Song For Marion Film Begins
Shooting In The North East
Song For Marion Film Begins
Shooting In The North East
Posted: Monday, July 18, 2011
A FILM which could do for choirs what Brassed Off did for brass bands begins shooting in the North East next week with a glittering cast led by Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp.
Gemma Arterton and Christopher Eccleston also star in the film, Song for Marion, and North East extras are being sought to appear as audience members during a six-week shoot.
Locations in County Durham and Newcastle will be used in the film which highlight the increasing popularity of choral singing.
The story, written and directed by Paul Andrew White, is not set specifically in the North East but some of the accents might give the game away.
A choir of talented singers from the region, coached by Richard Scott who directs the Heaton Voices community choir in Newcastle, will feature in the film.
Song for Marion, described by film company Steel Mill Pictures as a “comedic drama”, features a couple in their 70s called Arthur and Marion, played by Stamp and Redgrave.
“Arthur must confront the undercurrents of his own grumbling persona as he embarks on a hilarious, life-affirming journey of musical self-discovery,” according to the publicity material, although the film also has a tragic theme.
Eccleston plays Arthur’s son James, with whom he has a difficult relationship, while Arterton plays choir director Elizabeth.
Newcastle-based agency Northern Film & Media invited the film-makers to the North East for reconnaissance trips earlier in the year.
Gayle Woodruffe, production service manager at Northern Film & Media, said: “I think filming in the North East will give them the sense of community they are looking for. The film could be set anywhere but it needs to be a place with a real sense of community.”
Reported by The Journal 16th July 2011
« ‘PAW Sketch Show’ Screening Terence Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave & Gemma Arterton Lead Paul Andrew Williams’ ‘Song For Marion.’ Christopher Eccleston And Anne Reid Also On Board »