Editing Get Carter (section)

==Production==

===Development===
In the late 1960s, a relaxation in [[Film censorship#United Kingdom|film censorship]] produced an increase in dark, uncompromising films, with many directors pushing the boundaries of acceptability. ''Get Carter'' was a film that explored this freedom.<ref name="Good, 03-20-2011">{{cite web |last=Good |first=Oliver |title=The crime-genre game-changer Get Carter turns 40. Mar 20, 2011 |url=http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/the-crime-genre-game-changer-get-carter-turns-40 |work=The National |date=20 March 2011 |publisher=Abu Dhabai Media |access-date=10 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110321142159/http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/the-crime-genre-game-changer-get-carter-turns-40 |archive-date=21 March 2011 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The project went from concept to finished film in just 10 months.<ref name=Klinger/>

In 1969, producer Michael Klinger devised plans for a gangster film to capitalise on public interest in the British criminal underworld after the [[Kray Twins]]' convictions. Klinger was invited to view a first print of [[Pete Walker (director)|Peter Walker]]'s ''[[Man of Violence]]'' (1969) and was unimpressed, telling the director "I'm going to make a gangster film, but it's going to cost a lot more than this and it's going to be better".<ref name="Chibnall, p. 21">Chibnall, p. 21</ref>
After searching many publishers for material to adapt into a film, Klinger purchased the rights to Ted Lewis's novel ''Jack's Return Home''. Andrew Spicer has written that "he [Klinger] sensed its potential to imbue the British crime thriller with the realism and violence of its American counterparts".<ref name="Spicer-2009">{{cite web|last=Spicer|first=Andrew|title=The Creative Producer – The Michael Klinger Papers|url=http://michaelklingerpapers.uwe.ac.uk/pub2.htm|work=Andrew Spicer, University of the West of England: The Creative Producer – The Michael Klinger Papers; • Paper Given at the University of Stirling Conference, Archives and Auteurs – Filmmakers and their Archives, 2–4 September 2009|publisher=uwe|access-date=20 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224213626/http://michaelklingerpapers.uwe.ac.uk/pub2.htm|archive-date=24 February 2012}}</ref>

Klinger had been approached in 1969 by another producer, [[Nat Cohen]], to make films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).<ref>Steve Chibnall, Robert Murphy (eds.) [https://books.google.com/books?id=reNDwJexhgEC&pg=PA128 ''British Crime Cinema''], London: Routledge, 1999, p.128</ref> In financial trouble and shutting down its British operations, MGM was in the process of closing [[MGM-British Studios|its British studios]] at [[Borehamwood]]<ref name="Murphy-1999">{{cite book|last=Murphy|first=Robert|title=British Crime Cinema (British Popular Cinema) |year=1999 |publisher=Routledge |location=UK |isbn=978-0-415-16870-0|page=128|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_--Ebdp6mwAC&q=michael%20klinger%20mgm&pg=PA128|author2=Steve Chibnall}}</ref> and was looking to make smaller-budget films to turn a profit. At this time Klinger's friend [[Robert Littman]] had been appointed head of MGM Europe and so Klinger took his proposal to him.<ref name="Chibnall, p. 21">Chibnall, p. 21</ref>"<ref name="four">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-moguls-nat-cohen-part-four-cohen-vs-bryan-forbes-1969-71/|magazine=Filmink|access-date=24 January 2025|date=24 January 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=Forgotten British Moguls – Nat Cohen Part Four: Cohen vs Bryan Forbes (1969-71)}}</ref>

