Already bought the frames? You can request any of my prints in any sizes – just send me a message and we can make a custom order just for you…

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ClaireHefferDesign

FILM 1810: PHANTOM THREAD

FILM 1810: PHANTOM THREAD 

TRIVIA: Director Paul Thomas Anderson got the initial idea for the film while he was sick in bed one day. His wife, Maya Rudolph, was tending to him and gave him a look that made him realize that she had not looked at him with such tenderness and love in a long time.

In preparation for the film, Daniel Day-Lewis watched archival footage of 1940s and 1950s fashion shows, studied famous designers, consulted with the curator of fashion and textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and apprenticed under Marc Happel, head of the costume department at the New York City Ballet. He also learned how to sew, and he practiced on his wife Rebecca Miller, trying to recreate a Balenciaga sheath dress that was inspired by a school uniform.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson said his favorite line in the film was, "The tea is going out; the interruption is staying right here with me."

Vicky Krieps did not meet Daniel Day-Lewis until her first day on set. As Day-Lewis famously stays in character during production of his films, Krieps was instructed to refer to him as "Reynolds" for the duration of filming. In multiple interviews promoting the film, Krieps still referred to Day-Lewis as "Reynolds."

There are 90 minutes of Jonny Greenwood's score used during the 130 minute running time of "Phantom Thread" . Greenwood says he was influenced by the works of Nelson Riddle and Glenn Gould from the 50's.

Shooting on this film was completed on April 26, 2017, the same day that Paul Thomas Anderson's close friend and mentor Jonathan Demme passed away from cancer. The film is dedicated to Demme.

This was the fourth collaboration between director Paul Thomas Anderson and film composer Jonny Greenwood.

Reynolds Woodcock's Bristol 405 is exactly the same car as driven by David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard) in An Education (2009): registration WDF 964.

The typeface used for the credits is called Reynolds Stone and it was created by the English wood engraver, typographer, and designer Reynolds Stone, who was a close friend of the parents of Daniel Day-Lewis. When Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis were devising the character of Reynolds Woodcock, they agreed that they wanted the film to have a sort of "Reynolds Stone look," and the character's name, Reynolds Woodcock, was partly inspired by this as well.

http://www.monalogue.co.uk/2018/05/15/the-best-cherry-blossom-in-the-uk/

A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL (2018)

TRIVIA: On the advice of the director, Stephen Frears, Ben Whishaw met with the real Norman Scott during the course of the production to hear his account of the events.

This is the third time Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw worked together. Their first was Cloud Atlas (2012) and the second was Paddington 2 (2017).

FILM 1695: HOW I LIVE NOW

TRIVIA: The director, Kevin Macdonald, had originally intended the cast to be all unknown or amateur actors and was looking for an American girl, around 16 years of age to play Daisy, but cast Irish actress 19 year old Saoirse Ronan instead, after her audition, reading a scene which left them in tears.

"During pre-production, before we actually started shooting, [cinematographer] Franz Lustig went around and shot [with a Canon EOS C300] lots of little bits of birds, landscapes and details of things," said director Kevin Macdonald. "This is something you always want to do on films because you can see a beautiful sunset and have the flexibility to pull out a little tiny camera and shoot something. That stuff has all made it into the film. Franz could shoot this on his own." Lustig said: "It was a one-man show! Me, my backpack, three lenses, and maybe a tripod if needed. I could do images for the film and they cut in beautifully. You don't need a whole crew. We also tested some things in moonlight,(...). That was the original reason we wanted to try this camera for its low-light abilities."[2013]

http://www.boredpanda.com/we-illustrated-the-most-wonderful-literature-locations-in-the-uk/

BOOK 169: THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS: ARUNDHATI ROY

The God of Small Things (1997) is the debut novel of Indian writer Arundhati Roy. It is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how. And how much." The book explores how the small things affect people's behavior and their lives. It won the Booker Prize in 1997.

The God of Small Things was Roy's first book and as of August 2016 is her only novel. Completed in 1996, the book took four years to complete. The potential of the story was first recognized by Pankaj Mishra, an editor with HarperCollins, who sent it to three British publishers. Roy received 500,000 pounds in advance and rights to the book were sold in 21 countries.

