That's a wrap!

Day 4 Maggie May’s part 2.

So the day began by getting all the equipment from one location to another. We arrived at Maggie May’s at twelve which is when we had arranged to be able to get into the location. As with all of our shots we ere scheduled in a way that mean we knew exactly what we were meant to be doing and when. As soon as we got into the location we got the actor ready and set up the lighting and the shots.

The reason we had chosen to do these particular shots today was because out of the five set in the bar they required the most set ups. As with one of them we had to get mike dressed up in his drag out fit. This included costume and makeup sp obviously required a little more set up than the other scenes where he is in his school uniform. Once the set and actor’s were dressed the filming went relatively quickly. There were quite a few set ups t do with this scene. Mainly because we had to do a lot of extreme close ups of the drag costume. And also during this it was nessaccary to chance the lighting. We wanted to put in the colour filters to add a kind of ‘cabaret’ effect. Another colour the purpose serves is with the red and greens it creates an almost sickly tome which is good for this scenes as the dad is throwing up at the end. It also adds an interesting visual element.  After this we then had to set up the shot of the Dad throwing up. This also included getting just some sound of Tom wrenching. In the original script we had seen the Dad throwing up but this I felt was a logistical nightmare so we decided to just use the sound on a blackout screen This was definitely a better decision as leaving it to the audiences imagination is definitely better than having a shot of Mike covered in tinned carrots, that would have just looked cheap. I think it would have also undermined the quality of the film.

The next scene we filmed was where the Dad reacts badly. This again required quite a few set ups. We had to first film the dad which involved a different lighting set up as once again we had to use filters. We had a red light to represent the anger. Also we had had a shot of a canted tilt. This had to be allowed for in the schedule as it took a little longer to shoot that the other static set ups. Also we had to allow for the smashing of the glass and the clean up of that.

We also had to do a little ADR as we had some major wound issue last week when we were shooting.

Once again I have t say how pleased I am at how the day went. We seem to work really well as a team and we got everything shot on time and in an organised fashion.

And that’s a wrap!

Shoot day 3

Soot day 3

Today we shot the scenes that are set in the Bedroom. Jack being caught dancing and singing in front of the Mirror and Jack being thrown out of home. We did get everything shot, but maybe not in the most efficient way. The time constrictions of today were pretty much non-existant and we did not have all that much to shoot. We planned to start at eleven however due to issues outside of our control we didn’t actually get started until around twelve.

When we got started we got the first thing we had to do was dress the set. Because so little of the room is seen in shot we had to dress accordingly. In order to make the room seem convincingly like a stereotypically gay teenage boy’s room. The only thing in the frame was mike and the reflection in the mirror. We had Lucy’s massive, pink Audrey Hepburn poster. We stuck this up on the wall behind mike so that it reflected in the mirror. We also put up some fairy lights and a really cheesy valentines card. Because there was so little of the room actually in shot the room didn’t need much dressing. I think what we did still gives an effective look to the room.

We shot the part where Jack is doing his Britney impression in the Mirror. This is an important part of the film and we decided to use a tilt up to a reveal of the Dad being stood behind. Also we needed to get several close ups of the Dad’s reactions to this. Tom gave us some great faces to work with.

After this we had to shoot the rather more serious scenes of Jack being thrown out of the house. We started with the set up of the suitcase being filled in a rushed manner. These were pretty simple to shoot. We also had to record some voice work from tom, of angry shouting to put over the scenes where George is imaging that he could be kicked out. While this was being done, to save time Ben and I went out get a couple of Shots of outside of the house.

When we had done this we had to shoot where Jack gets kicked out. We had to get him made up with bruise makeup and fake blood. We also then had to get the shots of the door slamming in Jack’s face and him walking up the street. We decided to do this at several different frame rates so we had the option of using slow motion in the edit.

