Calling the Tune
Calling The Tune
Shooting is now complete on Calling the Tune and editing is underway
Calling the Tune is a co-production with Wartime Productions.
It's a long time since our first day of shooting - which started with a bang ! Many thanks to the Stratford Herald for their page 3 coverage
There's an introduction to the project from writer/director Roger Harding here
Day 29 - Shottery Brook
The last day of shooting - and it went with a swing - the fight between Gisele and love rival Yvette.
Weeks of rain meant the ground was somewhat damp, but our actors flung themselves into it full pelt.
Excellent photos by Niki Young
Coombe Abbey played host to us again and provided a magnificent four-poster bedroom for our young lovers. This was a beautiful scene handled very sensitively by the cast and crew.
Extra romantic scenes were shot in the grounds of the Abbey, which doubles as a Loire Valley chateau in Calling the Tune
The afternoon session involved baby Elizabeth and the intervention of Resistance fighter, Lucien
All shots by Niki Young
Day 27 - Coombe Abbey
We are closing in on the last few scenes. Today we said goodbye to the villain of the piece, splendidly played by Greg Hobbs. Shoots won't be the same without him. Stunning prosthetics by Sue Kent !
Thanks again to Coombe Abbey for their excellent hospitality
More great shots by Niki www.nicolayoungphotography.com
A Few Pickup Shots
We double checked to make sure we hadn't left any sticks of dynamite on the bridge. Imagine the reaction of the first dog walkers of the day!
Day 26 Stratford Greenway
The morning shoot was easy - just very wet under foot But shooting at night adds another level of stress - especially when it's cold too. It's so easy to lose equipment, props - and even actors and crew in the darkness. But we came through. Lynne quickly dealt with the graffiti spoiling our shots under the arches and Sue took off Sion's leg (he got better).
We had added production value with Rick's Citroen Traction Avant and John's BMW style motorcycle combination.
To cap it all, Lee and Adi on pyrotechnics did us proud in difficult, windy, conditions. Great team effort from cast and crew.
Great shots by Niki, as always Nicola Young Photography
Day 25 Near Hitchin
Many thanks to Will and Gemma for hosting this shoot, where we captured scenes of joy, tension, arrest and death
A very wet day, but real production value added
Great shots, as always, by Niki www.nicolayoungphotography.co.uk
Day 24 Shottery
Bastille Day - 14 July 1938 in the grounds of the chateau. Minor aristocrat Martin Chabrier, whose family lost a fortune in the Russian Revolution of 1917, sees off the local, well-loved, Communist Mayor, Joseph - much to the shock of the villagers. Many thanks to all our background artists, who made it a very special day in sweltering September heat of 30c+
Of particular note were the excellent performances by the children and Barney the dog, who understood and acted upon every word of direction.
Crew and equipment were on the point of melting but struggled on to complete the scene
Working closely with our partners Wartime Productions we grabbed some excellent footage of planes and battles, with explosions by our very own Lee Craven.
The day captured in stills by Nicola Young
Day 22 Tachbrook Mallory
A first rate location in a private home, for which many thanks. We think we left it tidy !
Excellent set dressing and injury makeup by Sue Kent. Fine performances by Greg Hobbs, Kate Sandison, David Southeard and Jason Havard - and great teamwork from Huw, Claire, Tony and Robin. Production stills by www.nicolayoungphotography.co.uk
The action
Nicola Young capturing the mood again. Superb shots
Day 21 - Billesley
The tiny church of All Saints, Billesley, one of the claimants to be the church where William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, became a Loire Valley church for the day, with French bunting, flowers and a Citroen Traction Avant wedding car, thanks to Rick Evans.
The bride, Charlotte Wallis, looked stunning in a genuine 1940 wedding dress and hair styled by Janine Wheeler - thank you !
Here are some of Nicola Young's wonderful shots of the day www.nicolayoungphotography.co.uk
Day 20 - Alveston
Conditions were less than ideal with heavy rain most of the day, but it added to the grit and determination of our actors and the pathos of the surrender scene. Here are some of Nicola Young's excellent shots from the day
Thanks again to Andy Gallon for facilitating this shoot
Day 19 Moreton Morrell
A remote barn surrounded by sheep (mostly very quiet) at Moreton Morrell provided the location for our cell of Communist Resistants.
We added Tom O'Connor and Artie Dobson to the cast. Top quality performances from them and Kate Sandison and Jem Heynes
Unit stills photographer Nicola Young
Day 18 - Severn Valley Railway
This was a fabulous day filming at Arley Railway Station on the Severn Valley Railway. What a great bunch of volunteers and and super helpful Station master. Thanks Ian and everyone at SVR. Please contribute to the Survival Fund of SVR if you can. Things are not easy for steam railways at present.
This is the rather spectacular arrival of the bad guy, Wagner, played by Greg Hobbs, who is welcomed by his henchman Gerhard, Jason Havard
The station was transformed in a matter of minutes from being covered in Coronation bunting to being a 1940s French station under German occupation - thanks Sue !
Thanks again to Coombe Abbey for facilitating this shoot.
The star of the day was Mike Crawshaw's 1944 Matchless motorcycle - thanks Mike ! That's not to take anything away from the cast and crew who worked within the Abbey's timescales and work patterns as a hotel and secured all the footage we needed - under pressure
Outside The Abbeygate
1943 Raleigh Classic
Another day at the superb Drapers Hall, Coventry, followed by the staircase scene at Trinity College. Thanks to the residents for their co-operation
Day 15 - Drapers Hall, Coventry
Many thanks to Drapers Hall, Coventry for making this fabulous location - and grand piano - available to us.
