When I decided to make this film in October 2014 I had little apart from an unedited script, some kit and my own devices. Compared to many other films it’s been a relatively short ride, or so I reminded myself last week when I spliced together the five rough-cut reels that make up \u201cVoyageuse.\u201d Certainly the task is easier \u2013 and cheaper \u2013 than had it been originated on film but even so, to watch it on my domestic smart TV means copying files to the public share of the NAS (Network Attached Server) from where via the DNLA (Digital Living Network Alliance) finally I could fret about its shortcomings: the holes in the timeline, raw sound, pacing errors and miscued temp music.<\/p>\n
As with any work-in-progress I console myself with the parts that work. To answer the operative question \u2013 does this film fulfil its original intention? \u2013 I’d say yes, it does. Had I taken a conventional route to production no doubt my script would have been eviscerated in development and I\u2019d probably still be searching for funding, ergo the film wouldn\u2019t exist. Where the cut succeeds there are moments when the parts combine to forceful effect without shouting \u2018look at me\u2019 or dazzling the eye with vacuous trickery.<\/p>\n
Recently my husband remarked, \u2018what if someone asks why didn\u2019t you move the camera\u2019? To which I replied without hesitation, \u2018because I didn\u2019t need to\u2019. I\u2019m not being flippant. To not move the camera is a decision I took not because of a lack of resource but because the static frame is a perfect expression of Erica\u2019s state of mind. Trapped in a house with an ageing mother she has no prospect of moving forward. With life at a standstill, Erica’s only solace is a retreat into memories triggered by her surroundings and the objects around her. The visual stillness serves Si\u00e2n Phillips\u2019 performance by focusing on the storytelling and not the distraction of pointless camera moves.<\/p>\n
Over the next few weeks my attention shifts to sound design, laying down ambiences, atmospheres, foley and spot effects that best reflect Erica\u2019s outer and inner worlds. Typically sound design and mixing would be handed to a specialist but since I don\u2019t have the funds I\u2019ve assumed the role myself as I did on my last film, \u201cThe Devil\u2019s Plantation\u201d (2013) where the sound for the entire film \u2013 all 850-plus tracks \u2013 was created in my garden shed, usually at some ungodly hour.<\/p>\n
So it was a strange coincidence when a few weeks ago I ran into a sound mixer I previously worked with. It’s been years. Exchanging greetings, he asked what I was up to. Making a film, I said. Do you need a mix? he replied. I\u2019d love a mix, I said, holding the parallel thoughts – a) I can’t afford it and b) there might be a way if I do the sound design and lay the tracks myself. We\u2019ve since swapped a few emails and had a meeting so hopefully a deal can be struck that won’t bankrupt me so the film can have the Dolby mix it deserves.<\/p>\n
Similarly, after much soul-searching, I\u2019ve enlisted a composer, a luxury on a film of this scale. For once this isn\u2019t a question of money, more a hesitation on my part following the death in September 2011 of Bobby Henry<\/a>, who scored two of my previous films. A legendary producer and songwriter, Bobby was also a long-time friend and his loss still weighs heavily. Could I ever contemplate working with another composer? Often it takes years to build a relationship between director and composer and the kind of intuition that allows both parties to say – ‘yes,\u00a0that<\/span> works, but\u00a0this<\/span> sucks’ – without leading to rancour. Tell it to Bernard Herrmann,<\/a> famously fired by Alfred Hitchcock<\/a> during the music recording for “Torn Curtain” (1966) where the composer credit was given to John Addison<\/a>.<\/p>\n With so few feature films produced in the UK it’s rare for composers to get the chance to score. Every week or so I’m contacted by talented musicians and composers looking for a break but while I\u2019ve always intended to have music in the film \u2013 see my last post \u2013 the idea of an original score never occurred to me. I mention this casually to my next-door neighbour, Euan Stevenson<\/a>, a highly accomplished, award-winning pianist and composer who for months has patiently listened to my blow-by-blow account of making this film just as I\u2019ve listened to him playing through our adjoining wall. Professionally our paths haven\u2019t crossed much, apart from me making a no-budget video for one of his projects a few years ago. Initially I was uncertain whether Euan would be simpatico with my musical direction for the film or indeed my ability to communicate my ideas but with his curiosity piqued, at his behest I sent him the tracks and a link to this blog. What did he think?<\/p>\n Not only did Euan express his enthusiasm for my choices but also the opportunity to score a film, a first for him. Where other composers might balk at a strange proposition such as \u201cVoyageuse\u201d he never questioned its unorthodoxy. In the edit suite I laid out the script and showed him the rough cut, conscious of the challenge for any composer given the absence of on-screen action, with the emphasis squarely on the voice.<\/p>\n