This week’s blog is from hugely talented actress and friend of Red Rose Chain, Victoria Gee, as she looks back on our recent film production of Bed Bugs.
Arriving at Gippeswyk to film Bed Bugs was exciting. I had been apprehensive at spending a week as Nat, the 14 year old I play in the piece, as the last performance which Ed and I had done of Bed Bugs ended with me in tears and Ed making jokes to cheer me up. It is a difficult story to tell yet an exceptionally worthy one and therefore I wanted, more than ever, to do a good job.
On the set of Bed Bugs at our Gippeswyk Hall studio
Each morning Ed, Laura (who did our makeup) Jen (our brilliant runner) and myself arrived at Gippeswyk at 7am to start the makeup. There was a lot of dirt, bruising and fake spots put on Ed and I as well as Ed’s daily black eye that had to be applied (I did volunteer to give him a real one to save time but for continuity it wasn’t possible). But with Heart’s daily time tunnel and an amazing breakfast selection we soon got going and the team arrived to start filming at 9am.
For an actor, filming is a much slower process than rehearsing a play and it’s amazing how many people are involved in a shoot making sure that everything is as perfect as it can be. It was very quickly apparent that we all wanted the film to be incredible with everyone being exceptionally precise to make this film as dramatic and startling as it could be.
Vicky and Ed preparing for another take (click here for the image gallery)
The script is constant in Bed Bugs and whilst there are moments of silence, the squalor and shocking life these two young people are leading never stops. Therefore filming was difficult and uncomfortable at times. I know Ed, at 6 foot 4, didn’t particularly relish spending a full day under a single bed, and one particular scene when Adam (the mother’s abusive boyfriend) returns, was hard to shoot and keep the fear and anxiety running through you whilst the lighting was changed or a crayon moved. But with Jo directing she made sure we all worked together to get the best out of everyone, for every shot.
We also had a lot of giggles. Ed’s constant reference about Bed Bugs being a Trojan Horse quickly became a running gag and as we had all spent the summer in the forest there was a lot of amusing A Midsummer Night’s Dream stories to get us giggling at lunchtime and at the end of the day.
It was an amazing experience filming Bed Bugs with such a talented and brilliant team of people. I hope the audience get the full extent of what life is like for young carers and that Suffolk County Council can use the film to spread the word and open discussions on how to help young people in this situation.
Victoria Gee
Tags: Bed Bugs, Film, gippeswyk hall, performance, red rose chain, Suffolk County Council, young carers
