Eyes in the Dark - production Diary
The production diary for 'Eyes in the Dark' is a long one! Both this entry and the number of years it took to start the film and get it finished! People can often think that to make a film, actors and crew turn up on set, shoot a few scenes and job done! That's only part of the picture as you'll see. 'Eyes in the Dark' was conceived in 2009 and finished four years later in 2013!! So let's go back to 2009. It had been about six months since I'd finished off my official second film 'The Garden of Terrible Delights’ - a story about Burlesque serial killers! I'd had an idea in mind for an HP Lovecraft Story set in what's known at the Cthulhu Mythos involving creatures called the Mi-Go. These happy chaps and best described as an alien fly with fungus for a head! Now this was very ambitious and would need some serious CG. I applied for funding with an idea called 'Casket of Shadows' which would be a short animation where a man looks into the casket and flies across the solar system to a cave on the planet Pluto known also as Yuggoth in the Cthulhu Mythos, there he would see the Mi-Go on the other end as the casket of shadows was a sort of alien laptop/video conference. I never got the funding so I had to go back to the drawing board as I'm just not good enough to do film quality CG!
The script then changed and expanded to revolve around a conversation in a study by a fire place. The production started looking for a suitable fire place scouring Devon, where we are based, for a suitable candidate. The original draft still hung onto the 'baddies' at the end being the Mi-Go and one things these creatures do is remove a person’s brain and place it
into bucket with electrodes and mechanics that allow it to see, hear and talk. The idea was the journalist would rise from her chair and discover that the figure she has been talking to was just a mannequin and that the Professor was no more than a Mi-Go brain cylinder! But again the script changed as I thought if I was casting my friend Rich as the Professor then I was going to use his excellent acting skills to the most and not just a voice for a prop! Also, there is a famous Lovecraft story which ends in exactly the same way I discovered!
into bucket with electrodes and mechanics that allow it to see, hear and talk. The idea was the journalist would rise from her chair and discover that the figure she has been talking to was just a mannequin and that the Professor was no more than a Mi-Go brain cylinder! But again the script changed as I thought if I was casting my friend Rich as the Professor then I was going to use his excellent acting skills to the most and not just a voice for a prop! Also, there is a famous Lovecraft story which ends in exactly the same way I discovered!
Eventually we had a very scientific script that sadly was a bit too much. There were lines in it that didn't move the story forward and it spent too much time on the professor describing elements of particle physics! A re-write happened and it was passed to the script editor Ben who shaped some of the professors dialog to make it more human. After nearly 9 months of hunting we secured a location and over Christmas 2009 we rehearsed, made props and decided how we were going to film.
Now midway through 2009 no one had even considered filming on a stills camera but HD video was around and the Sony Z-1 and EX-1 camera were the weapons of choice! I'd watched a friends struggle with a lens adapter which allowed the video camera to film a little screen on which an image from an stills camera lens was 'projected' - It made the vidoe look great and very filmic. Then the Digital SLR revolution happened and rather than rent an
expensive lens adapter rig for a week I went ahead and purchased a Canon 7D, one of the first to come into the UK. Compared to a Sony Z-1 or EX-1 the image was astounding and SO easy to use. Yes sound had to be recorded separately but we were doing that already. We were also able to borrow a set of canon L series lenses which just added to the quality of the shots we were getting.
After the location had seen its Christmas guest depart, there was a gap so we started our three day shoot! The set needed very little decoration other than a suitable table, desk lamp, electric fan and of course the ‘magic’ box. Lighting was very minimal. We had a single 1000 watt par can that you'd have at a local theatre which that acted as both our sun and moon. We then had 4 moderately small but powerful par-16 lamps that we were able to dot around the room to add light to mainly the background wherever we needed it. To get the fire rippling affect we had planned on a complex flicker box which would randomly flash like a crackling fire but that was too complex to build! In the end we had production assistant Naomi sitting on the floor, shining a powerful desk lap into a gold reflector and taping it with her fingers!