We filmed some stunning performances from our actors Christopher Mulvin and Charlotte Wallis - with a special appearance from Isabella Partlow
Day 14 - Alveston
Thanks again to Andy Gallon for providing such a magnificent location to shoot the French Resistance radio scenes
The average life expectancy of a Resistance radio operator during the war was only about two months. It was a very risky operation carried out by brave volunteers
Day 13 Alveston
Many thanks to Andy Gallon for providing such an excellent location.
This is a particularly brutal scene involving an SS raid on a French farmhouse. Thanks to Nicola Young for excellent BTS stills
- and thanks to the Stratford Herald for their two-page spread in their Focus colour magazine (below)
Day 12 KES Grammar School, Stratford-upon-Avon
Huge thanks to the grammar school, which provided a location for our 1980 scene in a music school. Special thanks to David Troughton, who went to extra lengths to ensure we had a quiet place to record.
We shot two scenes which will top and tail the film. Thanks to all our background artists, who brought their own instruments and music.
Day 11 - Brogan's Irish Bar, Warwick
Thanks to Stefan at Brogan's Irish Bar for great support on a long day's shoot on Monday 28 November 2022.
Lots more production value added in this beautifully preserved old iron works shop just off Warwick Square
Day 10 - near Hitchin
A very productive day shooting with Wartime Productions near Hitchin in Hertfordshire.
There are always likely to be problems with old vehicles but a wasps nest in the driver's cab was a new one ! We still made full use of all the vehicles available. Here's a flavour from a few ungraded screenshots
Days 8 & 9 - Loire Valley
The 1980 scenes in a run-down old French house were shot at La Lande Chasles, north of Saumur in the Loire Valley.
Chantal Brosens and Ruth Herd contributed three scenes as Gisele and her estranged daughter, Elizabeth. Not only that, but they created the set. The old room was cleared, swept - and set dressing purchased from a nearby Brocante. The Mayor of La Lande Chasles, Jean-Christophe, called in. We've had terrific support from the local community, for which we are very grateful
Day 7 - Shire Hall
Huge thanks to Warwickshire County Council for providing a superb location for our Gestapo HQ - the basement !
The staff were great and made us very welcome - thanks Eddie !
Teaser footage here
Day 6 - The Iron Works
Many thanks to The Iron Works in Warwick for providing such a wonderful location for a Gestapo interrogation room.
We did quite a bit of set dressing to cover modern features, but it scrubbed up a treat ! See what you think of the pictures
Day 5 - The Abbeygate, Coombe Abbey
Filming at The Abbeygate, Coombe Abbey, to whom many thanks
The stable scene, a farewell and a big revelation
Day 4 - Coombe Abbey
Many thanks to Coombe Abbey who provided great support for us during a heavy day's filming in one of their function rooms.
Here's a flavour of the day - ungraded screenshots
Days 2 & 3 - All Things Rural, Redhill nr Stratford-upon-Avon
You have to hand it to cast and crew - it was freezing ! But no one complained. We had a great team all pulling together to get this scene in the can. By the time we finished late at night on 10 February there was thick ice on the car windscreens. Big shout out to Philip Harvey who drove a long way to take part - and thanks again for his kit, which brought huge production value to the shoot.
Day 1 - All Things Rural, Redhill nr Stratford-upon-Avon
Not only did we have a Kubelwagen on set, we had a motorcycle combination and a Schwimmwagen (amphibious German Jeep). The Schwimmwagen was a last minute bonus from right on our doorstep. Thanks Adrian !
Great explosions by Lee and makeup by Sue and her team. Here you can see some of her ready-prepared burn marks which were applied to the unfortunate victims of the bomb blasts.
In a packed day of shooting we had a great team, with two drones (Robin and Julie) and cameras by Julian, Huw and Rog. Immaculate sound, as always, by Bob - under very difficult circumstances. Multi-camera shoots are the bane of a sound guy's life !
Not forgetting the backroom team who kept everyone running and nourished throughout the day - Danielle and Emma - and Jill Lampert who documented the whole day. Thanks Jill !
Thanks to our very co-operative farmers who provided the 'Loire Valley' backdrop - Nigel (and Cat) and Steve. Sorry about the noise ....
Behind the Scenes Pt I
Behind the Scenes Pt II
Behind the Scenes Pt III
BTS Part IV
BTS Part V
BTS Part VI
Sue's makeup
Many people have commented on the realism of Sue's gruesome makeup. It's certainly very lifelike !
Many thanks to All Things Rural for letting us use this old Percival Sea Prince fuselage to simulate a wartime plane interior. This is for the harrowing scene involving a nervous agent pulling his chute ripcord too early - based on a true story. Rough cut
It's going to take quite a bit of set dressing as so much damage was done to it by vandals before it was saved, but our team is on to it. Great painting and repair work by Sue.
Many thanks to Phil for his input to this too - instuments and webbing look great
We managed to shoot the opening scene in February, just before the first lockdown. Here Elisabeth (Ruth Herd) arrives home from a weekend Early Music course to find her partner Paul (Owain Forde) has left the house in chaos - and she finds a letter from the mysterious Celine Cohen (Alex Kapila) who lives in the Loire Valley France. It is 1980 and the letter sets off a train of events which leads to Elisabeth travelling to the Loire Valley to see her mother for perhaps the last time to try to resolve their differences - and to try to uncover the reason for her reclusiveness.
Bob Burnell has been busy producing a top grade audio for the shoot
Cannes Film Festival
Thanks to Kate Sandison for producing this massive poster to publicise the film at the Cannes Film Festival
Locations and Props
