Production Notes: Machiel
We decided to do a test shoot to see if the results would warrant proceeding with our concept of dramatic re-enactments of key scenes from Mata Hari’s life. I found a beautiful mansion in Rotterdam for the location, but had to bring in all the props for the day. I knew it was going to be a hectic day setting up and shooting both photos and video at the same time.
I asked Florence Rapati, who trained with the Dutch National Ballet, to play Mata Hari. This would be her first role as an actress although it was decided there would be no on-camera dialogue. Florence was eager to give it a try, “Of course it’s different than dancing, but there are many similarities. In both dancing and acting, emotion is conveyed through body language and expression.”
After viewing the footage and photos Susan and I were very pleased with the results and were surprised at how much useable footage there was from this test shoot. We decided to take the leap and green-light the documentary!
Credits:
Machiel Amorison: Director/Producer/Cinematographer
Petra Spithoff: Photographer
Ellis Tensen: Wardrobe
Set styling: Irene Klomp .
René Wielings: Prison guard
Florence Rapati: Mata Hari
Giorgi Abramishvili: Mata Hari’s lover
