Drama no.1 dad

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.

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.