Sunday -11/03/18
After spending the first week of this project debating and completing the proposal. I started the research into creating game show titles on Apple’s Motion 5. After reading articles and watching Youtube videos, I came to the conclusion there was not much content online in article or video format regarding the creation of TV titles. This struggle to find information maybe because of the vast number of articles and videos on creating a specific style of title using Motion 5 but very little relating to the style I was planning. To prevent this in future and improve my internet search efficiency I shall ensure at production meetings, the specific elements needed will be confirmed and be learned from the research in advance, therefore, I can aim my research at those elements.
After undertaking my first secondary research, I decided to work on another research method. This went considerably better than the previous research. This is due to the simplicity of what the research was asking for which was technical methods to create empathy between a character and the audience.
To finish the day off myself and Ingo had a conference call to discuss changes to the script, which Ingo was writing, debating what pre-production documentation was needed and what documents our roles required us to complete. We also spoke about potential locations we could use for different scenes within the film. Finally, I requested that we discuss the TV show titles so I could clarify my research into the design of these.
Week – 12/03/18 – Having completed the proposal for the production in the previous week and started working on some of the research. I set myself the target of completing all needed research and all needed preproduction for the film within this week.
Monday – 12/03/18
Aiming to fulfill this week’s target, I used today to make a concerted effect on the research I had planned. I started with secondary research into creating convincing set designs on little to no budget. I also started my research into the technical design of filming physical conflict. While searching through articles and videos I again found a lack of material with information I could learn from, for both research tasks. Reviewing the situation and comparing the similarities with the research I completed the day before I made the decision to postpone the research a day or two, allowing me to discuss the research with Ingo.
Tuesday – 13/03/18
Today was the first day Ingo and I sat down after completing the proposal allowing us to discuss the film idea in greater depth and begin the planning. Firstly we reviewed the new sections of script Ingo had added, we discussed and changed areas where we agreed upon an improvement, guiding the narrative or characters along more effectively. After this, we went into the studio and looked set design options with what the TV studio already had in the way of backboards and lighting. While on the subject of set design I brought up my dilemma with the set design research and after some consideration we came to the conclusion research on that subject would not be necessary as there would not be as much set design needed as originally anticipated. On reflection, a meeting to debate the research that needed undertaking may have saved Ingo and I some considerable time, as in our production meeting we decided some research was unnecessary.
In the afternoon we talked to a potential actor about one of the main roles in the film, informing him of the character bio, the film synopsis, and filming dates. The outcome of the meeting seemed positive and he confirmed he would get back to us regarding whether he could make the dates. Ingo and I then had a meeting with a course colleague regarding whether he could create some original music for the game show titles, this meeting also ended positively. On reflection what made the meetings so successful was that Ingo and I knew what the end goal of each meeting was which allowed us to tactically work together in terms of points to be made to entice the actor and composer.
Wednesday – 14/03/18
After provisionally confirming the main role of Slim DeChance with an actor and discussing the music with a composer. I created a provisional crew and cast list for all the people involved in the film and I then created a checklist to cross-reference their confirmation for the role and shooting dates, allowing myself to easily know if who available on the dates and which roles they would be. The crew and cast checklist is a document to be added to on a daily basis leading up to the shoot dates, meaning I can be as organised as possible.
This evening I completed secondary research looking into the portrayal of a physical violence on screen without showing it, I used a combination of methods to complete the research ranging from multiple screen grabs from a sequence in a film to single-shot screen-grabs and analysing their connotations
Thursday – 15/03/18
Today I continued work on the crew and cast list adding people’s positions and their responses to conversations and messages I had had with them regarding their availability for the positions on the filming dates. While working on this throughout the day I started a prop list detailing all the props we would need for the film, within the same document I planned to add the prices and online stores where the props would be available from.
Throughout the day myself and Ingo worked on the narrative where Ingo raised an issue he had within the narrative regarding the murder sequence. Understanding his point we started working on ideas to eliminate the need for murder within the film. At the end of the day, we had a few minor ideas as to where the narrative could go without needing the murder of the presenter.
Friday – 16/03/18
The first item on the agenda today was to continue working on a new narrative without the murder, as Ingo found himself questioning whether the murder wasn’t realistic within the narrative. I personally felt a murder was realistic but understanding Ingo was the writer I accommodated and aided him with finding a new narrative. While these discussions went on I continued work on the prop list, adding more props that myself and Ingo discussed we would need. I subsequently started on the budget which I worked into the prop list as those will be the only items on the budget.
