Director Statement:
For my directing project, I have chosen to re-direct films directed by John Glen and have chosen to re-film and direct several scenes from 'The Living Daylights'. This film is part of the James Bond series of films that was released in the year of 1987. The three scenes I have chosen to film involve: Firstly, James Bond follows a woman named Kara onto a tram until she is taken away by the KGB and leaves behind a cello case. Secondly, Bond takes the cello case into a toilets and finds a gun inside it and determines it was full of blanks. Lastly, Kara returns home, Bond is already there and offers to take her away and escape from the KGB.
I chose to re-direct John Glen mostly because of my familiarity with Glen's works. He directed five James Bond films throughout the 1980s which starred both Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton.
The first major changes I have made involve the script for these scenes. Firstly, I have changed any mention of the KGB headquarters to the Police Headquarters. I have also added i certain lines such as the KGB/Police agent exchanging threats to Kara before taking her off of the bus and having Bond audibly say the word 'blanks' when he empties the blank rifle shells into his hands. I decided to do this because the events that take place on screen may not make sense to an audience that has not seen the rest of the film that the scenes are taken from. I figured that adding small pieces of expository dialogue would keep the viewers up to speed with the current events on screen. Other changes to the script also include name translation to English such as changing the name Jorge to George.
The first major changes I have made involve the script for these scenes. Firstly, I have changed any mention of the KGB headquarters to the Police Headquarters. I have also added i certain lines such as the KGB/Police agent exchanging threats to Kara before taking her off of the bus and having Bond audibly say the word 'blanks' when he empties the blank rifle shells into his hands. I decided to do this because the events that take place on screen may not make sense to an audience that has not seen the rest of the film that the scenes are taken from. I figured that adding small pieces of expository dialogue would keep the viewers up to speed with the current events on screen. Other changes to the script also include name translation to English such as changing the name Jorge to George.
For casting of James Bond, I had to search for an actor of an appropriate age to portray a character who had seen a great deal of action in the past. The actor I chose is Darren Hammock. He is of the appropriate age and is also the right build. I chose him because he is believable as someone who could easily blend into the background without causing too much suspicion. Further research into his acting capabilities also prove positive.
For the casting of Kara, the lead female character, I chose to cast Colette Redgrave. I chose Colette because she has a youthful look but also has a mature presence, something I felt the original actress lacked in some areas. She is also a professional in the acting and theatre industries so her acting capabilities are of a high standard.
Other casting, involving the KGB (which I have later changed to the standard Police) was given to local people of my own knowledge who fit the archetype of these types of character. I made sure that their acting capability was good although they have very minimal lines.
For locations, I chose to replace the tram car with a bus, for the obvious reasons that there are no trams running locally. I have chosen a specific double-decker bus from the array of buses supplied by a bus company to me as it looks old fashioned and dirty to give it the aesthetic of a transport that is used on a daily basis.
The second location takes place in a tilets actually situated in the bus yard which was supple by the bus company. This location is good for my film because it fits the overall setting and aesthetic of the scene. Also the location is rather small, meaning that the action would appear up-close and personal with the actors.
The third location will take place in a bedroom which I have chosen to use in my own house. I chose to do this to save on the costs and the hardships of acquiring another bedroom to use. I will also have a familiar space to work with, even if the floor space is limited. I will have to use different areas of the room to full effect to get the required shots.
When it comes to production design, the bus itself, I personally think, is fine. The interior isn't too clean and feels like it is being used on a daily basis. I will also try to acquire several people to be passengers on the bus so that it feels like it is just another working day. The location which I will need to dress to a higher standard is the bedroom. In the narrative of the scenes, Kara's home has been ransacked. I will need to pull out drawers and clothes from cupboards and throw them onto the floor, while also messing up the bed and pulling the covers off. I need to be careful of the limited floor space, however, I will have to be careful of my placement of the objects so that I do not decrease my moveable space which could effect the quality of the shots I need.
In terms of costume design, I have asked my Bond actor to wear a business suit and tie after researching Ian Fleming's original character, who prefers to dress smart while on business and does not like to wear bow ties. This choice is also inspired by Timothy Dalton's look in the film.
Kara's costume design, I wanted to be aesthetically similar to the costume design from the film where she is wearing a bigger overcoat for outdoor wear.
For sound design, I will need to record several buzz-tracks, most prominently for the movement of the bus. I will try to record the bus's travel at various speeds so I can audibly show that the bus is speeding up and slowing down from inside the bus. Other buzz tracks I will use are the workers in the bus depot. I will use these sounds to emphasise the bus depot as a working environment. I will even add extra sound effects manually if I am unable to get the right amount of atmospheric noise.
Other sound effects that I would wish to add are the sounds of Bond holding and unloading the gun in the toilets. Because I am unable to use a toy gun due to health and safety regulations, I am going to use the power of suggestion by not showing the gun and using sound effects as the camera shows the outside of the toilet cubicle.
I have researched some other directors such as Sam Mendes and Sam Raimi to see how they handle their cinematography. What I got from this research was that the directors use a lot of continuous shots to show the entirety of an action scene. These are especially prominent in Sam Mendes's works on Skyfall and Spectre with shots that last for several minutes and convey entire sequences.
