Let's Dress this Set!

I'm well in the depths of Production Design and below is a photo my little Production Design table with most of the props and set. There are still bits and pieces to sort out but I'm getting there and it's looking good! 

I have tried to buy from charity shops but this was not always possible meaning a lot of these objects look quite new. So, before Monday,  I need to make them look as used as possible due to Victor Blake having been living in the manor house for a rather long time. 

Here is a drawing of an ideal layout of the chess scenes. This is not set in stone but gives me something to work from.

Luckily a lot of the big furniture is being provided by Hanbury Manor which will save us money and having to cart a load of heavy furniture along with the equipment. 

Most of the props and set for the chess scenes are ready so my main focus for today is Jane Wyatt's bedroom scene which we will hopefully be filming tomorrow. 

The main filming will be next Monday and Tuesday so not long. I will take lots of Behind the Scenes photos and footage so check back soon! 

The Changes from Earlier Drafts

In the 1st Draft we opened the film with Jane at 15 and her father Lewis playing chess with her, and Lewis showing her a move which was called The Wyatt Capture which was also the initial title of the script. This leads to Victor and Lewis playing their match, and Victor murdering Lewis as Lewis had beat him at chess. It would then reveal the motives, and reasoning, the problem was that there was no mystery. The ending was also not satisfying.

As more Drafts were made the film had been written more as a mystery which works a lot better as it gets the audience thinking and trying to understand what is happening when the film begins. As the film progresses there would be quick flashbacks, however the audience would not know this until the murder is shown in a flashback near the end. The ending now also holds up a lot more. The title has also been modified as The Wyatt Diversion.

Before ever writing the 1st Draft I researched more into chess. In the earlier Drafts the game was not accurate as it was just a game I myself  played trying to put my movements within the script, this did not work as I was and still am not a brilliant player where Victor is so for the most recent Draft I followed an actual match watching the exact moves of two players and making notes, then adding them into the script as well as this as our prop chess board for the film is a professional board numbered I would note down the exact squares specific pieces would have to be on for the film to have a cut where the characters are near the end of their game and the pieces are in the right places.

My research has actually gotten me more into chess and I feel that I am a stronger player than I ever was before.

I am very happy with where we are at with this production and cannot wait for the shooting days.

Auditions

Hey everyone, Laurence here, and I'm going to be directing The Wyatt Diversion.

Yesterday we had our main auditions for Jane and Victor. We had a handful of actors to meet, who had each been presented with a trimmed-down version of the script to become acquainted with beforehand. I had selected key moments of the script to run through, so as to gauge how each actor would transition through the emotions their characters will be going through.

At the start of each audition I chatted with the actor about their background so we could get comfortable with each other, before going for a simple read-through of some of the script, with me playing the part of the opposite character. In this initial read through I just wanted the actor to become familiar with the dialogue. I then spoke to them about the character they would be playing and offered them the opportunity to express any confusion, or any criticism of the script. I feel it is very important to let the actor make an input to their character's dialogue, as the more comfortable they are with the lines, the more natural performance they will produce. Also, being inexperienced, I appreciate any outside opinion.

Once any tweaks had been made, we went through the dialogue a couple more times. Now I was really looking at how the actor spoke the dialogue. It will be very important that they can show enough emotion to hold the audience's attention, as the dialogue will be the driving force of the film. The more powerful the performance, the more impact our film will have.

I met some very promising actors yesterday and I'm pretty sure I'm ready to cast our two leads. We'll get a Jane and a Victor together for an audition soon enough and I'm looking forward to it!

Laurence.

The Final Location

Today, we looked at Hertfordshire Golf and Country Club which was a beautiful location from the outside. It looked like the home of a disturbed man like Victor Blake with it's creepy, twisted vines crawling up the walls and castle-like features around the door. 

We only saw this at night but we can imagine it looks just as scary in the day. We are hoping to ask about filming just the exterior of this house. 

We were even greeted by a little friend in the surrounding grounds.

The interior wasn't quite as grand with a fireplace unable to be lit and very plain walls. 

So the winner for interior (maybe exterior too) is definitely Hanbury Manor which is currently being held for us!

Check back for more updates! 

Locations

Today, we started to look around some possible locations and there were some very lovely finds. I shall take you through them... 

First we looked at Shendish Manor which was beautiful from the outside. It would really suit Victor Blake as it looked powerful yet creepy with all the grey walls and twisted vines. 

The Internal space was also nice with a large fireplace and windows. However, the decoration may not suite Victor Blake with the plain walls and flowery curtains. 

The second was West Lodge Park which was also lovely on the outside. It has a slightly more modern feel to the others but still fits Victor's character.  

The inside was good but didn't quite fit the grand look we were after. 

The last was Hanbury Manor and this really was grand. The Manor was huge with plenty of character including the turret feature which almost gave it a castle feel.

The inside was just as good. The room was large but had a slightly more closed in feel with the dark reds and oranges. This is prefect for an intense chess match. We could really imagine emotions spiralling out of control in such a room. 

There were many interesting features in the room such as engraved images of violence on the fireplace and a poker leaning against it.

Another bonus is that there is a giant chess board in the beautiful, surrounding grounds!

Hanbury Manor is undoubtedly the best location so far but we still have more options to look at so check back soon!  

Casting Call

If you would like to take part in our film, we are currently looking for actors to play our three characters. Click here to apply.