Overall it was another successful shoot where we got everything we needed and were able to do this in a manner that was not stressed or rushed. I think that this is the best way to work as when there is stress there is the tendency to become forgetful and also for friction to arise between people. This is something I want to avoid as it makes for an atmosphere that is counter productive. So far we have all gotten on well and worked together as a tem in an effective manner. 

Gallery shoot

Gallery shoot.

Well, the weather is against us. But after all we are in the north of England in April, it is to be expected. We have ended up shooting the Jack and George scenes in the Graves gallery. This was a last minute change to the plan so it was not as well planned out as I would have liked. The shot lists had to be re done and therefore the original schedule was no longer applicable. Therefore we had to rework it, in order to get everything shot as we only had 10-3 which are the gallery’s opening hours.

So we began at ten o’clock not wanting to lose any time. While the rest of the crew were getting ready to shoot and getting the actors ready and briefed on the changes to the shot list and what they would have to do, I sorted out the admin. Making sure we were covered legally, getting a location agreement form signed by Chris, the gallery’s representative that I had bee in contact with. Also we had to make sure none of the pictures in the gallery that we were shooting in were under copyright. None of them were but if they had been we would have obviously had to plan around avoiding getting these on camera.

When the shoot started we managed to get on quite quickly. We didn’t need t use the lights to begin with as the skylights, and lighting in the gallery looked good on camera with out us adding any. All it needed was a reflector at some points. However when it came to the close-ups we needed to use a Kino as the shot looked a little dark. As we were unable to stick all the cables to the floor, in order to avoid a health and safety nightmare I stood over the cable making sure that no members of the public tripped over it. I had allowed for this in the risk assessment.

The fact that once again we had planned well all be it rather hastily meant that we got all the shots we needed. Ro my mind there is nothing worse than getting to edit and finding out you are missing shots from a location you might not be able to reshoot in with in the time frame. Also if we had to reshoot it would be cutting it fine with postproduction time.

In general I’m very happy with the results of this shoot. The Gallery looks good on film and I think that in Place of the park it works well. I’d have preferred the park, but there is nothing t be done about that. The gallery had a lot to offer us in terms of aesthetics. The shot went well also considering the fact at how quickly we had to change plans. The rushes look good and we worked effectively as a team on the shoot. Once again I’m happy with how everyone worked. Also I’m very confident at how well the project is progressing. 

A small Hiccup

Well, The weather is absoloutley fowl at the moment and we are supposed to be shooting outdoors tomorrow. However we have come up with a backup plan. There were seveal options. The favourite was to shoot in the Graves Gallery. Ben had previously got permission to film there so I thought I would try. After a few phonecalls, I managed to get permisssion and they seemed quite happy to help us. So if we needed to use them I could contact Chris to let him know we'd be there and he's sort us out a place to shoot and makesure that all the staff were aware of the situation. Because of the weather I have had to follow up on this plan so I have phoned Chris who has said that it is fine for us to shoot there. We will be shooting in Gallery 6, 'the blue gallery. My only quarm with this location is the acoustics, the sound in Gallery's tends to not be brilliant, however I'm confident that this nis an issue we can overcome.
Another option we had was to shoot it in Mike's bedroom, this would not have been ideal as it could have made the film seem a bit on the dull side location wise. I think with the Gallery, it is an interesting location. I know the group had their hearts set on the park as it is a spectacular locations but sometimes you have to allow for constraints that are out side your control. I believe beaing able to deal with these situations is part of being a producer and I try to take any bumps in the road in my stride and overcome them while still aiming to create the best film possible. I think that the Graves gallery will be an appropriate indoor substitute for the park. After all we can't play god, we just have to make do and mend sometimes.

Shoot day one April 23^rd

Well we definitely started as we mean to go on. Today’s shoot went really well in most respects, from my point of view as the producer everything went really well as we shot everything that we planned to. As far as I’m concerned this was due to how effectively we planned. Ben gave me the shot list and as a group we discussed the set up. Dressing the set, putting the actor’s into costume, lights, and camera were all taken into consideration when I was putting together the schedule. When Ben gave me the shot list I looked at all the different set ups we had to do. Then taking into account the previous discussions on light etc I was able to put together comprehensive shooting schedule. I really think that it is an essential part of film making because when you have a schedule it’s easier to keep track of where you are and how much you are getting done.

