October 26, 2006

Dialect Coaching

A wee while ago I got in touch with Jo Cameron Brown and asked her if she would give me a bit of insider info on the world of dialect coaching. Today I got an email from her doing just that. Jo has said that if I'd like more detail on this subject she'd be happy to oblige, here's a little insight to get us started:

Colin recently asked me if dialect coaching was a bit of a black art and
although the process of dialect coaching can sometimes be very specific and
scientific, there are also times when it can be difficult to define, so I'd
say that perhaps there is something of the alchemy to it!

Jamie and Jo on the set

It was terrific to be part of the Hallam Foe team. I'd worked with David
before (on Young Adam) and I always find his work inspiring and exciting;
he's interested in what drives people, what lies beneath the surface,
lurking in the darker corners and shadows.

How we sound helps tell the story of who we are and so as a dialect coach
you are involved in helping the actor to realise the character that they are
playing. One of my challenges in Hallam Foe was to help David create a sense
of place (Scottish Borders/Perthshire?/Edinburgh), a believable geography to
which all characters belonged - despite the actors coming from different
places: for example Jamie Bell from the north east of England, Ciaran Hines
from Northern Ireland and Sophia Myles from south east England.

Sophia and Jo on the set

Everyone worked so hard to achieve David's vision and our common goals and
it was a great privilege for me to work with such talented and dedicated
people. I saw some parts of the film recently during the ADR sessions and I
just can't wait to see the finished movie!

Posted by colin kennedy at 5:08 PM | Comments (6)

April 21, 2006

Make-up Jane

Jane is a kiwi. She is our 2i/c of the make-up department. She's a fully fledged member of the Estrogen Club - the girls team on the crew. The boys team is called the Tarts.

Jane's got attitude by the bucket load

And a message for y'all...

Posted by colin kennedy at 6:53 PM | Comments (5)