Trick of the Dark - Update (17/05/18)

Today we finally wrapped on Trick of the Dark. As the deadline of our extension is on the 21st, today we had our final shoot in time for the footage to be edited for the hand-in date. Our final shoot was in the cave, the location where more than two thirds of the film takes place. The shoot was in place so that the director could shoot some scenes which were narrative potholes within the film. The scene we shot today will hopefully add onto what is already a semi-coherent narrative. I was there today to be of service as producer. We were originally set to turn up at 10 where we would meet our actors, but we pushed that back to 11 this morning due to the fact that we had to get the equipment first. Evidently we have learned from our past mistakes on this project. There have been times when we have turned up late for our actors, on numerous occasions. Today ran a lot better. We got there for around quarter past 10. It takes us roughly 15-20 minutes to walk down to the beach with all the equipment, and when we got there I said that I would set back off to meet the actors whilst the crew set up. I was enjoying the fresh air and I would have had little to do anyway, so I made the trek back to the car park. The actors arrived around 20 past 11. I escorted them down to the cave where the crew were all set up. From there on out we had an extremely punctual shoot, lasting until around one o'clock. The director got all the shots he needed, and I was there to mark everything down on the log. The footage and the log have been passed directly on to the editor who started editing the footage shortly after the shoot. Despite the shortcomings on this project over the last few months this was a nice way to end it, and I hope we've eventually made something of redeeming quality. 

Below is the production log from the shoot. 

Trick of the Dark - Update (15/05/18)

Today we had another shoot for Trick of the Dark. Over this week, between the 14th and the 21st, our deadline extension is in full effect. This extra week has been given to us to see the completion of the film. Today we had organised one of the shoots for the evening. The content of the shoot was going to be the interior scenes with Scotts wife, a character who appears in the current cut in the film without any prior mention. The aim of this shoot was to establish the characters position, and that is the fact that she doesn't know where she is. We of course already know that he is trapped in a cave. The scenes we shot today were essentially information fillers as I would call them, which make further sense of the story we currently have. 

When we arrived at the location which was a house, we got there around 7:00PM. We soon realised we had all the equipment aside from lighting. Something either went wrong in the booking form or the collection of equipment for this to happen, but instead of focusing on it we had to figure a way around it. I suggested that instead of using the indoor lighting which would look harsh and flat. In my experience house lighting can never light your subject properly as it comes from top down, and cannot be moved or adjusted to highlight or shadow a subject. Whilst I'm not a cinematographer, I understand the basics enough to point this out. Instead I suggested we use the dying light in the back garden. This offers you more stylistically and even though the lighting isn't perfect, it would be ten times better than standard house lighting. We went into the back garden and there the director and the d.o.p were able to work out what they needed. I was on production log duty, which was easy enough as there was only 10-15 shots and the sound was being recorded there and then, that way I could make note of the success of the visuals and the audio based on crew feedback. 

The shoot went smoothly in parts, though at times there was no sense of urgency. Despite the extension, there is still a clear lack of motivation for this project. It's hard to put a finger on what that is. I can only guess that it is due to this project being shot over a long period of time and not nearing completion, that this lacklustre feeling has manifested itself in everyone involved. My role is to sit quiet on set and monitor the progression. And as I have previously stated, my role on this project is not a creative one, but I will do anything I can to see it finished. 

Below is the production log from the shoot.

