What would you do if you won thousands?
JAMES SUTHERLAND'S DIARY
Mon 22nd Oct. Diane calls from Actor’s Centre letting me know I have been cast. Rachel calls not long after to chat about project. The e-mails start coming thick and fast!
Tues 23rd. Am gonna do some work with Laura this wk. Her character is fond of me so it seems fit. Also Roshan and I (being Scots) should discuss certain things that we might chat about once we have recognised our common nationality. Things like money, a Scottish Film, East v’s West and where we might go/visit in Scotland – where inspires us. Need to think about costume and music. Have my Mike Leigh notes from college and they will come in handy. Want to find a Building Site nearby and spend some time watching the men at work.
Txt from Laura – meeting Friday (Rachel sending us something to work on). Will chat to Roshan tonight (we agreed lata to chat 2moro).
Wed 24th. Feeling rotten today. This cold has really kicked in. Sniffling and sneezing all day! Laura txtd tho and am meeting her on Fri at the Actor’s Centre after she finishes work. Roshan called me at night – he’s not well either. Didn’t chat long. Will phone him tomorrow teatime. Watched ‘Deal or No Deal’. Catch this prog at the gym sometimes (when am fit and well). Quite an attractive petite girl – sultry long curly dark hair, big dark eyes – looked a bit gypsy like, won £45,000. Her mum was a great help advising her what to do. Just as well, as she dealt at the right tme and would have lost had she played on.
Thurs 25th. Couple of e-mails from rachel. Terrible game show on mid afternoon – didn’t catch the name but seemed to focus on finding out which contestant was the cheater! Host Brian Connelly – never thought much of him as a comedian – saw a bit of it and went in the bath!
Rachel wants to see my characters’ softer, more vulnerable side and has given Laura and I something to work on. Am not surprised, as I know I come across as quite a confident, self-assured person and tend to play high status parts. Many moons ago a drama tutor told me that if I could find a vulnerable side/quality to my acting it would serve me very well. Will enjoy this challenge (not really sure if I see it as a ‘challenge’ as I know it is there in me) - will enjoy the process of bringing it out – the discovery.
It also appears that I will get into conflict with Alex and maybe ‘fight’ with him. Of course, his character is a Thai Boxer, and of course JAMES SUTHERLAND is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do – interesting one! Where’s my Bruce Lee movies!
Insults – Eat shit and die, have a rest, you don’t have to be an arsehole every day of your life, away and lie in your pish! Away and boil yer heid!
Spoke to Roshan about a film for us – I feel drawn towards ‘The Girl in the picture’. Mentioned ‘Young Adam’ so I watched it that night.
Fri 26th. Chatted to Rachel about a vulnerability side to George, ways to bring this out i.e. through his ‘relationship’ with Charley, Scottishness, and other general aspects of film.
Fri 26th cont. Met up with Rachel at The Actor’s Centre. Talked about all manners of stuff. Strange how we both seemed to be thinking along the same lines – George has been having an affair with Charley (his babysitter for past few years). Just seems right for both our characters. Something seemed to happen after we reached our conclusion, and it seemed to me that we were overtaken with the idea and began relating to each other in a kind of intimate level giving loads of eye contact, smiling at each other, communing completely. The next hour flew by and by the time we left we had grown quite close, and I for one did not realise what had happened til later - it had all bourne from total commitment and trust, but a shift, a reaction so natural – as breathing in after breathing out. Will enjoy working with Laura.
Sat 27th. Chatted to Roshan – Scottishness again. Will try and get ‘Girl in the Picture’.
Monday 29th. chat with Roshan again over our common Scottishness and particularly about a ‘common film’. My choice ‘The girl in the picture’ proving difficult to get. May have to scrap that idea.
Thurs 1st Nov. Our first full day together. Started off full of energy. Filmed some impros after going away and discussing relationships with Jason (Alex) and Laura (Charley). Idea was to explore Alex and George’s apparent dislike for each other. Felt we got a few useful things out of it and Rachel said that it had been useful for her. Helped with my relationship with Charley too and why she is with me there as a non-contestant. Felt things happening with my feelings for her. Felt very protective.
