Unit 2 Part B

Script

We made a few adjustments on the script, we got rid of the dialogue as we felt the film would work better without the dialogue. 

Storyboarding

Our cinematographer Francis, cameraman Kelsie and director Owen went through storyboarding each scene with Owen Sherwood the storyboard artist. This mainly consisted of the angles of the shots and linking the forest scene to the lair scenes. For exampling having the forager kick leaves to the right of the screen and the next shot is Alder throwing dirt with a similar movement and to the same idea as if its following off from the leaves being kicked.  The storyboarding was important for our planning so we had the vision of our film laid out on paper and when it came to filming we weren't deciding on what shot to do as it was already planned. It also gave us a visual idea so that if things didn't match we could change it accordingly. 

Props & Costumes
Our Art Director went through the script and wrote a list of all the props & costumes, we then looked at which props we could bring from home and what we would have to buy. The foragers costume was pretty straight forward and the actor had most of the items, Alders costume was a green dress which our art director found in one of the charity shops.

Prop List

Risk Assessments -

Our producer evaluated the locations thinking of every possible risk we could encounter on the days of the shoot.

Below is are Risk Assessments - 

Forest Risk Assessment 

Lair Risk Assessment

Shooting Schedule - 

Thursday Shooting Schedule

Wednesday Shooting Schedule

Our producer and first AD planned our shooting schedule so that we would be organised on the day of the shoot. We also planned the shots so that we used the actors productively so that they wouldn't be waiting around and wasting their time.

Call Sheets -

Feedback
During the shoot I will be getting on going feedback while being clapper loader. For the cameraman would give me feedback on whether the clapper board is in the right position, with the feedback given I will have to adjust accordingly.

During the shoot I will also get feedback from the director on what ideas may have changed while shooting and possibilities on how I am to edit the whole thing together so that it works and what his vision for the film is.

During the editing process, I plan to share the edit drafts with the director and sound person. So that they can help me improve, as well s see the changes i will make.

Deadlines
There were several deadlines for this project. The first deadline was the planning stage, as we had to have everything planned in time to start filming on October 26th Wednesday. This lead to the next deadline, of having 2 days to film and get all the shots we needed. Everything from the visuals and the sound had to be done by the end of October 27th Thursday. This was so that post production could begin. As I was editor I had till the 21st for picture lock which was the final deadline. Before this there were deadlines for rough cuts November 7th so that our composer could start working on it.  

promoting the film
The film is being screened at Cambridge Arts Picture house on the 28th November. We will be able to bring friends and family to attend, and get feedback from the others in our group as well as others who come to watch. The film will also be put on social media platforms such as Vimeo or YouTube.

Unit 2 Part A

LEADERSHIP SKILLS 

• Communication skills – The group I’m working with will have people I’m not comfortable with and have never met or worked with before. As editor and clapper loader, I will have to be communicative with everyone, especially the director in order to understand what his vision for the short film is. On the days of the shoot I will have to communicate with the 1^st AD to make sure I know what shot is next. I will also have to communicate with cameraman & sound, to make sure that the clapper is in place and can be heard.

•  Organisation skills – On shoot as I'll be clapper loader I'll need to also be marking off which shots have been taken will create less confusion and a more effective and smooth shoot that’ll also help me when it comes to the edit.

• Calm and understanding -  Shoot days might be stressful, however stressing out will only make everyone else more stressed which will not result in a productive shoot. As clapper loader I will have to repeatedly ask the 1st ad what shot we are doing, this may get a bit irritating however I must be understanding as might be stressed as he's in charge of a lot of things during the shoot. 

ARTS PROJECT

To make a short film in a production team of young people aged 16 - 19. All 3 stages of film production will take place, we will go through pre production, production and post production. This will be so that we make our film as close to industry standard a we can. Pre production will consist of adapting our script, storyboarding, location scouting, thinking of costumes & props, risk assessments, legal and ethical issues. Once pre production is all in place, we will start production where we will have 2 days to shoot our short film.Once production is done it will be post production and as I got the role of editor I will be editing the project with help from Ryd. Once the edit is complete, there will be a screening at the Arts Picture house where we will get feedback on our film and how to improve our film making.

