Casablanca and Bonnie and Clyde Context Essay

Compare how far your chosen films reflect their different production contexts

The Golden Age of Hollywood was a period of studio domination, as eight major studios had a monopoly over the American film industry. Films such as Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) were produced under the strict control of the studio system, and this influence is evident in all aspects of the films. In contrast, New Hollywood was a period of far greater creative freedom, allowing films such as Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) to be made with clear inspiration from foreign cinema, particularly the French New Wave.

Casablanca was produced by Warner Bros, which was known for its gangster films and political dramas. Therefore, Casablanca was very typical of Warner Bros’ output, as it offered the realism of a wartime setting and the political agenda of Jack Warner, who wanted to promote American involvement in World War Two. This agenda is presented through the film by the caracturised Nazi villains and the non-diegetic composed score, which takes a dark turn whenever they appear on-screen to manipulate and position the audience.

The film is more focused on the narrative and political message, suggested by the emotive opening narration, which places the audience in the context of the film immediately. It was typical of Hollywood films at the time to provide information necessary to understanding the film at the start, so the film could quickly move on and progress with the linear narrative. The opening also uses a globe to visually explain the foreign setting, which was perhaps chosen as a way for Warner Bros to compete with the other studios in terms of spectacle and exoticism.

In addition, there was competition between studios with their sets, aiming to out-do each other with lavishness. In Casablanca, Rick’s cafe is a very expensive set, which is maximised and shown off through the gliding shots moving around it, particularly when it is first shown.

The star actors are shown off in the same way as the sets in Casablanca, which reflects the importance of the star system during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Most studios had a stable of stars and whilst Warner Bros did not have a fixed stable, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman were closely associated with the studio, so the pairing of them together drew a big audience. In the opening credits, both their names are emblazoned across the screen, which is Warner Bros advertising their assets to the audience and taking advantage of their established star personas.

Throughout the film, the two are lit carefully to show off their attractiveness, in particular, catch lights are noticeable in Bergman’s eyes during her introductory sequence in the diner with her husband, Victor Laszlo. The camera frequently favours the two stars above other characters, even when they are not involved in the ongoing conversation: after Rick has finished talking to the Nazi major and Captain Renault, the camera tilts up as he stands and pushes in on him walking away, rather than remaining focused on the two men still sat down.

However, cinematography in the 1930s and 40s was still largely more practical than creative. Casablanca features many conversations in which an additional person joins in, so the camera accommodates by pulling out from two-shots to three-shots and adjusting the framing. The composition is also important in establishing relative powers to the audience; for example, Victor is sat down when the Nazi major approaches him, but he stands up and is taller in height, showing he is not intimidated.

Editing throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood was a tool rather than an artistic device, which is true of Casablanca‘s continuity editing. The dissolves used throughout the film make it easy to follow and the editing is mostly ‘invisible’ editing, to avoid disrupting the audience’s immersion within the film.

Whilst Casablanca is very reflective of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the impact of the studio system, the decline of the studios after the United States v. Paramount Pictures case and the rise of television hugely changed the landscape of cinema in America. Without the studios’ monopoly, there was more room for independent filmmakers, and even within the surviving studios, there was more artistic freedom. Bonnie and Clyde is a prime example of the New Hollywood that was being ushered in, through its French New Wave influences and bold, shocking content.

With the availability of television, film in this era had to offer something different and exciting, which could not be provided at home. This led to more daring images, both sexual and violent. Bonnie and Clyde is excessively violent at times, particularly in the final scene, when Bonnie and Clyde are brutally murdered with rounds and rounds of shots being fired at them. A 1960s/70s audience would not have expected this type of violence from a film due to the Hays Code during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and it certainly wasn’t available at home on the television, where there were strict regulations.

Similarly, the introduction of Bonnie with her implied nudity was very edgy and the character is seen as beautiful in a sexual way, rather than the demure beauty of female stars such as Ingrid Bergman during the Golden Age of Hollywood. These elements of violence and sexual imagery are often combined in the film; for example, when Clyde shows off to Bonnie by talking about his past robberies and showing her his concealed gun. During this conversation, both characters are sucking on cola bottles suggestively, in a highly phallic image. At times, the cruelty of the gang is even comical, such as when they throw the two passengers out of the car in the middle of nowhere, or leave the sheriff floating and stranded on a lake.

However, the film also has very realistic elements, indicated by the opening sequence which displays real photos from the Great Depression. This places the audience into the context in a jarring way, which contrasts the soothing tones of the narrator’s exposition in the Golden Age of Hollywood film Casablanca.