Saturday – 17/03/18
I saw today as a slight break from working on the film, however, I still worked a small amount on the film to keep on top of work. I continued working on the prop list and budget from the previous two days, mainly sourcing the props Ingo and I had discussed we would need. I also worked on the crew and cast lists and the crew and cast checklist, messaging people regarding the availability and their roles within the film.
In the afternoon Ingo asked if we could have a call regarding the narrative, Ingo explained how he had created three different options for the narrative that avoided murder taking place and together we discuss the pros and cons of each option and developed them.
Reflecting on my performance today I feel like Ingo and I worked professionally together to develop the narrative options, discussing and debating which new narrative option was best and whether a new narrative was needed at all. I believe Ingo and I should continue this style of call as it can be such an effective tool in improving our film.
Sunday – 18/03/18
Again today I saw as a small break from working on the film, however, I still thought it was best to work on a small amount of the project. I started by creating the production schedule adding all the dates for our film and then other dates in which I knew I would be working on other people’s films. I continued working on the prop list and budget adding a few extra props and their prices on the list. I also continued on the crew and cast checklist adding a few people’s confirmations and also ruling a few people out. Some crew and cast members did not respond promptly to requests or discussions were needed, hence extending the time needed to complete it.
Week – 19/03/18
I felt the previous week had been successful, working on a large variety of the film from producer aspects to aiding Ingo with the scriptwriting. This in total has bought the film along considerably towards the end goal. However, on reflection, there are documents that are taking too long to complete, which I can foresee affecting the film’s progress. Within the coming week, I will set myself the target of completing the next stage of preproduction, such as risk assessments, and also continuing the search for actors.
Monday – 19/03/18
Today I started the shotlist on the parts of the script which Ingo and I were certain would stay within the script, such as the long take. I spent most of today working on the long take sequence writing a detailed description of the camera movements and the certain characters and objects which have to be seen in the long take. I also sent an email to a Stratford-based acting group regarding a search for actors to play parts within the film.
Tuesday – 20/03/18
First day back at college this week Ingo and I sat down to look through the shotlist and make any changes which Ingo, as Director, wanted to make. Throughout this process, we had a few debates on what shots should be in certain areas of the film. However, after hearing each other’s perspectives we concluded on which perspective was the best to follow. Following this I spoke to Jack to arrange to book the studio for the setting up of the set, I also spoke to him regarding the dates myself and Ingo were available for filming in the studio.
Wednesday – 21/03/18
Working from home today I made a continued effort to work on the shotlist and in accordance with the discussion with Ingo yesterday we had a call to complete the shotlist together after again more debating and opinions we came out with a conclusion. After completing this I started working on the equipment list.
Evaluating our working relationship even with the debates on shots and narrative we still managed to remain mature throughout the process and always came out with a conclusion on where to go with whatever topic was under discussion. Looking forward I believe this level of maturity when working together will aid us in the production and postproduction areas of the project.
Thursday – 22/03/18
I continued work on the shotlists starting to type it up into a smarter format on my laptop rather than keeping it in note form on paper. This was a relatively hard job as I had to try several different ways of presenting the shots, as ideally, they would be on the script however that format didn’t work as it didn’t allow enough detailed description of each shot. I ended up simply listing the shots one after another with added details. During lunchtime, Ingo and I sat down with James to discuss our narrative, to gather his opinion on it and if he could think of any improvements to it. After this, we practiced our presentation for the following day.
Friday – 23/03/18
Today Ingo and I presented our idea and proposal to the rest of the group. After some debate over the style the presentation should be and other aspects of the presentation. However, after our practice run through yesterday, the presentation that mattered today went well. We each stuck to the plan of delivering certain slides in accordance with our job roles on the project, which allowed the presentation to flow. Afterward we received questions from the audience which, again, we answered in accordance with our job roles.
The audience feedback revealed that most people liked the narrative, aided by the drawings Ingo’s Mum did of the 4 main characters. However many poeple did voice concern over hpw the characters would link between themslves and the narrative.
Week – 26/03/18
This week I feel I have not been as productive as the previous week as I’ve been caught up in discussions about the shotlist, which meant I haven’t been able to do other work. However, as the shotlist is such an important document within the film preproduction I feel the emphasis on preproduction is necessary. However, aiming to improve my performance in future weeks I feel like I need to be constantly working on other tasks to keep the progression towards the end goal.
Looking forward to the next week my aim for myself is to be ready to walk on to set and be able to start filming straight away on the scheduled filming day. To achieve this I will need to complete all of the preproduction and the setting up of the film set.
Monday – 26/03/18
Today I continued the formatting of a small amount of the shotlist and then made a start on the risk assessment for the main shoot.
