ODUCTION NOTES.docx

ODUCTION NOTES.docx

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ODUCTIONNOTES

THEUKFILMCOUNCILandBBCFilmspresentinassociationwithUNITEDARTISTS

AREVOLUTIONFILMSPRODUCTION

AMICHAELWINTERBOTTOMFILM

CODE46

TIMROBBINS

SAMANTHAMORTON

WrittenbyFrankCottrellBoyce

DirectedbyMichaelWinterbottom

ProducedbyAndrewEaton

RunningTime:

92minsCertificate:

tbc

Publicityinformation

CharlesMcDonald/JoFalcon

Tel:

02076362700

e-mail:

charles@mcdonaldrutter

jo@

synopsis

Thenearfuture.Whileinvestigatingthecreationoffraudulent‘papelles’（aformofinsurancecover,passportandvisarolledintoone）attheSphinxInsurancecompanyinShanghai,husbandandfatherWilliamfallsinlovewiththeworkerhesuspects,MariaGonzalez.Hedoesnotreporther.Theyspendthenighttogether.WilliamreturnstohiswifeandsoninSeattle.WhenoneofMaria’sclientsdies,whileusingafakesetofpapelles,WilliamissentbacktoShanghai.TornbetweenhisprofessionaldutyandhispowerfulloveforMaria,Williammustdecidewhethertoriskhiscareerandhismarriagetobewithher.

TheUKFilmCouncil’sPremiereFundpresentsinassociationwithUnitedArtistsandBBCFilmsaRevolutionFilmsproductionofaMichaelWinterbottomFilmCODE46.Code46wasdevelopedwiththesupportoftheMEDIAProgrammeoftheEuropeanUnion.CODE46starsTimRobbinsandSamanthaMortonandwasdirectedbyMichaelWinterbottom,producedbyAndrewEatonandwrittenbyFrankCottrellBoyce.ExecutiveProducersareDavidMThompsonandRobertJones.DirectorsofphotographywereAlwinKuchlerBSCandMarcelZyskind,editorPeterChristelis,productiondesignerMarkTildesley,lineproducerRosaRomeroandthecastingdirectorwasWendyBrazington.MusicisbyTheFreeAssociation.

ABOUTTHEPRODUCTION

IdeasandInspiration

Code46grewoutofaseriesofconversationsbetweendirectorMichaelWinterbottom,producerAndrewEatonandscriptwriterFrankCottrellBoyce,whohadflirtedforseveralyearswiththeideaofmakingasciencefictionfilm.Butnot,asonemightexpectfromtheteamwhichcreated“TheClaim”and“24HourPartyPeople”,asciencefictionfilmdominatedbyhardware,futuristicsetsandspecialeffects.Instead,whilebeingsetinarecognisablenear-futurewithmanyparallelstoourowntime,itwouldcombineelementsofalovestory,afilmnoirthrillerandGreekmythology,togetherwithanexplorationoftheemotionalconsequencesofhumancloning.

NowCode46iscompleted,thefilm-makersarestillreluctanttoseeitpigeon-holedasastraightsciencefictionpicture.“Ifwe’ddescribeditasjustasciencefictionfilm,”explainsMichaelWinterbottom,“theaudiencewouldhavebeenexpectingsomethingmuchmoreconcernedwithtechnologyordesign,orwiththedifferencesbetweennowandthen.Ourideawastomakealovestorysetinthenearfuture,inaworldthatismeanttobemoreofaparalleltotheworldoftoday,butwiththeelementscombinedinaslightlydifferentway.“Atthesametime,Code46isalsoamodernversionofaclassicfilmnoirthriller.Thedetective,William（TimRobbins）,comestoShanghaitoinvestigateacrimeandfallsinlovewithMaria（SamanthaMorton）,thepersonwhocommittedthecrime.”

Theideaofcloningintroducedanotherlevelofemotionalcomplication,thepossibilitythatinthenearfutureitmightbepossibletomeetandfallinlovewithsomeonetowhomonewasgeneticallylinked.Thisinturntookthefilm-makersbacktotheclassicGreekmythofOedipus:

“Ourstorybecameamoremythic,abstractversionoftheideathatyoucan’tcontrolwhoyoulove.Whatwasparticularlyattractivewastheideaoftakingaveryordinarylovestory,onewhicheveryonecanrecognise,butthenpushingittoitsextremebyintroducingtheOedipaltabooagainstsleepingwithyourmother.Thatwastheappealofthecloningelement,theideathatWilliamcouldfallinlovewithsomeonewhoisgeneticallyidenticaltohismother,withouthisbeingawareofit.”

Code46thereforebecameaclassicstoryofdoomedlove,butwithacrucialgenetictwist.“Theoriginalidea,”saysproducerAndrewEaton,“wastotellthestoryofadoomedloveaffair,inwhichtwopeopleareinlove,butthereisaparticularreasonwhytheycan’tbetogether.BriefEncounter,CasablancaandTheEnglishPatientallhavethatshape.Sothat’swheretheideaofcloningcamein,becauseourstorybecameamodernversionofthemythofOedipus,inwhichtheincestisbeyondWilliamandMaria’scontrol.

“InthecaseofCode46it’scomplicatedbythefactthatoneofthereasonsthattheyfallinloveisthattheyinstinctivelyrecognisethatthey’refromthesameDNA,buttheycan’texplaintheirattractionrationally.Ithinkthatthat’sverymuchinlinewiththeideaof‘soulmates’inthisdayandage–theideathatpeoplefallinloveandtheycan’tstopthemselves.”

