Thoughts...

Thinking back on the shoot we did in the house, I feel we should have gone further with the seduction scene. The 'wine scene' we shot, which featured Chris being seduced by Jen was too cliche or predictable. Perhaps we shouldn't have been 'scared' to go further, to create a more impactful/memorable scene for the audience. For example a more intimate scene on the bed could have taken place. Saying that, we didn't know to what extent our actors were prepared to go too!

I'm hoping during the edit, the footage I captured is of a good quality, as cinematography is something I really want to push forward in.

Fingers crossed!

... every time I look back on the work I've done, I am always learning from mistakes and trying to better myself at the things I do.

Lighting/Camera Floor Plan

Below is another lighting/camera floor plan for a short scene which involved Chris and Liz drinking, smiling and laughing together.

Re-filming On Location - House!

After the disaster we had filming at the house, we arranged to re-shoot all of the footage at another location, in another house. This time around it we were successful (to an extent) in getting the quality footage we needed. However this didn't come without it's problems! For example the simple layout of the bedroom scene was awkward in a way that we couldn't possibly arrange the lighting in an effective way, to capture a shot without the lighting itself being in shot... this meant we spent a long time figuring out the shots we could achieve, whilst slowly but surely running out of time.

Time was the major concern of the shoot; we didn't have enough time to capture the shots I wanted, leaving us with us some good footage, but some mediocre footage that I thought could've been better. Being the cinematographer, I knew that if we had more time to shoot, I would've been able to capture more of the shots I wanted.

The sound recording aspect went well (finally!), as there were next to no interruptions throughout the day.

We shot a couple of scenes on and around the bed, which featured our main character being  seduced, and a scene of him being stalked by the girl. 

Floor & Lighting Plan

Below is a lighting, camera and floor plan for the scene in-which Chris is being seduced. This was particularly a difficult one as we could only use the lighting equipment on one side of the bedroom, restricting us to what we could do.

NOTE

I feel it's worth mentioning that because of the limited time we had to film the scenes that took place in the house, and the unexpected calamity that took place during the first shoot (in the first house), we didn't have time to storyboard the scenes/scout the second location.

This wasn't much of a problem, as Tom and Jess created a 'schedule' to follow, telling me which shots we needed and in which order.

Equipment List

Below is the equipment list for our main shoots.

1x Cannon 550D DSLR
1x Kino
1x Dedo Light
1X Reflector
1x Standard Tripod
1x Track and Dolly

Being the cinematographer, it my responsibility to book out the equipment we needed for each shoot. There were no problems with the amount of time we had the equipment for, however on one occasion a couple of the Dedos were not working, so they were swapped; luckily I checked the equipment the day before the shoot, so problems occurred.

Progress

This morning, we gained access to the rooftop again to shoot the ending scenes of our film. Fortunately the weather was roughly the same as the last time we filmed on the roof so continuity wise it worked.

We used the track and dolly again to capture Chris on the floor, waking up after he 'passed out'. He stands up and is shocked to see Liz stood in front of him with a ring on her finger. The shots we decided to go for consisted of a POV, a side-track of Chris on the floor, and a backwards track revealing Liz on the roof as Chris stands up.

Filming for the '3-way' scene takes place this Wednesday!

Filming on Location - House

Filming the house scene in which Chris proposes to Liz took place last week. The filming that took place went well, we got the shots we needed and shot with enough variety to be able to choose the shots we wanted during the edit.

However, concerning the sound, it was a disaster. Whenever we filmed there were constant shouts, bangs and music in the background. Despite one of our groups' member's little effort to quiet them down, it didn't work. Therefore, we have decided to re-film the entire house scene (apart from the kitchen scene), another day, in another house. Filming will take place on Wednesday morning at Tom N's house, and fingers crossed this time around the sound will not be a problem.

Our actor's have been particularly helpful, collaborative and have shown great interest in the production of the film. Outside of filming, we have socialised with one another which has enabled us to become a tighter unit/team.

