So, the film is finished! And very happy with the result I
am too. I think the whole group is. I think that it fur fills the vision that
we had of it.
The process of making this film has been long but also enjoyable.
As producer, when we got the final idea down I was keen to start planning as
soon as possible, wanting to avoid a last minute shoot. So I spent a lot of the Easter holidays
tracking down actors so that we were able to audition them as soon as we got
back to Uni. This meant that we had a lot of rehearsal time as well as plenty
of time for the actual shoot. Also sorting
out the location was a slight difficulty. The original plans fell through but
luckily we were able to shoot in the Bar where Katie (editor) works. Pre
production was all done with in the allotted time and we were more that ready
to start shooting.
The shoots, four spread over the week all went very well. The
planning I think was integral, every one worked well together, to get the shot
lists, story boards, props/costumes and schedules ready so that we could be as organised
an efficient on the day as possible. I am very pleased with how well everything
went. We got all the shots we needed and we were not panicking or in any mad
rushes. We were able to be calm about the production and were able to enjoy it.
The edit also went very well. I was not as involved in this
side as it was mainly the job of the editor-obviously- and the director. ‘Too
many cooks...’ and all that. I went in a couple of times to see how it was
going and to discuss ideas and changes that might need to be made.
So in general the process of this film’s fabrication was
smooth and I feel that we have created a film that is entertaining and
effective.
Our starting point of the script was a great one. It was a
very strong and well written which made the whole process easier. It did almost
come alive on the page and it wasn’t hard to visualise what it would become.
When I saw the script I was very happy and I think that it contained everything
we wanted in terms of story, mood, and theme.
The style of the film is very over stylised. For example the
sound effects are very pronounced, which gives this idea of hyper reality. This
is present in the dream sequences which help to reinforce that they are
fantasy. The idea that things are always more amplified inside your own head is
something that I think will resonate with the audience. This is one way in
which we have tried to create this mood of tension with in the fantasies and to
convey how Jack is feeling. The idea that everything seems amplified or worse
inside his head shown by the over stylised way in which we have created the film
helps to show how worried he is. The snappy editing also adds to this. It shows
Jack’s thought process, each time something happens it is very quick and almost
methodical, yet still ‘too much’. This shows the chaotic way in which he is
thinking, reinforcing that he is scared of what the outcome is going to be.
This style of editing is also comic and comes very much from the conventions
that can be seen in the works of Edgar Wright. His films are probably the
perfect example of over stylisation and hyper reality. However it always works
because he uses them well. They have both a comic effect and an impact on the
audience much like we were trying to give to our film.
The tone of the film is overall rather comic. The scenarios
that Jack imagines are obviously over the top and the way in which the film is constructed
lends its self to that. It is as the fantasies he is getting more and more absurd
which it’s self is a comic idea. The scenes in the Gallery are also slightly
comic. This is due to the relationship between Jack and George and their
reactions to the situations. I think this is important or else I think the film
could get a little on the dark side, being dragged down by Jack’s worry.
Although this worry is completely justified and what a lot of teens would feel
coming out, it’s not something that we wanted to convey in a way that was
depressing or dark. I think the scenes in the gallery and the banter between the
boys keeps the mood light. Again here the over stylising of things also adds to
this.
The comic side of the piece I think is very important. Lucy
(director) had a friend compose some music for the piece and personally I think
that it really adds to the film. It works as punctuation and also helps to keep
the mood light. There are a few musical ques, which I think really help to make
the piece more effective and which help the audience to be drawn in. It also
flows with the mood of the film ebbing and peaking with the scenarios and
action on screen.
The mood of the film does have an ark. It builds as the
scenarios get more and more ridiculous, building the comic element. However it
then comes back down when Jack realises that he could lose his father. This helps
the film to stay grounded in reality with out going too far into the realms of fantasy.
It also shows that we do have a point to make with this film. That coming out
is a serious issue and is not easy for some people. However I really like that this film has a
very positive out come. I would have been all to easy with this brief to come
up with something that was dark and grey and depressing. Unanimously this is something
that we agreed we did not want for this particular project. We wanted to do
something different and fun.
I honestly believe
that we have achieved this. The film is funny and snappy and it still carries a
message and has a strong story behind it. For these reasons I am incredibly
happy with the result.
