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.