Shooting on location Day 1

Date: 10th December
Location: 57 Ramillies Crescent
Time of day: Evening 4:30pm - 7:30pm

Crew Present: Dan, Deanna, Cameron, Charlotte.

Cast Present: Rebecca Chapman, Ryan Witton, Millie Russel

Equipment: 
DSLR Camera + Tripod
Tracking Dolly
Sound Recording Kit
Large & Small Reflectors
LED Light

Transport

The equipment was transported via car for safety and the fact it was too bulky to carry, myself and my team including cast met at school and walked down to our filming location as conveniently its only 15 minutes down the road. 

Summary of the day 

Deanna applying make up to the actress

FOCUS PRACTICE

Today started awkwardly with small talk but eventually the ice broke and we could get down to business with ease, today was very much an eye opener for how the rest of filming will go! and it looks like we're going to be travelling a very bumpy road for a while but we shall manage with a little blood, sweet and tears. 

We started off the night with getting our set's ready, this means setting up the "romantic meal' dining table and taking pictures of where the props were as this would stop continuity errors later. The actresses and actor went upstairs to get changed ready for filming while we did this to save time. 

We experienced some technical issues with lighting and location size, we quickly realised at this point that our storyboard wouldn't match our finished product for shot type so we shall have to change our story board later on once we have established which shots will need changing.

We decided to film scene 2 today as this is the bulkiest of all our scenes and the argument/death scene making it the most crucial to film and get correct. By kicking off with this scene we will be setting the expectation of work effort for the rest of our filming. We quickly realised we wouldnt be able to use Ryan as our main male actor as he wasn't ready to commit the effort meaning a lot of reshoots would be needed to perfect shots.

We started filming with Rebecca first at the dining table (shot 22 - 24) Rebecca was perfect and receptive to our needs she had no protests with re-shoots either, which was good considering shot 22 took 3 takes because of disliked camera positioning and lighting and shot 24 took 5 takes because we needed real emotion from Rebecca as this is the shot where 'Richard' makes his entrance from being extremely late home from 'work'.

Crew roles for our first day

Deanna

Deanna was the butter on the bread today, telling us which shots we would be doing and deciding how the girls make-up would best suit their personalities, she helped me when i needed help with the lighting as well and helped direct Cameron for the best cinematic angle on certain shots.

Daniel

Dan was in charge of sound recording ensuring we have clear sound that we can use and diagetic sound that we will need, for example the door slamming. He was also our group nominated PA (private joke) but considering we were in Dan's house we felt it best for him to make the cups of tea and food. 

Cameron

Cameron was in charge of the cinematography and shot types as his past experience in AS is more developed than the rest of us, Cameron also managed to master the focus and focus pulls on the new 600D DSLR camera so he was rightfully in charge of most of the camera work.

Myself
As for myself I was in charge of the lighting conditions of the set so it wouldn't affect the camera quality, I also dabbled in filming and advice in directing shot types or actors performance on set to minimise the need for shot retakes.

Overall today while we started off well we have come to the realisation that the storyboard and script will have to be changed if we are to continue filming in our present location.

Preparing for the Shoot!

Right so it's time to start shooting our film! we're starting slightly later than our other peers due to the unfortunate events that our actors dropped out at the last minute and finding replacements was tediously hard when most of the 6th formers are bogged down with stress and coursework and are very reluctant to give up their free time. We have had to aim lower in the age range for our actors than we wanted to go but desperate times call for desperate measures! after auditioning these younger actors we decided they were fairly well rounded to work with (Thank God).

The Equipment 

We start filming next week so in preparation the equipment we shall need has been booked, this includes the Cannon 600D DSLR camera, Tripod, Tracking Dolly, Reflectors, External Monitoring kit and Location Recording Kit. So we are well prepared for the shots we are to shoot next week and any shots we may want to change or try a different way.

Transportation

Transportation is still unsure because our location we are filming at is close to the school within walking distance, some of the equipment will be transported to the house of course because there is so much and it is quite bulky to carry, other odd pieces we shall carry. This is just for the first day of transportation to the location there are 2 people who may have to have to get lifts to the location regularly because they do not live local enough to walk, this shouldn't be a problem because they both have modes of transportation to and from location.

Documentation printing

All documents including scripts and actors release forms have been handed out by Deanna to the actors already in preparation for next week. Hopefully the actors will learn their lines so when we film for our first day we won't have to keep reciting lines to them. 

Crew Roles

There are precisely 4 people in our crew all have roles but all can interplay and take up other roles if they so wish. 