Tuesday – 27/01/18
Back at college today I completed some primary research into achieving the vertigo effect using a dolly and a zoom lens, while I trialed different zoom lens, comparing different focal lengths and distances to move the camera.
Following this Ingo and I had a meeting with an actor which Ingo had organised to discuss a potential role in the film, evaluating the meeting I felt it didn’t go well due to a lack of preparation for what we were going to discuss with her and what role are we each were going to take in the meeting. In future, I believe that we should set an agenda and clearly state what roles we will take in meetings with cast and crew members as we had done previously.
Wednesday – 28/03/18
Today I purchased all the props from the props list after reviewing the budget. I then checked the schedule on the delivery dates for the props and that they would be delivered in time. I also created a cast and crew production schedule that detailed all the times and dates in which the different cast and crew members would be needed.
Thursday – 29/03/18
Today was a very practical day as we were painting the studio and setting up for the shoot later in half term. Once I got into College I delegated different tasks to the team of Joe, Ingo, Louis and B to help set up before starting to paint. Once we started painting Joe and I painted half the boards while Ingo, Louis, and B painted the other half. After the painting in the morning, I worked with Jack and Joe to set up the lights for the film. All in all, I felt the day went successfully as we completed all the tasks. After I arrived home I had already received a few of the props in the post and I noted which props they were.
Saturday – 31/04/18
Today I gather all the material and tools I would need for working on the lecterns for our set design. I used the few sketches of the lecterns design to work out how much wood I would need to build the lecterns. Then after purchasing the wood, I started off by creating the framing of the lecterns, these will fit as the main structure then I will add wooden panels to the outside of the frames.
Sunday – 01/04/18
Today I continued to the risk assessment adding further detail to sections, minimising the risk of injury to any crew or cast during filming. I then also worked the crew and cast checklist further detailing who would be available for the filming dates. I also collaborated with Ed on scheduling our films so that we would both be able to use the people we wanted to work on our films.
Week – 02/04/18
Last week I believe has been a successful week achieving all the targets I set myself at the start of the week meaning once we reached the shoot days and get on set we should be able to start filming with very little preparation needed on the day. The only props to be delivered in the post are scheduled to arrive before filming starts and I will have finished building the lectern before the shoot dates.
This week I believe I need to sit down and confirm an actor for the role of Slim DeChance, as the previous actor dropped out due to scheduling issues and then have a script read through, along with starting work on Ed’s film in the role of DOP.
Monday – 02/04/18
Over the past few days I have been messaging a potential actor to play the part of Slim DeChance, we met up in the evening to go through the character and for me to film his interpretation of the character for Ingo to review.
Wednesday – 04/04/18
I continue work on building the lecterns.
Thursday – 05/04/18
This afternoon Ingo and I had a script read-through with all of the cast of the film, unfortunately, two of the cast members were unable to take part, therefore, I read their parts out. On reflection from the script read through I felt it went successfully everyone who attended knew their lines and voiced the characters well.
In the evening I met up with Joe to gather all the uniforms and equipment Ed needed for his film, using Joe’s knowledge and understanding off WW2 equipment used by both sides of the war, together we gathered and placed in my car the assortment of equipment we would be needing.
Friday – 06/04/18
Today was Ed’s first day of filming, we had previously agreed that I would be picking the majority of the crew up in the morning to make the day more efficient, I started by collecting Max and Kieran. Once we’d got to the set, as DOP I assessed the location and set to check if any lights would be required for the shoot, I was making decisions about the openness of the set and with it being a fairly light and cloudy day no artificial lighting would be needed. While I assessed the location lighting I also noticed the sandbags which had been placed around the foxhole and stood out of place in terms of the mise-en-scene. As a result, I used my initiative and proceeded to cover the bags in mud merging them into the scene, allowing them to look more natural within the set. Following this, I set up the smoke machine and continued to primarily act as the smoke machine operator due to the lack of lighting required. As smoke machine operator I worked with the Director, camera operator and sound engineer to change the location of the smoke machine and the duration/amount of the smoke applied to improve the shot and sound.
On reflection of my performance today I felt I worked well collaboratively with the crew and cast to be as efficient as possible for Ed’s shoot, creating, in my opinion, some high-quality rushes. I felt if there was the opportunity and requirement for artificial lighting in the shoot I would have been able to have worked on a larger variety of tasks, which in turn would have improved my performance.
Sunday – 08/04/18
Today was the second day of Eds filming, the crew consisted of the same people in the previous shoot this is being Ed, Toby, Kieran and myself with Joe and Max acting. This shoot was different as it was set at night, the shooting began at 9 pm after I had taxied most of the crew to the set. Once we got to the location I set about setting up the lights, which was a key aspect of the shoot due to it being at night. I discussed the lighting with Ed and Toby, with me presenting an idea of the lighting and then discussing that with the two of them. After setting up the lights I resumed the position of smoke machine operator working towards the same goals as in the previous shoot.
