4.3.2.1.- The Shoot

For Clarke and co, casting was just the beginning of preparing 4.3.2.1 Once all the main actors were on board, as Bryant reports, "Noel worked with each one individually on their character and who they are, rather than how the scenes would play out."

Primarily, this meant giving each actress a questionnaire about her character. "Noel’s really smart," adds Bryant.

"He’d say ‘You know your character. Now you tell me your backstory. What’s your favourite colour? Who are your designers? What music? What football teams?’ So we get very much a feel for them."

Egerton in particular remembers how helpful this process was. "In mine I said, ‘I want to try and get away from the floral dresses and cardigans that my mum’s been dressing me in since I was 15.’

"She has a very pushy mum who says, ‘You have to be the best of the best.’ So I said, ‘I think it would be really great if she starts to experiment now. She’s got all this money, so why can’t she use it to experiment with her look, make herself a bit more edgy?

"Therefore she’ll fit in with the girls, and it will be happy days.’ So that’s what we did basically. We made her less soft and fluffy and a little bit more trendy."

While this helped the girls all contribute to the development of their characters, they also worked with costume designer Andy Blake on their outfits. Remembers Lovibond, they put together a grungy look for Shannon.

"She’d always be down and she self harms, so she’s always in long sleeves. She’s very secretive about it, obviously. She doesn’t do it for attention. It’s a genuine thing she has to deal with, an emotionally immature way of dealing with her troubles and difficulties.

"And also she doesn’t want to draw attention to her body. Not that she hates the way she looks. But she doesn’t make masses of effort. She doesn’t stand for hours getting ready. She just pulls on whatever’s comfortable and practical."

Certainly by all accounts, Clarke’s collaborative approach with the actors set them at ease. "Noel talks to you a lot," says Warren-Markland. "Because he’s an actor himself, he’s a proper actor’s director. He’s really encouraging and will give you notes, like ‘This is what you’re feeling’ and he’ll discuss it with you. There’s always room.

"You might say ‘Can I change it here? And he’ll talk it through with you. So he’s definitely an actor’s director. And he’s really sweet. He sent me text messages like, ‘Well done today. Keep it up!’

"It is my first lead role so it’s really encouraging." Egerton smiles at her memories. "Noel will come up to you and go ‘Do that but better!’ and walk off which is great."

Despite his experience directing Adulthood, Clarke admits he was tense going into 4.3.2.1 "Your second film is more important than your first, right? Even though I wrote this material and I know it like the back of my hand, there’s a certain comfort level with Adulthood, ’cos it’s a certain budget.

"I can do that stuff all day long. I can direct and I can write this stuff. But this is bigger, it’s more stunts, it’s more action it was really a case of getting it right and just being able to maintain that throughout the six weeks. If anything, I was equally as nervous but also equally prepared."

Shooting began in mid-September 2009 for six weeks in and around London, with the production initially venturing down to Peckham to shoot scenes for Cassandra’s apartment. Other locations included the Westfield Shopping Centre near Shepherd’s Bush.

It was here that the crucial opening scene was filmed, as the four girls meet for coffee on the Friday afternoon, just as they come into contact with the gang fencing the diamonds.

As each of our heroines head off in their own directions, a pivotal motion-control shot that is returned to each time the narrative winds the clock back to tell another of the girls’ individual stories, it provided arguably the most complicated moment of the shoot.

"Narratively, it’s a very important shot," acknowledges Davis. "And we wanted something big to signify this, which was a bit different.

"We wanted to do something where it looked like a shot where all four of them were walking along, and then just as they all go to step away, the actual screen we’ve been watching, a single shot, suddenly splits off and you keep following those individuals."

A tricky piece of filmmaking by any standards, it involved plotting the shot on computer and then in the studio, before completing it on location. "It’s that level of prep and understanding which I guess I benefited from, from doing commercials and music videos," says Davis.

As far as Bryant is concerned, its shots like this that sums up 4.3.2.1’s no-holds-barred attitude. "We wanted to make a very stylised movie that will make people go ‘Wow’, but still have that performance, still have that edge to it, have a bit of humour and broaden it out to a bigger audience." Davis concurs.

"I think going into this, the main thing we wanted to do was to sit down and make a film that you could enjoy yourself. If your reaction to cinema is one of enjoying movies, then that’s where we’re coming from. I think indies can be both smart and popcorn movies."

