Short Films Production Diary Week 1 - Wednesday 9th

Wednesday 9th March

Today we began filming the scenes that included Josh for 'The Spider and the Fly'. Even though we only had a couple of scenes to shoot, it took us just over 2 hours to film. This was because of the awkwardness of filming below the head. Josh's face is never shown on screen so each shot was from the head down but we had to keep the shots framed. Our day didn't start off too well, as one of the crew members forget the tripod when leaving to meet for the crew call. We had to pick this up on our way to location, so filming started later than planned. Our Production Co-Ordinator couldn't get to or from location so myself and the Assistant Director shared her role. However, Jess was there for the beginning of the shoot via iPhone's Face time. As this was a late evening shoot we didn't have a lunch break and managed to finish on time, with all the planned shots filmed.  

 

Short Films Production Diary Week 1 - Tuesday 8th

Tuesday 8th March

Today we continued filming 'The Spider and the Fly'. Today's shoot consisted of 9 scenes, 4 costume changes and lots of set ups (a very long day indeed) this was because the different scenes take place over different time periods. We had planned to meet at Base for 10 however one of the actors were late. This created a knock on effect and we got to location/began filming, later than scheduled. As today was such a long shoot I tried my best to keep everyone motivated and keep the pace up. The room we were shooting in got very cramped at times and the Assistant Director and/or Production Co-ordinator would have to step out while filming then come in on "cut" to continue their role. They were a few times today I had to change planned shots because they could not be filmed, however I took this into my stride and made quick decisions. We had a half an hour lunch break earlier than planned as we couldn't film because of a crew members rumbling stomach from hunger mid scene. We managed to finish on schedule and returned to college to capture our footage. Today was definitely the hardest of these two days and very tiring, but worth it for the 50 minutes of footage which will end up as five minutes worth of film and the invaluable learning experience. Looking back at the footage myself and the crew agreed there were a few things that could have been differently. Most of the shots have turned out grainy - this is because the white balance wasn't done correctly. Some shots also go out of focus - this is because the camera was set to manual focus instead of auto.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short Films Production Diary Week 1 - Monday 7th

Monday 7th March

Today was our first day of filming 'The Spider and the Fly.' The crew and cast all met at Base to collect the equipment and travel to the location together. We took a mini bus to Norton, we had planned to start filming at 11 and finish at 2 but an actor was late. However we finished on schedule and returned to college before we had originally planned; this worked out well because when scheduling our shoot days we hoped to give ourselves more time than less to film. As this was my first day of directing I was a little bit nervous but majorly excited and couldn't wait to get started! Today's shoot was only 4 scenes, our Assistant Director was on another shoot so the Production Co-ordinator (Jess) took on this role also. Myself and the crew were happy with most of the footage we got. We all agreed that the exterior shots could have been better if the boom mic had been noticed at the top of the screen. I believe I did my role well today and starting to see my script transform into film gave me goosebumps. I can't wait to continue filming tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task 1: Future Learn

In the first week I learnt about all the different roles and what each person did in the industry. It also gave an insight into the filmmaking process, following these seven steps:
1. Development
2. Pre-Production
3. Production
4. Principle Photography
5. Wrap
6. Post-Production
7. Distribution


In the second week it went into more detail about the different departments and roles. I knew this industry was big but I didn't realise to what extent! There were also people from each job role who gave an overview of what their job consisted of and spoke about their previous work. It also gave some information on the pre-production paperwork and showed some examples of what is used on a film set.


In the third week the course taught me about the role of a runner and the different types. It gave information on how to be the best runner possible (which would help you progress career wise) and stand out.

Unit 22: Single Camera Techniques (Part 1) - Task 1

Here is my finished YouTube tutorial and hand-out on single camera techniques: things you may hear onset/on set terminology.