FMP - Summary

Today, on deadline day, I stand at the end of my degree reflecting on all the things I have done. Despite being able to weigh up the good and the bad, and all the decisions I have made as an individual and as part of a collective, there isn't a single thing I'd say I'd like to change. And that to me is the perfect way to conclude an incredible experience. The mistakes I have made may have been costly, but I never like to see them as a mistake, only a lesson. Two days ago I was on an ITV set of Dickinson's Real Deal. I had landed myself some paid work as a runner. It is on that day that I realised how much my degree actually meant. Being able to see professional camera operators, sound mixers, producers and directors in one place working as a collective made total sense. It wasn't all that different from the structure we know within our crews, and despite the scale of it all the informality was still there. I was boom operator for the day, shadowing a camera operator and recording the sound in camera with a guy named JB. We got on really well on the day, and as I previously stated, I had always undervalued my degree in all honesty, seeing it as nothing like the actual industry. I had built up this romanticised idea of the 'industry' in my head where everything runs like clockwork and there are no mistakes to be made, with no spontaneity. I was very wrong. The spontaneity ran the show as we circled the venue shooting anything of interest. One of the most intriguing things for me to have seen on that day was a fully qualified camera operative with 30 years in the industry struggle with a tripod screw as we do on a daily basis. Even better, being able to help him pack up the equipment without struggle due to all the experience I have had doing just that. We also had a fantastic discussion over our dinner break about film stock - in which JB was extremely surprised and somewhat enthusiastic about the fact that CCAD offers us an opportunity to work on 16mm film. His own words were - "the fact that you've had experience on film leads me to believe you will have discipline within the field" meaning camerawork. He is right in that sense, and even though that was repeated over and over again during the 16mm film module, when it comes out of a professionals mouth it all makes sense to you. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and I had the chance to speak to some ITV producers, the only thing that could top that would be to eavesdrop on ITV producers. Which I did. All day. At the end of the day I shook hands with JB, and we both admitted it had been a pleasure. We got on really well and after a bad start with sound operating side of things, he taught me a hell of a lot. The guidance he gave me will stay with me for a long time. He told me to add him on Facebook, and as I had mentioned my interest in camerawork he said his best friend and business partner is looking for a camera assistant. I will undoubtedly follow up on that lead. Another crew member even had the chance to get a snap of me at work. 

In terms of my degree, this year has really ramped up the pace for me and that's the way I like it. I have that one of the most important elements for anyone involved in a production is momentum. Once you get into your research and the shooting of a project, the creativity flows naturally and takes on forms of its own. Its when you stop for a brief period - such as Easter, that the momentum breaks down and comes to a halt. At that point it becomes difficult to pick up the pace again, for everyone. As a director or as a producer thats where you have to step up and show people why the project is worth it, and lead by example. Even though admittedly it has been very hard to do that at times, you have to get your head down and get on with it, and without a doubt that momentum will pick up again. This is what has made FMP such an incredible experience. For 7 months of my life that momentum has been ongoing, and each day I have woken up with a vest and a new outlook that has enabled me to continue with my work. Although FMP officially began in January 2018, for me it began in November 2017 with the screenplay. The writing side of Echoes of Silence was quite a lonely thing. You have to sit on your own, creating a world of your accord. The exciting thing is the thought of then creating sets, gathering your crew, and going out to shoot that screenplay. For me thats where the fun begins, the sociable and tiresome side of filmmaking where everyone is walking through blistering rain with a heavy piece of equipment just for a shot or two. There's no reason to be doing it if you don't like it, and with my Final Major Project I have loved every minute. 

I have discussed many times in this blog my ideas about going forward. Despite my love of this degree and the people I have met, I somewhat feel that only half of my passion has been catered for. I equally enjoy the academic side of the process. Reading and writing on the subject of film studies, and contextual understanding. This is why I am going forward onto a MA degree in the field of film theory. Not only this but the degree caters for the side of me that loves practical filmmaking. Although I do feel that I am ready for the industry, I am holding off right now by going into my MA degree. I am confident in my abilities and although I feel like I can offer something to the film and television industry, I want to fully understand my craft before I can do that. I anticipate that my MA degree will allow me a greater understanding of both theoretical and practical filmmaking practices. In two years time when I am 23 years old, I will have had 6 years of theory and practice experience in my arsenal. Whilst I am always striving to be better, I understand and acknowledge that there is no limit to this profession. I will never be the best I can be, and I will never be content. I can fully accept this as part of my life and be happy with it. 

I would ordinarily be quite sad to be leaving CCAD behind, with all the great people I have met and all the great times I have had. But as I discussed in the beginning of this post, I would not change a thing for good or bad, and that is the perfect state of mind to be leaving behind something which has been part of my life for 3 years. It may be deadline day today but my degree is far from over. Over the next few weeks the time I have will play a crucial part in the success of Echoes of Silence. There are a lot of specific details which have to be acknowledged and altered in the edit in time for the VUE show, the deadline for that is June 1st. I hope by then that Echoes of Silence is as good as it can possibly be, as a testament of my time at CCAD and for the audience on the 11th of June. 

