2013 Post 29- Production

The production for our short film was a much more complicated procedure than the production for our short film opening sequence. This was because we had more scenes and shots to film, thus production took place over a longer space of time, with frequent delays due to our cast members and equipment being unavailable.  Despite the challenges, my group and I greatly enjoyed shooting for our project, and by filming shot by shot, though time consuming, allowed me to control the footage and bring each scene to life. I have also included some images taken by my colleague whilst I was working with the camera.



Equipment could be set up easily in different locations

Negatives:

• The main challenge was trying to organise dates when all of our cast were available for shooting and when we could hire the equipment, filming went on for longer than we'd hoped because of this.
• There was one scene that we had to re-shoot after watching the rushes and discovering several issues, so re-creating that with the same mise-en-scene and shots was challenging.
• Due to the time of year, we lost daylight fairly quickly which was an issue for the morning and outdoor scenes wherein we needed plenty of light

Scenes with character movement would be practised before shooting

Manoeuvring around locations was essential for the right shots

I had to adjust the tripod to fit me within scenes when I appeared

Positives:

• Once set up, my group and I worked fairly quickly during the filming process, and we were able to take multiple shots of scenes very efficiently
• Our storyboard and shooting schedule helped significantly in capturing each shot with how it had originally been envisioned
• All our locations were relatively simple to shoot in and were within walking distance, allowing us to resolve issues quickly and not waste time with transport

To improve, I believe my group and I should clearly come up with dates when we would be available to film, and try not to rush complex scenes for better results. I realise  now that theproduction of any film, even a short one can take a significant amount of time and this needs to be prepared for efficiently.

2013 Post 28- Pre-production Shooting Schedule

From our shot list we devised a shooting schedule, listing our shots in order of when they will be filmed during production. This should avoid confusion when my group and I begin to film.
Our outdoor park scene and morning shots would need to be filmed first so that we have the daylight available, as it gets dark quite quickly.

2013 Post 27- Pre-production Shot List

Here is our short film's shot list containing a compilation of our shots for the production stage, it includes details of each shot so that we are familiar with what we will be filming. Will be including six scenes in total for our short film, so keeping track of each shot in this way will be very important.

2013 Post 26A- Risk Assessment

The bedroom location for the first scene is narrow and small, so objects have to be kept to one side as they could be a hazard. The roof also slopes to one side so our cast-members have to be careful of this, and the bathroom has tile which is slippery so any camerawork has be filmed outside and our actors have to be careful.

The kitchen scene has objects on counters which have to be kept away from the edges in case they are knocked during filming. There are sharp edges on the counter-tops, this will have to be kept in mind and our characters will have to position away from these.

For the town scene, pedestrians will travel on the path despite this being a quieter area, so we will have to move to the grass during these times. We can easily manoeuvre around the tree and lampposts and keep our cast members aware of where they are in case of a collision. There are also cars nearby so we will have to be mindful of these.

The living room scene and the hallway is narrow so any equipment and obstacles must be cleared from the path of our crew, to prevent accidents, and the number of cast members will have to be limited in this space. There is a heavy treadmill in the living room and large sofas that the crew will have to be mindful of, and I will warn them to not get the equipment or themselves too close to the radiators in both rooms as they can be hot.

2013 Post 26- Pre-production Location Recce

For our six scenes we completed a location recce for each, looking at the technical aspects as well as doing a risk assessment for any hazards.

Bedroom: From the late morning to early afternoon there will be a sufficient amount of light for filming, as there are two large loft windows. The bed is closed off slightly by one wall but there is enough space for our character to get in and out easily although the camera positions are limited. Our equipment can be easily kept to one side of the room for enough space to film with a tripod.
The bathroom is narrow and small so the camera will have to film from the doorway but there is another large loft window for plenty of light.
Hazards: Objects on the floor will have to be kept in one corner of the room away from me  whilst filming and our actor's movements.
The roof slopes on one side of the room so our cast-members should keep to the other side in case of an accident. The camera will be kept outside of the bathroom as the flooring is tile and, if dropped, it could damage the camera and also our actor will have to be careful not to slip.

Kitchen: Plenty of natural light from the large window, it can also be toned down with the use of the blind. Plenty of space for character movement but limited space for camera manoeuvres, filming will have to be down from four corners of room.
Hazards: Objects on counters will have to be kept away from the edges in case they are knocked during filming. There are sharp edges on the counter-tops, this will have to be kept in mind and our characters will have to position away from these.

Town: In the morning to early afternoon there is plenty of natural light, but the weather will need to be checked before filming in case of undesirable conditions. A lot of space for camera and character movements, and this area is less busy than the town centre yet still retains the street 'look' we were aiming for.

Hazards: Pedestrians will travel on the path despite this being a quieter area, so we can move to the grass during these times. We can easily manoeuvre around the tree and lampposts and keep our cast members aware of where they are in case of a collision.

We also looked at the city centre of Hemel Hempstead but this area would be too busy

 

Living Room and Hallway: These scenes will be filmed at night so artificial lights will have to be used. There is sufficient light for both rooms, but if shots appear too dim we can use the light reflector to brighten actor's faces. The hallway is fairly narrow so camera manoeuvre may be limited, but there is plenty of space in the living room for this as well as sockets for charging equipment if need be. Certain large items such as the treadmill in the living room may be removed during filming as they can be distracting.
Hazards: The hallway is narrow so any equipment and obstacles must be cleared from the path of our crew, to prevent accidents, and the number of cast members will have to be limited in this space. There is a heavy treadmill in the living room and large sofas that the crew will have to be mindful of, and I will warn them to not get the equipment or themselves too close to the radiators in both rooms as they can be hot.





2013 Post 25- Pre-production Mise-en-scene Table

For the pre-production process of our short film I created a mise-en-scene table to inform my group and I of what mise-en-scene aspects will be required for each scene. This would notify our actors on what they would be wearing and doing during production, as well as how each scene will be set.
Each scene will progress the story, therefore key aspects relevant to our main character and the events will need to be visually clear through our mise-en-scene.

2013 Post 24- Pre-Production Storyboard

My colleague Laura created the storyboard for our short film 'Catalyst', and it can viewed in two parts on these PDF files:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8zVTMkwU8ADZnduWnpRdHdNblU/edit
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8zVTMkwU8ADU2ZhM3g4NWpZNTQ/edit