Rarely does a film capture the look and the feel of a city at night -
or characters as they spiral into that darkness.
But
in 1976 John
Cassavetes created a portrait of Los Angeles at night - like
no other. Using the fastest film-stock of the day, scripted and improvised
techniques plus a largely hand-held camera style, he delivered a film
called The
Killing Of A Chinese Bookie. We can see the influence of
this film in many contemporary, commercial films. Its' jerky camera-moves
and grit are ever present in Matt
Damon's Bourne series, Stevcen Soderbergh's The
Limey and especially The
Wrestler.
For
R-O-R we are going back to basics - trying to script, block and shoot
for the visceral feel of Cassavetes. That means 80%
hand-held camera - a focus on substance over style and a
naturalistic
touch with the actors... Our mission is to return that grit,
grain and dirty majesty to those forgotten, hedonistic
nights.
REDCHURCH
STREET PRODUCTIONS LTD - 2011