Focusing on my aspect in the making of the film, cinematography, we went with the traditional 2-way shot whilst the couple were on the sofa, cutting back and forth. We also attempted a POV of Liz, as Chris attempts to take her shoe off, shortly after proposing.

Drama Inspiration

No Country For Old Men has always had an influence/impact on me, especially when it comes to cinematography.

The film features beautiful shots, especially scenic. Shots that are impactful and allow the audience to feel the essence of the film. Some of the tracking shots featured in this film, as well as this clip (shown above), have influenced me in our film, for example moving the camera towards our main protagonist, as he looks into the camera, allowing the audience to capture his emotions and body language.

Drama Production

On Monday, our group filmed the roof and corridor scenes of our 5-10 minute piece, it was great fun exploring the location (the rooftop), offering great views 12 floors up. It allowed us to capture some brilliant shots with the use of track and dolly.

This was the first time I'd used the Track, fortunately it was simple to put together and provided us with some surprisingly smooth, visually pleasing shots.

The corridor in which we filmed in was exactly what we were looking for... all white, walls, ceiling and door (apart from the floor!). The lighting on the ceiling as we tracked forward behind Hugh (our actor) down the corridor fit the mood we were going for. The levels changed slightly as we moved forward towards the door, creating a nice 'trippy' effect/illusion.

After filming in the corridor and rooftop, our next job was to film the scenes in the house.

Final Script - 10 Minute Film

Here is the final script for the 10 minute film -

Corridor Scene Plan

Below is the plan for the corridor scene in which Chris appears to be in limbo, he is dazed and confused.

The lighting in this scene came naturally from the ceiling lights. It worked perfectly for the look we wanted to achieve, therefore we didn't use any of our lighting equipment on hand.

Scouting

These following pictures are from one of the location scouts me and Jess (the producer) went on, for our 2-minute film. We wanted to find architectural buildings that were visually pleasing, and stood out from the others.

Planning for the 10 minute film!

Planning has begun for our 10 minute video.. we have the foundations of an idea that evolves around a male character, who chucks himself off the top of a building. Now in limbo, the character follows himself on the events leading up to his suicide attempt. We encounter two more characters, his girlfriend, and another male who is later found to have been sleeping with her. The ending will hopefully feature the main protagonist finding himself on the rooftop, grabbing his (own) shoulder and pulling him back. He then subsequently wakes up being resuscitated.

The majority of our group felt we should scrap the original idea of having our character (form the 2 minute video) becoming a tamp after the prospects of getting a job are dashed.

We've thought of possible locations we could use and will hopefully be getting in contact with people soon (assuming we go ahead with this idea.)

The showroom's roof could prove to be a great location for our opening. 

Re-Shooting

The week after we found ourselves re-shooting the entire film. Fortunately this time around, we filmed everything we'd shot the previous week, with the benefit of acquiring more new shots.

This time around we used the Daedo lights, which benefited us greatly.

All the problems that arose the first time around (over-exposure, certain shots being too dark to be used), were thankfully non-existent the second time around. We captured a variety of shots that complimented the narrative of our film; close-ups, low shots, high shots, long shots etc. 

As the day progressed, I was unsure with some of the shots we'd filmed, for example the shot of the 'cheese-grater' appeared too out of place for my liking, but then again it tied in with the theme of our piece.

Filming on Location

Filming commenced last Wednesday, throughout the morning we progressed in a more than productive manor; we gathered the shots we needed, and sound was to be collected another day by Alex.

However unfortunately, when the footage was in it's editing stage, a majority of the shots were either over-exposed, or too dark. On location, it was difficult to know whether the shots would be too dark or not because on the viewfinder the shot(s) seemed fine.

Here are a couple pictures I took on the day of shooting.

Storyboarding

Here is the first half of the storyboard i've created. I think this provides a solid foundation for the visualisation of the film.

 Because we can't physically show our character (in this case Matt) talking on-screen, I had to think about ways in which the audience can still hear/understand what's going on, whilst showing visuals that don't seem 'pointless'. Therefore throughout the first half of the storyboard I've chose to include cut-aways that will hopefully connote signs and symbols of Matt's situation and current lifestyle.