My performance on this shoot I feel is a more accurate reflection of my role as DOP than in the in the previous shoot for Ed’s film. When I was setting up the lights I came up with a solution which I felt contributed a lot to the shoot. I’ve proposed the front facing LED panel should be tilted up into the translucent gazebo, which Ed had erected to cover the equipment. Doing this allowed for the light to disbanded and to create a softer look on the actors. This contrasted with the harsh backlighting. Alongside this Toby and I had discussed the colours of each light and agreed-upon a warm yellow gel for the front facing light and a purple gel for the backlight to represent the moonlight of the evening.
Week – 09/04/18
Overall this week I believe this has been a productive week with me completing the majority of the tasks I set out at the start of the week. I’ve also worked professionally on Ed’s film and I felt the script read through was successful and productive in preparing for mine and Ingo’s film.
The coming week is scheduled to be a busy week with myself being on a shoot every day of the week, therefore my target is to maintain a professional and motivated presence on the shoots and achieve all the scenes and shots planned for each day.
Monday – 09/04/18
After last nights shoot today’s was an early morning shoot, aiming to use the golden hour of sunrise. Unfortunately, the morning turned out to be overcast with light rain meaning the colour of the morning wasn’t as saturated as hoped. However, the light came across dull and grey which still portrayed the right emotion for the scene we were shooting. Due to Toby not be able to attend this shoot, I was placed on camera, which I normally I would be more than capable of doing a good job. However, due to the lateness of filming the day before, my performance was lacking the standard, I would have liked. In future, I believe allowing for more sleep would improve my performance and everyone else’s.
Tuesday – 10/04/18
This morning I drove into college to act on Louis film as the Prime Minister, I also aided setting up the sound for his film.
Afterward, Ingo, Louis and I set up the TV studio for our film shoot the following day, this required moving the backdrops and setting up the edit bays into the planned set design. I then worked with Jack on setting up the ceiling lighting in preparation for the shoot on the next day. After Ingo and Louis left I felt the backdrops were too far forward within the TV studio limiting the camera shot options so I asked Joe if he could help re-arrange the backdrops.
In the evening Joe and I completed the lecterns, this entailed drilling the side panel on, sanding them down and spray painting them in the appropriate colours.
Wednesday – 11/04/18
Today was the first day of mine and Ingo’s shoots, I had planned us to film scene 5, the gallery scene, and scene 2, the game show scene. The day started well with scene 5 being completed ahead of schedule allowing for a slight adjustment to the schedule to be brought forward. Then in the afternoon, we shot scene 2, which I had planned to be filmed as a proper TV show cutting between cameras during one take, however after trying that Ingo said as director he would prefer to film each camera angle separately allowing for more direction with each camera. Even though it eliminated the need for 3 camera operators which I had managed to arrange, we filmed with separate camera angles as Ingo requested. Scene 2 also managed to finish ahead of schedule, but as I wasn’t expecting this I had not planned for shooting another scene in the unexpected available time, which may have made other days of the shooting easier. Looking forward from this I will also bring the props and equipment needed for another scene in case a space in the schedule becomes available.
In the evening Ingo and I had a call to discuss the success of the day and how we could potentially improve the running of the day. However, I feel I could have been more reflective when it came to evaluating the day, as I felt that, we got all the shots we wanted so there couldn’t be anywhere to improve. I am disappointed in myself looking back on this, as I missed an opportunity to try and work out what actually went well and what could have gone better which I will aim to actively do in the coming weeks of the project.
Thursday – 12/04/18
On the 2nd day of shoot Rose Tainted Glasses(RTG), we filmed scene 3, the studio scene without tv cameras, and scene 7 the studio murder scene. The day was successful, in achieving all the shots we wanted to get. The murder scene took a bit more time than anticipated as I had to brief the actors on the health and safety of the sequence. Though scene 3 was completed with enough time to accommodate the extra time needed for scene 7.
Partway through the day, we realised we had made a continuity mistake in scene 7, with not putting a mic on Max’s character, 11. Which was on the character in the previous days filming. after some discussion on how the correct the mistake. I said I would find some time in the schedule of the following day to re-film a single shot to correct the mistake.