By the end of the month-and-a-half, the filmmakers decamped to New York for a  further week to film material for Cassandra’s trip to the Big Apple.

While many of the interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios, Bryant felt it was imperative for the production to shoot this sequence on location. "Pinewood has a great little back-lot there now which was originally built for The Bank Job, then it was converted for Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass.

"We looked at it and thought ‘We could do New York here’. But really we need Times Square. We needed those pick-ups."

Filming in the US  and working with the likes of Kevin Smith, Eve and Emma Roberts, rather sums up what Clarke and Davis set out to achieve with 4.3.2.1., a British film with Hollywood production values.

"There’s no reason why British cinema needs to look grim, which is a big thing we both hate," says Davis.

"It’s fine to make those films, but that’s not what we’re into." Adds Clarke, "I think people are bored of seeing the same old ‘British film’. And it’s about time we stopped making ‘British film’ and started making ‘British movies’. Nobody is making films like 4.3.2.1. Nobody."

4.3.2.1. is out now.

For Clarke and co, casting was just the beginning of preparing 4.3.2.1 Once all the main actors were on board, as Bryant reports, "Noel worked with each one individually on their character and who they are, rather than how the scenes would play out."

Primarily, this meant giving each actress a questionnaire about her character. "Noel’s really smart," adds Bryant.

"He’d say ‘You know your character. Now you tell me your backstory. What’s your favourite colour? Who are your designers? What music? What football teams?’ So we get very much a feel for them."

Egerton in particular remembers how helpful this process was. "In mine I said, ‘I want to try and get away from the floral dresses and cardigans that my mum’s been dressing me in since I was 15.’

"She has a very pushy mum who says, ‘You have to be the best of the best.’ So I said, ‘I think it would be really great if she starts to experiment now. She’s got all this money, so why can’t she use it to experiment with her look, make herself a bit more edgy?

"Therefore she’ll fit in with the girls, and it will be happy days.’ So that’s what we did basically. We made her less soft and fluffy and a little bit more trendy."

While this helped the girls all contribute to the development of their characters, they also worked with costume designer Andy Blake on their outfits. Remembers Lovibond, they put together a grungy look for Shannon.

"She’d always be down and she self harms, so she’s always in long sleeves. She’s very secretive about it, obviously. She doesn’t do it for attention. It’s a genuine thing she has to deal with, an emotionally immature way of dealing with her troubles and difficulties.

"And also she doesn’t want to draw attention to her body. Not that she hates the way she looks. But she doesn’t make masses of effort. She doesn’t stand for hours getting ready. She just pulls on whatever’s comfortable and practical."

Certainly by all accounts, Clarke’s collaborative approach with the actors set them at ease. "Noel talks to you a lot," says Warren-Markland. "Because he’s an actor himself, he’s a proper actor’s director. He’s really encouraging and will give you notes, like ‘This is what you’re feeling’ and he’ll discuss it with you. There’s always room.

"You might say ‘Can I change it here? And he’ll talk it through with you. So he’s definitely an actor’s director. And he’s really sweet. He sent me text messages like, ‘Well done today. Keep it up!’

"It is my first lead role so it’s really encouraging." Egerton smiles at her memories. "Noel will come up to you and go ‘Do that but better!’ and walk off which is great."

Despite his experience directing Adulthood, Clarke admits he was tense going into 4.3.2.1 "Your second film is more important than your first, right? Even though I wrote this material and I know it like the back of my hand, there’s a certain comfort level with Adulthood, ’cos it’s a certain budget.

"I can do that stuff all day long. I can direct and I can write this stuff. But this is bigger, it’s more stunts, it’s more action it was really a case of getting it right and just being able to maintain that throughout the six weeks. If anything, I was equally as nervous but also equally prepared."

Shooting began in mid-September 2009 for six weeks in and around London, with the production initially venturing down to Peckham to shoot scenes for Cassandra’s apartment. Other locations included the Westfield Shopping Centre near Shepherd’s Bush.

It was here that the crucial opening scene was filmed, as the four girls meet for coffee on the Friday afternoon, just as they come into contact with the gang fencing the diamonds.

As each of our heroines head off in their own directions, a pivotal motion-control shot that is returned to each time the narrative winds the clock back to tell another of the girls’ individual stories, it provided arguably the most complicated moment of the shoot.

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