Reasearch - Mike Leigh

I had already researched a little into mike Leigh but, as we were going to be using his ideas on directing and characters, i thought it would be better to have more focused research on him. for this i decided to use Wikipedia, IMDb and google to find out as much about his directing style as i could. I also suggested to the rest of my group that they do more research into his methods so they would have a clear understanding of his methods and what i was going to ask of them. I then watched some of his films in which he uses the actors improvisation instead of a script, such as life is sweet.

Whilst researching Mike Leigh i discovered; Most of his work in theatre and film is done without any initial script. He and the actors improvise their characters and the scenes under his overall control. This is what i intend to do with our piece as i think it will give the characters a more realistic look.

He became an Associate Member of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) as have many famous actors and directors such as Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Anthony Hopkins. He Graduated from RADA and moved on to the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s. in the 70's and 80's he began to work on film and developed his "kitchen sink realism" style.

He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film and television culture. He was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1993 Queen's Honours List for his services to the film industry. This shows that he is a well known director and has been awarded for his films.

Using a well known, praised directors style to create my own will help as i will be able to see if it works and if not then i will use a different method. this will become clear after our first session of filming, however i think that this will work as having looked closely at his films and seen interviews in which he tells the audience of his style, I now have a better understanding of his work.