Friday – 13/04/18
The 3rd day of filming was the hardest day by far, as the whole morning session had been allocated to filming the 2-minute long take at the start of the film. I worked with Ed to set up all the lighting and Ingo worked with the actors on their lines and movements. However, I was informed that one of the crew members was going to be late, meaning shooting had to put back 30 minutes. In that time I decided that we should try some practice run-throughs of the shot. This was when I worked out that a cut wouldn’t be needed in the shot to free up some lights and to take the pressure of some of the actors. When the late crew member arrived we started the shot and got the 2 halves of the shot within a few takes.
In the afternoon we shot scene 8, a small crossover scene from the gallery into the studio, scene 9 the murder scene shot from the gallery and the after murder shot from a 3rd person POV, of 11, the contestant. All the scenes were shot with enough time to allow for re-shooting the continuity error shot from yesterday.
For all 3 days of the shoot, I feel everyone acting and crewing have worked professionally together meaning we could capture all the shots we needed and have time for multiple takes. Through within each day, there were moments when there was laughter or annoyance but we managed to control it and get back to working towards the end goal of each day.
Week – 16/04/18
Last week I feel has been a productive week, working professionally and collaboratively on other projects and my own. I’ve achieved all the targets I set myself at the start of the week. In future weeks I hope to bring the same professional and collaborative mindset to other people’s film sets.
In the coming week, I aim to film another scene of our film and prepare for the other scenes needing to be filmed.
Monday – 16/04/18
Today Joe, Ed and I painted the backboards in the TV studio back to their original colour of white, this was the last task needing to be completed after the 3 days shooting in the previous week. After giving the backboards a few coats of paint and confirming with Jack that they had been suitably resorted to their previous state, Joe and I went on to shoot the drummer scene of his music video, with Joe establishing me as DOP for his music video. Through the filming of the drummer, I suggested a 3-point lighting set up with a purple gel for the back-light to allow defining of the characters’ outline and an orange gel on the side light to portray a warmer tone to the shots. Finally, a plain white light as key, simply to illuminate the shot. I was also camera operator and with Joe’s direction as Director, he asked if I could use lens wacking for the drummer character and other band member characters. I used my experience of lens wacking on a previous project (RSC Advert Project) to aid me in filming this video.
Tuesday – 17/04/18
This afternoon myself and Ingo filmed our Make-up Scene, where the Censor provides 11 with the corkscrew that he uses to kill Slim DeChance in the next scene. The filming of the scene went well in my opinion, we got all the shots we needed and had time to clear up afterwards. Acting in the scene was Joe as Censor, Max as 11. The crew for the shoot was Ed on lighting and Kieran on sound, a combination that I find works well for producing the best quality film. On evaluation, I would say overall the shoot went well but at times there were periods where the motivation to complete the shoot broken down into messing around and decreased the efficiency of the shoot. But I felt these moments helped improve the overall mood on the shoot.
Wednesday – 18/04/18
Throughout today I worked as Director for Kieron’s Competitive CS-GO Game Show, Kieron informed me I had to get into college for 1:30 pm but as Director I felt I needed to get into college at 9:00 am so I could learn the set up of the show and how each part of the show will work together. I started the day by working on putting the set design together then aiding all the technical elements, such as camera, sound, and lighting. With the absence of the designated lighting man, I tasked myself with setting up the lighting. This entailed working with Jack on adjusting the ceiling lights and then programming the floor lights using the lighting desk to move and light up the contestants of the game show at certain times through the show.
Thursday – 19/04/18
On this day I worked with Joe and Ellie on their music video as DOP. I started the day with setting up the lights, discussing with Joe to what changes he wanted with the colouring of the lights and my ideas for facilitating the changes in technical terms. We concluded that the side lighting for each character in the music video should be coloured differently based upon the colour scheme for the video. I then worked with Ed using multiple lights, from LED panels with gels, ceiling mounted fennel spotlights with gels and also LED ceiling-mounted mover lights to light the scenes being filmed. I, again, worked as camera operator alongside Ed using Lens wacking and other methods to achieve the desired look Joe wanted.
Evaluating my performance today I felt I worked well collaborating with the other crew members on achieving the needed look and goal of the day. If I could improve upon any element of my performance I’d have worked with the producer of the project more before the shoot to be able to gain other equipment such as a slider or dolly system to expand the variety of camera movements. Learning from this mistake I will aim to work with the producers of projects I work on more to improve my helpfulness to them.
Friday – 20/04/18
Today was another day of shooting Joe and Ellie’s music video, we filmed the main character of Alice and the lead singer of the band. Like the day before I worked with Joe and Ed on changing the lighting in accordance with the colour scheme for each character and then worked as the camera operator with Ed for the shoot. In the afternoon I had a production meeting with Ingo to discuss his edit of the full film, my 3-minute edit of the film, the TV show titles and the schedule for filming the remaining shoots. In my opinion, I felt I had a productive day which allowed me to further develop my skill base as a DOP and also arranging my schedule for the coming weeks.
