Heart of the Stag

Day 17 Camino Frances

Jan 31, 2024

Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don't be afraid to take that first step.” - Muhammad Ali

“Record my first feature film?... I've never recorded sound on anything so big or challenging before… will I cope… will my nerves hold out… will I do a good job… am I up to the challenge or will I crash and burn, and make a fool of myself… will I disappoint myself, my family and my peers… doubts, doubts, doubts…”

New Zealand is a small country with a very modest 5 million population. Back in the 1980s our feature film industry was also very modest with only one feature film being made at any one time, and the ‘A crew’ had a monopoly on all the New Zealand features. It was a bit of a closed shop. Film Producers often say “Well I only want to employ people with experience” but how do you get experience if no one is willing to give you a chance? A real Catch 22 situation that you have maybe faced yourself.

Then suddenly in 1983 the industry heated up and there were two films being planned with overlapping shooting schedules, so there was a need for a second feature film crew and thus a golden opportunity for a totally new feature film crew to step up. Thus, I get my chance to break into this ‘closed shop’ when I am asked by film producer Don Reynolds to be the Sound Recordist on his upcoming feature film Heart of the Stag.

Film Producer Don Reynolds

Now Don Reynolds was previously New Zealand's most experienced feature film sound recordist who had set up his own successful sound post production studio in Wellington before moving into producing feature films. I feel incredibly honoured to be entrusted by him to record sound on his upcoming feature film.

Wow, what a challenge! Am I up to the task… can I pull it off? I am riddled with self-doubt but I agree to the job. I’m willing to give it a crack!

The ‘one liner’ for Heart of the Stag reads… ”A chilling story of a farmhand who realises his wealthy sheep farmer boss has been committing incest with his daughter for years.”

The plan is to film this on a farm location near Te Kuiti in rural North Island, New Zealand. Myself and the rest of the crew are staying in caravans on site so it’s an incredibly short commute to work each day.

My first challenge is on day one of shooting when I realise my boom operator (the guy who waves the microphone around on a boom pole to catch the actors dialogue) is actually really inexperienced and just can't cope with the demands of this specialist job.

A boom operator on a film shoot

I've got a serious problem because he is missing actor’s lines, and so I ask Don Reynolds the producer (and ex Sound Recordist) to step in and boom the scene that day. Instantly recognising my problem, Don kindly obliges. So it's quite a bizarre scene having the producer as my boom operator for most of that first day of filming. We quickly source a more experienced boom op, which takes that headache away and I can concentrate on recording good, clean, on-mic sound.

It's interesting that ‘boom operator’ is actually a really important though often misunderstood job on a film set.

They have to know the script backwards, so they know when to point the microphone at the actor with the next line. The boom op is right there watching the director working with the actors, watching at close quarters the 1st Assistant Director (the ‘sergeant major’ on a shoot) running the crew, having to know camera lenses, camera moves and lighting so he (or she) doesn’t drop the microphone into shot, nor pop a shadow from the mic onto an actor, and thus ruin the shot.

New Zealand Film director Lee Tamahori started as a Boom Operator then shifted straight to 1st Assistant Director, then to Director. His directing credits include Once Were Warriors, Mulholland Falls and 007: Die Another Day.

New Zealand film director Lee Tamahori

But back to Heart of the Stag and some of my highlights from that job…

One scene involved the farmhand (New Zealand actor Bruno Lawrence) rowing the boss’s daughter (Mary Reagan) out in a dinghy into the middle of this beautiful small lake on the farm in a huge wide shot. They are having a happy time, and a romance is slowly blossoming. It is such a still, quiet location that I am able to record them singing and frolicking about in their dinghy from my microphone positioned a long way away on the lake edge, and miraculously I can hear them clearly!

NZ actor Bruno Lawrence

NZ actress Mary Regan

One day we are shooting a scene by the shepherds hut of farmhand (Bruno) relaxing and smoking a cigarette in a hot outside bath tub set above a blazing fire heating the water. The cinematographer wants to shoot the scene at ‘magic hour’… that glorious time just before the sun goes down when the sunlight casts a stunning golden colour over the landscape. Well, once we are all set up we have to wait for about an hour for the ‘perfect’ light.

Bruno smoking in another movie

During that time Bruno is relaxing in the warm bath smoking cigarettes. When we finally get to roll the camera I realise that Bruno is as high as a kite… because he’s actually been smoking marijuana for the last hour! Tut, tut… very unprofessional Bruno… but a funny, human moment.

One not so humorous moment involves our less than confident director trying to work out how he is going to shoot an interior scene involving actor Terence Cooper (who plays the wealthy sheep farmer).

NZ actor Terence Cooper

Terence is getting frustrated by the seemingly endless delays and unfortunately while he’s been waiting he’s had a few drinks, so he lambasts the director in front of the whole crew by announcing in a loud stentorian voice “Are we in any f…ing danger of shooting any f…ing thing any f…ing time soon!” Wow, I think, you need to really develop good people managing skills to deal with some actors behaviours.

Terence Cooper a bit later in his career

My first feature film feels really challenging for me, but I come through the experience learning a lot about meeting difficulties head on and how to deal with many different personalities. I’m proud of what I have achieved though I feel there’s still plenty for me to master. But at least now the prospect of working on a feature film doesn’t feel so daunting to me as it did before… bring it on!

Me recording on a much later film production

Day 17 Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios 5 June 2018 26.6 kms (16.5 miles)

I leave the Santa Maria albergue in the early morning half-light then miss a turning point in the town and end up in a blind alley by a church. Using my Camino app I quickly work out where I went wrong and am soon back on track.

After leaving town there are 16 kms of almost dead straight road ahead, a long relentless slog on the Via Aquitana, an ancient Roman route across this very flat plain.

After finding no towns on this 16 kilometers stretch I finally sight the very welcome church tower of Calzadilla de la Cueza in the distance.

I stop to rest my aching back and enjoy double doses of zumo de naranje (orange juice), and cafe con leche (coffee with hot milk). I greet familiar faces as they trickle in, park up and recharge their tired bodies.

The last stretch of just under 2 hours mainly tracks alongside a highway... but at least there's some up and down, curves, corners and regular changes of scenery!

I finally arrive at Terradillos de los Templarios. This small town was once home to a church belonging to the Knights Templar, a medieval military order responsible for protecting pilgrims.

Successful for almost 200 years, their grand master Jacques de Molay was arrested on Friday the 13th, 1307 and burned at the stake for heresy, and other politically trumped up charges. The order was then disbanded in disgrace.

My albergue is appropriately called "Jacques de Molay" and bears the Knights Templar cross on the entrance wall.

I revel in a languorous, superhot shower, rehydrate, then have a short kip to ease my aching back.

I wake feeling much refreshed, and the rain has thankfully stopped. Today is the coldest day so far on the Camino. I'm hoping for a return to sunshine and warmer temperatures tomorrow.