THE WHALES OF AUGUST (1987) Ryan Blakeley The Whales of August (1987) is a film adaptation directed by Lindsey Anderson of the play by Dave Barry. It talks about two elderly sisters from Philadelphia who have been returning to the same Maine summer house each August to holiday and watch the whales migrate past their piece of shoreline. The sisters are in their twilight years and there is a sense that this visit to Maine (of which the audience only sees one day) is filled with reflection on their past together, and may be the sisters’ last. The film is about the passing of time and our connections to place and each other. I have selected photographs that have been altered with hand drawings, expressive sketches, technical drawings and sections of the script to show the nuanced skill of Herbert’s craftsmanship by focusing on how she visualised figures within the setting of each scene. These items exhibit her rich emotional and psychological understanding of character and scene, as well as her detailed technical ability; and how she balanced these two elements to develop a true sense of the film space as described in Dave Barry’s script. By doing this, I hope to show the masterful balancing act between expression and technical thoroughness that a designer for film must undertake.
(Left) JH/6/1/26, Photograph Of Landscape With Hand Drawn Figures Added For The Film The Whales Of August, Photographer unknown, possibly taken by Jocelyn Herbet, and hand drawn additions by Jocelyn Herbert. The Jocelyn Herbert Archive, at the National Theatre, London. (Right) JH/6/1/26, Pencil Sketch Of Characters Sarah And Libby Looking Out To Sea For The Film The Whales Of August, Jocelyn Herbert, The Jocelyn Herbert Archive, at the National Theatre, London.