Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/600849
30 CINEMONTAGE / FALL 2015 THIS QUARTER IN FILM HISTORY in the West Adams area of South Los Angeles dating back to the first decade of the 20th century. The houses of their two sons' families and their church were found nearby. The younger son's home belonged to production designer Penny Barrett's mother-in-law. Barrett, for years a set decorator at MGM, had also worked on Burnett's My Brother's Wedding. Her careful selection of family materials provided the director with a full range of subtle touches to suggest the backgrounds influencing the characters' lives. Similarly, costume designer Gaye Shannon- Burnett (the filmmaker's wife) gave substance to their entire social network through attention to personal tastes and styles and the simple fact of wear over time. With Mary Alice and Paul Butler coming to LA from New York to play family heads Suzie and Gideon, the director conducted one read-through of the script with the cast before production started. Given the work schedules of the LA-based actors, the shooting schedule was worked out based on their availability. Burnett rehearsed each scene with the actors on the day of shooting. Filming on location produced its own unique difficulties. Burnett and cinematographer Walt Lloyd found and lit expressive compositions despite the tight setups demanded by the houses' cramped interiors. Perhaps the biggest technical problems on location were the ambient sounds — helicopters, airplanes and the noises of an active LA neighborhood. Post-production supervisor Carol Munday Lawrence told CineMontage that, during the 21 weeks of post, 13 cast members had to come in over 10 days for ADR. Lawrence also noted how one of those days underscored a social issue that still draws attention. Carl Lumbly, who played the older son, arrived late and angry to an ADR session. She recalled, "On the way over, he was stopped and detained by the police. He was driving an expensive car and knew this was a 'DWB' — Driving While Black." The film's editor Nancy Richardson, ACE, started setting up and cutting scenes at Universal Studios when the shoot began. Working with her were apprentice (now ACE picture editor) Plummy Tucker, first assistant editor Lary Moten and, replacing him, Christi Moore. This was Richardson's second feature credit; her first had been Ramon Menendez's Stand and Deliver (1988). Since Anger, she has worked on two other projects with Burnett — Selma, Lord, Selma (1999), a TV dramatization of the 1965 march, and The Annihilation of Fish (1999), a romantic feature with Lynn Redgrave and James Earl Jones. During production, Burnett said he tried to keep the shooting down to two takes per shot; "… four takes was a luxury." Richardson recalled that most scenes were ensembles, with four or five set- ups and the cutting ratio about eight-to-one. The editor said, "Charles has this way of getting you to do what he wants without telling you. You arrive at a new cut of a scene organically. He has the tones and sensibilities of the film in his head; he's a keen observer. This cannot be taught." From the opening dream sequence, when flames erupt in a fruit bowl and rise from Gideon's shoes over his body — without burning either the fruit or Gideon — the rhythms of picture, sound and music keep the viewer involved. Similarly, the editing builds a whole neighborhood through a succession of specific details and reveals character through cross-cutting from the family members at church to Harry, alone in their home, looking through their things. A larger sense of society is evoked when Suzie must go to the hospital, and long dissolves mark time passing in the emergency room as the numbers of patients multiply. Music was also a major storytelling tool. From early on, Burnett wanted Sister Rosetta Tharpe's To Sleep with Anger. Courtesy of Charles Burnett CONTINUED ON PAGE 33