Now midway through 2009 no one had even considered filming on a stills camera but HD video was around and the Sony Z-1 and EX-1 camera were the weapons of choice! I'd watched a friends struggle with a lens adapter which allowed the video camera to film a little screen on which an image from an stills camera lens was 'projected' - It made the vidoe look great and very filmic. Then the Digital SLR revolution happened and rather than rent an
expensive lens adapter rig for a week I went ahead and purchased a Canon 7D, one of the first to come into the UK. Compared to a Sony Z-1 or EX-1 the image was astounding and SO easy to use. Yes sound had to be recorded separately but we were doing that already. We were also able to borrow a set of canon L series lenses which just added to the quality of the shots we were getting.
After the location had seen its Christmas guest depart, there was a gap so we started our three day shoot! The set needed very little decoration other than a suitable table, desk lamp, electric fan and of course the ‘magic’ box. Lighting was very minimal. We had a single 1000 watt par can that you'd have at a local theatre which that acted as both our sun and moon. We then had 4 moderately small but powerful par-16 lamps that we were able to dot around the room to add light to mainly the background wherever we needed it. To get the fire rippling affect we had planned on a complex flicker box which would randomly flash like a crackling fire but that was too complex to build! In the end we had production assistant Naomi sitting on the floor, shining a powerful desk lap into a gold reflector and taping it with her fingers!
The weather was against us but actually helped in the end. A cold front was moving in so I asked everyone to get to set before 3pm if possible as that's when the snow would hit. If you remember the snow of 2010 it was heavy and roads were closed all over Britain - include the one J our sound recordist was on as he tried to get to the set! J set off at around 5pm and travelled about three miles before getting stuck on an infamous hill where he was stuck until midnight when police started recusing stuck motorists! Fortunately J is a keen snow boarder and was warm enough in his mountain gear!
This heavy snow meant we were actually snowed in at the location but fortunately the owners were ok with this and let us sleep in the dormitories elsewhere in the building when we finished filming around midnight! What this also meant was we were on set nice and early the next day – walking up and being on set was very useful! And we simply had to use the beautiful snow that had fallen and quickly improvised a scene where the professor was outside deep in thought surveying his snow covered land. Rich just happened to have a period style coat and gloves and I have to say it the snow shots are still some of my favourites from the film.
Once we had finished on the set there was still more scenes to shoot. A few months later we went to 'Africa' or rather a local estuary where with a bit of post-production heat haze and a superimposed mountain we gave the impression of Africa! Rich is also a keen caver and found us a lovely underground location for part of a flashback scene. Now sadly we didn't have the nice low light lenses as we had on set and so we had to crank up the ISO on the camera which adds grain to the image. But with the powerful caving lights we had, we managed to get the shot we did. We had to reshoot the ending of the film as we were not happy with how it looked and on the same day we used a close by tree for a shot needed.
This heavy snow meant we were actually snowed in at the location but fortunately the owners were ok with this and let us sleep in the dormitories elsewhere in the building when we finished filming around midnight! What this also meant was we were on set nice and early the next day – walking up and being on set was very useful! And we simply had to use the beautiful snow that had fallen and quickly improvised a scene where the professor was outside deep in thought surveying his snow covered land. Rich just happened to have a period style coat and gloves and I have to say it the snow shots are still some of my favourites from the film.
Once we had finished on the set there was still more scenes to shoot. A few months later we went to 'Africa' or rather a local estuary where with a bit of post-production heat haze and a superimposed mountain we gave the impression of Africa! Rich is also a keen caver and found us a lovely underground location for part of a flashback scene. Now sadly we didn't have the nice low light lenses as we had on set and so we had to crank up the ISO on the camera which adds grain to the image. But with the powerful caving lights we had, we managed to get the shot we did. We had to reshoot the ending of the film as we were not happy with how it looked and on the same day we used a close by tree for a shot needed.
