Preparation: Me, Myself & I

Before i shot my film i decided to prepare my garage by going to B&Q and buying some matte black paint. I also bought a pack of rollers, so when i got back me and Andrew cracked on and painted the back walls and gave it a second coat. Once finished i began to make room for the lighting and camera equipment, i also found a problem as there was light breaking trough the door. So i then chose to get a dark towel and block out the light so i could capture a better image.

Overall i thought this was a good idea and it worked out well with no problems with light bouncing back off the walls though obviously we did have trouble with shadows of sorts. This really helped with my film and gave me a lot of time to shoot as i did not have a required time to leave.

Me, Myself & I shooting day no.1

So on Thursday i decided that i needed to start to shoot for my film. Yet i did want to shoot on the Wednesday as that was the best day as you can see from my weather report. But due to all the equipment being booked out i had to make do. So i started the day by getting all my equipment before hand and setting off to mine. Once we got to mine the first shot that took place was the out door scenes shot in front of my house. Establishing shot, tracking dolly shot & a few close ups were involved in this section of filming. Ethan was my Camera Op and Andrew was my Sound Op for this one which fared very well as they worked hard to achieve what i was asking of them.

So i moved on from here into the garage where i decided to shoot my scenes that were suppose to show my emotions and thoughts in my head with the lighting and other sorts. This went very well but did take a good amount of time which lead to the battery dying in which we decided to charge it up and head to Tesco for a break whilst it charged.
On our way back i told them the plan of action of what i had left to shoot. I contacted my actors that i would be using and was informed that they would not be ready until 4:30, so i decided to get the shots in my house that would lead to the end of the film leaving only there shots left to capture.

It hit 4:30 and to my annoyance they were 30 minutes late heading to five O'clock which was rather infuriating as the area became much darker than before which would clash causing continuity errors. But i went ahead and tried to get the best of what i could capture out of there time but suddenly as we began to set up on location it began to pour down with rain leaving me with no option but to pack up and re-schedule for another day to capture my final scenes.

Weather report/ Shoot date

This is just to let my crew know about the weather as it will be on the day I have chosen to shoot the outdoor scenes for my film. As you can see I have picked a good day in which too film as it is really the only good day of the week. The shoot day is Wednesday the 25^th, though if all of my scenes I need are not shot in that time I will open Thursday as a possibility to get the further shots I need to finish my filming process and move onto my editing.

The shoot will start at 10am and have an open end, as I do not know when exactly I will have all of my shots finished. I will obviously take into account any one of the cast or crews needs as well as times that they may need to go. Though I did make sure to tell my cast and crew of the shoot date 2 weeks in advance so there should be no issues here.

If I do not capture all the shots I need for my film on these desired dates, I will make another date in which to shoot my final scenes though hopefully I will not run into any issues with the film itself. Just a note that the weather will not likely be very warm so if the cast and crew could bring their own insulating clothing like gloves, hats etc.. that would be appreciated.

Camera Op: Me Myself & I

Yesterday i was in charge of camera operation on Andrew Rogers Me Myself & I. It was a full day of shooting as we went from location to location to get the shots Andrew was after. The first shot of the day was the shot in VUE car park, Andrew wanted a tracking shot from behind the car of all three actors getting out of the car then panning towards an establishing shot of VUE. There was an issue with this shot however as the reflection of myself behind the camera was caught in the bodywork of the car. Andrew decided to lift the boot and sit the actors in the boot of the car to stray away from reflections being caught on camera. Another shot was recorded inside the car to piece together these scenes. We then had to take one of the friends who was acting home in which we moved onto shooting the few scenes that need to be shot at Andrews house including an establishing shot, pan shot leading to an upward tilt and some static mid and close up shots in the kitchen. We ran into no issues throughout the day except from lighting issues as some of the shots were over exposed. We did however fix this issue as we noticed the ND filter was the issue causing the brightness.

We had two further shots to capture which lead to us going back upto hartlepool to meet our actors and film inside KFC for one of the final shots. We had no issues inside of KFC and were in and out of there with time to spare for a further few shots, though the final shots Andrew needed were inside the Uni which was closed at this time so we called it a day and are saving another day for the final shots at CCAD.