Another notable difference is in the performance and accents of the stars in Bonnie and Clyde compared to Casablanca. The regional Southern accents heard in Bonnie and Clyde were more reflective of reality, but unusual in American cinema until New Hollywood, as previously the ambiguous Mid-Atlantic accent was preferred.

Additionally, the characters in Bonnie and Clyde seem more human as opposed to being careful, unruffled stars as in Casablanca. At times, Clyde is dishevelled in appearance and does not maintain a cool exterior as Rick does in Casablanca, presenting him as a realistic character with faults, rather than an aspirational star.

New Hollywood placed greater focus on the characters above the narrative: Bonnie and Clyde ends when the titular characters die, showing that there is no film without them. The lack of music with the ending forces the audience to witness the brutality in isolation, with only the sounds of the piercing and repetitive gunshots, which reinforces the audience’s positioning with the protagonists, even though they are criminals. In contrast, Casablanca has very distinct ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ characters.

The increased creative freedom during the New Hollywood is evident in Warren Beatty’s performance. He leans into the ambiguous sexuality of Clyde, which likely would have been omitted without his star power and influence. Furthermore, Beatty actually received 40% of the gross for his producing debut with the film, which would have been unheard of during the Golden Age of Hollywood when stars were paid fixed, sometimes stingy fees.

Director Arthur Penn also had creative freedom to draw from his French New Wave influences, who greatly contributed to the style of films in New Hollywood. The invisible editing from the Golden Age of Hollywood is replaced with jarring straight cuts in the film, as the French New Wave saw editing not just as functional but an opportunity for further artistic choice.

The French New Wave also encouraged on-location shooting, rather than large expensive sets as during the Golden Age of Hollywood. This gave a greater sense of realism than extravagant sets such as Rick’s cafe in Casablanca. In Bonnie and Clyde, the vast majority of the film is shot in the expanse of the American South, which still had remnants of the hard times of the Great Depression, having not recovered in the same way as the big cities in the East. Therefore, the setting is very naturalistic and immersive for the audience, such as when Bonnie runs through the corn fields away from Clyde and the gang.

On-location shooting often involved maximised natural lighting, and this is true in Bonnie and Clyde. The sequence where the gang meet up with family members was shot at golden hour to give a warm tone and dream-like quality to contrast the coldness and realism of the rest of the film.

The often improvisational cinematography and long focal lenses allow more freedom for the actors’ movements, as the camera can be positioned out of the way and follow them without having to be set-up every time. This contrasts the careful choreography of Casablanca and other Golden Age of Hollywood films, as it gives a more natural sense.

Both Casablanca and Bonnie and Clyde are indicative of the period in which they were made: Casablanca is a product of the Golden Age of Hollywood, its studio and star systems and Warner Bros’ house style, whilst Bonnie and Clyde is a product of the freedom and French New Wave influence of New Hollywood.

Unconventional Auteur: Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) was part of the New Hollywood era, which took great influence from foreign film. Arthur Penn was particularly inspired by the French New Wave, which produced strong auteur directors such as Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut and was the movement that popularised the term ‘auteur’. Therefore, whilst Penn’s style was not necessarily distinctive enough to consider him an auteur, his influences from the French New Wave were auteurs and the film Bonnie and Clyde is a product of that movement.

The French New Wave sought to move away from the ‘lacking sincerity’ of the Golden Age of Hollywood films that had reached France after the end of the Second World War and the French filmmakers wanted to introduce more realism to their films. Therefore, they often chose to shoot on-location rather than create sets, which helped keep costs low in post-war France. The concept of on-location shooting influenced New Hollywood films, such as Bonnie and Clyde, which was filmed in the deep American South. The South had not fully recovered from the Great Depression era, providing an apt, deprived-looking setting for the film, which would not have been the same in the more stable Eastern cities.

Since they were shooting on-location, available light was used more instead of expensive lighting set-ups that would have to be transported. To take advantage of the sun as natural lighting, Bonnie and Clyde was often shot at golden hour, such as in the sequence where the Barrow Gang meets up with family members. The warmth of the sun at this time, along with the filters on the lenses make the sequence look dreamlike, which contrasts the harshness of the rest of the film. However, the shadows also create a sense of conflict, as the meet-up is only temporary and the gang have to return to their life of violence on the run.