I myself shall interplay between roles of Lighting, Directing, Cinematography and set Setup. My other 3 members have specific crew roles and I help where I am needed or where I feel help is needed this is because in AS I bounced between crew roles then and tried to help to my fullest in all roles of filming, this gave me a broadenned knowledge of all areas in which I can help contribute in A2. 

Daniel's Crew Role

Dan is in charge of sound recording he was in charge of sound last year at AS and has an exceptional understanding of the equipment, he is also responsible for making the actors and actresses happy and comfortable because he has an effortless conversational side which should make them feel more relaxed and happy. 

Deanna's Crew Role

Deanna has the role of Director because she has the leadership of directing Cameron and Daniel like last year along with their actors. 

Cameron's Crew Role

Cameron handled the filming last year at AS so he has been appointed Cinematography again as he is experienced with shot types and the best view/angle to go about certain shots. He was experienced in using last years camera's but this year we are using a more complex camera so we shall see how quick cameron develops his skills on the Cannon 600D DSLR.

Practice Shots

Essentially focusing will be our downfall so we have been practicing with focus pulls and focusing on different depths of field this should eliminate or at least minimise our chances of messing up the focus while filming and have to re-film things. We may need to practice with the crane shots again, but we are unsure as to wether we shall be using the crane, our storyboard works better without the crane shot so it will more than likely be left out.

Shooting Schedule

With our chance to start filming just around the corner my team mates and I have formed a 'Shooting schedule' This details the day we shall be filming, what scene will be filmed, where it will be filmed, who will be filmed and an explanation/summary to help us remember what exactly we want to film and how.

Shooting Schedule Part 1

In part 1 of our shooting schedule we shall be filming scene 2 which is Alice and Richard's (The main characters) argument. The days in which we shall be filming scene 2 are indicated on the schedule and we will hopefully be able to get everything done in those 3 allocated days (wendnesday, thursday, friday)

Shooting Schedule Part 2

In Part 2 of our shooting schedule we shall be filming scenes 1 and 3 and possibly some of 2 if everything is not covered in the first 3 days. The second half of this schedule shall be filming the after math of the argument and Alice's funeral day. This schedule is more to help us than anything but it's posted so you can see for yourself what we endeavor to do.

Animatic

So an animatic is something we create from our storyboards, it shows how our film should go visually and we are meant to stick to these shots mostly.

This is our animatic it gives you a rough idea of how our film will look (but in colour and HD) it shows the plot more than anything, the animatic includes dialogue, soundtrack and foley sounds (e.g footsteps or doors slamming) which will obviously be included in the actual movie SO it needed to be added to the animatic.

\

Here is an example of a blockbuster animatic, as you can see the drawing is much more advanced than ours but it has the same principle of shot by shot pictures to illustrate visually the start of the movie.

Storyboard

This post is the storyboard for "Behind closed doors" it is an essential part to our 5 minute short film as this shows our visualisation of the film and the flow in which we pictured it to go. 

Before we even film we must make an animatic of these storyboard pictures with actors audio over the top and the soundtrack. The pictures of the storyboards are put in order on the animate and made to look like a still picture movie, this helps our peers and teacher see what our short film is expected to look like.

A lot of time is dedicated to the animatic and storyboards as this takes the longest of the tasks we must do before we film. Every from must have a number, every page scene change must be identified and every page must be numbered, not just to help us but to help Mr Hood understand our work.
As you can see on the Storyboard there is notes on wether the shot is Exterior or Interior, what type of shot it is and any further description or details we need to add to the shot, this is why the storyboards take so long, everything must be meticulously done and thought out before we may move on.

Here is our storyboard expect to see our animatic shortly after. 

Behind Closed Doors - Storyboard

Production Review

Okay So we're nearly at the end of our research and planning stage and now is the time to review our production so far and catch you up.

How are things going and what's happened so far:

So, so far we've learnt how to use our school's new DSLR cameras and editing software by creating a short Litter documentary and editing it in a production group, after showing this video to our peers for evaluation we discovered we needed some work on focusing these new cameras and an exterior monitoring kit to make focusing easier. Shortly after this Mr Hood assigned us to the work groups we were in for the documentary as our full time production team for our 5 minute short film.
Our first task as a Production team was to combine our shorts into ONE idea which we would plan, research and finally film IF we got commissioned, which thankfully we were. This is when we were given the reins and told to drive our team to get all blog post's, research and planning done in time for us to start shooting our films.

And here is where we currently are, so close to being done yet so far. Currently our Production team is behind on some posts but this isn't a worry, we're not so far behind that we won't be able to catch up in the near future, so the work load is doable. There's just a couple blog post's missing here and there that were meant to be completed and uploaded to our blogs but have slipped some people by with the work load we have going on for us at the moment, but never fear! Rome wasn't built in a day and neither were exceptional blog posts.
The deadline for R&P is looming upon us and growing ever closer (10 days and counting) and while my team mates openly freak out, I know we will pull through.