STYLE: NON-SEQUENTIAL NARRATIVE

The God of Small Things is not written in a sequential narrative style in which events unfold chronologically. Instead, the novel is a patchwork of flashbacks and lengthy sidetracks that weave together to tell the story of the Ipe family. The main events of the novel are traced back through the complex history of their causes, and memories are revealed as they relate to one another thematically and as they might appear in Rahel's mind. Although the narrative voice is omniscient, it is loosely grounded in Rahel's perspective, and all of the episodes of the novel progress toward the key moments in Rahel's life.

(Information from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_God_of_Small_Things)

FILM 1612: STAGE FRIGHT

According to Alfred Hitchcock, he ran into great difficulties with leading actress Jane Wyman. Wyman was required to appear frumpy and inelegant when she goes incognito as a maid, but the actress was reluctant to appear so plain when Marlene Dietrich appeared so glamorous. The director recounted that Wyman would cry when she would see Dietrich looking glamorous on set when she herself was in her maid disguise. Hitchcock said that she could not accept the idea of her character being frumpy or dowdy. Much to the director's chagrin, Wyman would secretly put on makeup or otherwise try to improve her appearance, thus failing to maintain her character.

In "Hollywood Babble On" Marlene Dietrich is quoted as saying, "I did one film for Alfred Hitchcock. Jane Wyman was in it. I heard she'd only wanted to do it if she were billed above me, and she got her wish. Hitchcock didn't think much of her. She looks too much like a victim to play a heroine, and God knows she couldn't play a woman of mystery - that was *my* part. Miss Wyman looks like a mystery nobody has bothered to solve."

During filming, food was still strictly rationed in London. Alfred Hitchcock circumvented this problem by having steaks and roasts flown in from the United States to be prepared and cooked at some of the city's finest restaurants. He treated himself and his leading ladies Marlene Dietrich and Jane Wyman to frequent, extravagant dinners. The director told the actresses that "Ladies must be well fed."

In an extraordinary move for the normally controlling director, Alfred Hitchcock provided Marlene Dietrich an exceptional amount of creative control for the film, particularly in how she chose to light her scenes. Hitchcock knew that Dietrich had learned a great deal of the art of cinematography from Josef von Sternberg and Günther Rittau, and allowed her to work with this film's cinematographer, Wilkie Cooper, to light and set her scenes the way that she wished.

After completing this film, Alfred Hitchcock would not work in his native Britain again for over 20 years.

Famed composer Cole Porter composed "The Laziest Gal in Town" specifically for Marlene Dietrich in this film.

Marlene Dietrich's costumes were designed by (an uncredited) Christian Dior.

DIRECTOR CAMEO: Alfred Hitchcock: turning to look at Eve in her disguise as Charlotte's maid.

http://www.charliekwai.com
http://www.bjp-online.com/2016/10/charlie-kwais-unapologetically-confrontational-street-photography/

FILM 1581: THE CONJURING 2 

TRIVIA: James Wan was offered a "life-altering" amount of money in order to direct Fast 8 (2017). However, he turned that opportunity down to direct The Conjuring 2 (2016) instead. "I feel rejuvenated to tell a scary story one more time," Wan wrote on Instagram.

The remaining members of the Hodgson family visited the set. Frances O'Connor, who portrays their late mother, refused to meet them, as she feared it would affect her performance.

Patrick Wilson did his own singing.

On the first day of shooting, a priest was brought in to bless the set.

One of the real-life allegations that didn't feature in the movie, was that the Hodgson children's toys were thrown around and were too hot to touch.

Some have claimed that the real Janet is a gifted ventriloquist or the power to manipulate voices and she admitted faking some events. She revealed that around two percent of the haunting was phony during an interview with The Telegraph.

The opening scene where the Warrens are seen partaking in a séance in the Amityville Horror House, Lorraine is seen wearing a trenchcoat and a skirt. Inspiration for this costume was taken from what the real Lorraine Warren wore during a séance in real life during the Amityville case. She wore a replica of the outfit right down to the styling of her hair.

The ghost boy that Lorraine sees when astral projecting is based on the infamous Amityville photo supposedly taken by Gene Campbell, a professional photographer who was part of the team who worked with paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The Society of Psychical Research in England researched this case long before The Warrens, and it was determined it was Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis. Grosse and Playfaire moved into the house at one point and investigated this case for over a year. The Warrens just showed up and stayed for a couple of days.