The Shot was supposes to start at 12, but due to a delay out of our control we actually started about half past. This did sit us back a little but we were still able t make up the time. We had planned to shoot three scenes out of the five set in the bar. We decided that we should shoot the three scenes that took the least set ups, there fore we could get the most possible done. Then we will be shooting the other two scenes next Monday. The shoot was inevitably going to be long, there were several set ups that each requires a different set of lighting. One thing that I think we should have done was do a location scout of here as it would have given us a better idea of lighting in the Bar and what we would have to do to light our set. This would have saved a bit of time I think, it at least would have made the schedule a little more accurate.

In terms of shooting each scene, we were very efficient I think, the actors knew what they were doing and under Lucy’s direction gave exactly what was asked of them. The rehearsals definitely paid off. We were able to get thorough the scenes at a good pace, finishing in time so that we had everything we planned and in time for the actors to go to classes/work.

The only real issue that we had was the sound. The Marantz was playing up, it was peaking even at low volume sounds, even when the levels were way down. I have to take some blame for this as, as producer I should have made sure all the equipment was in perfect working order. However we should be able to fix it, do ADR or if worst comes to worst re-shoot.

So in conclusion I am very happy with how the shoot went and I think that if we keep it up we will have absolutely no problems in getting everything done to the standard that is expected of us.

pre production

Pre production (30^th March-20^th April)

For the Drama project I have undertaken the role of producer, Therefore a large proportion of my work has been during preproduction. As a group we began panning this project very early, having a production meeting as soon as we were set the brief. This was incredibly productive as by the time we were finished we had a fully formed idea, which was them taken by James and crafted into a script over the Easter holidays. It was definitely to start planning early as if we hadn’t we could have ended up in the horrible situation, that during the Easter holidays we’d be trying to plan and with people being all over the country and working etc, being left with one week for preproduction. To my mind this would have been a nightmare. As we had started early it meant that I could start planning actors and locations over the Easter holidays, giving me more time to sort things out. When I got the script, I felt that it was number one a great piece of work, nut secondly achievable in the timeframe we had. Reading it as a producer, I saw nothing that would cause any massive difficulties> from my point of view it was important that due to various constraints including time and budget the script was doable and would still be a great piece of work. However at the same time it was snappy, interesting and entertaining.

Now we had a script we had to plan to make it reality. The first hurdle was locations. The living room was the biggest problem from my point of view of trying to find one. There was no way we would use any of our living rooms, using the sterile environment of a student kitchen/living area would have ruined the aesthetics of the film. And as far as we were concerted you there is not really a completely effective way of set dressing that disguises it. There is also the unwritten rule of never shooting in student halls. One option we had was to shoot at my godparents’ house in Chesterfield. It is close enough to Sheffield to be a feasible location, and it also had the right ‘look’. The kind of homely feel that we wanted to create with in the film. Unfortunately, we were unable to match up schedules, even though they were more than happy for us to film at their home it would have been too late by the time they were available. Luckily the bar where Katie (editor) works, is allowing us to film there. So with a few minor changes to the script we have managed to overcome this problem. The park scenes have presented no problems thus far. After a location scout we have decided to use Weston Park. It is an incredibly beautiful location, lending itself to the ‘look’ that we are envisioning for the film. Lucy (director), Ben (Cinematographer) and I did a location scout that we could work out where we wanted to film in the park. Also they were planning in terms of setups, shots, blocking etc. This means that on the day we’ll be able to be efficient in our filming. Ben will be able to plan a more effective shortlist and I will therefore be able to create a realistic and more detailed schedule.  In my opinion planning is everything. The bedroom scenes will be shot at Ben’s house, the attic room is plenty big enough, and with set dressing will look convincingly like a teenage boy’s bedroom. So there we have it 3 locations sorted and ready for filming.

