The Widow
Synopsis
Storyline
Grief is generally thought to occur in five stages; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. ‘The Widow’ explores this central theme. Helen, a wife and mother, returns home after a funeral. Seemingly unaffected by any sense of loss, she busies herself with her daily domestic routines. However it soon becomes clear that Helen is struggling to cope with a tremendous shock. Slowly her defences fall away and she is forced to face the truth. She has lost her family forever. Facing this releases a rage inside Helen, one that she has never known. Her mind starts to play tricks with her and the truth of what has happened fades into the darkness of the night. But everything becomes clear with the dawning of a new day.
Pre-Production
Storyboarding
As I decided to shoot this film mostly handheld with multiple cameras, I chose not to storyboard the script in detail. Instead we blocked rehearsals on the actual shoot days, scene by scene. After running through a rehearsal with Norma, I would decide, along with my Director of Photography (www.stephen-murphy.com), where to position the cameras and what lenses to use. This process was very effective as it allowed Norma to improvise on the day and use the props and set around her to portray what was going on in ‘Helen’s’ mind. This spontanaeity adds to the emotional rawness of the film.
Casting
As this film is a truly character driven piece, its success relies on the strength of the lead actor who plays ‘Helen’. I knew it needed to be an actor of substantial experience. Luckily, the producer of ‘The Widow’, Dave Leahy (Warrior Films), was able to secure Norma Sheahan to play the role. Norma is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and has worked in theatre extensively in such productions as ‘The Constant Wife’ (The Gate), ‘Vagina Monologues’ (National Tour) and ‘Homeland’ (The Abbey). She also worked on the TV series ‘The Clinic’.
The Look
Instead of just one ‘look’ for this film, I chose three distinct looks for very specific reasons. My goal was that they reflect the varying state of mind of the central character ‘Helen’, as she goes through the grieving process. The first ‘look’ is a cool steel blue colour intended to convey how alone ‘Helen’ is and also how numb she is to what is going on. The second ‘look’ is a red streetlight effect through venetian blinds, which helps to convey ‘Helen’s’ agitated state of mind. It also underlines the surreal nature of the script as it is in stark contrast to the traditional ‘blue moonlight’ of night scenes in other films.
The final look reflects ‘Helen’s’ acceptance of death and her reconnection with her family. These scenes are bathed in a warm yellow sunlight. The light beaming through the doorway in the final scene of the film achieves an ethereal quality because of the way the High Definition format interacts with this high level of light. For the first two ‘looks’ (encompassing the denial, anger, bargaining, and depression stages) I decided we would shoot the film handheld to reinforce the disturbed nature of ‘Helen’s’ mind. Then for the last segment of the film, (dealing with Helen’s acceptance of death) I use static shots, to show that Helen’s mind is now at peace.
Camera
Myself and the Director of Photogrpahy (www.stephen-murphy.com) decided that the best way to shoot such an emotional film was to use multiple cameras, between two and three at any one time. This meant that we could cover a scene in just a few takes, shooting it from beginning to end simultaneously from different camera angles. This also aided Norma, as she did not have to perform highly emotional scenes again and again purely to obtain the necessary coverage. Instead her performance remained fresh and spontaneous.
Location/Props/Costumes
I chose a contemporary family home as my location as I felt this would make it easy for the audience to relate to ‘Helen’s’ character and situation. This applied equally in the case of the props and the costumes. I did not want these aspects of the film to be over-stylised and
therefore distract from the emotional journey that Helen is taking.
Shooting Format
As I originally worked as a camera assistant for several years I was aware of the new and developing technologies in High Definition cameras and of their capabilities. High Def was the best option for this particular project because it was economical and yet didn’t compromise the quality of the film. Due to the emotional nature of this film, I wanted to shoot scenes from beginning to end with multiple cameras. This would mean shooting a substantial amount of footage. This was not economically viable to do if we were shooting on film.
High Definition was the next best option.
Production
Slideshow
Post Production
As I shot this film with multiple cameras I had a lot of choices when it came to editing the footage. However as the mood of the film is sombre, I chose to reflect this in the pace of the cuts. I wanted to give the audience a chance to really connect with ‘Helen’ and how she is
feeling. This sombre pace is intermittently interrupted by short sharp bursts of energy in the form of jump cut images.
HD Post Production: Screenscene
Post Production Supervisor: Edmond Slattery
Online Editor: Simon Thornton
Colourist: Gary Curran
Music
Ludwig Van Beethoven – Piano Sonata No.14 “Moonlight”
The film ends with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. This is the first and only time I used music in this film. The idea was that the audience’s ear becomes accustomed to the mundane noises of the house and Helen’s solitary presence in it. When the music begins to play, the audience has a much stronger reaction to it than if there had been a score throughout the film. This particular piece of music at the end of the film helps to embody the feelings of empathy and sorrow, which the previous scenes have already sought to provoke. So rather than trying to impose these feelings on the audience, the music reflects back to them what they have already begun to feel, thus intensifying their reaction to the film.
The visual montages are reinforced by the placement of an exaggerated soundtrack over them. Similar to the imagery, the contrast between the quiet house and these jarring bursts of sound clearly reflect Helen’s state of mind, as she oscillates between facing the truth and living in denial.
Sound Editor: Tommy Ellis
Sound Mixer: Mark Fitzpatrick
Sound Assistant: Michelle Fingleton
Creators
Written and Directed by Aideen McCarthy
Produced by Dave Leahy (www.warrior-films.com)
Director of Photography Stephen Murphy
Editor: Ciara Brophy
With Norma Sheahan as “Helen”
Cast
Norma Sheahan: Helen
Gareth Kelly: Tom
David Pearse: The voice of Tom
Amy Kelly: Sophie
Orlaith O’Mahony: The voice of Sophie
Sam Kelly: Ben
J.J. Rolfe: Death (Man at Door)
Andrew Bennett: The voice of Death
Elenor Methven: The voice of Mother
Michael Fitzgerald: Tthe voice of Joe
Eamonn Hunt: The voice of the Priest
Crew
First Assistant Director: Louise Murray, Ciara Lyons
Location Manager: Anna Harrison
Location Assistant: Caroline Lang
Art Director & Props Master: Ignacio Barbe
A Camera Operator: Fionn Comerford
B Camera Operator: Fergal O’Hanlon
Steadicam Operator: Stephen Murphy
A Camera Focus Puller: Conor Crowley
B Camera Focus Puller: Jessica Drum
Second Assistant Camera: Tanya Doyle
Camera Trainee: J.J. Rolfe
Sound Recordist: Mark Barry
Boom Operators: Damien Looney, John O’Connor
Gaffers: James Maguire, Steve McCarthy
Electricians: Graeme Haughton, Addo Gallagher
Hair and Make-Up: Orlaith Farrell, Romy Birdthistle
Truck Driver: Matt Ryan
Shot on High Definition with Sony Cameras and Zeiss DigiPrimes, provided by The Production Depot.
Special thanks to:
John Leahy at The Production Depot
Mobile Radio Links
The Holy Redeemer Church, Main Street, Bray.
Jim Duggan at Screenscene.
The Thompson family wish to thank:
Mrs. Nancy Nolan, Shay and Tony Livingston, Gerry Duffy, John Dillon, Sean David, Eamonn Cleary.
- A Warrior Films Production -
