3.10 DVD Commentary

[lwhite53]

Info from 3.10 DVD commentary (Simon CC, Andrew Woodhead, Alrick Riley):
-Girl with jump rope in opening shot -- daughter of 1st asst. director.
-Badria Timimi (Khatera) is actually Iraqi -- left in her teens.
-Terrorists speak Iraqi throughout ep -- language tutors worked with actors.
-For Simon CC -- favorite ep of this series.
-Ahmed -- ordinary guy who's been radicalized by things that have happened to him; not a psychotic crazy. Actor very scary and very convincing. Something quite human about the character.
-In this ep, grid color desaturated more than usual -- more muted than previously.
-Little moments of story (Harry and chocolates, Fiona picking lock) woven into plot that become extremely relevant later on -- writer makes them feel integral, not just dropped in. Ben Richards talent is his ability to write both huge stories and intimate stories and tie them together.
-Lovely and moving ep for Adam/Fiona relationship -- very emotional.
-Breakfast in bed scene -- shot a lot of footage, very elegantly edited to appear seamless.
-Alrick Riley hated the wardrobe between the flats -- hokey.
-Only ep where Ruth wears a wedding ring [??].
-Great backstory for Adam and Fiona -- sets up future eps.
-Nicola Walker "listens" very actively -- great eyes and facial expressiveness.
-Zubin Varla (Ahmed) doesn't have a huge role in terms of dialogue but you feel his presence throughout ep.
-Good intelligent dialogue between Ahmed, Danny and Fiona.
-Adam and Khatera scene at NFT Cafe -- record for amount of footage shot in one day; 3 cameras, 27 rolls of film.
-Lots of split screen use in this ep.
-NFT Cafe -- very busy location, lots of people all over the place.
-Harry and Ruth -- running joke about people not knocking on Harry's door. Scene filmed both inside the office and from outside through the glass.
-Lots of waiting in this ep, very static -- created tension and menace.
-Great camera work in Zaf/Adam scene -- got all the details of the hands, the sweets, the quick conversation, etc.
-Adam and Khatera walking to hotel -- all other people in the shot were just passersby, not actors. Walked through a very busy pedestrian area in the West End -- gave real life to the scene.
-Danny and Fiona escaping -- interior and exterior were two different houses.
-Once Danny and Fiona are recaptured, you don't expect them to live -- action from that point takes a drastic turn for the worse.
-Harry and Guy Facer -- one of the best Harry moments in the whole series. Don't often show H with that level of compassion for his team -- he looks heartbroken.
-Danny/Fiona scene re Winnie the Pooh -- was in and out of ep several times; finally decided to keep it in.
-Khatera -- she says everything with extraordinary conviction and with a deep emotional base.
-Throughout the scenes of Ahmed interacting with Fiona, Danny says an incredible amount just with his face. You can see the moment he decides to pull Ahmed's focus from Fiona onto himself.
-Danny's speech before being shot -- filmed very simply; it's all about David's acting. Beautifully written speech, filmed all in one go -- at end his face is serene, he knows exactly what he's doing.
-Bomb implanted inside Khatera -- based on a true story.
-Emotional stakes of ep incredibly high -- all the characters have a stake, everyone going through hell.
-"Your son will be able to watch images of you burning on the internet" -- one of the most vicious lines in spooks.
-Adam and Khatera in Manor House -- shot with very long lens in order to isolate them in the room full of people.
-Adam takes the risk to sacrifice Fiona to save the PM.
-Alrick Riley was worried they wouldn't be able to show the scene of Fiona being doused with petrol -- too scary. Thought it would be censored.
-Scene with Harry, Ruth and Danny's body -- shot with 10 minutes to go until the end of shooting for the day. Nicola Walker did a brilliant acting job in a very short amount of time.

[Tea Lady]

Thanks for this. Glad they kept the Winnie the Pooh scene in. It stood out but then again it didn't, if you know what I mean. Note that NW did the end scene in only ten minutes. She really is a great actress and her crying abilities are second to none.

[Aria]

Thanks for this lwhite53. Can't say I noticed Ruth/NW wearing a wedding ring in the episode - it gives me a good reason to rewatch it so I can spot it! Very glad they kept the Winnie the Pooh references in.

[JHyde]

The funny thing is, NW thinks she's not good at the crying thing. I remember her saying she was in awe of Keeley for her crying skills!

[lwhite53]

(30-05-2010 10:59 PM)JHyde Wrote:  The funny thing is, NW thinks she's not good at the crying thing. I remember her saying she was in awe of Keeley for her crying skills!

She's not -- as I remember, she has to use some mentholated stuff to get her going.

[JHyde]

Yeah, but she doesn't just look like she's been giddied up. She makes it *look* real.

[lwhite53]

They also said in the commentary that Badria Timimi could cry on a dime without assistance -- never missed. I wonder how you do that?

[Silktie]

I think they were actually talking about Adam wearing a wedding ring only in this episode? I haven't seen him with one before.

[lwhite53]

Yeah, I thought it was a misspeak, too, but I listened to it several times and they definitely said Ruth so I left it as it was said. I do think they were talking about Adam, though.

[A Cousin]

(31-05-2010 12:36 AM)lwhite53 Wrote:  They also said in the commentary that Badria Timimi could cry on a dime without assistance -- never missed. I wonder how you do that?

I can answer that.

There are three kinds of actors: those that can cry on the spot, those that can cry but have to build up to it organically and those that can make an audience think that they are crying. I fell into the middle group. From what I have been able to gather from those who can do it on the spot, some actors just have the ability to tap into something very deep and scary inside them. It could be something as simple as the memory of being lost in the grocery store at 4 to something much worse. As long as it takes you there, it works. It can change too. It is an ability I greatly respect too. It isn't easy to be that accessible emotionally.