However, by the afternoon I was flagging (had stayed up late the night before preparing my topic questions). Did an impro where I was hot-seated about what i would do with money, how did i feel to be deceitful and unfaithful etc (designed to explore George’s guilt and vulnerability). I did feel a degree of guilt, but for the best part I just felt kind of ‘spaced’ in this impro. So tired. Lots of early rises working at Legoland in Windsor this week and classes with Patrick. Falling asleep on bus home. Never mind. Early days yet.
Mon 5th. Printed off script in the morn at Library – the opening few pages. George is pretty pissed off right from the word go!
Reheasals at night went pretty well i thought. Jason not there but the rest of us got stuck in. We worked the opening sequences and then at the end did a little private individual piece to camera on what each of us thought about others characters, gameshows, and why we wanted to win the money. Am reasonably happy with how well my character is coming along at this stage. Have a good back history. In a positive frame about it, and feel very commited to the project. Perhaps some of the stuff I have done in Patrick’s class last wk will be useful to me. Will get more script tonight. Some folk unfortunately not available to do some rehearsing on site. Pity. A big job for Rachel but she is quietly resourceful and determined, and fully committed too. Great!
Tues 6th. Picked up script and at night rehearsals went well I thought. Coming back on bus Rachel txtd to say filming had been put back a wk. I think everyone will be pleased as it gives us an extra week, especially Rachel, who has so much to do devising and writing the thing.
Wed 7th. Good to have Jason back. Quite a bit of re-writing the scene where Alex (Jason) is found out. Am really enjoying this process. Whatsmore, Rachel pointed out one of my tendancies as an essentially theatre-trained actor, is to go ‘big’ – especially when I am in any way angry which of course George is, to a degree. It’s about focus. Will be altogether better prepared now, I think, to be aware of this tendency and not fall in this trap. Need to work on my own, some of my lines – bedroom acting – this will help. Nice feel to my impro with Sam at the end.
Thurs 8th. All here tonight apart from Clareine who is off to ‘Gay paree’ to work at Disneyworld. All of us wondering if she is waxing lyrical as ‘Minnie Mouse’. Really enjoyed it tonight. Script seems pretty cemented now for the beginning so I can familiarise, or even go ahead and learn it. Impro with Sam who true to form never stopped for breath, haranguing me about what I am doing with my life etc. Don’t know if I gave Rachel exactly what she was looking for, probably not (George in guilty mode again) but think she got stuff out of it. Weekend off now to reflect on the week.
Mon 12th. Didn’t get used tonight until the end, but it was good to watch everybody elses work. Laura and I impro-ed at the end of the session – George basically reassuring her that they will be together and that he will go through with leaving his wife and child. Don’t think I pitched it quite right for what Rachel was looking for (felt afterwards.I had been too devious and unscrupulous for George – too confident and blazè), but as with the nature of these exersises, still got something out of it. Laura looks a bit anxious – maybe not under the skin of Charley yet – end of class a few words of support. She is a good actress and will be ok I feel.
Tues 13th. Didn’t do any acting tonight. New scenes, Rachel has been busy. So we were reading and making changes as we went along. Good lighthearted feel to the class tonight, and Laura looks in a much more positive state of mind.
For me a revelation! Had my first vision of George away from James! Great! Can even begin to see what he looks like, how he moves and can practically hear his voice. Love moments like this! He wears glasses too.
Thurs 15th. Long day. Came straight from London Film Academy to Devising but this was beneficial i think as i had worked quite intensely with the students there i was quite focussed that night. Roshan, Clareine and I worked scene where Roshan and I wind her up. Later did Alphabet scene with Laura – Rachel working towards something but not quite sure yet. Have enjoyed working stuff tonight. Script pretty much locked so we could film stuff without scripts.
Mon 19th. Bloody good! Trouble getting glasses today, but tips from Laura. Most of us brought in costume. Working scenes 23 – 28. Starting to get a feel for ‘This is Hell’ scene. My subsequent confrontation with Alex worked quite well I think – once I had the lines. Taking in Sam too when he appeared which feels right. Not in now til Thurs. Will be right on top of my lines.
Thurs 22nd. No devising on Tues as Anna & Jason Ceroc Dancing, nor Weds either. But tonight was a night for going over things like continuity, logging scenes, shots, slates etc (a girl called Joanne gave us a pep talk form her experience in previous Film Lab). Rachel went over the running order of scenes etc, the order of things, the crew, the basic practical aspects of a shoot which we need to be aware of. Near the end some of us got a chance to go over one or two scenes that we wished to work on.
