Overall, I"m pretty happy with how things went on set. They crew as whole were really good and pulled their weight. We managed to get a lot done in four intense days of filming and having looked at some of the rushes, it looks pretty good.
The rest of the crew were feeling better about things as well. I know that a couple of people were feeling a bit disheartened after we finished putting the set together and were worried that the film would look good. However, I think because we did have control over everything, the lighting has been done really well so from the shots that we've seen, it looks pretty good.
If there was anything that I'd change or have differently, I think the thing I found most challenging was the change in shooting order that happened on the day. When Ben first sent me the shot lists, he'd put the shots in the order that he wanted to shoot them in and so when scheduling I kept to this. However, when on set, he changed his mind quite a lot which meant a lot of re-jigging of the schedule during the day. It was fine because I kept on top of things, but I think that Ben B and Henry got quite confused at times, so I would have prefered it if this could have been avoided.
The actors also were better than we had expected. especially considering that they didn't have a lot experience. One particular surprise was that during one scene Michael breaks down and cries. We had brought in some make up in case we needed to make him look like he had been crying, however, Nathan fully broke down. It was really intense to watch but also really impressive.
Friday, 30 May 2014
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Post and finishing
As I have still been struggling with mental health and stress, I have had to get extenstions for other pieces of work that are due and have spent a lot of time at home, as recommended by my doctor.
Because this I have still been leaving producing responsibilies to the crew. However, I have tried to keep contact and up to date with how post production is going.
There have been a number of reshoots of the scenes in the bathroom. In the end the location chosen wasn't as Joeley had like it to be - it was white with white tiles - and belonged to a friend on Henry. From what I have heard from Ben and the rest of the crew, these shoots went ok, but Joeley was never present.
In regards to the edit, Henry made a lot of progress but Ben has been doing the more recent tweeks as Henry as had to go home. Because the final edit has still not been given to Grace, the sound design has taken much longer than expected.
Upon returning to university, I have gone in several times to see how the film is progressing and to see Ben. It has come on a long way since I last saw it, so though its not the type of film I would choose to make, I think the final film will be the best that it could have been.
Because this I have still been leaving producing responsibilies to the crew. However, I have tried to keep contact and up to date with how post production is going.
There have been a number of reshoots of the scenes in the bathroom. In the end the location chosen wasn't as Joeley had like it to be - it was white with white tiles - and belonged to a friend on Henry. From what I have heard from Ben and the rest of the crew, these shoots went ok, but Joeley was never present.
In regards to the edit, Henry made a lot of progress but Ben has been doing the more recent tweeks as Henry as had to go home. Because the final edit has still not been given to Grace, the sound design has taken much longer than expected.
Upon returning to university, I have gone in several times to see how the film is progressing and to see Ben. It has come on a long way since I last saw it, so though its not the type of film I would choose to make, I think the final film will be the best that it could have been.
Wednesday, 12 March 2014
tutorial with Chris
I decided to organise a tutorial with Chris because I was concerned with how the production was progressing. The edit wasn't going well, many of the shots were off or out of focus and so the whole structure of the film had to change dramatically, and there wasn't any communication between Ben and other members of the crew.
There was also difficulty in finding a loaction for the bathroom. Joeley was insisting that it should have dark walls and tiles; though I had found a number of locations we could use, non of these bathrooms fitted this description.
Overall, everyone was feeling pretty negative about the film so I wanted some advice on how to go forward with it.
In addition to this, I was getting increasingly stressed because while trying to organise shoots and reshoots and trying to smooth over tension that might have formed within the crew, I was studying for my final Spanish exams, which I do as part of the uni ULS scheme.
I hadn't intended to talk about trying to revise for my exams during this tutorial, however I was visibly stressed and worked up so Chris asked if there was anything else going on. When I told him that I was also pretty stressed about getting my revision done, he told me that I should step back from producing and focus on my exams. I wasn't expecting this at all, but I must admit that it did take off some of the pressure I was feeling.
He then said that he would contact the rest of the crew for a group tutorial to discuss the issues I had raised but also to tell them that he had asked me to stop producing.
There was also difficulty in finding a loaction for the bathroom. Joeley was insisting that it should have dark walls and tiles; though I had found a number of locations we could use, non of these bathrooms fitted this description.
Overall, everyone was feeling pretty negative about the film so I wanted some advice on how to go forward with it.
In addition to this, I was getting increasingly stressed because while trying to organise shoots and reshoots and trying to smooth over tension that might have formed within the crew, I was studying for my final Spanish exams, which I do as part of the uni ULS scheme.
I hadn't intended to talk about trying to revise for my exams during this tutorial, however I was visibly stressed and worked up so Chris asked if there was anything else going on. When I told him that I was also pretty stressed about getting my revision done, he told me that I should step back from producing and focus on my exams. I wasn't expecting this at all, but I must admit that it did take off some of the pressure I was feeling.
He then said that he would contact the rest of the crew for a group tutorial to discuss the issues I had raised but also to tell them that he had asked me to stop producing.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Friday, 28 February 2014
shoot day 4 and taking down the set
Though today was going ti be a long day, this was in part due to the fact that our actress couldn't come on set till 6.15, so we had a substantial amount of time in the afternoon to get pick ups and have a break.
