I’m very pleased to be part of The Virtues, a powerful new series from writer/director Shane Meadows. I worked as an Editor on the feature length final episode (Episode 4, June 5th) and was also the Post Production Supervisor for the whole series.
It was a privilege to work with material of such quality. The performances are stunning throughout but Stephen Graham’s central performance is incredible.
It’s well known that Shane works collaboratively with his actors through improvisation, and he shoots with multiple cameras to ensure nothing is missed. This means they can work instinctively and explore any variations of character or plot on the day. Also the actors never have to pickup their reaction shots in a disconnected way. It captures an immediacy and honesty that feels similar to documentary.
This creates an edit process of many possibilities, and with so much quality in the rushes it can be hard to narrow down. So the edit is very exploratory and sometimes a small added detail will pay off greatly in a subsequent scene. I can only say that I hugely enjoyed working with Shane in this way.
The Virtues marks my first time working as a Post Production Supervisor. The role developed from my stint as Editor at the close of the edit period and drew on my previous experience as a Colourist and Online Editor. Aside from helping to track changes across departments I was primarily involved in the grade as an extra pair of eyes, working alongside John Claude at Dirty Looks. With so many different cameras and formats this was one of the most challenging grades I’ve ever worked on, and in this instance I wasn’t even the one pressing the buttons.
Here is the Channel 4 press release with more info:
BAFTA-nominated Stephen Graham (Line of Duty, This is England, ’86, ’88, ’90) is Joseph, a barely on-the-wagon alcoholic whose precarious reality is knocked for six when his ex-partner moves abroad with their young son, from Liverpool to Australia, for a better life. With no immediate family to live for, Joseph is haunted by a past he has tried, for decades, to forget – if not actively obscure with drink and drugs. Suffering the hangover from hell – the dry spell over – he walks away from his present life and boards a boat bound for Ireland to confront hazy, fear-inducing memories from a childhood spent in the care system that he’s had to forget.
The Virtues starts on Wednesday 15th May at 9pm on Channel 4
