Bran
I knew from early on in my production that I was going to use a bird from the Covid family in my film 'Island of Grief'.
I had been reading Ted Hughes' 'Crow' and 'Grief is a thing with feathers' by Max Porter in my research and I liked a birds ability to move between our Earthly world and the Heavens above. Birds seemed able to be a great visual device when dealing with grief and loss. Corvids have been used for centuries as metaphorical symbols for death and memory.
During my research I listen to a BBC Radio 4 programme about ravens. I heard Lloyd Buck a bird specialist and Bran his raven on that production. I quickly contacted Lloyd and Rose Buck to see if they could work on my film.
My first script was written with references to 'crows'. Lloyd also had a crow called Simba, who I thought we would use, however, Simba was now 22 years old and it was felt that Bran, the raven, would be the better performer!
I decided to change the script to have references to 'raven' rather than 'crow' and found that the larger birds presence was even more beautiful and imposing.
We then worked on a schedule that would fit in with my production and Bran's feathers. (He looks his best before summer when he sheds his plumage).
I also found a great studio location near Lloyd, Rose and Bran. Bran had filmed here before and I believed we would get the best performance in this location, with Bran not having to travel far.
I had created a storyboard and animatic for the film. Using these as guides I produced a detailed shot list and plan for the studio shoot.
I worked with Nick Pitt from Farm Studios to plan the lighting and camera requirements for the shoot. Bran was to be filmed against green screen and then added to the shots in the film.
Lloyd, Nick and I then had a few planning meetings to discuss Brans performance and what was technically possible. From this I fine tuned the shot list and built out the documents needed to plan and complete the studio work.
I worked out a contract including rights usage for Bran with Bran's agent. (The raven has management!)
On the day I supplied a 'rider' of organic cheddar cheese and blackberries for Bran. Always look after your star!
I made sure I had a 'child wrangler' so that my children were looked after for the shots that they were not required on set for. I also had a friend take on the role of a runner, continuity supervisor and stills photographer so I could focus on directing the shoot.