GoFundMe - Completion

Today the GoFundMe was completed, just in time for hand-in! We reached our goal of £500 with the help of our friends and family collectively, and through sharing the campaign across our social media platforms. At the start of the campaign over a month ago, I thought we would struggle to reach this amount. Whilst at times it did seem like we weren't going to get there, we had the occasional surge which edged us closer and closer each week. I feel like the importance of the money coming in from the GoFundMe page has been understated. Without this funding the film would not be what it is today. The money has allowed us to achieve everything we set out to achieve with production design, costume, props, and has now allowed us a leftover amount which is to be dedicated to festival entries. 

I strongly believe that this campaign demonstrated our commitment to the project, which ultimately bolstered the amount of donations. I like to think that with each donation people have invested in our passion for our chosen area. Looking back I don't think we would have reached our target without the GoFundMe video which we made a few months back. On top of FMP I see the GoFundMe as a worthy side project for all of us. We were able to demonstrate professionalism in front of camera, and in doing so I think we were able to grow as individuals. Doing anything that makes you uncomfortable can so often make you better at that thing, so I'm really glad everyone on the crew agreed to do it and presented themselves so well. 

In summary the completion of the GoFundMe tops off what has been an incredible Final Major Project for everyone involved. It has given us a platform to create this film to the standard it is currently at. 

Echoes of Silence - Film Poster

Today I received some alarming news in regards to the film poster for my final major project. In the past module Professional Practice, I submitted a very bland and simplistic poster that was not fully ready. I did so because I wasn't able to have a professional photoshoot in time due to availability of the photographer. After hand-in I made plans to shoot a poster after the next hand-in which was for Final Major Project. I made this decision because of how busy I was with shoots and editing for the project I was supposed to be making a poster for. I decision to make my film poster after deadline was so that I could still make it without interruptions which have previously forced me to either reschedule or miss out completely. 

Today I found out that I do actually need to hand in a film poster for Final Major Project, which is something not many people were made aware of. It is too close to hand in for me to organise a shoot and make a poster through photoshop, so I'm forced to use the poster I submitted for Professional Practice. I was even told a few days prior that I shouldn't have to worry about a film poster being submitted, but today I've been told a totally different story. It's all quite confusing at the minute in terms of what has to be submitted for academic purposes, but despite all of that I still plan on making a high quality film poster to promote the film after deadline. I have spoken to Ryan who created the concept art for the GoFundMe campaign about helping me create that poster after it has been professionally photographed. We have spoken over the artistic direction of the poster, and I am eager to get it sorted in the coming weeks. Below is a few images of film posters that I am taking stylistic influence from in achieving a design for Echoes of Silence. 

Trick of the Dark - Update (10/05/18)

Despite all of my previous worries and reservations about this project and my involvement with it, we have reached a point where we are able to showcase a coherent film. Though at the same time, it is maybe not the film we collectively hoped to make. From the initial emergence of the project, it was clear that it was to be a 10 minute film. We were all quite happy with this, as it meant that it wasn't a wildly ambitious project, and with projects like this you can harness the energy of a would be 20 minute film and focus more on your micro elements - camerawork, sound, editing etc. It gives everyone that extra leg room. The first few months were extremely slow and confusing for everyone. There was a lack of communication, motivation, and willingness to make the film succeed based on the aforementioned issues. We were indecisive on the main piece of the puzzle with this film, which was the central location. As it is almost all set in a cave, we played around with the idea of how to shoot it for too long. We initially had a real cave location, then a set, then ended up bouncing somewhere between the two shooting stuff that hopefully matched. This week, we had to make a final decision which was to shoot inside of the cave, which is located at Blackhall rocks, a 20 minute drive away from the uni. 