Fri 23rd. Bitter cold day and started with Roshan getting a bit stressed driving down there. Laura got dog shit on her shoes! All on set from 7am, but we made it. Such a useful opportunity for us to see the location, go through the running order, become familiar with it and get a feel for the pace of the weekend’s shoot. I really felt a connection with some of George’s characteristics, inners, moods etc - George’s initial disgust towards the meeting place, his contempt for the organisers, his competitiveness, lack of interest at times, disdain, and general feeling of foreboding in his relationship with Charley. His journey. We all had lunch in local pub and finished when the light went – about 4 or so.
Sat 24th. Shoot Day. Got there a bit early – 6.40 or so. Bitter cold again. Colder than yesterday!! No Diane, apparently her car broke down and we thought we might not have the buggy but it arrived later. Jason was a bit late and we didn’t get started shooting til about 7.40. My first tasks were to watch the equipment. Laura and I did our scenes on the wall. Rachel happy with our take with focus on Laura. I thought it went well too and I think Laura happy. My side we only did one take and I thought it could have been better, but Rachel happy (as she said – if she is happy she will move on). Thought i would ask Rachel for future scenes - would it be ok to ask for another take and she was fine about it. Wish I had thought of this earlier. But hey I always think i can do better and i think most actors do, and i think this is perhaps right, in the pursuit of honest good acting.
We spent quite a bit of time on George and Charley’s entrance and I went through about 12 fags!! Again, thought my initial takes for confrontation with Alex could have been better, and I stumbled over my lines a couple of times (I didn’t ask for another take – need to speak up more and ask for what I want). After lunch I did a bit of continuity on Alex and Katherine’s sitting scene 12 into 14. We realised I should be in background so thomas took over for a bit. This led to me not marking continuity sheets from 12 into 14 properly, but I i think i made the main remarks, I think! Slight dialogue change which I marked.
Our ‘This is art’ scene took a few runs but Rachel finally got a take she was happy with. A few of us fitting into such a tight shot and getting the dynamic and fluidity of the competitiveness there, seemed to be the initial prob. Did some ‘waiting’ shots and lastly Laura did our ‘Alphabet Thief’ scene and i was actually relatively happy with it. Did it in one take – Rachel happy and i think Laura too. Rapped at about 3.30. Still a lot to shoot tomorrow. Should have more light though
Sun 25th. Shoot Day. Roshan ran me in again with Anna. Got there in plenty of time this time. It was a lot milder and am sure everyone was happy thatwe wouldn’t be shivering in our boots after the last 2 days! We rehearsed the ‘this is hell’scene a few times. I don’t know why but this scene has always given me trouble. Perhaps it’s the off-kilter feel to it and it feels very ‘cheated’ with Clareine wandering in between Roshan, and I still didn’t feel absoultely immersed in the scene when we filmed it.
Built up towards the bus arriving. Lots of running to do – everyone panting for breath. The take came and I felt right there only I was aware that I would have looked livid as this is how I felt. Our fight arranger arrived. Lovely guy and so helpful. Jason took it all in his stride really. Typical Jason, very jolly and full of fun and not an actor to get flustered or rushed. Managed to wolf down a roll before our confrontation:-
We did a few takes but every one I felt too big for the shot. Loud and big physically. Need to learn when playing anger....... Suppose i was aware subconciously that i was coming from a ‘livid’ state to this scene, but I was disappointed and am not looking forward to seeing it. It’s so annoying because I know I can do what’s required for the shot, and deflating when I don’t get it right.
I did feel suitably deflated for next shots with Laura!! Thought we worked those intimately dramatic little shots quite well, although my last line ‘The only way out is through’ I didn’t feel there at all – faking it. Realised that we had never looked at this line or even talked about it in devising. Just shows. Don’t leave things til the last minute.
The afternoon felt very rushed and Rachel admitted later that the pace had been faster than T.V. which some of us with experience would go along with am sure. But we all feel very priveleged to have been involved in the project and with such a talented director, great crew, and high tech equipment too.Filmed in HD! Janice, my dodumentary-making sister told me later that Chris Openshaw is very well respected in his field. Thanks Rachel.
Straight to the pub!!
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