Filming Session #2: Marriage Counsellor Scene

One of the centrepiece flashbacks in the film, the Marriage Counsellor scene gives an insight into the troubles facing the pair. Moreover, the scene adds to the moral complexity of the film; the scene establishes Emily's unlikeable character, making the audience question the ethical wrongness of Liam's characters final action- murder. Consequently, it was important to convey the scene in such a way that the audience (to some extent) is almost sympathetic with the male character. It's been one of my favourite scenes to shoot, as it reveals the explosiveness and turbulence of the relationship whilst grounded in the supposedly controlled environment of the marriage counsellor's office.

The cast of this scene was made up with our two central characters, played by Liam and Emily, with the addition of Fiona as the Marriage Counsellor. In the original script, the Marriage Counsellor was over-the-top and eccentric, given the tone of the piece more of a sense of dark satire, which was oppositional to what I wanted the film to be, a dark, but ultimately straight-faced Drama. Therefore, I directed Fiona to play the character in a serious and authentic manner, subtly juxtaposed with a sense of inner-desperation as she attempts to control the situation. Added to this, I asked Emily to play her character in such a way that she came across as annoying and overly dramatic. I wanted to add the confusedness of where the audience stand morally; Emily's character isn't merely the innocent victim. As a result of this, I wanted Liam to be reserved and withdrawn, upset but not in an overtly-theatrical way like Emily. The couple's characters are very different, and I wanted to provide a contrast in how each character dealt with frustrations within their marriage.

I took a bit of a risk in directing this scene. I decided that my script would sound stilted and unrealistic when performed out loud. By giving my actors a clear sense of the scene, and each character's motivations, improvisation allowed for a more authentic and real set of lines. Unsurprisingly, all three characters brought ideas to the table that completely worked, things that I never could have imagined when writing the script. After AS Media, I was determined that I wouldn't stick to the monotonous tak of sticking closely to a script and storyboard. Whilst the aforementioned have provided me with a sound foundation,  using ad-lib was excellent in allowing to truly bring the vision to life.

Marriage Counsellor's Office AKA My-Dining-Table

My home's dining area doubled as the marriage counsellor's office. The mahogany look of the table, coupled with the flowers already gave the set a look that seemed authentic to what a similar kind of office would like. Added o this, I created props, such as a sign saying 'Dr Smith- Marriage Counsellor' which signals to the audience where the action is taking place. Also, I created some motivational posters. It's my belief that closeness in attention to detail, such as the props, flowers and table, permeates into the audience's mind, becoming more attached to the characters as they become lost in the illusion that what is happening is real and not constructed. I feel as though my choice of setting and props allowed me to create a scene that looked professional and carefully organised.

Liam and Emily

Lighting was selected purposefully to add to the films symbolic significance. The scene was dark, lit only by the harsh light overhead. Orange and black both have indexical connotations of danger and mystery. Furthermore, the lighting from overhead creates more shadow, which again reinforces the notion of danger. I envisaged that the entire film would be shot in such a way that whilst the action was very naturalistic and improvised in a style similar Mike Leigh, but at the same time I wanted to juxtapose this with a surrealist style of film-making, adding to the films thematic core of uncovering the extraordinary within the ordinary. From the footage I've shot, I'm pleased with this contrast, the naturalism vs. surrealism complementing one another well.


 I shot the scene multiple times from a variety of different angles, using a sequence of lines we'd roughly come up with after rehearsing it a few times. My idea is to cut between these angles; slight differences in the lines each time can be combated with a few shots I took. These 'reaction' shots don't contain audio, and include facial expressions of each of the characters, close-ups of the posters etc. This means that I can edit the footage in such a way that it looks seamless. This variety in angles and wealth of footage means that my options are more open when it comes to editing. Moreover, having so much footage minimises errors, and allows the audience to see the scene from a number of different perspectives.


Overall, I felt that this was s successful shooting session. My idea to shoot less but more frequently has definitely been effective, meaning that I can be more focused and concentrated on each scene and shot, whilst making the sometimes arduous task of shooting an entire short film appear less intimidating. This experience has definitely been a learning curve, but I'm confident that this scene will look good in the completed short film.