So, for our first meeting we were split into two large groups and we discussed various different ideas for the studio shoot. This was interesting as we were able to hear many different opinions and this opened up more potential for ideas to be developed on.
Although insightful, this proved to be quite a difficult exercise as we separately found different ideas that we felt were strong enough to use. So after coming up with various different options, we decided to keep thinking and work together as a class to come to an agreement.
We all kept in contact and kept coming up with different our ideas on our Facebook chat. This was helpful to hear feedback and understand the direction people wanted to move forward in.
Some ideas I was able to put forward and share included a course advert and potentially shot as a 360 degree video. I was able to find an example on YouTube and show my peers the new style of video making.
Roles -
The role for the studio assigned to me was Cinematographer, as I have some experience as this from my previous films. This will enable me to bring the Directors vision to life on screen and control the entire look of the film. This is always such an interesting job for me and i love working closely with he camera team to achieve the desired look of the film.
A second role assigned to me was to help Emily with some Set Designing. Together we looked at how we could potentially design a living room set and make a budget for anything needed for the shoot.
I offered my help mostly because I live very close to the university so I would be able to provide inaccessible things such as furniture and everyday household items that the budget wouldn't be able to cover.
Research -
For research, I had a meeting with Klara and Lawrence in the library. There, I was able to look through he script and from there, find styles and techniques of filming that I feel would fit the style of this film too.
We mutually decided on shots that fit certain parts of the script, drawing inspiration from the films Mathilda and the Lovely Bones. These films had extreme close ups and really portrayed the characters through the style of filming and we wanted to achieve the same desired effect.
As I'm not very confident with lighting, I wanted to research and find inspiration from other films of a similar subject.
I watched various films and adverts on abuse, taking note down any particular things I liked to see if I could incorporate this into our own film. With these ideas in mind, I could speak to the rest of the team and work with everyone in their own specialities to create the look.
Set Design -
For my extra role I offered my help to Emily with Set Design, mostly because I live very close to the university so I would be able to provide inaccessible things such as furniture and everyday household items that the budget wouldn't be able to cover. This way, I could monitor my possessions but I felt my help could be useful as I have a keen eye with continuity and this would be vital for our film as we were only shooting with one camera.
On a few occasions, I was able to some prop hunting with Emily. We had a look around various charity shops for items that we felt complimented the scene and kept within the budget. Then we had consider to organise transport for the larger items like my living furniture and home comforts and then arrange them in the studio to work with the story of the film.
Getting ready for build -
To prepare for the build, our class had to create and itinerary of things we needed to create the set,
we had to design a room that fit with the story and make sure health and safety standards were met. This involved a lot of planning and team work to make sure that all the roles for this shoot were shared equally to keep a happy working environment. A schedule was made of what and who needed to be where which was very helpful for such a large team to keep organised.
After many group meetings and tutorials, we finally arranged for the production team to arrive at the studio and to start preparing the set.
The Build -
As most of us haven't worked on such a large scale, this was defiantly a team building experience. After doing most of our uni work in separate groups or individually, it was a really lovely experience to all work as a team. I felt that it resembled working in the industry which is vital experience for budding film makers.
To start the set building process, we all looked at the set design plans and chose the appropriate set parts to fit the description of the house. We then used the power tools we were inducted on, and carefully used the splints of wood to piece together the set walls. This involved everyone working together which kept everyone safe and organised. Slowly but surely, the walls began to take shape and the set was holding nicely in place.
The next task, was to get all the old wallpaper off the walls from the people who used it last. This was quite a task, but we managed to all club together and take the old stuff down. We had to be careful though, as a lot of the paper was stuck quite hight up. This resulted in us using ladders which meant we had to keep guard of the person on it to prevent it from falling.
Next, we sanded all the walls down ready for wallpapering. This was a fun task as we all got to give it a go and the end result looked really great. It was quite difficult to match the wallpaper up perfectly because the set itself isn't completely evenly made. To get around this, I suggesting using props carefully to disguise any marks or issues we had with the decorating. I brought in a my bedroom curtains and pole which hid any uneven marks or patches, I also suggesting using props such as picture frames to hide any little dents or marks on set.
The Shoot -
On the practical side of the shoot, I had to manage a number of people to fulfil my role in Cinematography. This included working with the Lighting Team and the Camera team closely and working with Anne as well to set up each shot correctly.
This was a harder job than expected as we were on a tight schedule and things needed to be constantly moving.
