The shooting schedule for a road movie is nothing like that of other films.
In most productions, scenes aren't shot in the order of the story.
Take Harry Potter for example: the parts where the kids arrive at Hogwarts and where they leave are filmed together in one block. One set, multiple scenes, cheaper that way.
But a road movie is different—every location usually only matches one scene.
So if the crew wants efficiency, the smartest move is to film in story order.
Which meant… Isabella didn't have to keep rotting away in Leavesden.
After the opening ceremony, Columbus first filmed a solo scene with Hopkins—Grandpa alone in a gray world, drinking. That loneliness leaning back in a chair was called longing.
A nice bit of "let's hope this goes smoothly."
Then the whole crew packed up and moved to the countryside location chosen by set designer Michael Ford: Edensor, in Derbyshire.
Edensor belongs to the Cavendish family, the Dukes of Devonshire. Old London Union Jack types worship historical "heritage," so the whole village is maintained to insane standards: repair everything, never demolish, and if you have to rebuild, it has to be exactly as it was.
So when Isabella stepped into the village, it felt like walking into a fairy tale.
On lush green lawns stood stone buildings of every style—Swiss minimalist cottages, Italian Gothic villas, Tudor lofts flaunting the rise of new aristocrats in Henry VII's day, and even a Norman castle from a thousand years ago.
But the brightest gem was St. Peter's Church. Founded in the 12th century, rebuilt in the 15th, it holds the tombs of every Duke of Devonshire and their kin. Even one American: the sister of the "wild imagination" Miller, who married William Cavendish, heir of the 10th Duke. Her family were British immigrants anyway.
As the old saying goes: the family record, in Devon.
(Isabella's note: Edensor's in the middle, with the church. Village street view: very storybook.)
"Whoa—this place is gorgeous—"Two steps off the bus and Isabella already felt retired.
That natural peace made her glance at her mom: "Mom, what if we buy an estate in a place like this someday? Mountains, streams, birds singing, flowers blooming… Oh~ imagine living like that!"
She admitted it—she was jealous of Rowling's estate. Two days there and she'd fallen in love with being cut off from the world.
Vivian shot her a look. "I'm fine with it. Warner probably won't be. You buy yourself an estate and hole up in it… wow, you'll never work again. Because I know myself—that's exactly what I'd do."
"Hahahaha!" Isabella cracked up.
Even Catherine, gazing at the hills, laughed till she couldn't breathe.
Who doesn't like the idea of "lying flat"?
Nobody truly wants to run forever. Half the time, people keep going simply because they have no choice.
Joking aside, the family checked into a local farmhouse-turned-inn the production had arranged. Nowhere near Leavesden standards, but they only needed a few days. Luggage went to the assistants, everyone rested, and by lunch Isabella was officially at work.
Makeup was simple: she was playing a working-class kid. Barely-there makeup, hair in a ponytail tied with a magenta ribbon, yellow summer dress down to her knees, plain countryside shoes.
One twirl in the mirror—boom. Youth exploded.
Good genes really do all the heavy lifting.
"Oh, Isabella, you look beautiful.
"The makeup artist, who'd followed her from Harry Potter, meant it.
"Thanks." Isabella smiled sweetly.
Then it was straight to Columbus. First scene: hers. Location: St. Peter's Church.
Plot: the choir is in class. Isabella sneaks in to listen, entranced. But she laughs at the wrong moment, gets caught, and flees home under the teacher's scolding.
The script had been tweaked. Originally, the story was supposed to open with her dad's perspective, but during the table read everyone insisted—this was Isabella's movie. She had to appear first. So her love for music opened the film.
That also meant she'd trigger the family conflicts and the audience would learn immediately that she could write songs. After she ran home, she'd skip the fighting in the kitchen, retreat to her room, throw on old headphones, and sink into music. Smash cut to her dad—listening to the very same music at work. That's their bond.
"Sweetheart, you'll have it easy filming this one," Columbus told her while the crew set lights and cameras. "I shouldn't need to explain anything, right? You wrote the whole thing."
"Yeah." She nodded seriously. "When I play Lily Zeller, I have to remember—she's a little sun angel. No matter what, I carry that heart into every scene."
Lily Zeller: a girl of light, unafraid of storms. Even when the clergy insult her for sneaking into choir practice—because girls weren't allowed—she shrugs it off, smiling through the abuse. That's how the character becomes clear.
Columbus was pleased. Last year, Isabella had acted without a brain. Now she actually had one. Progress.
Lights ready, camera rolling, clapper snapped. Isabella slid into position—
Centuries-old church, golden glow everywhere.
At the east window, a girl in pale yellow leaned on the doorframe, eyes greedy for the music inside.
She wanted in. But it was impossible. She and those children lived in different worlds.
When the sunlight poured through the stained glass, gilded with God's word, it fell across her body in rainbow shards. Wrapped in light, she looked touched by heaven.
"Okay! Cut!"
Columbus shook his head. "Your movements were fine, emotion fine. But your eyes—they looked greedy. That's okay for most scenes, but not here. Greed can't exist in a girl of sunshine. Especially when you're under God's protection."
The east window wasn't random—it symbolized divine permission. The shot said: this child's dream is blessed.
Hollywood's trick: bring up thorny issues, never solve them, then slap on divine light as insurance. Controversy plus deniability.
No playback monitors back then, so Isabella could only trust the director's word and adjust. Two takes later, usable. But not perfect.
So she looked to her "ultimate cheat"—Sir Hopkins, who had been silently stationed like a guardian since day one. He normally stayed quiet; Columbus was boss here. But if Isabella asked, that was different.