Also, close-up shots of the protagonist's eyes are current, as I feel we can push body language and emotions through visual means.                                                     

The shots change from fixed shots, to hand-held shots, hopefully to indicate, or sub-conciously show the audience that his world is unsettled. Also, to help us (the audience) feel more involved with the piece.

I'll forward the piece to my fellow group members, as well as Tom who'll carry on with the job of finishing the last half.

Visualisation

It's really hard attempting to visualise the room/place we'll be filming in when we haven't had the opportunity to scout the location yet. Currently i'm creating the storyboard for our piece, and I know that once we've scouted the location next week, the majority of the storyboard may need altering! However hopefully this shouldn't be an issue, as once we've seen the location, taken pictures, created floor-pans etc, the process of visualising our piece on paper/on-screen should be clearer.

The vision i currently have in my head, is a scruffy studio apartment that features a couple of tables, a small sofa, magazines laid out around the flat, and a tall fridge that stands near the entrance.

On another note, a dose of inspiration on how we'll be 'decorating' the flat for the over-all mise-en-scene of the film, has come from The Big Bang Theory, an American sitcom that is widely known around the world.

 Possible props in the show could be implemented into our film, for examples magazines, pens, documents, and other mandatory items. However, saying this, our character is to be portrayed as someone who doesn't earn much, and strives along with little amenities... back to the storyboard i go!

Exercise update!

Jess has forwarded the screenplay/script of our 2-minute exercise piece that we will be running over tomorrow afternoon, discussing and altering (if need be). Following this, it will allow Tom and I to get underway with the storyboarding process.

Upon first glance, the script appears to be heading in the right direction we were going for; a fragile person once shaken, and one who struggles to tackle setbacks in his life.

A few alterations I think need to be made, for example the manager Dom I feel should hang up after Matt's penultimate line, creating a more dramatic effect on the main character as well as the audience. Some lines of dialogue could do with tightening up, but apart from that I seem pretty happy with the initial script!

A small dose of inspiration

Sitting peacefully and comfortably on the train reminds me of how i've always enjoyed the concept of following a character during their journey from one place to another. Train journeys always allow me to  open my mind and think about anything to everything.

It led me onto thinking that perhaps our lead character could venture on a journey, both literal and psychologically.

I also watched the film Wanted recently, a film in-which i believe is insanely far-fetched, but at the same time fun, action packed and dramatic.

My Personal Role - Cinematographer

Being assigned the camera role, i have been thinking about what I can/need to offer towards the project. During today's session, we discussed what each role involves, and you're expected to do.

Here's another mind-map i created that helps me gain a clear understanding of what is expected for my role/other roles.

In the next week, i shall be creating a storyboard with my partner Tom, who is the director. We decided it would be easier if i created the first half of the storyboard, and Tom continues on from what i've initially created. We'll collaborate with one another during the process, and discuss the vision we are wanting to achieve.

In the mean time, i'll be looking at external sources that may influence me in my creative process.

More to follow! :)

Narrative Exercise!

We've been tasked with creating a short 2 minute piece, followed by a longer 5-10 minute piece.

I have assigned the camera role, or 'cinematographer'... before today's session, our group collaborated with one another to discuss ideas and expand upon them. From the get go we decided to think of something fresh, other than the ideas we created for the session the week before.

Following this, we came up with the idea of a protagonist who has a low source of income, and a low quality of life. Consequently, we decided to have this character lose his job, and emphasise upon the idea that he has hit rock bottom. Our lead character, after losing his job, loses his mind.. anger, frustration, desperation, sorrow and more emotions will tried to be portrayed on-screen through a heavy use of body language, facial expressions and blocking.

Here is a quick brainstorm i created whilst we were discussing and developing our concept.

Ideas we came up with in terms of helping the story progress, included our character perhaps entering a supermarket with a £1 coin, after being mistaken as a tramp on the street. He purchases a lottery ticket, thinks he has won the day or two after (or on the day), but has not. The idea of false hope shall hopefully be portrayed effectively on-screen.