A comic travelogue ?
Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 2:23 pm
What an area of outstanding beauty : the Yorkshire Dales ! Together with my wife, my sister and brother-in-law I went to Wensleydale to do the camera work for "Say Wensleydale Cheese !", my new film. Geoff Harrison of the "Preston Movie Makers" could find two fantastic actors for me. Most things had to be filmed inside. Vera and I had hired a cottage in Bainbridge near Hawes and that was the location for most acting scenes.
The actors Anita and David were a very kind couple. We laughed a lot when doing the "bed scene". Geoff used his sennheister microphone. He was wearing headphones. He told me that the sound was excellent but while filming I noticed that he was laughing himself. It illustrates how funny it was and that you must be very attentive.
Eric Nolan is the hornblower in my film. I could find a real cow horn somewhere in Flanders. In September a man blows the horn in Bainbridge, a small village in Wensleydale' every evening. It has been a tradition for many centuries. My actors had to look through the window while Eric was blowing the horn. However, Anita and David could not stop laughing while Eric was filling up his cheeks all the time. I could only film when they had stopped laughing. This took some minutes. I felt pity for Eric. Maybe his cheeks already hurt, and he didn't know that the camera was not shooting him, but I also enjoyed the pleasant situation. I had tears in my eyes.
Wensleydale Creamery was one of the other locations for an acting scene. I had already sent some messages to one of the managers to ask the permission to take some shots in the Creamery. It seemed to be difficult to get the permission, but Geoff did his utmost to fix everything. He called a lady a few times. When I arrived at the Creamery I could only film from the "gallery". The windows were dirty. You could only see some cheese making in the far distance. I told the people of the Creamery that I was very disappointed. Also Geoff talked to the big chief. After a short time they let me in together with my two actors Anita and David. We had to wash our hands, to wear a special hat and a special uniform, to cover our shoes with something in plastic. I love challenges. Making a film is always trying to overcome obstacles, trying to solve problems, trying to achieve happiness. So at the Wensleydale Creamery I reached my goal.
Unformatunately the weather conditions were awful. Drizzle, torrential rains from time to time... I suffer from a bronchitis now. Maybe it was also caused by the airconditioning in my car while driving. It all means that I will have to go back to film castles, scenery and other things. Today my friend Werner called me. He is willing to organise a trip by mini-bus to Wensleydale at the end of August. Some of his friends seem to be excited. In that way he can help me. I will pay for the ferry-trip Calais-Dover and for the fuel. I will try to find accommodation for Werner and his clubmates. It's a long distance. We did a bit more than 2,000 kilometres in a week.
As you can see ... a film is often the result of cooperation, of friendship, of working together. Now I am very grateful to Geoff Harrison and his friends Peter and Eric that they wanted to help me, of course also to Anita and David, the two main actors for the new film "Say Wensleydale Cheese !" (working title) It will be a travelogue again, but a comedy at the same time. What do you call such a film ? It's not a dramatised documentary. It's dramatised, but the acting scenes are funny or should be funny ( a little bit like Mr Bean) and it is certainly a travelogue. Maybe a comic travelogue !
The actors Anita and David were a very kind couple. We laughed a lot when doing the "bed scene". Geoff used his sennheister microphone. He was wearing headphones. He told me that the sound was excellent but while filming I noticed that he was laughing himself. It illustrates how funny it was and that you must be very attentive.
Eric Nolan is the hornblower in my film. I could find a real cow horn somewhere in Flanders. In September a man blows the horn in Bainbridge, a small village in Wensleydale' every evening. It has been a tradition for many centuries. My actors had to look through the window while Eric was blowing the horn. However, Anita and David could not stop laughing while Eric was filling up his cheeks all the time. I could only film when they had stopped laughing. This took some minutes. I felt pity for Eric. Maybe his cheeks already hurt, and he didn't know that the camera was not shooting him, but I also enjoyed the pleasant situation. I had tears in my eyes.
Wensleydale Creamery was one of the other locations for an acting scene. I had already sent some messages to one of the managers to ask the permission to take some shots in the Creamery. It seemed to be difficult to get the permission, but Geoff did his utmost to fix everything. He called a lady a few times. When I arrived at the Creamery I could only film from the "gallery". The windows were dirty. You could only see some cheese making in the far distance. I told the people of the Creamery that I was very disappointed. Also Geoff talked to the big chief. After a short time they let me in together with my two actors Anita and David. We had to wash our hands, to wear a special hat and a special uniform, to cover our shoes with something in plastic. I love challenges. Making a film is always trying to overcome obstacles, trying to solve problems, trying to achieve happiness. So at the Wensleydale Creamery I reached my goal.
Unformatunately the weather conditions were awful. Drizzle, torrential rains from time to time... I suffer from a bronchitis now. Maybe it was also caused by the airconditioning in my car while driving. It all means that I will have to go back to film castles, scenery and other things. Today my friend Werner called me. He is willing to organise a trip by mini-bus to Wensleydale at the end of August. Some of his friends seem to be excited. In that way he can help me. I will pay for the ferry-trip Calais-Dover and for the fuel. I will try to find accommodation for Werner and his clubmates. It's a long distance. We did a bit more than 2,000 kilometres in a week.
As you can see ... a film is often the result of cooperation, of friendship, of working together. Now I am very grateful to Geoff Harrison and his friends Peter and Eric that they wanted to help me, of course also to Anita and David, the two main actors for the new film "Say Wensleydale Cheese !" (working title) It will be a travelogue again, but a comedy at the same time. What do you call such a film ? It's not a dramatised documentary. It's dramatised, but the acting scenes are funny or should be funny ( a little bit like Mr Bean) and it is certainly a travelogue. Maybe a comic travelogue !