The beginning driving sequence was something done very quickly but I was very happy to have got it. HP Lovecraft the writer on whose work Eyes in the Dark is based wrote many books and from that arose an 80s role-playing game and this is where I first found the world of Lovecraft. Synonymous with the game was the Model T Ford - the car of choice for characters in the game! To find one that I was able to shoot and include in the film was amazing for us. We put a blue screen behind the car and shook it a little for the shots of the
journalist travelling and then the gentleman who owed it took us for a spin. We shot on the 7D and at one point Simon the second unit camera op forgot we were shooting video and turned the DSLR to shoot portrait style!
Simon was also the editor and had the hard task putting everything together as well as the shots in After effects - CS4! We also needed the CG sequences and I'm thankful to the creators of the movie Iron Sky for creating an movie making forum called Wrek a Movie where I was able to advertise for a CG artist and found Hannu who was able to create the CG sequences for us using the open source programme Blender. It was quite a difficult brief as he had to create an unworldly look for the film and all this was done over email without ever meeting!
The internet also helped round off one of the most important elements of the film – sound! Again via emails and messaging, I worked with Barry the composer to create what is called the Music and Effects mix. This mix strips out all dialog and concentrates on the foley sound you hear such as the footsteps, letter opening, crackling fire etc. Everything you hear that isn't dialog was created by Barry - amazing work! Equally amazing was his music score, how he was able to decipher my thoughts on music I'll never know! I remember emailing Barry some comments which said "can we have the discovery of the box a little less 'hero' which he did by changing a triumphant ‘Ahhh’ to a worrying ‘Dunhhh’. Watch the film and you'll hear what I mean! And when you do watch it at a good volume. It wasn't until a private screen for friends that the film played through a PA system and tension in the music was brilliant!
Recently I had dinner with Tom the Director of Photography and we are still pleased with the quality of the work we filmed in 2009 and how it turned out. We agreed that very little would be changed if we had to film it all again and you can call it egotistical if you like but looking back at a film you've made and thinking it's great is very pleasing. We had a great team all of whom I hope are very pleased with 'Eyes in the Dark as I know I am.
journalist travelling and then the gentleman who owed it took us for a spin. We shot on the 7D and at one point Simon the second unit camera op forgot we were shooting video and turned the DSLR to shoot portrait style!
Simon was also the editor and had the hard task putting everything together as well as the shots in After effects - CS4! We also needed the CG sequences and I'm thankful to the creators of the movie Iron Sky for creating an movie making forum called Wrek a Movie where I was able to advertise for a CG artist and found Hannu who was able to create the CG sequences for us using the open source programme Blender. It was quite a difficult brief as he had to create an unworldly look for the film and all this was done over email without ever meeting!
The internet also helped round off one of the most important elements of the film – sound! Again via emails and messaging, I worked with Barry the composer to create what is called the Music and Effects mix. This mix strips out all dialog and concentrates on the foley sound you hear such as the footsteps, letter opening, crackling fire etc. Everything you hear that isn't dialog was created by Barry - amazing work! Equally amazing was his music score, how he was able to decipher my thoughts on music I'll never know! I remember emailing Barry some comments which said "can we have the discovery of the box a little less 'hero' which he did by changing a triumphant ‘Ahhh’ to a worrying ‘Dunhhh’. Watch the film and you'll hear what I mean! And when you do watch it at a good volume. It wasn't until a private screen for friends that the film played through a PA system and tension in the music was brilliant!
Recently I had dinner with Tom the Director of Photography and we are still pleased with the quality of the work we filmed in 2009 and how it turned out. We agreed that very little would be changed if we had to film it all again and you can call it egotistical if you like but looking back at a film you've made and thinking it's great is very pleasing. We had a great team all of whom I hope are very pleased with 'Eyes in the Dark as I know I am.