Making a Film Take One!

Action!

With the schedule and shot list in hand we all met bright and early at our first location on Saturday morning. This was a scene in the post office and it was actually quite difficult to film due to the lack of space and customers coming into the shop. We were limited for time so we kept the shots down to a minimal amount.

The rest of the day went smoothly apart from the onslaught of rain we had to put up with all day which made filming a little difficult at times, trying to keep the equipment and camera lens. This did slow us down somewhat but we managed to keep on schedule.

I think we were all very tired at the end of the day, after 12 hours of filming, and we all departed looking forward to some rest and hoping for a drier tomorrow.

After this first day I have realised how much filming is about teamwork, how we rely on each other to work hard and co-ordinate with each other. I also feel that successful filming has a lot to do with successful communication. Being able to give your opinion in a way that is constructive rather than just critical.

In terms of understanding my role as stage manager I realise how important the shot list is for organisation, and how important it is that the shot list be followed as it made my job so much harder than it needed to be when it wasn't.