I began the process of recruiting actors as soon as I had the script and knew what we were looking for. The first port of call was the casting info on blackboard. I began by emailing all the performing arts students who had registered their interest in being in student films. I received two replies from this. After discussion with the group, and looking at the previous films they had been in we decided to get one of them in for audition. As well as this there are some friends of Katie’s that had shown an interest so we got them in for an audition also. After auditions it was decided to cast Mike and Mark in the roles of Jack and George respectively, as they seemed to fit the roles best. Casting the role of the father was much more of a challenge. After contacting as many am drams, acting society’s theatre groups as I could find in the local area, I had no luck either there was no reply of it was a no. After asking around I was given the information of some online casting agencies. After putting a few ‘adverts’ I received a few replies. At this point we were running out of time, and were auditioning Tom. The actors that had got back to me were unable to fit with our schedule and after the audition Tom was pretty much perfect for the role. After the casting we went into rehearsals, wanting to see how the actors would work together and to let them get used to each other, the script and working with us. It also meant that shooting would go much smoother as people knew what they were doing, and with a limited time for production, this was very important in my view.

               Now we have actors and locations we have to sort out the finer points of planning and scheduling the shoot. Firstly I put together a week by week schedule going by who was available when and when we could use locations, by making different checklists, matching up availabilities, I was easily able to draw up a schedule to email everyone to make sure it fitted in with everyone. To my mind it is paramount to be well planned and organised in advance. The idea of being left in a complete panic an hour before a shoot is supposed to start is not ideal. In fact it is to be avoided to at all costs. Next it was important that I had the shot lists so that I could plan out the day’s shooting. The only slight difficulty with this is until we actually get onto set I’m not entirely sure how long setups will take with lighting and so on. However after the first shoot in Maggie Mays on Monday 23^rd April, I’ll have a better idea of how long it’ll take meaning that further shoots will have a schedule closed to actual set ups times. For now I have taken considered decision as to hoe long things will take from previous shoots and the rehearsals. Effective scheduling is definitely an important factor when working in a film shoot as you have to get everything done. Especially when you have extra constraints of limited actor and location availability.

As a producer I was incredibly Happy with how organised we were as a group and I feel that as we go into production this will pay off.

Location Scout Weston Park

location scout.
We decided that we wanted to the scenes between George and Jack in Weston Park as we knew how pretty it is. We then went on a location scout to find places that we want to use for the film.

 Cherry Blossom tree under which Jack and Geoge will lie while having a conversation.

Bench where George could be sat when Jack is pacing. Alternatevley where George is reassuring Jack.

Could shoot under here if the weather turns bad.

Pond, which can be shot from multiple points. Will give a great variety of points of view as they can move around the pond and we can also have them feeding the ducks, which will look loveley. Also they can have them walking over the bridge which we have experimented with blocking for.

Pudding Bowl

Pudding Bowl is gorgeous little story about a little girl and her hair. The character of Ivy the little girl was a really interesting protagonist even though she only spoke about three words. Her Character was well established. The opening shots of her cutting and pasting pictures of glamorous Hollywood stars into a scrap book. Her environment is easily recognisable a typical British 1950s home. Therefore the first conclusions we can draw about her character is that she has a fascination for the far off, exotic glamour of movie land. What it can also mean is that she is looking to escape from the dreariness of her surroundings. The beige hue of the set helps to reinforce this point. The colours here are very drab, lending themselves t let the viewer draw similar conclusions about Ivy’s daily life. That it is dull, surrounded by the grey mizzle that seemed to permeate 1950s England. So we can draw the conclusion from this that she sees the glamour of Hollywood as an escapism from the rather monotone reality of her daily life as she sees it.