MGM agreed to a reasonable but below-average budget of 750,000 (there is some dispute as to whether this figure refers to dollars or pounds)<ref name=Klinger>{{cite web|last=Klinger|first=Tony|title=Interview with Mike Hodges|url=http://michaelklingerpapers.uwe.ac.uk/mhodges.htm|work=The Michael Klinger Papers|publisher=University of West England|access-date=10 March 2012|author2=Andrew Spicer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227132534/http://michaelklingerpapers.uwe.ac.uk/mhodges.htm|archive-date=27 December 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> for the production.<ref name="Mayer-2007">{{cite book|last=Mayer|first=Geoff|title=Encyclopedia of film noir|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Press |location=England |isbn=978-0-313-33306-4|page=195|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RsBHnZoyO4kC&q=michael%20klinger%20mgm&pg=PA195}}</ref> Within months of agreeing to the deal MGM had pulled out of the UK.<ref name="Chibnall, p. 21">Chibnall, p. 21</ref> Klinger had seen Mike Hodges's television film ''Suspect'' (1969) and immediately decided he was the ideal candidate to direct his new project.<ref name="Chibnall, p. 21"/> Hodges had also previously worked on current affairs programme ''[[World in Action]]'', the arts programme ''Tempo'' and a 1968 children's television serial, ''[[The Tyrant King]]'', and all these past experiences informed his approach to his film debut.<ref name="Williams-2006">{{cite journal|last=Williams|first=Tony|title=Great Directors: Mike Hodges|journal=Senses of Cinema|year=2006|issue=40|url=http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2006/great-directors/hodges/|access-date=11 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311063229/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2006/great-directors/hodges/|archive-date=11 March 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Klinger contacted Hodges on 27 January 1970 with a copy of ''Jack's Return Home'' and contracted him<ref name=Jakubowski>{{cite web|last=Jakubowski|first=Maxim|title=A Conversation with Writer/Director Mike Hodges|url=http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/2010/11/01/an-interview-with-writerdirector-mike-hodges/|work=Mulholland Books|date=November 2010|access-date=9 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308124745/http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/2010/11/01/an-interview-with-writerdirector-mike-hodges/|archive-date=8 March 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> to write and direct the film, paying him a flat fee of £7,000 (£135,700 in 2024) for his services.<ref name="Brooks-2003"/> Hodges's original working title for the film was ''Carter's The Name''.<ref name=SC23>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3uW92r5gB0C&pg=PA23 |title=Get Carter |page=23 |first=Steve |last=Chibnall |publisher=I.B.Tauris |date=July 2003 |access-date=5 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224140241/https://books.google.com/books?id=b3uW92r5gB0C&pg=PA23 |archive-date=24 February 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all |isbn=9781860649103}}</ref> Steve Chibnall writes: "his treatment retained the essential structure of Lewis's novel with its strong narrative drive, but introduced some minor changes to characterisation and more fundamental alterations to [[narratology]]".<ref name=SC23/> Given that Ted Lewis had not specified where his novel was set, Hodges felt free to relocate the story<ref name="Hodges-26-07-2010">{{cite news|last=Hodges|first=Mike|title=Mike Hodges: A concrete monstrosity, but it was perfect for my film|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mike-hodges-a-concrete-monstrosity-but-it-was-perfect-for-my-film-2035420.html|access-date=25 February 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=26 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730120749/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mike-hodges-a-concrete-monstrosity-but-it-was-perfect-for-my-film-2035420.html|archive-date=30 July 2010|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> to a place he was familiar with, considering [[Grimsby]], [[Lowestoft]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] and [[North Shields]]<ref name=Klinger/> before deciding on Newcastle upon Tyne. Hodges said he was influenced in his writing by the works of [[Raymond Chandler]] and [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] [[B-movies]] such as ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'', because they showed "how to use the crime story as an autopsy on society's ills".<ref name=Jakubowski/> He did not, however, employ a traditional [[film noir|noir]] technique of using a voiceover to expose the character's inner feelings.<ref name=SC23/> He also dispensed with flashbacks to Carter's youth featured in the novel which explored his relationship with his brother Frank, streamlining the plot to a linear narrative spanning a single weekend. As Chibnall writes: {{blockquote|The immediate consequence was the loss of the insights into Carter's motivations provided by his memories of boyhood and his relationships with brother Frank and delinquent gang leader Albert Swift. Also lost was the backstory of Carter's dealings with Eric Paice during their time as rival gangsters in London, in particular, Eric's violent treatment of Carter's lover Audrey (Anna in the screenplay) the memory of which fuels Carter's hatred.<ref name=SC23/>}}

The significance of the [[double-barrelled shotgun]] as Carter's choice of weapon (which in the novel symbolises family ties and Carter's memories of more innocent times hunting with his brother) was lost in the film adaptation.

