The Children's Act - Solicitor - Pinewood (Dir - Richard Eyre) (Feature film, 2016)

I had been engaged through an agency, Universal Extras, to play in a court-room scene in the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel about the family court system, the Children Act. Starring Emma Thompson as high court judge in the family division and directed by leading theatre director Richard Eyre the film highlighted the challenges and difficulties of the law in its interface with families. It proved to be a fascinating insight into the production process. The court room had been constructed by the set carpenters, and I found myself sitting behind the barrister, known in the legal world as Counsel, as I had done during the course of my training as a would-be Solicitor – this time as make-believe where once it was for supposed ‘real’. Between takes there seemed to be chaos, organised or otherwise to a lesser or greater degree as the crew scurried hither and thither and the director talked to his cinematographer and other technicians with conferring, whispered asides and general hubbub. Then, suddenly it was as if a hidden switch had been pulled, on the directorial instruction ‘action!’ The combined concentrated focus of the experience, skill, knowledge and understanding of many years of the assembled crew, director and cast in bursts of minutes between the first instruction and ‘cut’ was on display. The interaction between director Richard Eyre, his principal cameraman and leading actress Emma Thompson was fascinating to watch up-close as a lesson in artistic endeavour. Eyre and Thompson knew each other very well and over the course of the scene, the director asked his lead actress to modify her performance with subtle changes to emphasis on certain words in her lines, her tone and register of voice, her physical stance – even the manner in which she looked over her glasses at those of us below her in the court-room. These polite instructions Emma Thompson incorporated into each take and did exactly as she had been bid by her director. Then an assessment of whether or not another take is needed. Underpinning these minutes lie a universe of unspoken but tangible professionalism, trust, respect and integrity in performance which at its best pervades the atmosphere on set.