Sound Op: Me Myself & I

Last week myself, Andrew Rogers & Ethan Turley made a start on filming for Ethan's Me Myself & I. Andrew was on camera and i was on sound, once we had got to the location and set up it became apparent that there was going to be some minor difficulties with the location itself. We realised that with the hallway scene Ethan was wanting to be filmed, not all of the doors would be accessible. Some of the doors were locked due to work being assessed, so instead we had to go to the opposite hallway in which we did encounter another issue, the opposite hallway was filled with a great amount of machinery noise. We closed the doors we could to drown out the noise but there still was some still being caught on the mic. We came to the agreement that we would use the sound from the other door and use that for the doors that were being difficult for a clear recording. There wasn't a lot for me as a Sound Op to do though we did get a good amount of Ethan's project filmed on that day and in good time.

StoryBoards

Smoke Machine & Cool Lights

In today's lesson we learnt the proper use of the smoke machine, first off protection and hazard awareness. The smoke machine may not reach such high temperatures as the redheads and blondes but it still has the capability of burning the skin. To stop this there is a plastic handle that you can grab to move the machine when it is switched on. You will need some form of socket to switch the machine on but once it has heated up you can unplug it and move it around whilst still spewing smoke at the same time. Another thing to note would be once used the smoke machine will still cough smoke up to an hour after it has been switched off so make sure you have a well ventilated spot to keep it. The use of a smoke machine can cause a number of different effects and there is also a toggle on top which allows you to change the density of the smoke. 

Other safety precautions that should be taken into effect when using the smoke machine is having the smoke detectors capped, but you also need to remember to take them off once you have finished using the smoke machine other wise the fire department will not have the notice of a fire in the building. When using the smoke machine you also need to take into account any asthmatics in the room, outside use of the machine is not great if the wind is high but can be used still. 

We then moved onto the cool lights which can be used as fog lights to brighten the backgrounds, because the cool lights use less power you can power more of them then you could with the redheads which is helpful when trying to brighten up larger areas. The cool lights have a dial which can be turned to brighten and darken the volume of light. 

Avid & history of editing

In today's lesson we were first introduced briefly to the programme known as Avid. This is the programme that we will be using when editing our films. We were took into the editing suite and were shown first how to access our work in progress and how to load up the programme itself. We were also given the chance to create our individual Avid accounts so that we were from then on set to edit away in the suite.

We were later then introduced to a documentary on the history of the editing process known as "The Cutting Edge, The Magic of Movie Editing". We learnt the early process of editing and how it was prominently a women's job in the early ages of film as it was closer to the activity of knitting. It wasn't until sound was introduced that there was male workers who from then on came in by vast amounts due to the more technical side of the editing process.

We learnt about the connection in which the director and editor have and the give and take between the two, a good example would be Steven Spielberg and his editor for the film "Jaws" Verna Fields. In this case Spielberg wanted to get as much of the shark in the film as he could due to the cost of the manufacturing though his editor would not agree and showed him how less was bigger. She was absolutely correct creating one of the most terrifying creature features to date.

The documentary informed us on the use of cutting and how it has brought films to a whole new standard, almost creating living worlds instead of static pictures. I found this lesson to be very interesting and i am glad i am now set to begin my editing process when the time comes.

Phone Interveiw

In yesterdays lesson we were set a task which would introduce us to dealing with high pressure phone calls. To start our group was split in two, there was one group being interviewed and the other interviewing. We were given a scenario that challenged me as the interviewer to find out the situation with a made up chain of supermarkets "Asco" and the chicken crises.

Apparently 10,000 chickens infected with bird flue had been sold from "Asco" and it was my job to try and get them to confess with decisive questioning and the use of information we were given like dates and even a trump card that we could use how we wanted.

I did not know who out of the group i would be put up with, but on entering the room and picking up the phone i burst out of the gate with a straight to the point question "have you been selling infected chickens". Looking back i realized that i should of formally introduced myself first but as people are probably now aware i am mediocre at phone calls.

I also found myself using my natural tone of voice which i realize myself is rather common i should of tried to sound more professional, though in my opinion i asked some fair questions and tried to get to the point by using dates. In the end i gained no information and was shut down, if this is a practice that will be ran again i will put better preparation in and focus heavier on the information given to out wit my opponent to submission.

Here is the interview:  

Overall i found the experience nerve wrecking, but a good use of time due to the fact that this is something i will be coming into contact with in the future, so practice will make perfect in this 
case.

24 Hour Film Challenge

Several weeks ago we were informed that we were going to take part in our first film challenge, the challenge would be done in a group of our choosing. We once grouped up took part in a budget challenge which we had to shop for props and items that may play a role in the films we were going to produce. We selected a number of items and went over the suggested £5 budget and threw in a blow up doll for good measure.