Sunday – 22/04/18
Today Ed, Joe, Max and I had a call to discuss Max’s shoot on Monday, Max informed us due to personal reasons he would not be able to film, allowing Ed, Joe and myself a well needed day off to complete paperwork. We also used the call to further develop our production schedules for the following weeks.
Week – 23/04/18
I filmed the planned scene but didn’t undertake the planning work for the remaining shoots needed. This will affect the later schedule as it may disrupt other people’s shoots.
In the coming week, because I didn’t plan the shoots, I will have to find time in the schedule to film the scenes for our film.
Tuesday – 24/04/18
Today was the 3rd day of working on Joe and Ellie’s music video. This shoot was on location at Ellie’s house filming the narrative development of Alice and the lead singer’s character. As DOP I chose the take a 2-point-lighting setup, along with an orange and purple/blue gel to create a more natural feel to the footage, along with using natural light. In term of the camera, Ed brought his 50mm lens which allowed for added diversity to the shots but also in terms of the aperture range as the 50mm could get as low as f/1.8, creating a large amount of blur in the background of the shot. Symbolically the low aperture aids the narrative for the character of Alice, as she is in a dream/drugged state, therefore the blurry background could represent her view on the world or how she feels. On the previous Friday, I believed I needed to improve my communication with the producer to be able to get all the equipment the Director and I needed and I made the same mistake today. There were some shots which the director wanted that required a tripod and we did not have a tripod, meaning a re-shoot will have to be arranged. I am more determined now to talk to the producer of productions I am working on to get all the equipment needed.
After completing Joe and Ellie’s shoot Ed, Joe and I went on to film with Jak on his film at the other end of Stratford. This shoot was peppered with problems with it being an evening shot, lighting was a problem towards the end plus it rained throughout the shoot creating a potential for damage to equipment. However, we overcame the weather by covering the equipment till the worst of the weather had passed over.
Wednesday – 25/04/18
Kieran’s casual show test shoot was today, which I was the floor manager for. I came to college for 9 am to help set up the studio and prepare the set. Like on the Competitive shoot, I ended up working with Jack to set the lights up for the show, however, there were no floor cans or movers to programme for the show. Later in the day after lunch, we started the test shoot, I had to communicate with the gallery, the sound gallery, and the studio to complete final checks, then once in the show started, I continued to work with each section of the production to allow the smooth running of the show. On evaluation of my performance I would say I lacked communication skills during the recording for fear of disrupting the show, however, if I learned industry-specific hand signals, it would allow me to overcome this.
After the test shoot I booked out two LED panels for Max’s shoot the next day, this was after speaking with Max and confirming what he wanted as Director and discussing my technical solution to reach his vision.
Thursday – 26/04/18
Today Max’s film shoot was scheduled, we had planned to start the shoot at 10 am however due to a miscommunication Max was stranded in Gloucester so I volunteered to drive the crew and all the equipment over to Gloucester to pick him up then straight back to set to start the shoot. Once at the location, Broadway Tower Nuclear Bunker, we were given a safety briefing on entering and exiting the bunker as well as moving equipment up and down the 10-foot drop into the bunker. As DOP I felt it was my responsibility to check all the knots were safe and to overview all the transferring of equipment between the entrance port and bunker. Once all equipment was in the bunker and we start setting up, this was when I realised I had forgotten to obtain batteries for the LED panels meaning we had no artificial lighting for the film located in a dark, poorly lit bunker. However, after playing around with the ISO, shutter speed, aperture and exposure stops in the camera I was able to get the camera to see enough detail in the bunker for Max’s liking. Reflecting on this mistake, that could have halted the whole day’s shooting. I will double check that all the equipment needed for the shoot has been obtained with everything else needs for that equipment to work. Looking back on today too, as a crew we worked really efficiently in capturing every shot, managing to complete every shot within half the time frame due to Max’s miscommunication in the morning.
After Max’s shoot, we went back to his house to transfer footage and have a small production meeting, evaluating on the day’s work and to discuss the schedule over the coming few days. After which Ed, Joe and myself went on to Jak’s shoot where we completed the last few shots Jak required. As the camera operator, I worked with him and Ed to capture the shots.
