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. 

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.

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

Evaluation of the Edale shoot
The best thing to say about the shoot is that it went well.
However I am not going to say this because it is boring and would probably not
get me any marks.
Once we arrived in Edale it was clear that the weather was
not on our side. The misty and rainy conditions did not lend themselves well to
the picturesque tourist haven picture we had originally planned to create.
Obviously we couldn’t do anything about this and we had to carry on regardless.
The weather conditions did create an extra level of atmosphere for the darker
side of the film so it was not all bad. The conditions did mean we had to be
creative with carrier bags and make a rain cover for our camera.
So firstly contrary to our original plan, we decided to
start shooting out in the fields rather than the village. The reason for this
was that we wanted to film out in the field before they became too sodden to
set up the tripod properly, as the mud can get quite bad. We took a few wide or
establishing shots. We got a lot of shots that one might expect to find in a
holiday album. Shots of the green country side, of hills and valleys. As we
were already out in the field we decided to get some of the shots for the ‘second
Edale’ once again because we wanted to shoot there before conditions made it
difficult to do so. This has taught me that you have to use problem solving and
logical thinking to get around aspects that are out of your control. So for example
we knew the weather was bad and would probably get worse making conditions out
in the fields difficult and potentially dangerous. To get around this we
decided, contrary to the schedule we would get our necessary shots while we
still could.
Next we went to get lunch and discuss what we had achieved
so far, what we needed to still do and to check the kit was all still ok and nothing
needed seeing to.
When we began filming again we went up to the train station
to begin the planned ‘film walk’. We did take all the shots we had planned to
but because we worked out that we had a little extra time we went across from
the station into an empty car park where there were disused pieces of track.
Although not planned we wanted to film these, because of the meanings we could
derive from them if we were to put them in the film. The railway is a symbol of
Britain’s past industrial strength and power. So by showing rusty tracks it can
symbolise the break down of this and therefore fit in with out theme of there
being two Edales. The idea of rust, or decay could symbolise that the ancient
ways are dying, the witchcraft is being taken over by new powers. I’ve always
loved how you experience little moments of inspiration like that from seeing an
everyday object.
We later headed through the village taking many shots in
order to create the idea of the tourist built Edale. The church, the little
quaint café etc. The only challenges this presented was directing members of
the public, who whenever they see a camera either decide to walk right in front
of a perfect shot or have a minor panic attack. To get around this we decided
that ne person film while the other held the brolly over the camera and kept a
lookout.
Later we walked through the village to a little water fall
in the woods. We were told about this place by a friend who had been able to go
out on a location scout. It was perfect for ore of the witch scenes as it was
gave exactly the creepy vibe that we are trying to capture with this film. The
most difficult part of this bit of the shot was that we were using a candle and
incense therefore it was rather important that we were careful not to set fire
to the Peak District. It also highlighted the importance of checking out
locations before a shoot. Had we not known about this little spot them the film
could potentially loose some of the atmosphere that we intend to create when we
head into the editing process.
That was our filming done. Looking back at it I feel Poppy
and I made a very good team. WE were both on the same page and were both
equally as enthusiastic about the project and our idea. We talked about shots
and ideas and how they would fit into our already discussed outlines. We
thought through things together and worked well as a team but still appreciated
that the other might come up with a really good shot idea and even if you can’t
see how it will fit into the film you let them roll with it. Film making is a
team exercise and it is important to trust the other members of the team when
it comes to the creative concepts in your films. I feel Poppy and I worked so
well together because we spent a lot of time discussing ideas beforehand and consequently
had a very similar vision of what we imagined the film to be.

All in all, I feel we had a successful day of filming and we
dealt well with any problems we encountered.
Included are some Photos of us filming, taken by Joeley
Beckett, Thankyou Joeley.