Soleless

I’m really proud of the team and our final product that we named ‘Soleless’. I feel that we have made a good film and that we really pulled it together, overcoming obstacles and missing editors. I think it a shame that Chris didn’t come back to see the end result of all our hard work.



I do think that there are ways that the film could have been improved, for instance we had to cut a vital section of the narrative out due to some shots that we didn’t film, I think it would have helped to tell the story if the section had in the film. I don’t think that audiences will find the film particularly moving or meaningful but I personally find it hard to be negative about something which we all worked so hard on. I’m really proud of Soleless.

If I had t do it all again I would probably change the script, watching others teams films was really interesting and I saw how creative people were with the script, branching out from the original to create something different that still had the same message.

A Disappearing Act

Well, our chief editor Chris disappeared! This was quite problematic as he was the only one who had done the editing demo. However we all pitched in to get the film finished. Abi and Josh became the chief editors and Patrick and I assisted. This was due to Abi learning how to use the software really quickly and Josh having previous experience with it. It was a real group effort. I looked for music and found a few tracks that I thought we could use, however Josh had some music that was more accessible that he wanted to use.



If done again I would have liked to have had a more active role in the editing process, I would have done the demo but there simply wasn’t time enough for me to learn. I did however find this video that was helpful in understanding the basic workings of Final Cut Pro software. I plan to take the demo’s next time regardless of my role in production because you never know what could happen.

Filming Take Two!

With the weather looking brighter we set off with a suitcase of props and costume to film the shots we needed in town. However we ran into a few problems. Our actress that we had scheduled to come and film in the morning in a supporting role didn’t show up so we had to change the schedule around which also changed the shot list.
Later on the other actress we had scheduled to play another role also didn’t show up. So we had to improvise using ourselves as actors. This made my job quite hard because the shot list kept changing and I had to act at points as well as trying to get the shots ready.

We made it through the day though and were all very happy to call it a wrap. I am slightly worried about the editing process though due to the shot list changes, but I tried to keep a note of the changes. I also think that we may have missed a few shots that could be important, we maybe able to rectify this in editing.

Filming over, if we did it again I think we’d have to have better communication with the actors from the university as Abi only had their email addresses. Perhaps it would have been better to meet up with them first, before the filming weekend.

Despite the problems of the day I think we all coped really well, Josh the director really kept us motivated and I feel that everyone worked really hard.

How short is a short film?

I found this funny short on youtube, it was entered into a 5 second short film festival. It made me think about how we discussed how long a film should be in class. I think that this is a really good short film and that it shows that you can tell a story in a short a time as 5 seconds.

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.

Training Wheels

I felt some what like I had jumped in at the deep end when we had our practical practice in the last workshop before filming weekend. I was a little unsure at first, slightly nervous but it was really productive and useful. I feel that because of this exercise I was able to get a feel of what my role during film production should be as stage manager and I think that all of the group benefited, as it helped us pull together as a team.

I didn't know what to expect, the class exercise gave me and the team an idea of what it would be like during filming, it felt really professional. It also made me realise just how organised I as stage manager needed to be. The class practice of course was different because we only got the shot list half an hour before filming and I didn't know how the shots were supposed to look, in so far as where the camera would be etc.

Preparing for Action!

After the meeting I started to think about my role as stage manager and what I would need to prepare for production. As the shot list was at this point incomplete I used the script to make lists for character costume, make up (if any) and props that would be needed. I then began to gather the needed materials so that we would be ready for filming weekend.

I also met up with the main actress at this point to check that she was available for the filming weekend. I went through the script with her, explaining her role within the film and the story and checked that she was still happy to act for us. We then discussed costume as it would be easier for her to bring her own clothes, and the shoes which luckily she had a pair of new ones that fitted in well with the story. This was better than looking for or buying a pair of shoes for the film as we didn't have much of a budget and they would also have to be her size.

I then spoke to the owner of the post office in person to ask if it would be possible for us to film there, I went through the part of the script with him so that he could see what we would be doing. He was very nice and agreed to let us film. I then checked what time would be best for them as they are quite busy over the weekend and we didn't want to disrupt their trade. After this I filled Abi in so that she could add it to the schedule.

I really felt like I was contributing, and I really look forward to seeing everything coming together when we film. Getting the props together, some of which I had to hand make, reminded me of when I went to The Lord of the Rings film convention in London some years ago. I remember seeing the sheer amount of props involved and being astounded at the intricate detail that went in to each prop, no matter how small. I've found that As The Clever Crow Flies blogged their experience of the convention, if you want to take a look-which I really recommend you can check it out here.

Thinking about how much work went into those props really motivated me to get descent props, it also made me appreciate the fact that I'm working on a much smaller film!