Friday – 27/04/18
On this day Kieran’s Competitive Qualifiers Broadcast was scheduled, which I was Director for. The day started similar to the test shoot for this show. However, the setup times a lot shorter as Kieran had scheduled a 30 minute set up, which I questioned the night before suggested a longer set up time may allow for a better show. As Director of the show, in the morning I felt more in a position to manage and delegate different tasks while also completing tasks myself to aid the setup. During the set up I worked with Kieran to discuss tasks needing to be complete then I asked different crews members to complete the tasks. While this happened I worked with Jack to position the ceiling lights in the studio, then I programmed the floor movers once they had been positioned in the studio and linked up the gallery light desk. Once completing the set up I invited the first two players into their positions on the set and garters the other contestants and placed them as audience miners while they waited for their round. I then got into the gallery and started planning camera positions and movements with the camera operators, then planned cuts and lighting changed with my vision mixer and lighting engineer. Having sorted most tasks I wanted to check everyone knew the running order which I discussed with the PA. We then started the show which went successfully in my opinion, there were a few minor errors in the transitioning between the gameplay feed and pips of the player into the camera feeds of the presenters, but nothing too dramatic to create a problem with the entire show. After the second round, we broke for lunch where I spoke to Kierans regarding how much cutting he wanted during the gameplay itself. He explained no cutting was needed as the gameplay is the important content and not the presenters.
Saturday – 28/04/18
I used today to prepare for the final few film shoots of mine and Ingo’s film. I started by completing both risk assessments for all the scenes we were filming. I then added details of the shoots to the production schedule, such as what scenes were being filmed. So that everyone would know where they had to be for shooting.
Sunday – 29/04/18
Today I had a call with Charlotte to discuss her shoot on Wednesday of the coming week. We spoke about lighting set up, her influences for the shoot and about any equipment she would need for the shoot. She also explains the main concept for her music video. I had this call with Charlotte so progress through a target I set for myself on Thursday 19/04/18 of the production diary.
Week – 30/04/18
The previous week has partly successfully with me working on a variety of people’s projects, where I feel I worked professionally to achieve the goals set by the directors and producers I worked for. However I only manage to plan some of the shoots remaining for mine and Ingo’s film, which may lead to problems in the schedule.
Monday – 30/04/18
Today was scene 10 (Interrogation Scene), I came into college for 8:30 am after picking Joe up in the morning to allow us to set the scene up in the small radio room. Before the shoot we cleared the room of all the tables and chairs and other radio equipment. After pre-preparing the room Ingo spoke to Max regarding his acting in the scene while I worked with Ed to set up the lighting and worked with Joe to have pre-recorded audio of the scene playing in the background. The filming of the scene was efficient and we all worked to a good quality.
Immediately after shooting scene 10 set up my camera in the studio to take pictures of the previous presenters of Identity Crisis. The simply was asking members of the crew and other people to dress in the presenter’s clothes.
After completing scene 10 and the taking photos of the previous presenters the group of us, Joe, Ed, Max, and Ingo, followed by Patrick(Slim Dechnace actor) and B filmed Scene 4 the green screening scene. Due to myself being so busy on other people’s projects over the previous weeks I had been struggling to find time to organise this scene, therefore, we were originally unaware were we could set up and film the green screen. But after some discussion between Simon and I, we managed to obtain the HND common room to set up the green screen. In future, I will have to create time to plan shoots allowing for them to run smoothly.
In the evening there was Joe’s and Ellie’s re-shoot. The main purpose was to capture the mirror sequence using a tripod, a piece of equipment we didn’t have last time and also to film a few extra shots with Beth. I acted as DOP and camera operator for the shoot and believe all the lighting and camera work contributed well to the rest of the footage.
Looking back on today my performance has been a mixture of good and bad, from being poorly planned for Rose tinted glasses shoots to then completing them efficiently and working professionally on Joe and Ellie’s shoot. I believe the turnaround and my own performance was greatly helped by the crew of all the shoots I worked on today.
Tuesday – 01/05/18
Ingo and I used today to discuss the post-production element of the project, we specifically spoke about the colour grade, the TV show titles and the different edits he and I will be doing. After this discussion, I continued to work on the titles while Ingo continued working on the edit.
In the afternoon we did a quick location recce for the hallway scene, the final scene, to be filmed.
Wednesday – 02/05/18
Today I worked on Charlotte’s music video as lighting and camera operator, because of our call on Sunday I was aware of the lighting set up she wanted for the music video and I worked with Jack to set up the lights. afterward, I worked with Charlotte to find and discuss shot ideas.
Thursday – 03/05/18
On this shoot, I dove over to Ed’s the night before to allow us to get a good start on the shoot the next day. Like on previous shoots I worked as DOP, but unlike in previous shoots, I was on camera as we thought to have two cameras would allow for more footage for Ed to chose from in the edit. Therefore Toby and I were on camera with me being a camera A and Toby on camera B.