MY ROLE 

I was appointed the role of editor. My role is the only role that carries on from after production and the shoot. I will work closely with director so that I have a clear idea of his vision and can carry that forward in the edit. On the days of the shoot I will be the clapper loader and will be marking each shot to simplify the editing process. I will also be logging the footage on the days of the shoot and making sure we have all necessary footage I need for the final edit. On shoot I will have to work alongside the 1t AD so that I am aware of what the next shot will be and what shots we have left. Once production is over I can start on post production and start editing together our film. 

Unit 1 Part D

ARTS CAREER RESEARCH

●      Learn about the film industry organisations through participation: career pathways and how to participate in  local arts provision

Guest industry professionals: 

Ryd Cook -

Studied at Long road Sixth Form College

Been making films for 14 years

Started by filming skateboard videos

A part of the BFI Film Academy

Went to University for a bit but realised it wasn't right for him

Made films on his own/friends

Started working at Picturehouse

Films screened at Picturehouse

Won 2 awards at film festival

Teaching filmmaking for 9 years

Tips -

No excuses
Keep making films
Make friends + connections
Help others

It was interesting to see the steps Ryd has taken to get to where he is now, especially as I am currently studying at Longroad and similar to him got into film making by making videos with my friends outside of school in my spare time. Living in Cambridge he showed me that there are opportunities close to me that I can be a part of that will help me achieve more experience in film making. 

Henri Salonen -

• From Finland
• Studied Popular music at Anglia Ruskin 
• Composing music for the past 19 years
• Moved to composing film music and sound design.
• 
  

Stevie Haywood -

• Front of house engineer for bands
• Worked on music in studios
• Worked on films as a sound mixer
• Degree in film studies
• Just finished working on Sense 8 series 2 and about to start working on UK Say Yes to the Dress.

I found it fascinating how Stevie started off working with bands and then moved on to sound for films. This showed me that every thing you do is important and could lead to something greater, as well as that anything is possible and things don't always happen as you expect it.

Bradley Stearn -

Studied film, media and ICT product design at Long road
Went to Ravensbourne college to study film production
Twisted all units into cinematography as that was his main interest
Worked as a camera assistant during uni
Freelance camera assistant
Kept a blog, listing things he learnt mainly as notes for himself and to help others

Hearing from Bradley was very interesting as he was still quite young however took every opportunity he could get and so has achieved quite a lot for his age. He showed me that you must never stop working and learning as work experience is key. So even though the job role you get may not be what you want, it'll lead to valuable experience and will help you get to the role you want.


David Winstone -

• Studied Film, English, Psychology and History at Longroad
• Studied film and tv production at Westminster university
• Graduation film won student ward
• Scholarship to NFTS to do a 2 year MA
• Worked on a web series, BigTalk. 

Research for the future -
I am currently studying media diploma and english literature A Level.
I have been researching on several universities to study media and film production in 2017.

I looked online at several courses choosing courses I liked and thought would suit me best.

Leeds - Film, photography and media - http://media.leeds.ac.uk/ug/film-photography-media/
Attended an open day and went for talks on the uni as well as on the course I was interested in.

Sussex - Media Practice - http://www.sussex.ac.uk/mediapractice/
Attended an open day and went for talks on the uni as well as on the course I was interested in.

Newcastle - Film and media - http://www.ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/p303/#courseoverview
Attended an open day and went for talks on the uni as well as on the course I was interested in.

Brighton - Moving image - https://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/study/moving-image-ba-hons.aspx
UWE - Filmmaking - http://courses.uwe.ac.uk/W293/2017

Visited both cities but didn't attend open days, however have spoken to people who study at these universities and have read as much about the courses as I could find.