The character of her brother is typical mischievous school boy. And the Mother a stereotypical Buxom 50s house wife. There close up of the meat grinder, reinforces this idea of the dull tedium, the daily grind, the relentless turning of the cogs, symbolises the repetitive nature of the life portrayed in the film. The one thing for the character f Ivy is her hair, decked out in a pretty red bow she is obviously very proud of it. Therefore when her brother tips glue over it and her mother cuts it all off into an awful bowl cut she is obviously devastated. This is reinforced by the fact that age actually speaks on this art of the film, the only words that she utters through the whole film. Therefore it is obvious how much it moves her, therefore how much her hair means to her.

When she sees what has happened t her hair and puts the stocking on her head and applies the red lipstick, it is another nod to the idea of escapism. Which it is pretty clear by now is the film’s main theme. This is made explicit when after Ivy rides down the road on a bike chases by her brother and his friends she Begins to day cream about being older, an attractive young woman with long black hair being chased by a bunch of besotted boys. What this does is cement the idea of escapism as she has obviously gone into a fantast. This is made clear by the soft focus which is widely accepted as showing it to be a dream sequence. The glowing slightly unearthly effect it gives is invocative of a dream.

Another point to make in the way Ivy seems to stick out is her red dress that for some part of the film is hidden by a beige cardigan. So with the ideas of a beige and colour that have already been established the idea of Ivy throwing off this cardigan symbolises that she is throwing off the drudgery of her life and going into her fantast world which she does.

I really enjoyed this film, like Sign Language it is light hearted and leave the audience with a nice feeling.

Once again I would say what we would take from it as a group would be the idea of having a light hearted piece. One that engages the audience through a heart warming  story rather that a hard hitting one. 

 <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cUJWZYOxMEg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Edagr Wright and No.1 Dad

Edgar Wright.

From a stylistic point of view, one of the influences for out film is the work of Edgar Wright. In the fantast scenes where Jack is imagining his dad’s reactions we want the snappy hyper realism that is so recognisable in Wright’s work. The over stylised, rhythmic comedy that Wright is famous for is something that we all enjoy.

One sequence we kept referring to was in Shaun where Shaun is planning how they are going t survive and get to the Winchester. In this sequence there is the repetition of the same scenario played out each time with little differences. This is what we are aiming for when we have the fantasy scenes where Jack is imaging how hid Dad will react to his coming out. This is comedic yet very effective. We want to have this quick snappy editing as it will ‘lift’ the piece, the short cuts will grab the audiences attention and make them interested in the film. One thing that maybe a little difficult is making sure the cuts are not too short that they turn into flash cuts. This I think would alienate the audience more that enthuse them. Flash cuts are an effective editing technique but I feel in the context of this film it would not work. I think that there will be some trial and error in the editing process in order to make sure the quick cuts are effective but not too short to a point where they are distracting.

The quick snappy editing is definitely something we want to draw on. It will juxtapose the scenes between Jack and George. These scenes will belong and more relaxed in terms if how they are cut. The shots will be longer and the pace will be a lot slower. In the imagination sequences however, it will be deliberately over stylised in order to heighten the sense that these sequences are not reality. It is the product of an over active imagination. Everything seems amplified inside your head when you are imagining what could go wrong. This is an idea that we ant to convey with in the film.

Elements of sound design are also something that we want to draw on. In Wright’s work he seems to amplify sounds again reinforcing this idea of hyper realism. One example of this is on hot fuzz where Angel takes his coat off the hook. It makes a great swoosh sound that is obviously created through Foley but it gives the scene s a heightened sense of comedic action. He is almost satirising how an action film takes every thing to extremes in order to excite the audience. Although we do not want to be making a film that satirise a particular Genre we do want this idea of over doing things. Again in order to create a sense of the imagination.

So one of our main stylistic influences in Edgar Wright. The sense of hyper Realism in his films is definitely something that we want to draw on for our ‘imagination sequences’.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJzHSxRq40&feature=related

Sign Language

'Sign Language' Oscar Sharp (2010)

I really enjoyed this film, it was something a little different and it brought a fresh spark of humour. It was also sweet and touching.