On reflection, I felt the shoot went well as we all worked together well, however, we didn’t manage to achieve all the shots ed wanted to get due to time constraints with Max working in the evening. Though thankfully the remaining shots didn’t require the whole crew and cast to be present to shoot them.
Friday – 04/05/18
Kieron’s final Broadcast for the competitive shoot was today I worked as the director like in the previous shoot. The setup time for the shoot was a lot shorter this time, meaning we could start filming a lot sooner. Once we started filming everything went successfully don’t want any major hiccups and we captured all the areas needing to be filmed.
Looking back at my performance I’d say I could have performed better as a director if I had been more adventurous with my cuts and shot choice within the gameplay section of the show.
Week – 07/05/18
The week has been productive there haven’t been any major errors in my performance, in my opinion, and I when working on other people’s projects I have worked to my best to achieve the targets they set out for the shoot. I’ve also started the post-production of RTG, discussing the different aspects of this stage of the film with Ingo.
Monday – 07/05/18
For throughout today I’ve worked the Tv show titles, building the environment in which the titles will take place. Since designing the original titles the concept for the titles has changed in a accordance with me learning new tool and effects that can be used in Motion 5. However, any changes in the titles still work with what the titles need to provide for the purpose of the narrative of the film.
Tuesday – 08/05/18
Today I continued work on the TV show titles making further progression on Slim DeChance’s titles. I also complete the spin logo to be placed over the transition between game show’s two halves.
Wednesday – 09/05/18
Like in the previous week I worked on Charlotte’s shoot as Camera and lighting, working with Jack to set the lights up then working with Charlotte on different shots.
Thursday – 10/05/18
Today I worked on Bilal’s shoot as Director in the tv studio for the main scene in His and Matt’s film. After some confusion on the script, we managed to achieve the desired look they wanted. Though what really helped me to direct the cameras and the actor to a point. What was really helpful was that Bilal has sent me his influence a few days prior to the shoot, allowing me to break down the different components of the influence so I would know how to re-create them. I found that a lot of the side cameras were constantly shaking, creating a sight unprofessional look to the video.
Friday – 11/05/18
I was floor manager for Kieran’s final broadcast for his Casual show today. As floor manager, I worked with the gallery, sound gallery, and the studio to complete tasks such as sound checks, the general running of the show in the studio and informing the on-screen crew of any changes to the show. Once we had started there were a few mistakes which I feel were prominently my own fault, such as stepping in shot a camera line of sight before getting confirmation that that camera was not live and not making myself clear to guests moving between on and off screen positions. Thankful though I was able to minimise the damage done by working with the gallery to overcome the issue.
After Kieran’s shoot I worked on the final scene of Jak’s film, the mirror smashing scene. Before shooting I set 2 stationary cameras that would hold the same shot through, while Ed and myself held different camera positions that would track the smash.
In the evening I completed work on Slim DeChance’s TV show titles and after showing Ingo the Final product and making a few minor adjustments I started work on the New Presenter’s titles. Just primarily meant removing all of the Green screened footage of Slim DeChance and replacing it with the New Presenter’s green-screen footage. I also started looking into different aspects of colour grading I felt I needed to know more about, such as grading a shot to be white balanced, grading skin tones and how to use Davinci Resolve efficiently.
Saturday – 12/05/18
Today was simply carrying on from last nights work on the colour grade and the New Presenter’s TV show titles. I continued to watch a few more videos on how to use Davinci Resolve to learn about nodes, which are affectedly different layers to apply different types of colour grade. In its basic form the first node would be while balancing the shot and correctly exposing the shot, then the second would be to grade the skin tones and the third to finish with the overall colour of the shot.
Sunday – 13/05/18
Sunday was a continuation of Saturday with me completing these new presenters TV show titles and me continuing to colour grade the film.
Week – 14/05/18
Looking back on this week I feel is been productive overall but there have been opportunities I’ve missed to work on the titles and colour grade leaving them to a slightly last-minute rush. Unfortunately, with nearing towards the end of this project there’s not I can do to improve upon this later in the project, however, I can learn from this mistake on future projects.
In the coming week, I aim to complete the colour grade within time to the deadline and seeing going to link the footage back up with the audio to complete the Full edit.
Monday – 14/05/18
Today I did a small amount of acting for Bilal and Matt’s film after which I continue to colour grade. I asked Simon and Jack for a small amount of support for the colour grade as I was struggling with knowing if the grade actually looks good or bad. So I asked for their opinion on certain shots, from this I was informed I had made the grade far too dark.
Tuesday – 15/05/18
I completed the grade, exported the final product and transferred it to Ingo, I also transferred all the TV show titles over allowing Ingo to complete the final edit.
Pete Musgrave Media 