The Journey of Coriolanus
If ever I might consider there to have been a watershed experience during my career photographing on films...it would be the time I spent working on Ralph Fiennes' cinematic adaptation of William Shakespear's Coriolanus. I had no idea going into this project, that it would soon set the bar for how I viewed my future work and indeed how I would like to continue to work photographically in this industry.
In late February of 2010, I received a call regarding my availability for a film which Ralph Fiennes would soon be directing in Serbia and Montenegro. It would be Ralph's (feature film) directorial debut. A week after getting the call, I found myself standing in the dark, waiting on a morning train leaving Prague for Belgrade. If I didn't sense it as the train pulled in, clearly something began to stir as I looked out onto the shadowy Eastern European hinterlands passing by my window. This was to be a film experience like no other I have had.
The last of Prague's suburbs tailing away, I settled in. Twenty hours of travel, and three countries, would allow for the time needed to gain some purchase in the job that lay ahead. As I turned the pages, I was drawn into the world and the strange beast that is Coriolanus. Here was a commentary on human behaviour penned 400 years before, yet resonated so closely with impactful events of our time.
The next morning I found myself standing in the frozen mud and skiffs of a recent snowfall; the last day of preparation in full swing. Bright Balkan sun backlit frenetic forms of soldiers dressed in full battle, running with purpose through the charred detritus of a place hard fought. Crumbling buildings holding up remnants of voices sprayed on the run...fragmented and punctuated by the destructive power of modern military ordnance.
My point of departure was beginning to crystalize, and it was during the ride back to my Belgrade hotel that my process would become more clear. Crossing the Sava River, I looked out to see the Citadel of Kalemegdan; keeping watch over a vital confluence...two ancient rivers, cutting a swathe with timeless indifference, through one of the most troubled and turbulent lands in European history. It was then that it struck me...I was not there to photograph a film. This was to be a study...a dig...an excavation of a site where humanity shows its bones. I was there to step into the belly of the beast...as a photographer of the time...to return with the story.
Ralph Fiennes' compelling and indeed brave cinematic undertaking of Shakespear's Coriolanus, provided an opportunity for me to fulfil a lifelong dream...to create a body of work from a film which might pay tribute to some of the great photojournalists of our time. So with the likes of McCullin, Capa, W. Eugene Smith in mind...I set out on a journey to do just that.
I am forever grateful to Ralph...an extraordinary script...supportive producers...and a fabulous cast and crew. For without all these gifts, this body of work for which I am so proud, would not have been possible.