The genre, is sort of ‘mockumentary’. It follows the conventions of a short documentary. The protagonist talking to the camera in a way which is conveying their story and 'factual' information. Although here it is obviously a fictional premise. I like this style as I find that it is a window to so many other genres, they mostly cross over with comedy but they can be more than that, they can be satirical or romantic or even action. There have been fictional films made in the style of documentary that don’t necessarily fall into the ‘mockumentary’ category. I think ‘Sign language’ is very close t the boundary of mockumentary. They usually aim to poke fun, where as I don’t think that was the filmmakers aim here. The film tells a nice story, of one man and him moving from one place in his life to another. Of him moving up in the world. But also it tells a love story, al be it one that happens off screen but it is obviously there none the less. This film encompasses a lot with in five minutes.

In terms of the characters, the main character, Ben is a very likable guy. The filmmaker has introduced him very effectively and quickly. From his dialogue it is clear how enthusiastic he is about his job. Clothing can also tell us a lot about a character. It’s human nature to draw conclusions about a character from the clothing, so Ben’s costume is important. His gloves are the part of his costume in shot most often, the multi coloured wool gives the impression that he is maybe a ‘hippy’ type character, according to the stereotype people dressed in his style of dress are seen as ‘hippy types’, probably vegetarian, part of green peace e.t.c. This is not the truth but still, looking at films in a critical light one should no ignore when a character is conforming to a stereotype, weather it reflects reality or not. Also it matches the dress of the love interest; this according to codes tells the viewer that they are well matched. Their colourful dress also helps them to stick out from the rather drab grey streets of London in the rain. It helps to reinforce the idea of this character being a very happy individual. Again this reinforces the how real the character feels to the audience. In a short film there is not a lot of time to establish a character, so every detail is important when creating a believable, three dimensional character that the audience can relate to or sympathise with.

A lot of the framing is very close, there are a lot of shots of Ben that are very tight on his face, where as the other characters are seen in the wide from Ben’s point of view.  This conveys that he is possibly lonely as the other people are only observed from afar. What it also does in reinforce the idea that we are seeing the world from his point of view. The camera never moves from him or where he is stood while he is Oxford Street. This does give a feeling of isolation, but when at the end of the film where his fellow sign guys show that they do care and he should talk to the girl he walk out of frame. This signifies moving on, he’s been stuck in this same place for year but now the promotion has given him this push he has needed. The walking out of frame is important as though out the film the tight framing has enhanced this idea of being in one place and cut off and then walking out of the frame is a visual signal that this is over for him, that he is moving on.

The music, a gentle acoustic guitar track serves two purposes as far as I’m concerned. It help to create the mood of the film, it punctuates the emotional moments of the film. It is slightly melancholic, reflecting that Ben is a little sad at it being his last day before he moves on. It is odd because it does have a slightly sad edge but at the dame time the rhythm is slightly more chipper and the chord progression are in a major tone, giving it a happier feel. In general the sound design is quite normal. There is a layer of atmos which gives context to the scenes, shows where the characters are and makes it seem more real. Then there is the dialogue which is a monologue. Then there is the music which helps to establish a mood quickly in a short piece of work.

In terms of how this will influence our piece. I don’t think that its style is something that we will draw on as we have a very clear idea of what styles we want, which have been discussed in our production meetings.  However we did like the tone of this piece. There is a tendency with British drama, coming from the social realist traditions, to be rather depressing. This piece is light hearted and does not take itself too seriously. In our production meeting it was unanimous that we did not want to make a film that left the audience feeling sad o with a slightly more pessimistic view on life than they started with. There is an abundance of ‘hard hitting’ short dramas out there, and we want to do something with comic elements and that leaves the audience felling a little more optimistic. In my view this is what sign Language does and I think that is something we will definitely take from it.

Sign language is a film that I really enjoyed and I think it has a broader message. The Character who has an all be it ‘lousy’ job, is incredibly passionate about what he does and is happy. I think that the film conveys a great message about life that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you enjoy it and it makes you happy.