Other than the one warmer sequence, the film is very harsh and realistic, from setting to dialogue and editing. The French New Wave encourage improvised dialogue, with less focus on the overarching plot and this is evident in Bonnie and Clyde, as the focus is more on the characters themselves. Additionally, in the opening sequence in which Bonnie and Clyde meet for the first time, they often speak over one another, which is more accurate to reality than the carefully constructed and timed dialogue in films such as Casablanca.

From the very opening of the film, Bonnie is sexualised through the close-up of her red lips and her implied nudity. This was a new presentation of women in Hollywood cinema, as the Golden Age of Hollywood presented stars such as Ingrid Bergman as pure and demurely feminine as a result of the strict Hays Code. In contrast, France was much more open about sexuality, which is reflected in its films. Therefore, Bonnie and Clyde is more reflective of the French films that earlier classic Hollywood films.

The French New Wave also featured anti-authoritative characters, such as in Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. Similarly, in Bonnie and Clyde, the protagonists are violent criminals who are against the state and rob banks, yet the audience is positioned with them despite their lacking morals. However, in Casablanca, the protagonists are seen as the ‘heroes’ against the evil Nazi characters.

The editing in Bonnie and Clyde moves away from the traditional continuity editing in Golden Age of Hollywood films that aimed to tell the story in a straightforward way. The French New Wave made use of editing as an artistic element and featured jump cuts that Arthur Penn was inspired by in the making of Bonnie and Clyde. The opening has jarring editing between the photographs, with loud camera click noises to emphasise the harshness and set up the violent nature of the film. The photos themselves show effects of the Great Depression, immediately grounding the film in a sense of realism that reflects French New Wave films.

The other large artistic presence in Bonnie and Clyde is actor and producer Warren Beatty. His influence was enough to secure the funding for the film, despite being a risky venture for the studio. He also had significant control over his portrayal of Clyde, opting to include ambiguity around the character’s sexuality, which might not have been presented without his input and star quality. He maintains a naturalistic limp throughout the film, showing his commitment to continuity of character.

Bonnie and Clyde is a film highly influence by the French New Wave and the French auteurs who created the movement. Therefore, whilst Arthur Penn may not himself be considered an auteur, Bonnie and Clyde is still a product of the auteurs who inspired him. In addition, Warren Beatty made a significant impact on the film, though he could perhaps not be considered an individual auteur either.

New Hollywood: Bonnie and Clyde

New Hollywood came after the decline of the studio system and the popular rise of the television, meaning the film landscape had vastly changed in America. There was greater influence from abroad, in particular the French New Wave, and more room for creative expression in cinema, without the strict confines of the studios and their agendas. The filmmakers were given more control over their own films, even those still produced under a studio; for example, Warren Beatty made his producing debut with Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967), receiving a massive 40% of the gross rather than taking a fixed sum, which would have been unheard of during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

During New Hollywood, the studios continued to exist but in diminished form, whilst the creators thrived with their new freedom. At the start of Bonnie and Clyde, the Warner Bros logo is not accompanied by fanfare, whereas Casablanca presents the studio as an institution through this fanfare. Additionally, the logo in Casablanca has the name of executive producer Jack L. Warner on it, showing his control over the film in comparison to the plain logo in sepia at the start of Bonnie and Clyde suggesting its age and decline. Star actor Warren Beatty also had more control over his presentation of the character, choosing to play up his ambiguous sexuality, which would not have been suggested or even promoted by the studio alone and Arthur Penn had more freedom as a director than the Golden Age of Hollywood directors who served to channel the studio’s vision; Casablanca is very much a product of Jack Warner’s vision, rather than that of director Michael Curtiz.

With the availability of television, film in this era had to offer something different and exciting, which could not be provided at home. This led to more daring images, both sexual and violent. Bonnie and Clyde is excessively violent at times, particularly in the final scene, when Bonnie and Clyde are brutally murdered with rounds and rounds of shots being fired at them. A 1960s/70s audience would not have expected this type of violence from a film and it certainly wasn’t available at home on the television, where there were strict regulations. Similarly, the introduction of Bonnie with her implied nudity was very edgy and the character is seen as beautiful in a sexual way, rather than the demure beauty of female stars such as Ingrid Bergman during the Golden Age of Hollywood. These two elements of violence and sexual imagery are often combined in the film in that the violence carried out by the Barrow Gang is glamorised. At times, the cruelty of the gang is even comical, such as when they throw the two passengers out of the car in the middle of nowhere, or leave the sheriff floating and stranded on a lake.

