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Love And Death In City Hall: Stories from a register office

2013-05-21T09:07:11+00:00

The idea for Love And Death In City Hall was my mum's. She phoned when I was outside a magistrates' court making another film to ask: "Have you ever considered a registry office?"

I was excited about the idea of finding interesting stories in seemingly ordinary and bureaucratic situations. So I took off for a three-day tour of my native Northern Ireland, hoping to find an interesting register office there.

I came across several nice ones, but decided on Belfast City Hall, because of its stunning neo-baroque location and the great camaraderie that existed amongst the nine women (and one man) working there.

Andrea tells the registrar how her fiancé first got her number

Also, having never lived in the capital itself, I was excited to explore the everyday culture of Belfast – natural curiosity is probably the best motivation.

My basic approach to finding contributors was to sit on one of the waiting room chairs in the register office and speak to the public when I thought they were open to having a chat.

Body language was everything. If someone looked very upset, I would not approach them at all. If someone looked sad but open to conversation, I would speak to them as sensitively as I could.

Overall, about 50 per cent of people would invite me to film their registration for a birth, marriage or death certificate. On one occasion a man came in to attempt to buy a grave for himself, but this was not possible.

Registrar Aileen remembers her first love while waiting for a groom to arrive for his wedding

I mostly filmed alone with a hand-held camera for a couple of days each week over the course of five months. On my breaks I would get to know the registrars who are remarkable people – ticket inspectors on life's rollercoaster.

Occasionally they would muse philosophically on camera, like a Greek chorus, and I'm forever indebted to them for speaking openly about their life experiences – it is refreshing that people working in an official capacity had the trust of their bosses to speak without a press officer peering over their shoulder.

Sammy registers the death of his father, Sally's husband

One of the most challenging scenes for the viewer is where Sally says goodbye to her husband Robert. An open coffin is an important part of our culture at the time of death, and I thought it was important to include an intimate moment such as this.

I was sure Sally and Sammy were comfortable with me being there and before broadcasting the film I watched the footage on two occasions with Sally, who told me that while it was of course emotional for her, she actually enjoyed seeing it again because in her mind it took her back to Robert again.

Arthur shares his take on life at Cemetery Sunday

I enjoy staying in touch with people in the film. Arthur, who we leave at the end of the film at Crusaders Football Club, told me a story that summed up why he was glad to have taken part.

As he travelled through the Shankill area of Belfast a car came screeching to a halt, a woman climbed out to say she thought the film was brilliant and that her side of the community hadn't even heard of Cemetery Sunday.

She thought an annual graveyard community get-together like that was a great idea and Arthur should be very proud of how well-kept the graves are up in Hannahstown.

My mum hasn't said all that much about what she thought of the film – she's a woman of few words. Hopefully she is too busy thinking up another idea.

Guy King filmed, produced and directed Love And Death In City Hall.

Love And Death In City Hall is on Tuesday, 21 May at 9pm on BBC Four. It was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC One HD in Northern Ireland on Monday, 18 March.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

The Fall: Gillian Anderson on portraying an enigma

2013-05-12T13:00:31+00:00

Gillian Anderson - who plays Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson in BBC Two's psychological crime thriller The Fall - talked about her love for the character, and the script, as season one took to the airwaves. The Fall, series three, has just been announced.

What compelled you to take the role of DSI Stella Gibson?
She feels a little like an island but I find that interesting and it makes me want to know more, which is always a good thing where character and drama is concerned.

Asst Chief Constable Jim Burns (John Lynch) briefs Stella (Gillian Anderson) on arrival

Can you tell us a detail from the script where you felt a connection to Stella?
It's hard to say. I am intrigued by her no-nonsense way of being. And that over time we get to see warmth and what she cares about. She is an enigma.

What are the key factors behind Stella's professional decisions?
I think she is professional and driven and has a mind for this kind of work and knows that if she keeps at it she will crack it. I think on the whole she works from instinct but I think this case touches her much deeper and that's in part what is driving her. Her emotions have become engaged and that's unusual for her. She is thrown.

Are her personal decisions driven by different impulses? Such as when she introduces herself to the policeman...
Obviously this is one of the ways she compartmentalises for better or worse. She has found a way to justify this act in her mind. She is used to dominating her environment and here she goes again. I think we all have to compartmentalise, especially with all the versions of ourselves we are expected to perform with some self- and society-imposed perfection. We do it with aspects of our inner selves and with relationships between work and home and other.

Hunter or hunted? Stella and Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan)

How do you portray this contrast?
It's compelling to see characters that have duality. Playing that is easy. It feels more natural for one, than a single dimensional character but also there's layers to build on and that's the joy and challenge of the work. Humans are more complex than our wildest imaginations. And then sometimes, oftentimes, we as individuals can't even explain why we do the things we do. We take stabs at it, we hypothesise and justify, but then years later we may realise it was all down to a forgotten event in childhood. So any fabricated history for a character can also have that same complexity – the character might even think it's one thing but it can be something laying much deeper.

Do you think there are any aspects of her character that she shares with Paul Spector?
Yes but I think I need to let that unravel on screen.

Gillian Anderson plays DSI Stella Gibson in The Fall.

The Fall series two returns in November on BBC Two and BBC Two HD. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.