Carter's killing of Brumby<ref>Chibnall, 2003, p. 81</ref> and his own assassination were further alterations from the novel, emphasising the film's parallels with [[revenge tragedy]]<ref name=SC23/> and Carter's role as what Geoff Mayer calls "the [[Moral agency|moral agent]] [...] a "[[knight]]" forced to dispense his own sense of justice in a corrupt world".<ref name="Mayer-2007"/> However, in his DVD commentary Hodges implies that he did not see Carter as morally any more justified than those he kills, and his death is intended to present his actions to the audience as morally bankrupt and futile: "I wanted him to be dealt with in exactly the same way he dealt with other people. Now that's a sort of Christian ethic in a way [...] That was a prerequisite of the film for me, that the hitman should go [click] and that's it".<ref>Chibnall, 2003, p. 88</ref> Hodges's decision to kill off Carter was initially protested by MGM executives, as they wanted the character to survive in the event that the film proved successful enough to warrant a [[sequel]].<ref name=AFI />

=== Casting ===
There was pressure from MGM to have more big-name American stars in the film, which was successfully resisted by Hodges. As well as Telly Savalas, names posited by Klinger and studio executives were [[Joan Collins]], and someone Hodges described as "the Canadian lead actress in TV's ''[[Peyton Place (TV series)|Peyton Place]]''", which is likely a reference to [[Barbara Parkins]].<ref name="Klinger" /> The production also utilised a large number of extras, most of whom were locals who just happened to be on scene when filming was happening. Others were sourced from local casting company Beverley Artistes, which sent everyone registered with it for auditions, one of these being Denea Wilde, who was cast as the pub singer. Several of the company's actors were also in background shots in the film including the casino, streets, bars and the police raid scene.<ref name="BBC-carter-march 2011">{{cite news |date=11 March 2011 |title=Get Carter celebrates its 40th anniversary |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/front_page/newsid_9421000/9421191.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031003242/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/front_page/newsid_9421000/9421191.stm |archive-date=31 October 2012 |access-date=20 February 2012 |publisher=BBC News |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Pre-production===
[[File:TrinityCentre02 crop.jpg|thumb|left|Trinity Square car park, with Brumby's rooftop cafe, was demolished in 2010.]]
Locations along the east coast of England had been scouted by Hodges and Klinger in the spring of 1970, to find a landscape that suggested a "hard, deprived background".<ref name="BBC-carter-march 2011"/> Newcastle was selected after Hodges's first choice of Hull proved to be unsuitable.<ref name="BBC-carter-march 2011"/><ref name=SC23/> Hodges thoroughly researched the local Newcastle crime scene, adapting the script to make use of settings and incorporating elements of his research into the story.<ref name=Jakubowski/> His background at ''World in Action'' had made him accustomed to making films based on hard investigation and this informed his approach to ''Get Carter''.<ref name=Klinger/><ref name="Williams-2006"/> One of the first locations which attracted Hodges's attention was the [[Trinity Square, Gateshead|Trinity Square]] multi-storey car park, which dominated the centre of [[Gateshead]]. To Hodges, the car park and the cast iron [[Newcastle upon Tyne#Water|bridges over the Tyne]], "seemed to capture the nature of Jack Carter himself".<ref name="Hodges-26-07-2010"/> The car park embodies one of the film's more subtle themes, which is the destruction of an old cityscape and its rebuilding in line with modern [[Brutalist architecture|Brutalism]].<ref name="Harris-03-03-2011">{{cite news |last=Harris |first=John |author-link=John Harris (critic) |title=Get Carter: In search of lost Tyne |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/03/get-carter-40th-anniversary |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=3 March 2011 |access-date=27 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104210352/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/03/get-carter-40th-anniversary |archive-date=4 November 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Hodges described how wandering alone through the upper structure, he realised how the different levels could be used to reveal the hunter, Carter, and the hunted, Brumby, simultaneously but without either being aware of the other – adding to the suspense.<ref name="Hodges-26-07-2010"/> The shopping centre and car park were closed in early 2008 and demolished in late 2010.<ref name="26-06-2010">{{cite news|title=Demolition of Gateshead Get Carter car park starts|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-10759090|access-date=3 April 2012|publisher=BBC News|date=26 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319185431/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-10759090|archive-date=19 March 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Beechcroft, Broomside Lane - awaiting demolition. - geograph.org.uk - 463508.jpg|thumb|right|Beechcroft, Broomside Lane, [[County Durham]], the location of Cliff Brumby's house, awaiting demolition in 2007. Beechcroft stood derelict for many years and was finally demolished in December 2008,<ref name="Mckay-12-2008">{{cite news |last=Mckay |first=Neil |title=Carter house gets the bullet |url=http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2008/12/19/carter-house-gets-the-bullet-61634-22510159/ |access-date=1 March 2012 |newspaper=The Journal |date=19 December 2008}}</ref> despite a campaign to preserve it as a tourist attraction.<ref name="11-01-2007">{{cite news |title=The fight for Get Carter house |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1116059.the_fight_for_get_carter_house/ |access-date=26 February 2012 |newspaper=[[The Northern Echo]] |date=11 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515214426/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1116059.the_fight_for_get_carter_house/ |archive-date=15 May 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref>]]