However, the film also has very realistic elements, indicated by the opening sequence which displays real photos from the Great Depression. This places the audience into the context in a jarring way, which contrasts the soothing tones of the narrator’s exposition in the Golden Age of Hollywood film Casablanca. Another notable difference is in the performance and accents of the stars in Bonnie and Clyde compared to Casablanca. The regional Southern accents heard in Bonnie and Clyde were more reflective of reality, but unusual in American cinema until New Hollywood, as previously the ambiguous Mid-Atlantic accent was preferred. Additionally, the characters in Bonnie and Clyde seem more human as opposed to being careful, unruffled stars as in Casablanca. At times, Clyde is dishevelled in appearance and does not maintain a cool exterior as Rick does in Casablanca, presenting him as a realistic character with faults, rather than an aspirational star.

Furthermore, instead of large, expensive sets created by the studios, New Hollywood films often shot on-location, giving a more naturalistic setting to the films. In Bonnie and Clyde, the vast majority of the film is shot in the expanse of the American South, which still had remnants of the hard times of the Great Depression, having not recovered in the same way as the big cities in the East. Therefore, the audience is placed more thoroughly into the environment in a way that Golden Age of Hollywood films don’t manage as successfully with their extravagant sets, such as Rick’s Diner in Casablanca.

From the Golden Age of Hollywood to New Hollywood, there was a shift in what narratives focused on and the portrayal of characters. The typical Golden Age of Hollywood film Casablanca has a strong focus on the plot, using the narrative device of the transit letters to drive it. The audience are placed firmly with the ‘hero’ characters Rick, Ilsa and Victor against the caricturised Nazi villains, who are always accompanied with a dark turn in the composed score. In contrast, the protagonists in Bonnie and Clyde are the ones on the wrong side of the law, yet the audience is encouraged to sympathise with them and they are the main focus of the film, hence the finale being their death, as there is no reason to continue the film without them. The ending is made particularly shocking through its lack of music, forcing the audience to witness the brutality in isolation, with only the sounds of the piercing and repetitive gunshots. This emphasises the positioning of the audience, as their deaths seem unnecessary and the number of shots excessive.

The influence from foreign cinema was particularly prominent during New Hollywood and Arthur Penn’s inspiration from the French New Wave is evident in Bonnie and Clyde. The invisible editing from the Golden Age of Hollywood is replaced with jarring straight cuts in the film, as the French New Wave saw editing not just as functional but an opportunity for further artistic choice.

Bonnie and Clyde is drastically different from any of the films from the Golden Age of Hollywood, so was clearly indicative of the ‘New Hollywood’ that was being ushered in. Films of this time were eventually characterised by the foreign influence and more daring content contained within them, such as the extreme violence and evident sexuality in Bonnie and Clyde. Arguably, the film would not have existed under the strict studio regime or safe output of the Golden Age of Hollywood before television came to challenge cinema, so it is very much a film of its ‘New Hollywood’ time.

Coursework Location Scout 2

For the first half of my film, I need an indoor location to act as a room in Charlotte and Emily’s house, in which they can have an argument. I have decided to use my own living room, as it is easiest and I can rearrange furniture if necessary, without feeling guilty.

shot from behind the sofa where Charlotte will be sitting

my living room, showing the door where Emily will enter and the TV Charlotte is watching

Charlotte will pick Emily up after school, so I went to the local primary school to get an exterior shot of where Charlotte will wait.

the wall where Charlotte can wait on her phone for Emily

the front entrance to the school

I also need an outdoor path/road location, which is where Emily and Charlotte will walk along after school and Emily will get hit by the car. Therefore, to film in this location, I need a quiet road and pavement to avoid other pedestrians getting in my shots and any risk to my actors, as I do not want Emily to actually get hit by a car. I walked round my local area to scout out any potential quiet roads that would work. See below some of my options.

It is not very obvious if/where the crossing is in this location, so I don’t like it that much.

I don’t mind this location, but it is very residential and was surprisingly busy, so for practical reasons I don’t think I will choose it.

I like the road lines visible in this one, as it makes it more obviously a road.

The bollards in this are quite good and the pavement stretches out, making the crossing even more obvious, but the road is then quite narrow and doesn’t look very dangerous.

This is the same piece of road and I like the path in the distance, though I’m not sure if I would do a shot from this angle in the actual film.

I like this one because the tactile paving makes it obvious it is a place to cross; however, the road running to the left is a major road and I don’t think it will be safe to film so close to it.

