Directions: Red Riding script

Script Breakdown:

As the two main things directors must think about are what is happening in front of the camera, and where the camera is positioned, I annotated the script with ideas for shot framings and camera movements in order to get a clear idea of these elements. I also made side notes on other aspects such as sound and tone to help determine the look and sound of the piece. 

From this, I was able to generate questions that as a director I could potentially be asked by the cast and crew if I were to shoot this script. These covered all the aspects of production, even pre-production and post-production, as I found that it was important to think about things such as how the sequence would be edited after filming and what equipment would be used for certain shots during the shoot, even while reading the script for the first time, which I tried to take into account whilst annotating the script.

How? - style, mise-en-scene, mood
Who? - cast, crew
Where? - locations or a built set
What? - production, costume, and sound design, editing.

I also made lists of what cast, locations, sound, camera equipment, and props would be needed for the script, as well as how these would affect and create the overall look and feel of the piece.

Cast:

By looking up British crime dramas on Google, I was able to find actors who had previous experiences starring in this genre, therefore, I thought they would have the skills to play these parts but could also fit the attributes of the characters. 

Tom Hardy as Eddie Dunford

As he has had experience appearing in other crime and mystery dramas such as Taboo (2017-2018) and Peaky Blinders (2014-2017), I think he could fit this role, but also because of his character, Eames, in the action film Inception (2010). Eames is youthful and can be flirtatious, which are also attributes of Eddie as mentioned in his description, but also many of his characters are formally dressed in suits, such as in the crime film Lawless (2012).  

Anthony Head as Detective Superintendent Maurice Jobson

Due to  the many mentor type roles he has played, such as Rupert Giles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), and Chiron in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013), I think he would also fit this role as these characters are both quite bookish and wise, much like this character sounds like because of the use of the word 'owlish' in his description. I also think he would be a bit older than the other characters as he acknowledges Eddie as being 'young'.  

Kenneth Branagh as Bill Hadley

He has previously starred as Kurt Wallander (in Wallander, 2008-2015), who is a policeman, as well as playing Hercule Poirot in the film The Murder On The Orient Express (2017). Therefore, I think he would fit the part as he somewhat looks like how the character is described, but also he has a past of acting in the crime drama genre even though he has never played any type of journalist. 

Warren Brown as Barry Gannon

Also having experience in the crime drama genre because of shows such as Luther (2010-2015) and Liar (2017-2019), I mainly think he would fit into this role because of his portrayal of the character John Paul Rocksavage in the show Good Cop (2012). This is because this character could be said to be quite obsessive, which is one of Barry's attributes, as he is determined to get revenge on whoever killed his friend and colleague. 

Idris Elba as Superintendent Bill Molloy

Not only do I think that he fits the description of the character, I also think he would fit the role because of other characters he has played, mainly Luther (2010-2018), as this character sometimes does quite dangerous things that are often illegal in order to solve crimes. 

Lisa Faulkner as Kathryn Tyler

She has also had experience playing characters in crime dramas such as the police detective Sergeant Emma Scribbins in Murder in Suburbia (2004-2005) and the barrister Laura Scammel in New Street Law (2006-). However, I think she would fit this role because of her character in Murdoch Mysteries (2008-), as she plays the main character's love interest. 

Sarah Lancashire as Police Women

Due to her role as Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley (2014-).

Crew:

Steve Lawes

Director of photography

Having worked as the cinematographer on series such as Silent Witness (1996-) and Sherlock (2010-) which have many dark scenes which are shot at night, I think it would be useful for this script as it has a gloomy, dark atmosphere which could be highlighted by using soft lighting to illuminate the actors, such as in this scene from his work on Sherlock:

Grant Montgomery 

Production designer

Because of the use of colour design in the pilot of Peaky Blinders (2013-), where red is frequently used in an otherwise dull grey setting to symbolise the impending violence and bloodshed, I think that this type of colour design could work for this script as there is the recurring motif of the bright blue with white clouds to symbolise the dead angel in the much darker setting. However, having worked on Lewis (2006-2015), he has also had experience of creating settings of realistic police stations such as in the scene below:

Mica Levi

Composer

From films such as Under The Skin (2010), and Jackie (2016), it can be seen that most of her work is eerie and can be quite unsettling yet still sensitive. Therefore, I think it would fit this piece as it would be able to give it a gloomy, mysterious atmosphere such as in this part of the score from Under The Skin:

However, as shown in the score for Jackie, her compositions can still be sensitive and reflect the innocence of children, which I think would be important for the part about the dead angel:

Hazel Baillie

Editor

Having worked on other dramas that have a dark tone such as Black Mirror (2011-), as well as the crime drama In The Dark (2017-), her work uses fast cuts which cut on the action, providing suspense and tension, which would fit the uncertainty surrounding the crime involved in this script. However, in Thirteen (2016), she also uses a jump cut in a running scene, which I think would fit this script as it is jarring for the viewer as time elapses and events unfold at an unnatural rate, as shown in the scene in the trailer for the drama:

Locations:

Searching online starting with conference rooms that allow filming, I found a website that shows locations where filming is allowed so that I could try and pick locations in England that actually exist. 

Police Station Conference Room 

Portland Headquarters in South West England

I chose this location as if a stage was set up and the lighting was darker than in the picture above, I think that with the grey carpet and smoke it could look quite eerie and mysterious. As it is also such a wide open space, a lot of journalists would be able to be used so that Eddie would have to push through a large crowd, showing how he is not important yet. Also, there are smaller offices off of this bigger room, so there would be space for the meeting between Hadley, Maurice, and Eddie, allowing for the focus to be on them and allowing Maurice to be able to watch Eddie when he goes into the larger room with the crowd of journalists. 

Construction Site

Finding a construction site was harder so I used google images to find a construction site at night. I chose this picture as it looks like quite a small building site that could be down a country lane and there are also dormant cranes. However, it is not icy but could be in the winter, although has an eerie atmosphere due to the red and grey sky. The dark foundations of buildings could also hide a dead angel as they could be zoomed into to reveal her hidden within them.  

M1 and Int. /Ext. of Viva car

I picked these pictures as the top one shows the M1 in the rain which makes it look grey and dull, giving it a gloomy mood. This is also why I picked a black car, not a white one, as Eddie is mysterious as this scene is where he is introduced to the viewer for the first time, and white is associated more with women's cars than men's. I also looked up pictures of the interior of the car so that it was clear how much space there is for props and positioning a camera and sound/lighting equipment. 

Tone & Style:

I mostly picked images that were black and white to reflect the dark tone of the story as it involves a gloomy but mysterious atmosphere due to the death of the child known as the dead angel. However, I also included the clouds in the blue sky as although it doesn't fit with the grey dull theme of the other pictures it is symbolic of the dead angel who is at the centre of the mystery and contrasts with the darkness of the other pictures as they were only a child so were innocent and perhaps weren't aware of crime or other dark aspects of the world. Props were also important to include as they hint at the genre and also provide details to character's attributes, such as having a job as a detective, as well as the song lyrics playing on the radio in Eddie's car maybe hinting at the fact he might have a disagreement with another detective later about how to solve the crime.