The very next lesson we were then told our genres, we were given the Sci- Fi option. Once we had our subject we then were set off to plan & produce our film. So we went back to what was going to be our first opening location Conner & Jack's accommodation, on arriving back we started to throw ideas around to find what stuck. We came up with the idea of a Sci- Fi mockumentary of an alien space worm that struggles with the day to day life on earth. Once we had our idea we then split into two with Andrew & Conner going off to fetch the equipment and props, while me & Jack plan out the film itself. 

Once the group was back together we began to paint the bubble wrap that would be put round Conner to restrict movement and give the effect of an alien space worm. we began to see that we were not going to be able to film on that night as were suppose to catch most of the film in daylight. due to time issues we did not find the time to fit in all of the other locations and situations that we drew out. 

We did run into a few technical problems as well, number one was that we had a few shots that were over exposed when exiting our first location, we also had audio problems in our later takes. Though i was quite surprised at the sound quality we had accomplished when shooting at the beach. The story that we had developed even in a short amount of time did in my opinion show some form of character development but obviously did lack in certain areas especially duration and locations. 

Overall i enjoyed the experience and practice it has gave me an insight to the ways in which time management is a key component to filming and how to plan with the situations that are thrown in my way.

Three Point Lighting

Earlier in the week we had a lesson that was vital in order to allow us to use the lighting equipment. This lesson was to introduce us to the use and understand the correct way to use lighting when filming. 

We first were told about the correct and incorrect ways of setting up the equipment as well as cooling times which is around 20 minutes. when using the red heads they are able to be placed on top of the tripod for the blondes but it should never be the other way around due to the weight of the blondes. Speaking of blondes and Redheads, we also learned a brief insight to the industry and the sexism that came with it e.g Blondes and Redheads are the nicknames for the different lights.

We learnt that we always need the safety grill on the front of the light at all times just in case of the bulb spontaneously bursting, the grill will guard shards being thrown into the air. also a good pair of gloves will be vital when moving the light or barn doors or even changing gels when it is still switched on.

We then went onto learning the equation that will need to be used on a daily occurrence when using lighting which is Volts x Watts = Amps. Being able to tally up the amount of amps you will need will need to be taken into account to stray away form electrical fires and blown fuses.

Moving onto rigging we were taught how to safely and securely detach and attach the lighting up to the scaffolding, two people will be needed, one on hand to hold the ladder and collect the light from the bottom and another to go up and retrieve the light. You will need to always make sure that the lights are switched off when changing the lights but you must also make doubly sure that the safety cable is always at hand and securely attached. Though if you are not wanting to move the lights physically to another point you can use a certain tool in order to reach up and tilt, darken and pan the light in either way you would like to make things easier.

Later on in the day we then had to set up our own Three Point Lighting in two separate groups. We had to film our results of using Key light, Filler light and Kick light. We used Conner Welsh as our subject and began to move the computer monitors out of the way so we have a blank white plain behind him. Once we had everything set up we filmed two different takes one with a red piece of gel and all the lights and another with only one light being used yet still filtering with a red gel to try and create moods. looking back to our results we were told that plug sockets and shadows were very clear though in some ways the Darth Vader shadow was used well due to the content that we had Conner talking about. Another thing we found was the way in which he was placed in the room helped the 3D effect and brought Conner out, where it would of been harder for the second group yet they found a great way of using there Kick light to add the three dimensional effect they were looking for. 

Now that we have been through and got the grasp of the correct way to use lighting it is now a component that we have access to for our individual films, which i will be taking advantage of to create my moods.

Research & Ideas

I thought i would look into different ways that i could create the dark and menacing vibe i would want when picturing the inside of my head. i took to "American Horror Story" for inspiration, not for the show but for the opening title sequences. They always find a great way to hook the audience with the more than bizarre pictures and flashes of out of the ordinary people or objects mixed together with quick cuts and brooding lights, it really connects well together to let the audience know what they are in for when watching the rest of the show.

here is a link to a video clip showing one of the intros: ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVJPbSa-HRY )

This got me thinking of some objects i could put in the space around me when filming the anger and dark thoughts, i was also thinking about lighting and how i would like the lighting set. For this piece i think shadows are vital to create the sinister and menacing visuals i am looking for. 