After testing a few different areas, I think I have decided to keep it simple and use a road very close to my house that I know is not very busy and therefore fits my purpose. It is probably most safe, because I know the road extremely well, and the major roads are further away, so any car noises will immediately alert me to the fact that a car is approaching and we can move out of the way, which will keep my actors safe.

the path Emily and Charlotte will walk down

the path is very narrow so Charlotte can complain that Emily is not giving her enough space

overhanging bush that reduces the room on the pavement

dropped kerbs on either side for Emily and Charlotte to cross (first option in the foreground, second option in the background – the other side of the junction)

close up of the first dropped kerb

another dropped kerb just further along

the further-along dropped kerb from the other side

I have not quite decided which out of the two crossings to use, as both are suitable and have dropped kerbs either side. I may take photos from both on the day and see which look better, as they are within metres of each other.

Coursework Wardrobe Planning

For the first part of my film, Emily and Charlotte will be wearing school uniform. For the second half (the park/graveyard scenes), I want them both to be in colourful jumpers that have a similar colour and co-ordinate with each other and then some jeans. I was going to use my actors’ own clothes, as they will definitely fit and suit them; however, Charlotte (the actress playing Charlotte) does not own many colourful jumpers, so I looked through my own wardrobe to find something that fit what I was picturing a bit better.

Emily

some of Emily’s own jumpers and jeans

I really like the darker jeans (on the left) with the embroidery on, as I feel this works with the bubbly younger sister character I am trying to convey. These jeans look nice with the blue jumper on the right.

the finished outfit – worn by Emily

Emily also picked out her name bracelet and the sparkly blue shoes, which I think are the perfect finishing touches to this outfit.

Charlotte

I searched through my wardrobe for colourful jumpers and I decided to go for a multi-coloured one I had, in the hopes that one of the tones of blue in it would match Emily’s jumper. I wanted Charlotte to wear a bright jumper to show her happier mood when spending time with Emily and then to contrast her scenes in the graveyard. Charlotte (the actress) had plain black jeans she could wear to go with the jumper and I also like the contrast of bright top with dark bottoms.

the colourful jumper for Charlotte to wear

some of the blue tones in the jumper to match Emily’s

the finished outfit – worn by Charlotte

The look was finished off with Charlotte’s black converse that are necessary for the part where she has to tie up her shoelaces.

Overall, I am very happy with the costumes, as I think they fit the mood for this part of the film and how the characters are feeling until the end, and then Charlotte’s bright jumper becomes a contrast to the darker tone. I am pleased with the co-ordination of the two outfits together and think they will look nice in the shots with both Emily and Charlotte.

Coursework Prop Acquisition

For my short film, I do not need many props, but I have decided to ‘dress up’ the gravestone with some toys so it looks more like a child’s. These are old items of mine that I found around the house and look a bit worn, which makes them more plausible, as on a gravestone they would have been outside in all types of weather.

Additionally, as there were no real forget-me-nots in my graveyard location, I have bought some artificial bunches off Amazon that I will place in the ground near a bush of similar-looking purple flowers so they do not look too out of place.

a trinket box

an old stuffed husky of mine

the frame which will have a photograph of Emily in

two bunches of artificial forget-me-nots bought from Amazon

a small piece of the bunch chopped off that will be the flowers Emily picks up

mock-up of how the objects will look on the gravestone

mock-up of the objects with the flowers placed by the frame

Coursework Hand-Drawn Storyboard

Before shooting my digital storyboard, I thought it would be useful to have a rough (emphasis on rough) hand-drawn storyboard, so I would be more efficient for my photo taking and would therefore not waste too much of my actors’ time. As there are 52 images here, I will need to take less than half of them digitally for my graded storyboard and drawing them out has helped me decide which shots are more suitable/manageable to carry out.

Coursework Location Problem: Gravestone

In my film, the character Charlotte realises her younger sister Emily is dead when she trips in front of a gravestone and sees Emily’s name inscribed. This part of the film raised both logistical and moral questions, which I had to think carefully about when on my location scout. Using a real gravestone seemed highly problematic, so I tried coming up with various possible solutions, such as buying or making a prop gravestone, which I deemed too difficult, as prop gravestones are usually over-the-top Halloween decorations and making one would be time-consuming, expensive and would probably not look realistic either.