The location for Cyril Kinnear's house, Dryderdale Hall, near [[Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland]], provided a real-life connection with organised crime.<ref name="01-04-2010">{{cite news |title=''Get Carter'' mansion up for sale |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7325054.stm |access-date=3 April 2012 |publisher=BBC News |date=1 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123070743/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7325054.stm |archive-date=23 November 2008 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> It was the recently vacated country house of [[North East England|North East]] [[Slot machine|fruit machine]] businessman Vince Landa, who had fled the country in 1969 after the murder of his right-hand man Angus Sibbett, the so-called [[one-armed bandit murder]]. Many believed the crime was part of a failed attempt by the Kray twins to gain control of the Newcastle underworld.<ref name="angus-innocent">{{cite web |title=Michael Luvaglio / Dennis Stafford 12 years in prison, released on licence in 1979 |url=http://www.innocent.org.uk/cases/staffordluvaglio/luvaglio_stafford.pdf |work=Innocent.org |publisher=Innocent |access-date=26 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035103/http://www.innocent.org.uk/cases/staffordluvaglio/luvaglio_stafford.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=usurped |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Michael Klinger and the MGM publicity spokesman dismissed the use of the location as mere coincidence; however, Hodges was aware of the significance of the house and chose it deliberately.<ref name=Jakubowski/> Steve Chibnall writes "It proved a perfect location, wreaking{{sic}} of authenticity and full of useful details such as the cowboys and Indians wallpaper [...] the African shield and crossed spears on the wall of the crime lord's living room".<ref name="Chibnall, p. 57"/> The Landa case also is referenced at the start of the film with a shot of a newspaper bearing the headline "Gaming Wars".<ref name="BBC28May2002">{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Bill |title=Chequered career of 'human rights' convict |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2012084.stm |access-date=26 February 2012 |publisher=BBC News |date=28 May 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040414061901/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2012084.stm|archive-date=14 April 2004 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Other locations in Newcastle and Gateshead, [[Northumberland]] and [[County Durham]] were also used.<ref name=locations>{{cite web |title=Film Locations for Get Carter |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/g/getcarter.html |work=The Worldwide Guide To Movie Locations |access-date=27 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226190628/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/g/getcarter.html |archive-date=26 February 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=ferry>{{cite web |title=Walker/Wallsend – Hebburn Ferry |url=http://www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk/walker.html |work=Bridges on the Tyne |publisher=Bridges on the Tyne 2006 |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323124343/http://www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk/walker.html |archive-date=23 March 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Filming===
Principal photography took place in the North East between 17 July and 15 September 1970.<ref name="Chibnall, p. 35"/> Hodges favoured the use of [[Long-focus lens|long focal length lenses]] (as he had used previously on ''Rumour'') in many scenes to create a naturalistic documentary feel, especially in crowd scenes.<ref name="Williams-2006"/> The film was shot in [[Metrocolor]],<ref name=AFI/> which was MGM's trade name for films processed at its [[Eastman Color|Eastmancolor]] [[Film laboratory|laboratory]]. This lab processed [[Kodak]]'s [[Eastman Color Negative]], so it is most likely the film was shot on this stock.