When i started to think of lighting i was thinking of the shadows around my face and the placement of the lights to create the effects i am looking for. One example would be a hanging light bulb which is the only one lit in the room just above my head, it would darken out the eyes and give my face a soulless appeal. I also thought about the ways in which i could set the mood and how i could use gel's to accomplish this. Red would certainly fit anger yet i thought a dark purple would create a fuse of both anger and horror. 

I really like the way in which "American Horror Story" intros use the quick jump cuts to create a tense atmosphere, somewhere in my film i would like to incorporate the same idea. I thought as an example i run into my first situation and a quick cut of the room pops up and as i go from situation to situation it pieces together ending in one final cut at the end of madness, directly following that would be me calming down.

Falling Down

I recently chose to watch the film known as "Falling Down" the film was directed by Joel Shumacher and stars Micheal Douglas. I chose this film as research and as inspiration towards the film i have to produce known as "Me, Myself & I".

First before i go into detail on why this was a great source of inspiration i would like to give a brief review of the film itself. On the opening few scenes introducing us to the world that Micheal Douglas' character "D-Fens" lives in you start to feel claustrophobic and frustrated yourself and can connect with the same emotion he is feeling at that exact time. Throughout the first and second act you may notice that the yellow and grimy tint that is be used starts to fade and become more clear, i thought this was a great visual representation of "D-fens" mind becoming clearer, knowing now what he has to do, which in his mind is go home. An unwanted vigilante would be the best way to describe him, causing more damage then fixing it. 

I really enjoyed the concept of the film, showing how the simplest things in life can set you off and light the fuse. Though i do realize that the main focal point is the family that does not want any form of contact with him, in fact it seems his anger and thirst for control is what starts and finishes his righteous rampage to reach his family.

the pace of the film is rather fast but there are many scenes with officer Prendergast which pull back from the more than theatrical pace of explosions with rockets and shotguns. I did feel like towards the end of the film it became a little over exaggerated with some of the weapons he was being handed but it made up for a more than entertaining use of them. The practical effects were great and used well, if there was one thing i personally didn't like with the film it was some of the interactions between many of the officers which to me as protagonists were not as likable as they should of been.

Overall though i fully enjoyed the film, i would recommend it to anyone in search of a good action/drama film. Moving onto the reason for my inspiration, considering that my piece will be about myself, there is one thing i notice as well as others notice in my self and that is i am easily wound up or short fused, i liked the way this film showed how easy small things can interrupt and ruin your day sending you on maybe not a physical but mental rampage. I will be taking from this film different ways in which i can show the daily occurrences of either my clumsiness or others negligence that causes me to go to the darker thoughts in my head and from there try and visualize what i see as well as feel. Falling Down depicts what D-fens did with his anger literally blowing up and injuring constructions and people, where as in my film it will be along the lines of what i want to do but am not able. I found Falling Down to be a great source of inspiration helping with ideas of how i can put together my sequences of events leading up to my thoughts.

Me, Myself & I: Concept

For "Me, Myself & I" i thought i would explore the emotions that i go through on a daily basis and what triggers them. One of the biggest emotions that is most prominent on an average day is 
probably anger, or frustration. 

Other emotions that would be on display would be joy, Fear and though it may not be an emotion, i would like to explore the darker more silent side of my personality, thoughts that connect with that theme i would like to try and interpret and capture on film. I will be researching films and different forms of media for inspiration, for example i have just finished watching the film directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Micheal Douglas "Falling Down", tomorrow i will be reviewing and explaining why this film was a great use of research towards my upcoming film "Me, Myself & I".

When creating my film i would like to really dive into different ways of bringing out the core of each emotion, lighting will be key in order to set the moods i want, as well as the shots and how i can build tension with the different angles i will be using. When exploring the darker side of my thoughts i thought as a good example of lighting & camera angles, a shot involving a singular swinging bulb along with a dutch angle would look great to create that dark and creepy vibe. 

The narrative structure for my idea would be fairly linear, to start it would be me on a normal day walking to the shops, i go to pay for my shopping and the note i have or coin would not be working, i would be to shy to ask for assistance so i would stand and become slightly frustrated, i would finally receive assistance to turn round into someone pushing a trolley showing my more than clumsy nature sometimes. This would all build until my film reaches the dark room as i call it which would be a visual representation of my mind, in there is where i will explore different ways to show each emotion i am trying to create, i would end the piece by showing how i calm myself down in such situations like these.