I would like to emulate these type of shots to avoid using quick cuts as I personally do not like uses of quick cuts and shaking cameras in films.
I would like to make the tone of my film to be quite sombre. I won't want to make the colour rich and bombastic like several other films in the James Bond series. I am actually trying to deter from the series as a whole and just treat the scenes like their own separate thriller story. The mood should be quite dark so I can emphasise the secretive and shadow-like activities of spies and their works. To do this, I would turn the saturation of the colour of the picture down slightly to give the picture this bleak and dark look. I will also create some music which reflects the mood of each scene. I'd plan to use low bass sounds in the background to emphasise character's moods and reflect on the spy genre as a whole.
In terms of editing, my film will not include fast edits. I wish to use a lot of long takes so that the action on screen is clearly shown without having to cut to the perspective of another character's POV or simply a different angle on the action. This editing style will be similar of those to Sam Mendes's and Sam Raimi's films and would stray from John Glen's simpler and more generic editing style.
Sound editing will also be very important also because of the nature of our assessment. I will have to find the right balance of sound level between each scene and lines of dialogue while also making sure than the sound fades and flows with the picture such as in scene transitions. editing of the music will be important as well as I will need to find the appropriate time to insert each audio cue.
Overall, I feel that my directorial decisions will be vastly different to that of John Glen's direction in these scenes. I believe that I will be able to give the film my own directorial style which can me recognised as my own like directors such as Sam Raimi.
The third location will take place in a bedroom which I have chosen to use in my own house. I chose to do this to save on the costs and the hardships of acquiring another bedroom to use. I will also have a familiar space to work with, even if the floor space is limited. I will have to use different areas of the room to full effect to get the required shots.
When it comes to production design, the bus itself, I personally think, is fine. The interior isn't too clean and feels like it is being used on a daily basis. I will also try to acquire several people to be passengers on the bus so that it feels like it is just another working day. The location which I will need to dress to a higher standard is the bedroom. In the narrative of the scenes, Kara's home has been ransacked. I will need to pull out drawers and clothes from cupboards and throw them onto the floor, while also messing up the bed and pulling the covers off. I need to be careful of the limited floor space, however, I will have to be careful of my placement of the objects so that I do not decrease my moveable space which could effect the quality of the shots I need.
In terms of costume design, I have asked my Bond actor to wear a business suit and tie after researching Ian Fleming's original character, who prefers to dress smart while on business and does not like to wear bow ties. This choice is also inspired by Timothy Dalton's look in the film.
Kara's costume design, I wanted to be aesthetically similar to the costume design from the film where she is wearing a bigger overcoat for outdoor wear.
For sound design, I will need to record several buzz-tracks, most prominently for the movement of the bus. I will try to record the bus's travel at various speeds so I can audibly show that the bus is speeding up and slowing down from inside the bus. Other buzz tracks I will use are the workers in the bus depot. I will use these sounds to emphasise the bus depot as a working environment. I will even add extra sound effects manually if I am unable to get the right amount of atmospheric noise.
Other sound effects that I would wish to add are the sounds of Bond holding and unloading the gun in the toilets. Because I am unable to use a toy gun due to health and safety regulations, I am going to use the power of suggestion by not showing the gun and using sound effects as the camera shows the outside of the toilet cubicle.
I have researched some other directors such as Sam Mendes and Sam Raimi to see how they handle their cinematography. What I got from this research was that the directors use a lot of continuous shots to show the entirety of an action scene. These are especially prominent in Sam Mendes's works on Skyfall and Spectre with shots that last for several minutes and convey entire sequences.
I would like to emulate these type of shots to avoid using quick cuts as I personally do not like uses of quick cuts and shaking cameras in films.
I would like to make the tone of my film to be quite sombre. I won't want to make the colour rich and bombastic like several other films in the James Bond series. I am actually trying to deter from the series as a whole and just treat the scenes like their own separate thriller story. The mood should be quite dark so I can emphasise the secretive and shadow-like activities of spies and their works. To do this, I would turn the saturation of the colour of the picture down slightly to give the picture this bleak and dark look. I will also create some music which reflects the mood of each scene. I'd plan to use low bass sounds in the background to emphasise character's moods and reflect on the spy genre as a whole.
In terms of editing, my film will not include fast edits. I wish to use a lot of long takes so that the action on screen is clearly shown without having to cut to the perspective of another character's POV or simply a different angle on the action. This editing style will be similar of those to Sam Mendes's and Sam Raimi's films and would stray from John Glen's simpler and more generic editing style.
Sound editing will also be very important also because of the nature of our assessment. I will have to find the right balance of sound level between each scene and lines of dialogue while also making sure than the sound fades and flows with the picture such as in scene transitions. editing of the music will be important as well as I will need to find the appropriate time to insert each audio cue.
Overall, I feel that my directorial decisions will be vastly different to that of John Glen's direction in these scenes. I believe that I will be able to give the film my own directorial style which can me recognised as my own like directors such as Sam Raimi.
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