<ref name="Hanson-1952">{{cite journal |last=Hanson |first=Wesley T. Jr. |title= Color Negative and Color Positive Film for Motion Picture Use. |journal=Journal of the SMPTE |date=March 1952 |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=223–238|doi=10.5594/J05041 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Pomerance |first=Murray |title=Notes on Some Limits of Technicolor: The Antonioni Case |journal=Senses of Cinema |year=2009 |issue=53 |url=http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2009/feature-articles/notes-on-some-limits-of-technicolor-the-antonioni-case/ |access-date=16 March 2012 |author-link=Murray Pomerance |editor1-first=Caputo |editor1-last=Rolando |publisher=Senses of Cinema Inc |location=Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325022502/http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2009/feature-articles/notes-on-some-limits-of-technicolor-the-antonioni-case/ |archive-date=25 March 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Asked to comment on what he was aiming for in the look of the film, cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky said "The camera work on it [...] it was very influenced by Mike Hodges who has a very good eye for setups and he of course conferred with his operator and myself, but he influenced all of us, and much of the good look is due to him, I confess. My main task was lighting on location, very moderately, and waiting for the right daylight and setting the exposure on the lens".<ref name="donat-06-08-2009">{{cite web |last=Donat |first=Misha |title=Wolfgang Suschitzky: "Get Carter" with Mike Hodges and Michael Caine |url=http://www.webofstories.com/play/22808?o=MS |work=Web of stories 06 August 2009 |publisher=webofstories |access-date=21 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411143905/http://www.webofstories.com/play/22808?o=MS |archive-date=11 April 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In the first week of shooting in Newcastle, the [[ACTT]] called the crew out on a one-day strike.<ref name="Cairns-04-10-2010">{{cite web |last=Cairns |first=David |title=An interview with Mike Hodges, April 10, 2010|url=http://www.britmovie.co.uk/2010/04/10/an-interview-with-mike-hodges/ |work=Britmovie.com |publisher=britmovie.co.uk |access-date=9 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722143359/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/2010/04/10/an-interview-with-mike-hodges/ |archive-date=22 July 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> At the advice of [[Richard Lester]], Hodges and his assistant director stayed at a separate hotel to the rest of the cast and crew, which enabled him to have some respite from the production after the shooting day was done.<ref>{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Lou |date=10 March 2021 |title=50 years of Get Carter: A new interview with director Mike Hodges |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/get-carter-mike-hodges |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310125300/https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/get-carter-mike-hodges |archive-date=10 March 2021 |website=[[British Film Institute|BFI]] |location=London |access-date=11 March 2025}}</ref> Klinger was present on set for much of the film shoot. However, Hodges said he encountered very little interference from the producer. At one point Klinger and Caine asked if Hodges might work in a "chase sequence", but he persuaded them that it would draw too many comparisons with ''[[Bullitt]]''<ref name=Klinger/> (a chase sequence between Carter and the London gangsters is mentioned in the shooting script).<ref>Chibnall, 2003, p. 80</ref> Hodges tried to rehearse the racecourse scene between Caine and Hendry in their hotel the night before shooting, but "Hendry's drunken and resentful state forced Hodges to abandon [the] attempt".<ref>Chibnall, 2003, p. 56</ref> Hodges described Caine as "a complete dream to work with".<ref name=Cox/> Caine only lost his temper once on set, during the very tense and emotional day filming in Glenda's flat, when the [[focus puller]] ruined his first [[take]]. Caine apologised immediately.<ref name=SC27/>

