have been, the night before beginning a project that has been brewing for the last ten years. Nonetheless, Paul looks surprisingly refreshed.
When we arrive at the set, an old church with a beautiful wood paneling, I have a rough idea of what’s going on, but quickly get lost in a whirlwind of activity. Paul drops occasional sentences about what he’s doing and thinking, little morsels of insight into the issues he’s wrestling with. Bit by bit, I’m unravelling the mysterious processes I see going on around me. Right now, it's all I can do to be close by should he need anything, whether it is an important letter drafted to someone or something as inconsequential as a piece of chewing gum. With Paul acting and directing, he has no time to waste. He engages me to arrange a consultation with our military expert Norman Leach to clarify a historical detail - the Producers are committed to accurately portraying this period in our nation's history - then disappears into his trailer. When Paul emerges, the entire crew takes note. A transformation has occurred. His unkempt hair is now parted in the center, a popular style in 1917, and his jeans and t-shirt have been replaced with a dashing WWI Sergeant’s uniform. We're seeing Paul in character as Michael Dunne for the first time.
Our first scene has Sgt. Dunne at a medical presentation on the effects of artillery fire on the human body. I’m finally witnessing the high-wire act that he has to carry out, directing and acting. At the end of each take, he yells out “cut”, and rushes back to the monitor so he can view a recording of the shot. Having experience in front of and behind the camera, he can sense whether a scene has gone well from an actors’ perspective, but needs to know that the shot looks good. Surrounding himself with people whose professional opinion he can trust is key. Paul makes the final decisions, but collaborates with his team to achieve the effect he’s looking for in each scene.
After hours of capturing the scene from different angles lunch is called; I bring him lunch in his trailer. He eats for 15 minutes, sleeps for another 15 and then he's back into the fray.
I have my lunch alone with my computer, reflecting on the morning. Sitting at the table next to me is the 1st Assistant Director and the Line Producer, who’s concerned that we’re not on schedule. It’s the 1st AD's job to make sure that this happens. Months before the shoot he created a schedule delineating the work that should be done on each day. If he assigns too much for one day, the production will go beyond twelve hours and consequently over-budget as people are paid overtime and certain scenes will have to be postponed.
There's frenetic activity as the crew moves to break down one shot and set up the next. They're working efficiently as a team. The gaffers and grips get a feel for the lighting set ups that the Director of Photography would probably choose for each scene, each DP having a distinct lighting style. As we progress and get the shots 'in the can' the Line Producer is looking less concerned. The day has gone smoothly, largely because of Paul’s efficiency. The fact that he’s on schedule while doing two jobs has earned him the respect of the crew. Now we can go home.
As I drive home, Paul tells me about the history of the unions in the Canada. I’m always impressed by how much he knows about the Canadian film industry that he is so dedicated to. I let him out of the car. He slams the door, heading up to his place. I make to drive away, but I’ve put the car in reverse, and it shoots back at high speed. I’ve driven over his toe! Paul gamely walks off without making a big deal of it, but I'm aware I may have almost killed the director, which would have ended the whole show right there and then, once again reminded that there are no small parts in film.
|
|
|
|
|
| About the Blogger |
|
The motion picture Passchendaele, an epic set amidst the horror of war, was shot in Alberta from August 20th to October 23rd 2007, directed and written by Paul Gross. The film is now in post production and will premiere in Theatres fall 2008, thus culminating a lifelong dream of Paul's, who learned of this extraordinary period in Canadian history from his Grandfather, Michael Joseph Dunne. The Battle of Passchendaele represents a story of determination, commitment and triumph, and this defining chapter in the forging of a nation shall never be forgotten. |
|