ScriptwriterFrankCottrellBoycewassurprisedtofindunexpectedechoesofanearlierproject:

“ThestrangethingaboutWilliamandMariabeinggeneticallyrelatedtooneanotheristhatitgeneratesallthesepowerfulemotionsthattheycan’tquiteunderstandorcontrol.Theydon’treallyknowwhatthosefeelingsare,andtheydon’tknowwhattodowiththem.

“IwasactuallythinkingaboutWilliamandDorothyWordsworth,whoI’dwrittenaboutinmyearlierscreenplayforJulienTemple’sPandemonium.Theywerebrotherandsisterbuttheygrewupapart,sowhentheywerefinallyreunited,itcreatedalotofstaticandsexualisedfeelingswhichtheydidn’tknowhowtocopewith.”

CottrellBoycewasexcitedbytheideaofapairofdoomedloverswho,likethecharactersinaGreekmyth,findthemselvesatthemercyofanineluctableFate.Also,therewereintriguingparallelswithmodernideasaboutthewaysinwhichsomeaspectsofhumanbehaviouraregeneticallydetermined.“WhatmakesallthoseGreekstoriessocompellingistheideaofFate.Andasasocietywe’renowreplacingtheideaofFatewiththeideaofgenes.Peoplearegoingaroundsaying,‘Ican’thelpmyself,it’smygeneswhicharepredisposingmetobefat,orangry,orinlove,orwhatever.”

ImaginingTheFuture

ProducerAndrewEatonknewfromtheoutsetthatcreatingaconvincingvisionofthefutureonamoderatebudgetwouldbeamajorchallenge.Evenifthatfuturewasmeanttobejustaroundthecorner.OnekeystrategywastogroundCode46’simaginedviewofthefutureintheknownpresent:

“There’shardlyanythinginthefilmthatdoesn’thavesomebasisincurrentfact.Inthecaseofclimatechangeandsomeofthetechnology,we’vetakenafewleapsofimagination,butthey’renotamillionmilesawayfromwhatexistsnow.ProbablythemostfantasticalelementistheEmpathyVirus,theideathatyouwouldbeabletotakeapillandtheneffectivelyreadsomebodyelse’smind.Buteverythingelse–globalwarming,thecloningofhumanbeings,theproblemswithcross-bordertravel-arejustextrapolationsfromthepresent.”

AsignificantbackgroundinfluenceonCode46wasMichaelWinterbottom’sexperienceofmakinghislastfilm,InThisWorld,whichrecordedtheepicjourneyundertakenbytwoyoungAfghanimenfromarefugeecampinPeshawar,north-westPakistantoLondon.“TherewasquitealotinCode46thatgrewoutofourexperienceofmakingInThisWorld,”acknowledgesWinterbottom.“Oneimportantthingwasthefrustrationofpassports,visasandallthebureaucracythatgoeswithtravellingthroughalotofdifferentcountries-theproblemofnothavingtherightpaperwork.Thatbecamepartofthebackstory,theneedforpapelles,theroad-blocksandsecurity,andthedifficultiesofcross-bordertravelingeneral.”

Giventheproject’slimitedresourcesandMichaelWinterbottom’spreferenceforfilmingonlocation,theideaofspendingthree-quartersofthebudgetonfuturisticstudiosetsinastudiowasnotanappealingone.Onthecontrary,itwassomethingthatWinterbottom,producerAndrewEatonandproductiondesignerMarkTildesleyconsciouslywishedtoavoid.Allthreeweresurethatthisapproachwouldpaydividends,notonlyfinanciallybutalsoaesthetically,asEatonexplains:

“Ratherthanspending£3millionbuildingaBladeRunner-styleset,whichwouldhavemeantimaginingeverythingandthenbuildingitfromscratch,wedecidedtouse‘found’spaces.MichaelsuggestedgoingtoplaceslikeShanghaiandDubai,whichhavethisextraordinary,contradictoryarchitecture.InShanghaithereisThirdWorldpovertyintheshadowofsomeofthemostmodernskyscrapersintheworld.InDubaithereistheskyscraperareaofthecityandthenjustbehinditisthedesert.Itwasthosecuriousjuxtapositionswhichwereinterestingandattractive.”

AllofwhichfittedperfectlywithWinterbottom’spreferredwayofdirecting:

“Iliketobeonlocation.Forme,thestoryneverreallycoheresuntilyouknowwhereyou’refilming,becausetheinter-actionbetweenthecharactersandtheenvironmentiscrucial.Mostofmyfilmsareobservationalinsomeway,sowithoutasenseoftheplace,andhowthecharactersreacttoeachotherwithinthatspace,it’shardformetotellwhothecharactersaregoingtobe.Sotobuildacompletelyartificialfuturisticworldonstudiosetswouldnothaveworked,formeorforthefilm.”

Itwasthereforeoutofanimaginativeextrapolationfromthisactual,tangiblesenseofacontemporaryurbanrealitythatCode46’svisionofthefuturewasborn.AsMichaelWinterbottomiskeentomakeclear:

“Wesaid,Let’simaginethatclimatechangemeansthatareasthatwereoncefertilearenowdesert,sotheareaaroundShanghaiisadesert.Let’simaginethattheozonelayerisdepletedandpeopleareafraidtogooutinthedaytime,sotheyworkatnight.Also,let’simaginethatbecause