roxana

A writer observes the making of her friend's movie: watching Moze Mossanen's Canadian dance film, Roxana, come to life.

Name:
Location: Ontario, Canada

A Canadian writer, story editor and educator of film and media and film and theology in two academic settings. Creator/Curator of Lutherans Connect devotionals. Diaconal candidate in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Interested in ways to integrate spirituality and the arts in a celebration and love of visual and written language.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

shooting begins!

Roxana has kicked her way into life, principal photography has begun on the movie. For the next two weeks, adrenalin will run high as the temperatures outside continue to run low. The shoot began on Thursday in snowy cold Hamilton, where it will stay through Saturday. On Tuesday, the crew moves to Kleinburg for the art gallery sequences (shot in a studio) and the remainder of the shoot will occur in Toronto.

I joined them on day 2 at the location set in Hamilton for the Chez Paree number that opens the movie. It's rare that the making of a film begins with the actual opening scenes of a film. When that happens it gives the performing company an unusual chance to establish their own sense of natural character progression, normally only possible on stage. The timing is accidental here, but there are benefits all around.

In the previous post, I e-chatted with Production Designer Rhonda Moscoe about the transformation of the old burlesque theatre discovered above a Chinese restaurant. By looking at the first picture above and scrolling below you can see the 'before and after' - and the tremendous work that has been done. Catching up with Rhonda on set yesterday, she and Art Director Martha Sparrow (both pictured) seemed very pleased. It was decided to keep the Chinese characteristics of the space in tact and to work with them as a context for the theatre, adapting it to another era.

Roberto Campanella's choreography is an almost elegant burlesque - with slow and erotic, but not provocative gestures. The combination of his movement and Rhonda and Martha's set work, along with Debra Hanson's stunning costumes, creates a feeling of a very tony torchy hideaway for high-ranking politicians of the late 1950s.


The day started with a sizeable delay. Stephen Traynor (arguably the calmest looking producer that ever lived) did not seem too alarmed, given that a very full schedule was ahead. So much of the quality of life on a film set is determined by the tone that is set in the key personnel. If the producer, director, cinematographer or their key assistants appear to be fretting and tearing their hair, then so will the others. The key is trust - and these folks seem to trust their crew implicitly. A new light needed to be added to the ceiling; the scaffolding was not big enough. But eventually the matter was taken care of and the set filled with the gorgeously and meticulously dressed and coiffed extras. Fog was pumped in to give a slight nightclub feeling of smoke and the camera was finally rolling.

First up: a full dolly shot moving along the front edge of the theatre at a wide angle as Roxana and the other dancers make their way down the steps of the stage and into a performing space between tables. I thought suddenly of the conversation I'd listened to between Moze and Roberto on the street in front of 509 Parliament just a few weeks ago, in which Roberto wondered aloud, as they imagined the set, "will there be tables?". Space on set was so tight that Moze and Roberto and Stephen watched from behind the sealed off area on a monitor, in a space equally small and running over with cables, boxes and set pieces (not to mention people)! As the dance progressed, everyone stared at the tiny television, transfixed. Several takes later, it was time for lunch. Lunch at 4:00. Lunch on a movieset is the main meal of the day and the main break. On the Saturday shoot, "lunch" starts at 7:00 p.m.!

As I wandered around, I recognized many of the crew from Moze's previous films - even behind the scenes he likes to keep his talent familiar. This 'family' sensibility only adds to the shoot, as everyone knows from experience how the others prefer to work and can be one step ahead of the game. Even on a complex day like this one, with setbacks and tight space, there is a strong feeling of camaraderie and understanding. And speaking of family, that's Moze's mother, Manijeh, taking a moment out with her son. Moze's sister, Mirella, an accomplished photographer, and a family friend, were also on hand to share in the excitement.

Lunch was served by the Harvest Moon Chinese restaurant that owns the location downstairs. While the company ate, I noticed Moze chatting with Maria Popoff, the First Assistant Director, about the next day's schedule. While the room filled with dancers and extras covered in robes, hair and makeup and head pieces still in tact, sitting to eat Chinese Food, Moze and Maria worked out the complexities of making sure everything is covered before leaving the location. Near to Moze, an extra still dressed as an army officer, chatted with a guest. Work and rest are co-existent in the movies - only there's very little of the latter for some people!

The shoot resumed with the same sequence, now shot closer: medium range, to be sure to have a track specifically on Roxana. I watched through a slat into the set the action taking place on the side, not much on camera in this shot, but still being observed with care and detail. Sheila McCarthy's character Amy, moved among the extras offering them souvenir pictures from her polaroid camera and occasionally glancing at the dance floor. I was impressed by how thorough and committed performances are, even when they are largely off-camera.

At 6:30, I called it a day as they were getting ready to move the dolly tracks to a different area of the space. Ahead: a shot of the very side action that I described above. After that, the reverse angle, Roxana's point of view, from the stage. It was early evening, but the night was still young in terms of work. For many I left behind, the working day began at 9:00! As a footnote, the mystery of the swan (see below) was resolved for me by walking on set. It seems everyone gets their own transformation!

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