Our group discussion with Mr Hood
Each production team went in to a separate room for a discussion with Sir about our work and how well we were doing and while sir also see's we are falling slightly behind the other groups he's not overly worried as long as certain people learn to pick up their slack and other people learn to give the control out equally, which should free up uncertainty with members not wanting to do work while some individuals are missing and may disagree to changes. If implemented our work ethic should become more efficient and we should catch up in no time.

Risk Assesment

Right so because we're going to film off the school site we have to do a risk assessment of our location for our actors and ourselves. Here is a table of the possible risks involved with filming at our location.

A2 Media Risk Assessment

Location research & set pieces

In this post I will be showing you the locations that will be used within our film short and I will also be adding in the set pieces that will be used within each area of the location.

Exterior image of our Location:

The location for our 5 minute short is a house setting - somewhere that many arguments take place between couples and it also relates to our film's title which is "Behind Closed Doors" as in you don't know what happens in somebodies home once their front door is closed. 

The stairwell created the perfect death scene idea as it could be both an accident or on purpose should somebody fall down the stairs and its something so simple. 

The house's look itself looks like a family home, which is the atmosphere we want for our film. 

Although Richard works in an office and the audience can assume he has money, we feel that having our characters still living with Richard's parents allows us more give on the ages of our characters and the actors we get to play them.

Kitchen/hallway:

The hallway & kitchen are one of the three rooms we chose for our film to be set. We included the kitchen because not only do many arguments often start there, it has that element of danger in it - especially if there is somebody - like in our film - who is getting incredibly angry. The sharp objects like knives add that extra aspect of suspense - especially if we have Richard standing right next to some while the argument is going on, because at any moment he could reach over and grab it or for the woman to use it as defence. This won't happen in out film, however that aspect is still there and makes the kitchen one of the best places.

The hallway, although it is rather narrow which could cause us a slight problem with the filming equipment, is where we will be filming Alice lying at the bottom of the stairs and using it mostly at the end of our film when the female arrives to take Richard to the funeral.

Set Pieces

A photo frame will be needed for a film short so that Richard can pick it up and hopefully smash it on the floor. Inside will be a photo of Richard and Alice which he will then tear in half and let them fall to the ground.

 A couple of plates will be put on the drainer, along with perhaps some dishes. These two plates - or one - will be used to throw at the wall in Richard's frustration.

Living Room:

We chose the living room as another area of out location to shoot because it is meant to be a place where you can sit and relax and many memories happen within a person's living room more than any place in the house. By using the living room as a place for our argument we are subverting this idea of tranquillity and replacing it with the sense of hostility and an idea of being trapped.

 The table in the background is where we will be staging the romantic meal by using set pieces.

Set Pieces

These wine glasses are what will be placed upon the table for the romantic meal that Alice has made ready for Richard to come home from work. They are also one of the things that Richard will be throwing and smashing during the argument.

Obviously we won't be getting our actors to really drink wine and we don't want to have the glasses with wine in them due to one of them being smashed, so we are going to have the wine bottle placed near the centre of the table between the two meals. I thought red wine would be best as it links in with Christianity. The wine bottle in the picture won't necessarily be the wine brand we use - it's just an example. 

For there to be a romantic meal set out, we thought Alice could either have laid out the food just before he was meant to arrive home OR we simply have clean plates where they are supposed to be sat. The second idea may prove easier so we don't have to worry about serving up food and making it look exactly the same for each scene and cut that we do. 

 The digital clock is what we will be using for Alice to be monitoring the time. It's easier to film the time changing on a digital clock rather than a 24 hour clock. This will possibly be somewhere rather close to the sofa where Alice will be sitting at the start of the film.

Cutlery will be used to lay the table for obvious reasons. We don't want the audience thinking our characters eat with their hands - especially not at a romantic meal. 

A romantic meal wouldn't be the same without candles, however these candles will be melted down rather a lot to show the length of time Alice has been waiting for Richard to come home. The candles we will use will most likely be in jars or candle holders as to stop the mess. 

Stairwell:

The stairwell is probably one of the most important locations in our short and possibly the most difficult. This is where we will be shooting the climax of our film where Alice falls down the stairs - of course we won't literally be getting out actress to throw herself down them. They are also important as they are where Richard is first seen sitting on the them and the last place you see him at the end of the film before he gets up to leave the house.

Set Pieces

A small rug is needed to be placed at the bottom of the stairs so that when we come to using fake blood on the carpet - it actually goes on a rug that can be thrown away, we don't want to leave a great stain on the carpet of the house. 























