DIRECTIONS UNIT: Richard Curtis

Director

Richard Curtis:

Richard Curtis was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 8th November 1956 (making him 60 years old). He is a screenwriter, director and film & tv producer. Curtis studied English Language and Literature at Christ Church, Oxford where he achieved a first class honours. He often works alongside Bill Nighy and Rowan Atkinson.

Curtis was awarded an MBE in 1994 before being rewarded with a CBE in 2000 in the Queen's Millennium Honors List for his services to TV and Film Comedy and for his services to Comic Relief (which he founded alongside Lenny Henry).

Main Directing Credits:

- Love Actually (2001)
- The Boat That Rocked (2009)
- About Time (2013)

His other well known works include:
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) for which he was the writer and co executive producer
- Notting Hill (1999) for which he was the writer and producer
- Bridget Jones' Diary (2003) for which he was the writer
- Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) for which he was the writer
- Mr Bean's Holiday (2007) for which he was the executive producer
- War Horse (2011) for which he was the writer

Richard Curtis' Directing Style:

Since the majority of Curtis' films are of the romantic comedy genre, most of the shots he uses in his films reflect this. Many of the scenes are shot with a shallow depth of field creating a sharp image in the foreground and a blurred image in the background. This blur creates a romantic atmosphere which helps to convey the romance within the scenes.

Examples:




About Time (2013)

Love Actually (2001)












Curtis also has the tendency of creating and using eccentric characters. Although the creation of these characters lies in the writing process, Curtis directs these scenes is such a way to enhance their eccentric natures. For example: Rowan Atkinson's character in Love Actually is an eccentric sales consultant who takes his time gift wrapping Alan Rickman's character's present. The long pauses on the shots of his character contrasts to the short snappy shots of Alan Rickman's character who is becoming increasingly frustrated at the gift wrapping process.

The Original Scenes I Will Adapt:

The scenes I have chosen to adapt for my piece are these two scenes which focus around the characters Mark and Juliet.

The first scene: 
(Juliet calls round to Mark's flat in hope of finding a picture of her in her wedding dress from the footage he shot at the wedding, only to find out that he is in love with her).

I chose this scene as the majority of it has no dialogue, instead most of the story is shown through the characters emotions/ reactions as she realises all the footage of the wedding is of her. This is mainly shown through close up shots and medium shots that switch between the characters as the wedding footage is being played. Most of the shots have a shallow depth of field which helps to give the scene a slightly romantic feel as Mark's true feelings towards Juliet are revealed.

The second scene:
(Mark calls round to Juliet's flat which she shares with her husband and confesses his thoughts and feelings to her with a series of A3 cards).

I chose this scene as again the majority of it has no dialogue, instead the story is all told through action. This is arguably the most iconic scene of the film which is another reason I chose it as I liked the challenge of putting my own directing style onto such a well known and loved scene. Curtis also chose a shallow depth of field for this scene as it again helps to create a romantic atmosphere.