The Special Relationship (film) - Production

Production

Peter Morgan's first production featuring Michael Sheen as Tony Blair was the Channel 4 single drama The Deal (2003), which dramatized the rise of then-new Members of Parliament Gordon Brown (David Morrissey) and Blair. The drama depicted their rise in the Labour Party culminating in the 1994 leadership election. The Deal's critical success led to a theatrical film, The Queen (2006), about the impact of the death of Princess Diana on senior members of the Royal Family and Prime Minister Tony Blair. The film featured Sheen as Blair in a supporting role, in what critics noted was a more subdued portrayal than in The Deal. Before Morgan began writing the script for The Special Relationship in late 2007, there was speculation that the film would be produced by Left Bank Pictures and BBC Films, where the Deal and Queen producers Andy Harries and Christine Langan were based; Langan told guardian.co.uk in October 2007 that Morgan had "promised" the script to her and Harries, though no contracts had been signed.

Three films about Blair had been planned since The Deal. Morgan had considered writing a film about Blair during the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as the subject matter for both the second and third film. He eventually decided to do a film about the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, specifically Blair's differing relationship with Clinton and George W. Bush. Harries said that Morgan believed the transition from Clinton's to Bush's presidency was a "pivotal moment" in the special relationship. Morgan decided to narrow down the scope of the film to just Blair and Clinton, as he believed people tended to forget about the state of politics before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a time that was "really, really interesting". Langan believed that Morgan found Clinton to be "a more interesting study than Bush" and that New Labour aped the Clinton administration at its inception. Morgan began his research into the Blair/Clinton relationship after learning that the two had been alone together when Al Gore conceded defeat after the 2000 presidential election. His research took him to Washington D.C., where he interviewed members of Clinton's cabinet, and Clinton's hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.

In late 2008, Kathleen Kennedy signed on as an executive producer. Ann Wingate, Frank Doelger and Tracey Scoffield are producers, and Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Kennedy are executive producers. HBO Films is producing, with co-production funding coming from BBC Films. Morgan signed on to direct the film—making his directorial debut—as the director of The Deal and The Queen Stephen Frears was "Blaired out". In June 2009, shortly before filming began, Morgan pulled out of directing the film. Morgan's agent told a Daily Telegraph diary that Morgan wanted to concentrate on writing and producing, but did not rule out directing in future. Costumes were designed by Consolata Boyle, whose work on The Queen won acclaim and awards. After a week of read-throughs and rehearsals, filming began on July 20, 2009 and ran until September 4. Filming locations included Langley Park, the Emirates Stadium and the Westminster Central Hall. Brocket Hall and the Loseley Park mansion doubled as Chequers, the Prime Minister's country retreat. Scenes set in the Oval Office were filmed on a set built on E Stage at Pinewood Studios. E Stage also housed a recreation of the White House gardens and colonnade outside the Oval Office. Several other locations were used, in conjunction with the UK Film Council's regional agencies Film London, Screen East, and Screen South.

Loncraine continued directing pick-ups into October; background scenes were shot in Washington, D.C. on locations including Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue. During post-production, cinematographer Barry Ackroyd created two versions of the film with different aspect ratios; one has a 16:9 aspect for broadcast on HBO in the United States, and the other has a 1: 2.35 aspect for worldwide theatrical release. After filming the cinema version in the larger format, Ackroyd trimmed the picture for the television version using a pan and scan technique. The film's score was composed by Alexandre Desplat, who also worked on the music for The Queen. Final post-production mixing was carried out at Twickenham Film Studios, and was scheduled for completion in the second week of March 2010.