On all past shoots I've found that the final day of filming is often the hardest, simply because everyone is pretty tired and with the end in sight, people begin to lose a bit of focus, meaning that often these final days can end up being the longest. To try and avoid this on this shoot, I just wanted to morale high so was being relly positive and optimistic, bought snacks for everyone to keep them energised and happy and emphasised that after lunch, there was only a small amount to film before we could have a long break.
The shoot itself ran pretty smoothly though there was quite a bit of clumsiness, with some people repeatedly tripping over lights, which obviously took up time as they needed to be reset.
We had enough time to do all the pick ups that we wanted and so then went to the sound studio next door to set it up for when Claire arrived. Because this was the last thing to do, it meant that I could let Henry, Joeley and Ben Brown leave.
This was our last day in the studio and we all came in the next morning to dismantle and clear the set. This was surprising quick and we were done before lunch.
On all past shoots I've found that the final day of filming is often the hardest, simply because everyone is pretty tired and with the end in sight, people begin to lose a bit of focus, meaning that often these final days can end up being the longest. To try and avoid this on this shoot, I just wanted to morale high so was being relly positive and optimistic, bought snacks for everyone to keep them energised and happy and emphasised that after lunch, there was only a small amount to film before we could have a long break.
The shoot itself ran pretty smoothly though there was quite a bit of clumsiness, with some people repeatedly tripping over lights, which obviously took up time as they needed to be reset.
We had enough time to do all the pick ups that we wanted and so then went to the sound studio next door to set it up for when Claire arrived. Because this was the last thing to do, it meant that I could let Henry, Joeley and Ben Brown leave.
This was our last day in the studio and we all came in the next morning to dismantle and clear the set. This was surprising quick and we were done before lunch.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
shoot day 3
With the set 2 now fuly dressed, we had a lot to shoot; most of the shots in the film are from this view point. Our final shot was the following day and I wanted us to have enough time to do pick ups, so to do this, there was a lot to fit in on Sundays shoot. As we had already done a week on long days first building the set, and now filming, I was aware that the crew would be feeling pretty tired. The night before I spoke to them about how much there was to do and that it was important that they got a good rest.
I had scheduled in a lot of breaks and wanted people to get a good lunch; I didn't want everyone to get weary and bogged down with the pressure of getting everything done on time so I thought that doing so would keep energy levels high but also reduce tension and give people are chance to have a breather.
As it happened, the shoot went pretty smoothly. Though everyone was clearly a bit tired, all worked hard to get through everything. Ben decided that he wanted to cut out a few shots, which meant we could get back a bit of time and we did finish earlier than scheduled.
I had scheduled in a lot of breaks and wanted people to get a good lunch; I didn't want everyone to get weary and bogged down with the pressure of getting everything done on time so I thought that doing so would keep energy levels high but also reduce tension and give people are chance to have a breather.
As it happened, the shoot went pretty smoothly. Though everyone was clearly a bit tired, all worked hard to get through everything. Ben decided that he wanted to cut out a few shots, which meant we could get back a bit of time and we did finish earlier than scheduled.
shoot day 2
Todays shoot didn't run as smoothly as yesterday. It was intended to be a short day, and at the end of it, we would stay behind to change over the set.
We were changing over the set so that it would look like the other side of the red room, so when edited together would give the impression we were shooting in a four walled room.
However, Ben wanted to change what we were shooting and add some pick ups from the day before so I had to jiggle the schedule around. As we had lost a bit of time, I spoke to crew to let them know and so that everyone knew where were at, and all could help out to make back time.
We pulled this off so managed to finish pretty much as scheduled, which I was pleased about because it meant that we could let Nathan leave on time.
Changing over the set took longer than expected ; we had to fit in the flat that featured the door and get the paint to match up, so the divides between the flat didn't stand out, and would give the appearance of a flat wall. We covered the divide with tape and paint over it but this still didn't cover up the divide. Grace suggested that we hang the two pieces of red fabric over it ( they also didn't look quite right in the corners of the walls, as we had planned). This worked pretty well, so we stuck with this.
We were changing over the set so that it would look like the other side of the red room, so when edited together would give the impression we were shooting in a four walled room.
However, Ben wanted to change what we were shooting and add some pick ups from the day before so I had to jiggle the schedule around. As we had lost a bit of time, I spoke to crew to let them know and so that everyone knew where were at, and all could help out to make back time.
We pulled this off so managed to finish pretty much as scheduled, which I was pleased about because it meant that we could let Nathan leave on time.
Changing over the set took longer than expected ; we had to fit in the flat that featured the door and get the paint to match up, so the divides between the flat didn't stand out, and would give the appearance of a flat wall. We covered the divide with tape and paint over it but this still didn't cover up the divide. Grace suggested that we hang the two pieces of red fabric over it ( they also didn't look quite right in the corners of the walls, as we had planned). This worked pretty well, so we stuck with this.
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