Much like Echoes of Silence, Trick of the Dark has slowly progressed giving the editors time to consume the footage that was coming in and work on it right away. The issue with Trick of the Dark on the other hand, was that there wasn't enough being shot, and this was inevitably going to mount up on our editors right next to deadline. We were forced to reshuffle the crew and bring in a new editor, to free up space for another editor due to double booking which would cause immense stress around hand-in. Once we made that head on decision to shoot in the cave, things have vastly improved. The large volume of footage which we shot in the cave, which I also mentioned in a previous post, has been worked on over the past few days. The editor has instantly shaped that stuff into a coherent film, which is all thanks to the directors preparation prior to the shoot, which enabled them to see exactly what was needed to achieve that coherent film. Though a film now exists for Trick of the Dark, it is less than half of what we wanted it to be at the start. It is around 4 minutes in length, and excludes much of what was originally planned in pre-production. At present their seems to be a divide in what we should do from here on out. There is a feeling of 'this is as good as it can get' which is definitely the case prior to hand in. The film we have crafted over the course of this week is an acceptable submission of our efforts, which is somewhat annoying as we all know we could have done better, but it is what it is. I'm one of the crew members whose stance on it is that we should continue after hand in to make the film that was planned all along. Theres no reason for us not to meet the next deadline which is the 1st June for the Vue show on the 11th with a much better, fully completed and polished film. I will be pushing for this in the near future, in the hopes of convincing the director and the crew that we can achieve great things with it. 

Echoes of Silence - Update (10/05/18)

Today I was able to see a good 80% of the film in an edited timeline. Over the past few weeks we have shot a large chunk of the film - around 40%. During that time our editors have been working away on the footage that has been coming in, putting that in a timeline based on the script and storyboards and colour grading the footage. This is where a lot of the pre production planning came in handy. From the earliest stages of the film I provided a big canvas which was filled up with the storyboards and shot lists. I also left notes for the editors on specific images which were tagged with importance in regards to visual effects or some sort of elaborate editing technique. Over the past few weeks the narrative timeline and colour grade have progressed nicely, and now it's reaching that point in post production where I have more time to sit down with the edit and work out the finer details. At this point its all about the specifics of the story, and the edit is the time and place to focus on nailing the characters, dialogue, theme and timing all in one coherent fashion. In the past I have had some great experience in working with an editor/editors in post production. One of the main things I have learned that is essential in the edit is patience, and that is something I inevitably going to take into the post production process of Echoes of Silence. 

Today was the day, as I mentioned, that I got to see a lot of the film. As things stand I'm extremely optimistic about the few weeks ahead in post production because there seems to be less technical issues than we usually have. The quality of the sound seems a lot better than our past projects, which have required hours of work in immense detail, often leaving us stressed about the project and wishing it to be over. With Echoes of Silence that isn't the case. So far we've hit no real issues in the edit, and everything is going extremely smoothly. As the footage has been coming in regularly over the course of 3-4 month, it has given our editors time to perfect sequences in advance. I anticipate that in the next few weeks we will be fixing and changing things in meticulous fashion, which I see as a great thing. Our quality of work now means we aren't faced with huge issues, but small ones which are either easily fixed or worked around. We are now four days from hand-in as I write this, and we are almost in the perfect position. We still have one and a half scenes left to film, and unfortunately one of the important final scenes may be missing from the hand-in version of the film. This was down to a deeply personal issue with one main member of the cast. We were supposed to shoot that one full scene today, and the half scene tomorrow then we would be all finished for hand-in midday Monday. However last night I received a call from a member of the cast who was scheduled in today that they would not be able to make it for personal members. I understood their position and I sincerely empathised with them, telling them not to worry and that we'll shoot that scene in due time, and that they must take the day off to get their head around things. I made this decision on the basis that we have already committed ourselves to our best work of our degree, and despite the film not being perfect for hand-in, I undoubtedly believe we have outdone ourselves in every way possible. We are extremely privileged to be in this position, to be able to do what we love as a group of likeminded of individuals, which is why we have to remember that we are only human at the end of the day. If something arises which makes someone upset or takes them out of the mindset required for a day of filming, I'd much rather see them rested than force on them a feeling of discomfort through what would be selfishness, and my desire to see the film done. Despite this major set back, I followed up with our cast member in question today and they have informed me they're willing to film tomorrow to complete our half scene. I anticipate that like all of our previous shoots, the one tomorrow will go smoothly and will fill the gaps in the edit for Monday.