Exterior

This is the exterior of the house we will be filming at.

Props research

This post shares this list and for each prop I have put why exactly we have chosen that particular prop item. All of the images displayed are just an example of what our props will look like.

Necklace

 

We wanted the girlfriend, Alice, in our film to be an innocent christian girl, somebody very sweet and pure looking. The symbol of a cross on a delicate chain seemed fitting for her characteristics, and the silver colour itself represents her innocence. Furthermore, after a little research, we found that Christians don't were gold much as it seems to have connotations connected to greed and mixes with the devil a little. 

We also wanted this necklace to seem dear to her - a present off her boyfriend, Richard. Through this we are going to have her clutching it a lot, and in her death scene we are going to draw attention to it a bit more. Furthermore, we want Richard to be holding it near the end of the film while he is waiting to go to the funeral, and also have a match-on-action as he drops it to the floor before he leaves.

Engagement Ring

 

The engagement ring was a new development in a narrative, however we think it really works well. We want the ring to again be silver because of the whole innocent look and the connotations of gold. The reason behind the ring in the first place is to show that Richard had actually been out late buying an engagement ring for Alice, but she thought he had been out late cheating on her: hence the argument. The idea of the engagement ring gives that extra twist at the end because it looks like he meant the ring for Alice, but he could actually have bought it for the female friend that we will have enter at the very end.

Watch

 

We wanted Richard to have a watch not only to make him look more manly, or to finish off his costume but to add a sense of irony to the fact he is late. With a watch on, there isn't really any excuse for being late - not really, so to the audience at first glance it seems like guilty is charged, until later you find out that he was actually out late for a nicer reason - or so you may think. 

A shot of Richard looking at his watch may be shown at some point during the film - most likely the at the start of the argument, or at the very end while he is waiting for the female friend to show up.

Book

 A minor prop that we felt actually had a strong impact on the film; if you noticed it. The front cover is a foreshadow of what is to come in the film and we wanted Alice to be reading a book while waiting for Richard to come home. The front cover of a man fallen down the stairs foreshadows to the audience that Alice at some point also falls down the stairs.

We also thought about placing the book at the bottom of the stairs during the argument so that when Alice falls down the stairs, the book is laid upwards revealing its cover once again; making the subtle foreshadow a lot clearer. 

Plates

 

Although these are more of a set piece rather than a prop, I felt I'd put it on the prop list also because the characters throw them during the argument. Richard mostly does this as he loses his temper. This display of shattering plates is typical during arguments, along with photo frames etc, and we felt the shattering noise the plates would make against the wall would be perfect during the argument as it sound violent and angry itself.

Prop List 'Behind Closed Doors'

Make up and special effects

After last year, myself and my group wanted to push the boat out just a little further and try out some special effects in make-up and actually doing realistic looking wounds and doing make-up to do that final touch for our actors and actresses to get into their roles and to help represent their characters more. This post shows you the rough ideas that we have about how to go about this and what they will look like. 

Alice's Make-up

As I have said in my previous post on costume research, Alice is a very natural and innocent looking girl, so the use of bold colours like reds and blacks are out of the question. We want soft warm colours or the gentle pinks and blues and only a small amount to highlight her features just a little. 

Idea 1 - Warm Neutrals

This is a rough idea as to how Alice's eyes would look

A gentle shadow of pink maybe

Idea 2 - Soft pastels, most likely pink

Another rough idea for the second look

The Wounds

So for the wounds I thought what would be best would be to use some scar wax and realistic fake blood which you can get from more face-painting or special effects shop. We thought this would make Alice's death look more realistic and any cuts and wounds on Richard's hand would just give our film that extra authenticity. Also, using the scar make-up and fake blood would look much better than buying a wound already made and sticking it on - sometimes they can be a real pain.

One drawback with this is that we would  have to make sure the wounds are done in the same place and the same way each time - however we are aiming to get all of these shots done first as to not have to worry about that later.

The video above is simply showing how we would go around creating the wounds using the wax this lady uses in her tutorial. The wolf marks on her cheek are one way of doing the cut marks on Alice's forehead from where she hits her head on the stair banister rail, however it would only be one cut and wouldn't look so wolf like.

This fake blood is perfect for realistic wounds as it doesn't dry or drip - its stays moist which gives that perfect look for our film

Example of the scar wax used

For Richard's knuckles, if we don't do the cuts on the back of his hands, I was thinking about simply using a type of blusher to make them look rather red and sore looking. This would stop the hassle of recreating his cuts to look old when it comes to the end of the film when he is waiting for the funeral, because red marks fade over time. 

Special Effects & Make-Up research by Deanna Hopps