Trick of the Dark - Shoot #1

Today was the first official shoot for Trick of the Dark. Schedule-wise, this is a lot later than we all had hoped for but the past is the past and we have to focus on the coming weeks. Myself and the Director had previous complications regarding casting, where cast members consistently became unavailable or dropped out of organised shoots. This is never new to student productions so I feel like although it has been disappointing, we're conditioned for it and we have to get on with it. 

D.O.P Liam Robson setting up for the shoot. 

This first scene we shot was shot in its entirety, however it was only five shots in total. As co-producer it was my role to supervise on set to make sure we were running efficiently and to operate objectively in everything I do. To me the role means having no creative input in the film, something which is quite alien to me as its the first time I have produced. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to sit and observe, and to bring up things like potential continuity errors and more importantly to keep on top of the production logs. Ironically the first scene we have shot is the very last scene in the film. This was another unusual situation for me in which I had to adapt mentally, as I had become accustomed to shooting my own film chronologically. 

The shoot involved two cast members and four members of the crew. Unfortunately because we were shooting in the sound stages again, we were unable to record sound which we'll have to do though ADR. This is a recurring issue which we have no control over (unless we wanted awful sound). It's a shame that the stages haven't been sufficiently soundproofed, but I imagine they will be if CCAD as an institution wants to attract filmmakers and production companies. 

Overall the shoot went very well and only took 3 hours or so before we were fully wrapped. The production logs and all of the necessary paperwork are complete on my behalf, and they are ready to go to the editors next week when we return from Easter break.