The available products on ghostlygravestones.com

I was offered to use the gravestone of a friend’s relative, but I felt this was still rather inappropriate and I did not want to risk catching the personal details from it or other gravestones in the background. A suggestion was made to use only the back of a real gravestone to avoid being disrespectful, and I decided this was the best plan of action.

Some gravestones had built-in side flower pots and I thought that I could pretend the back of a gravestone was actually the front with one of these – avoiding showing any inscribed information and also my actress having to go round to the front and pretend the gravestone was her sister’s, whilst seeing the name of the actual buried person. However, I still needed a relatively new gravestone to show that Emily’s death was recent and even using the back of a new gravestone felt wrong. Less important but still a valid problem was the fact that most of the newer gravestones are shiny stone, meaning my reflection might be seen in the shot as demonstrated in the picture below.

(I hesitated over the use of this photo for the aforementioned moral reasons, but I felt it was valuable to show the practical concerns as well as moral)

When visiting the graveyard on my location scout, the back of the gravestone pictured below seemed most ideal to use, as it was out of the way in the corner of the graveyard and the back was not shiny, so I wouldn’t catch my reflection.

The back of a relatively isolated gravestone in the corner of the graveyard

Before I left, I decided to check the name on the front of the gravestone to pay my respects and see if I still felt comfortable using the back of it in my picture, whilst knowing who was buried underneath it. Surprisingly, I discovered that there was actually no name on it, it marked where found “remains” had been laid to rest. I wondered if the remains were really old or even potentially unidentifiable animal remains, so I decided to research further to ascertain the appropriateness of using the gravestone.

The front of the gravestone (as seen in my ‘Location Scout 1‘ blog post)

Having spoken to a local resident and reading local newspaper articles, I found out that the remains were human and were dug up when a fence was being installed into the garden of the property. According to the reports, there were no suspicious circumstances around the discovery or death and radio-carbon dating suggests the bones date back to pre-1890 or even significantly earlier. Therefore, I felt that it could not be considered particularly disrespectful or immoral to use the gravestone, as long as I set forth my justification and knew that I would be happy with the reasoning myself.

I think taking the time to evaluate these questions of morality is very important, and by doing my research, I learnt a very interesting story about these remains, and hopefully sharing the story acts as a memorial in itself. Unfortunately, there was not much more information to be found so I will leave the story to rest here, as the remains now rest peacefully in a designated space in a graveyard.

Coursework Location Scout 1

For the second half of my film, there are two main locations: the park and the graveyard. I had some possibilities in mind from my more immediate local area, but my actress, Charlotte, recommended a relatively nearby graveyard and park that she knew were opposite each other, so as part of my location scout, I went to visit and found them to be the ideal setting for my film. During my location scout of the graveyard, there were no visitors, although I would have stopped taking pictures if any had arrived, and I was quiet and respectful throughout.

The park that Charlotte will take Emily to

Front view of the swings

Back view of the swings

Swings from an angle with the balance beam equipment in the background

Main entrance into the graveyard

Older part of the graveyard with the church off to the side

Path into the newer part of the graveyard

Smaller side-gate into the graveyard that Charlotte and Emily will walk through

Path parallel to the road, down the side of the graveyard that leads to the side entrance

Looking down the path from the smaller side-gate

Ahead path to the right leads from the older part of the graveyard, immediate left path turns into the newer part – where Charlotte and Emily will be walking along together

Looking backward whilst on the path Charlotte and Emily will walk along

The point on the path where Charlotte will stop to tie up her shoelace

The side path leading to the shrubbery where Emily will pick the forget-me-not flowers

The real flowers that will act as a backdrop for the planted forget-me-nots

View from the path leading to the larger side entrance

Further back on the path that leads to the side entrance

Wider shot of the area surrounding the path leading to the side entrance

The side entrance to the graveyard

The bench in the corner of the graveyard

Down the far side of the graveyard, behind the trees – where Charlotte will look round for Emily

The back of the gravestone that I will use as Emily’s, framed through the bench slats

Another shot of the gravestone with me trialling some framing options

A different angle of the back of the gravestone

The front of the gravestone

Note: I have written a blog post assessing the morality of using a gravestone in my film project and thought deeply about this before including or taking any of the photos above.

Coursework Camera

The camera which is available to me and with which I am most familiar is my own digital Canon PowerShot SX710 HS. It has a variety of settings and a good auto mode, so I should be able to take good pictures with it. It can also transfer pictures directly to my phone via Bluetooth, which is a good back-up option in case they don’t upload successfully to my computer, so I know I will always be able to access the pictures.