He gave her notes. They reset.
This time, instead of looking straight in, Isabella lifted her chin just a little, gazing upward.
It was like a scale. Knowledge, light, and holiness on the left: high and light. A mortal girl on the right: low and heavy.
"Cut! Good~~~"
Columbus shouted.
"That's it. Almost like pilgrimage, but still about yearning. Perfect."
Isabella grinned ear to ear.
That's all she wanted: to hear the word "Good."
(#^.^#)
While savoring her joy, she also thanked the director and Sir Hopkins.
Columbus smiled and nodded. He understood Isabella's intention—she was grateful for another chance to act. To him, that didn't matter; if he didn't genuinely like the girl, he wouldn't have taken on the project in the first place.
So Isabella wanted to give her best? Fine, take the extra mile.
Sir Hopkins waved his hand. He understood her gratitude too—thanking him for his guidance—but like Columbus, he didn't mind. Helping an older sister change her granddaughter's fate? Of course he would.
And he didn't think he had really taught Isabella anything. In his eyes, she already knew how to act. She just hadn't learned all the formal techniques. That slight lift of the head she'd done just now? That was a micro-adjustment similar to Kubrick's "stare."
Kubrick's stare: when shooting a "fierce" look, tilt the head slightly down, gaze straight into the lens—jaw tucked, eyes rolling slightly. The drier, more uncomfortable, and irritated your eyes feel, the creepier the effect.
Uh… purely self-torture to perfect the shot. And this kind of modular acting is all technique, no emotion. Give it to a newbie and a few practices later, they could copy it.
So if Isabella had systematically learned acting, she could do these micro-adjustments herself. But Maggie Smith had said kids shouldn't learn techniques while full of natural talent, and shouldn't torture themselves for no reason.
Her sister said it, so he wouldn't force any nonsense.He just wanted Isabella to act from instinct. If she got it perfectly, great. If she sensed it but lacked a touch of technique, he'd gently nudge without harming her natural aura.
Even if he weren't watching carefully, the filming of The Voice would run smoothly.Because the script was Isabella's, the story's core controlled by Columbus, and when Isabella was Lily Zeller, Lily Zeller was Isabella…
"Whoosh—"
A pale yellow figure darted through the church doors into the radiant world.Behind her, the priest spat curses, yet she smiled.
Her smile was one of joy after escaping capture.More so, it was the thrill of knowledge gained.
As the lively figure leapt into the golden, sunlight-filled world, her playful face turned back, radiating youth and beauty.
And…
"Bleh~~~"
The girl made a funny face at the priest who couldn't keep up.
"Cut! Good!"
Columbus clapped outside the frame. "Okay~ Isabella~ excellent acting~"
"No, wait, you're just naturally mischievous~"
"..."
Isabella pouted."Chris, if you can't say anything nice, don't speak.""No one thinks you're mute."
She rolled her eyes at Columbus. Her sulky expression made everyone around chuckle.
They understood her point—Columbus had already praised her, why add "naturally mischievous"?Was she shameless?
But…
"Oh Isabella, I think Chris is right, you really are a handful."
John Hill, in front of the camera, chimed in.The cinematographers on The Voice were the same from Philosopher's Stone—all insiders.His comment only annoyed Isabella further. Puffing her cheeks, she went off for a break!
Her cute little tantrum made everyone laugh.They knew she was joking and that she had a good temperament.
Tsk—truly an angelic girl~
At 1 PM, filming resumed.By shortly after 3, the church scenes were complete.
Then everyone moved to a rented villa—the protagonist's home. After filming Lily Zeller sneaking back home, Isabella could clock out. Being underage, she only shot four hours a day.
The rest of the crew? Full working hours. Just like Harry Potter, adults filmed after the kid finished. Grandpa, dad, mom, sister, uncle—all had their turns.
"Eh~ she's here too?"
Though her work was done, Isabella didn't return to the inn immediately—she stayed to watch how everyone else performed.
Then she noticed a bobbed-haired figure in the crew.Isabella asked, and fake executive producer Catherine glanced and said: "She's Margot Robbie, here to observe."
"Observe?"
Isabella didn't understand.
"Yes," Catherine nodded. "Barnason arranged it…"
Since the most efficient way to shoot a road movie is in story order, Margot Robbie's scenes would appear later. Hollywood convention allows her to join the crew exactly when needed. But having never trained in acting, and as the "final boss," her scenes were important.
So executive producer Barnason decided she'd follow the crew and get an acting coach—to prevent delays if she wasn't ready when it was her turn.
"Oh~ I see."
Knowing it was all planned, Isabella didn't worry.
She turned back to watch the others.
Christian Bale performed well—empty eyes, slack body, wobbly gait, blowing in the wind like a bookish neurotic.
Keira Knightley nailed it—her onscreen sister, before embracing sunshine, was untouchable. She looked down on commercial films and only wanted stage plays; her pulled expression screamed the world owes me.
Anthony Hopkins was effortless—lifted bottle, tilted head, flushed face, muttering a bit, every crazy elder nuance palpable.
Jude Law and Sadie Frost, playing themselves, were perfect—the playboy strut and confidence from Jude, Sadie's glare erasing all of Jude's shine.
The flowing tableau pleased Isabella.
This was her movie.
She wanted everything to shine.
Yet, even so, the brightest presence on set wasn't any of them.
It was the bobbed-haired girl in the corner, greedily taking in every detail.
Silent, but Isabella could see—this girl wanted to absorb more knowledge.
If she had to describe it…Isabella could feel it: a hunger for fame radiating from her.