The most complicated scene to shoot was Kinnear's game of cards. There are four simultaneous conversations, with a lot of plot exposition and the introduction of two important characters, Kinnear and Glenda. The technical complexity was compounded by the variation in light coming through the windows, and Osborne's whispered delivery<ref name="Chibnall, p. 57">Chibnall, p. 57</ref> which made microphone placement difficult. Hodges moved the camera and the [[Boom operator (media)|boom]] closer to Osborne as the scene progressed.<ref name="Collings-30-12-2010"/> Chibnall says that Hodges regretted not rehearsing the scene more thoroughly.<ref name="Chibnall, p. 57"/>

[[File:Site of aerial conveyor, Blackhall Colliery - geograph.org.uk - 1610042.jpg|thumb|left|The location of the closing scene of the film, [[Blackhall Colliery#Blackhall beach|Blackhall Beach]] near [[Hartlepool]]]]
[[File:North Blyth, Base of North Side Staithes - geograph.org.uk - 1743242.jpg|thumb|right|Base of the North Side coal staithes, [[North Blyth]], Northumberland. Near the film's conclusion, Carter chases Paice along these. The tops of the staithes as they appear in the film have been demolished; only the base of the structure remains.]]

In shooting the scene in which Carter throws Brumby to his death from the multi-storey car park, Hodges used four shots: one of the pair struggling high up on the stairs; one from the lowest level of the stairwell where Caine actually threw Bryan Mosley over the side onto mattresses; one shot of a dummy falling; and one of the body of Brumby on top of a crushed car.<ref name="Hodges-26-07-2010"/>

Carter's climactic pursuit of Eric used an amalgamation of two locations spaced {{convert|35|mi|km}} apart: [[Blyth, Northumberland|Blyth staithes]] and [[Blackhall Colliery#Blackhall beach|Blackhall Beach near Blackhall Colliery]].<ref name="telegraphbeach">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/08/23/bfbeaches123.xml&page=3 "The 50 best beach scenes in the movies"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912063249/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2008%2F08%2F23%2Fbfbeaches123.xml&page=3 |date=12 September 2008}}, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 23 August 2008</ref><ref name="NrthEcho,28-08-2000">{{cite news |title=Hoping to get Caine for coastal spectacle|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2000/08/28/The+North+East+Archive/7131798.Hoping_to_get_Caine_for_coastal_spectacle/ |access-date=24 February 2012 |newspaper=The Northern Echo |date=28 August 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227133654/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/archive/2000/08/28/The+North+East+Archive/7131798.Hoping_to_get_Caine_for_coastal_spectacle/ |archive-date=27 December 2013 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The chase scene was shot in reverse, with Hodges filming Eric's death scene first because of Hendry's poor condition, Hodges being worried that he would be too out of breath to play the death scene after running. Hodges chose the beach for its bleak, dark atmosphere but when he returned to shoot the scene he found it bathed in bright sunshine, unsuitable for the sombre conclusion he was hoping for. He waited hours until the sun began setting to capture the overcast shadowy lighting seen in the film.<ref>Chibnall, 2003, p. 86</ref> The film shows the beach black with coal spoilings, dumped there by the mine's conveyor system. The conveyor, a common sight on the East Durham coast, was known locally as The Flight. In the early 2000s, £10 million was spent removing these conveyors and the concrete towers, and cleaning tonnes of [[Coal refuse|coal waste]] from the beaches of East Durham. The cleaning programme was known as Turning the Tide.<ref name="Nelson-02-16-2002">{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Richard |title=Northern revival |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2002/feb/16/walkingholidays.unitedkingdom.guardiansaturdaytravelsection |access-date=24 February 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=16 February 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228053040/http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2002/feb/16/walkingholidays.unitedkingdom.guardiansaturdaytravelsection |archive-date=28 December 2013 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Post-production===
Klinger was a hands-on producer who remained present throughout shooting and in post-production. He suggested Hodges use John Trumper as editor. Hodges said that he and Trumper argued and disagreed constantly, but he still thought he was a "brilliant, brilliant editor" and was "very grateful to him for [...] how much he contributed". Sound editing and dubbing was done by Jim Atkinson, whom Hodges described as "so obsessive about the job". He gave Hodges multiple possibilities of how the sound could be dubbed, and explored every angle. Klinger was worried that the debut director might be overwhelmed with too many options, but Hodges said he and Atkinson got on very well.<ref name=Klinger/>

As Carter drives away from the flats, with Glenda in the boot of the car, the tyres make a screeching sound. This was later sampled by [[Vangelis]], who used it on the 1981 title track of the [[Jon and Vangelis]] album''[[The Friends of Mr Cairo]]''.