I have also looked into what film opportunities there are around Cambridge. I have a membership at picture house and have checked brochures to keep up to date with what they offer.


I was also informed about Ruptured screen and have created an accounted and asked to join.
This will inform me on any film related cambridge vents and opportunities as well as get to know other film makers in Cambridge.

●      NFTS residentials applications



What I have learnt
The masterclasses with the industry professionals taught me a lot. As I realised there were lots more roles I could be interested in as well as a lot more elements within one role. Beside this I also learnt that it does not hurt to start from the bottom, the most important thing is to always keep working and learning from others. I also learnt that if the opportunity arises for a role in the film industry I'm not particular interested, it's best to take it as it'll only help me agin more knowledge and experience. From the research I've done, I've realised there is a lot that I can do around me that will help me become a better film maker. I've also learnt that different places offer different things and the possibilities are endless. 

Unit 1 Part C

ARTS REVIEW

Review of a live cinema/film event
Virus of Fear

The story is based on a children's swimming school. One of the swimming teachers, Jordi is accused of kissing a child. The parents do not react  well to this. Jordi insists it was a gesture to calm the child as he was scared. However the story escalates. The film is based on a Catalan theater production and discusses the difficult subject of the sexual abuse of children. Raising questions of modern day society and how we are quick to judge and don’t think what we may say or do on social media could impacts us which results in things quickly spinning out of control. The film frequently goes back and repeats the same scene showing the audience a slightly different view point or starting at an earlier point that we didn't see first. When this first happened, it was quite subtle as it started at a different point but then soon led into the scene we had just seen, I turned to my friend sitting next to me and we both exchanged a look of 'oh' as we realised we had already seen this, the 2nd time around the 'oh' turned it confusion, why was this happening? I and never seen a film that took on this method, however I started to quite like it as I soon realised it was showing us how one is quick to try understand the story and make assumptions without all the details, which was the case in this film and the situation Jordi was in. However after a few rounds of going back it did get a bit repetitive and I ended up getting a bit fed up as it meant saying the same scene again and again and by now I just wanted to know the ending. This method of that the director and editor chose to use in the film was interesting to me as an aspiring editor. The creative impact and the message they tried to achieve through this method came across, which was down to the editing of the film. As it maintained a good pace and started off quite subtle and gradually went into the repetitions being more obvious.

There was an interview with the actor who played Jordi, he acted in both the play and the film. I remember him saying how watching it again a few years after its first release and when he first saw it, he didn't like it as much as he did before. He also explained the reason for the film going back and showing the same scenes, he explained that as a theater performance they had the stage in the middle of the audience, therefore they would rotate so that both sides of the audience had the actors facing them at one point. I found this interesting, as I've always been in to plays and especially different styles.


As I Open My Eyes

I saw this film when it was screened at the 2016 Cambridge Film Festival .

Set in Tunisia as the revolution in 2010 was beginning. The film follows the life of Farah a girl who is approaching adulthood. She’s just done her a levels and her family want her to study medicine and become ha doctor, however she wants to study music and is a part of a band where she uses music to express herself and the situations in Tunisia. The film was a sort of musical as we followed Farah through her band practices to performing on stage, all leading to conflicting issues within her love life, family and politically.  Having once lived In Sri lanka, I noticed many connections with the rulers being tyrants and the expectations of womens behaviour. As even within the youth you see how Farah is expected to behave primarily because of being a woman. The cinematography was basic and nothing to be amazed by, however this highlighted the importance of the story as the beauty of the film was in the direction of the story, acting and music. Overall it was a very moving and a thought provoking film.

After the screening there was an interview with the Baya Medhaffer who played Farah. The interview was insightful as she mentioned what its like under the dictatorship of the president and how it’s still prevalent. She also mentioned how she was not a singer and all the scenes with singing was shot live. This was interesting as the singing scenes were filmed making the audience feel as if the were at the gig watching them perform which created the characters emotions within the audience.