===Music===
The majority of the film's music was composed by [[Roy Budd]], a jazz pianist and composer, who had previously worked on soundtracks for ''[[Soldier Blue]]'' and ''[[Flight of the Doves]]''. Aside from its score, Budd also composed three songs: "Looking For Someone", "Love Is A Four Letter Word" (with lyrics by Jack Fishman) and "Hallucinations".<ref name=AFI/> The theme (otherwise known as "Carter Takes a Train"), the best-known piece from the film, was played by Budd and the other members of his jazz trio, [[Jeff Clyne]] ([[double bass]]) and [[Chris Karan]] ([[percussion]]), and was recorded on a budget of £450 (£8,700 in 2024). The musicians recorded the soundtrack live, direct to picture, playing along with the film.<ref name="Johnson-1999">{{cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Phil |title=Film Music |journal=[[New Statesman]] |date=5 March 1999 |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/199903050039 |access-date=14 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706054304/http://www.newstatesman.com/199903050039 |archive-date=6 July 2008 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> To save time and money Budd did not use overdubs, simultaneously playing a real [[harpsichord]], a [[Wurlitzer electric piano]] and a [[Piano|grand piano]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bryce |first=Allan |title=A Conversation with Roy Budd |journal=Soundtrack Magazine |year=1984 |volume=3 |issue=11 |url=http://www.runmovies.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77:roy-budd-a-talented-and-likeable-man-&catid=35:interviews |access-date=1 March 2012 |editor1-first=Luc |editor1-last=Van de Ven}}</ref><ref>''Get Carter'' DVD, Warner Archive, 2000</ref> Budd described the experience as "uncomfortable, but it sounded pleasant". The theme tune features the sounds of the character's train journey from London to Newcastle.

The theme was released as a 7" vinyl single by [[Pye Records]] in 1971, titled simply "Carter" and backed with "Plaything", another piece composed for the soundtrack. Original copies of the record are much sought after by collectors and sell for around £100.<ref>{{cite web |title=ROY BUDD CARTER GET CARTER UK SOUNDTRACK 7" SINGLE PYE MICHAEL CAINE COVER NM |url=http://www.popsike.com/ROY-BUDD-CARTER-GET-CARTER-UK-SOUNDTRACK-7-SINGLE-PYE-MICHAEL-CAINE-COVER-NM/310350106840.html |publisher=popsike |access-date=1 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227135336/http://www.popsike.com/ROY-BUDD-CARTER-GET-CARTER-UK-SOUNDTRACK-7-SINGLE-PYE-MICHAEL-CAINE-COVER-NM/310350106840.html |archive-date=27 December 2013 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The soundtrack—including pieces not used in the film—was originally only available in its entirety in Japan, where it was released on [[Odeon Records]].<ref name=italiansoundtrack>{{cite web|title=Soundtracks from other Countries >> Japanese Soundtracks: Get Carter cover|url=http://www.italiansoundtracks.com/soundtracks/japanese/japgetcarter.html|work=Italian SOundtracks. com|publisher=italian soundtracks|access-date=4 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229105027/http://www.italiansoundtracks.com/soundtracks/japanese/japgetcarter.html|archive-date=29 December 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It was released in the UK in 1998 by the Cinephile label, a subsidiary of [[Castle Communications]]. In 2012, the theme was included on the [[Soul Jazz Records]] compilation ''British TV, Film and Library Composers''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soul Jazz collect TV Sound and Image on new compilation: Jonny Trunk assists|url=http://www.factmag.com/2012/06/18/soul-jazz-collect-tv-sound-and-image-on-new-compilation-jonny-trunk-naturally-assists/|work=Fact.com|date=18 June 2012|publisher=The Vinyl Factory|access-date=15 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629184847/http://www.factmag.com/2012/06/18/soul-jazz-collect-tv-sound-and-image-on-new-compilation-jonny-trunk-naturally-assists/|archive-date=29 June 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The film includes other music which is not included on the soundtrack LP. The music playing in the nightclub scene is an uptempo cover of the 1969 [[Willie Mitchell (musician)|Willie Mitchell]] tune "30-60-90" performed live by the Jack Hawkins Showband, which was the resident band at the Oxford Galleries night club.<ref name=billboard>{{cite web |title=Willie Mitchell 30-60-90 |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=willie mitchell|chart=all}} |work=Billboard.com: Charts |publisher=Rovi Corporation |access-date=28 February 2012}}</ref> The pub singer, played by Denea Wilde, performs a cover of "[[How About You?]]" by [[Burton Lane]] and [[Ralph Freed]],<ref name=AFI/> a song more associated with glamorous Hollywood films than the backrooms of Newcastle pubs. The [[Pelaw]] Hussars, a local [[juvenile jazz band]] and [[Majorette (dancer)|majorette]] troupe, also appear and perform two numbers, "[[When The Saints Go Marching In]]" and "[[Auld Lang Syne]]".<ref name=AFI/>