Team Meeting

This week (Week 4) as a group we discussed the following:

• That i will be the new actor for our short film as i am reliable as i know that if i do not turn up it will not only affect my grade, but it will also affect everyone else's grade as incomplete work.
• That we should try and find people which can help us empty the cargo container and also help us put the items back, as this makes it quicker for us to start filming.
• Benedicte will be our main camera woman as i no longer can do it as i am now an actor.
• We are deciding what kind of pictures will look good as a poster and looking at if we should take some photos in the locations we are filming at (Hollow ponds and cargo container)
• To use close up and extreme close ups to set the scene rather than just using an establishing shot.
• That while we are filming we should take pictures of what we are doing so we can put it on our blog to show what we were doing on this day, rather than just talking about it.
• Talking about what days to shoot our scenes as we are now behind schedule.

Weather Report - Day 3

This is the weather report for the time we was filming in the cargo container yesterday. The weather report is less important to know then it was for hollow ponds, but we needed to know it as we needed to know if we were capable of leaving the contents inside the cargo container outside with our bags and other stuff we were carrying. From the weather report we was able to tell that it would be cold, but we are able to leave everything outside, making it easier on us as we did not have to carry/ drag everything inside the college.

Filming Day 3

Yesterday we started filming on college grounds inside the cargo container. We were able to accomplish half of what we wanted to film and the other half we will complete after our half term. It took us about 20 minutes taking the majority of items we wanted to take out of the cargo container. When we finished it took us about 45 minutes to an hour to put everything back in as the cargo has a big gap between the floor and the entrance and there where some heavy objects to put back in.

The cargo was very dark inside as we were filming, luckily we thought ahead and went to pound land to buy portable lights which we can hold or stick inside the cargo so we are able to view people inside.

We were thankful to have somebody outside our group, to help us on our filming day as we needed extra hands to hold the lights as we needed it close to the actors for us to see them through the camera.

Below are a few pictures of us, emptying the cargo container and putting the lights together.

Editing Day 3

Today is our third day of editing. We were able to watch all the videos we have filmed from previous days and then place them on final cut pro. Where we were then able to determine what ones as a group we preferred and what ones we did not like as much. We also learnt how to make the videos darker through the software on final cut pro.

Researching and Planning

Editing Day 2

Today we edited everything we have filmed so far, as a group we have learnt how to lighten an image as some scenes which involved match cut where a lot darker than the other. This caused the image to become very grainy.

Weather Report - Day 2

This is the weather report for yesterday when we was filming, as an actor i found it perfect weather as i had to be covered up and running which made me really hot. With the cold weather on top of that it created a warm atmosphere, which made it more easier to run.

But, for our camera woman and director they did not like the weather as they had to stand still for the majority of the time which made them very cold.

Filming - Day 2

Yesterday was our second day of filming, which took place at hollow ponds. We were able to complete the scenes which were needed to be completed at hollow ponds, but again it got dark very quickly and we tried to change the ISSO number but it became grainy, so we are hoping that we will be able to lighten the video when we are editing.

At the beginning of filming yesterday, the scenes was going very well but we forgot the headphones on the actors head which is a key part of the film, which can easily be noticed by the audience. We then corrected it and repeated the scene we just filmed again.

Editing - Day 1

Yesterday, we started editing the footage we filmed on Monday. I was unable to be there for my team as i had a compulsory trip for another subject. I am happy with what my group was able to accomplish.

The image above shows what the group has done on the day, it is also showing they were able to do a lot being it is there first major task using final cut pro.

Above is a list of clips which the group thought was the best ones we took and considering or already have put down to use within our short film.

The images above are of Benedicte (Camera Woman) deciding on what footage she likes and which ones she believe we may have to film again when we film at hollow ponds again.

Weather report - Day 1

This is the weather report from filming today, as you can see it has been raining which was an advantage and disadvantage for us. The advantage from it raining was it added a gloomy down day feel to the film. Where as the disadvantage where that the camera was getting wet and we had nothing to cover it so at some stages we had to stop filming and dry off the camera, which wasted time.  

Filming - Day 1

Today we started filming. With Shorai as the actor and me (Simone) as the other actor. We were unable to record the amount we wanted to as the majority of the time it was raining and it also got dark really quickly, but we are happy we were finally able to start filming. We shoot a variety of shots and angles such as long shot, mid shot worms angle etc. We did have some scenes which were interrupted by some dogs which were passing by, because these scenes they were unexpected and it ruined the shot. We were unable to use the tripod as it was a tripod we were not use to using. So everything we shot was hand-held. We took this as an experience to check the equipment on how it works before we use it.

Below are pictures of our camera woman (Benedicte) filming while we was acting.

Below are two videos from filming today, one is before we started filming and the other is after we finished filming.

Actor

The group has confirmed me (Simone) to be the other actor in replace of the male actor. This is very good for our group as we now have the two actors we need, which are reliable and will be at the location on time. Unfortunately, this adds extra pressure on Vijaya (Director) and Benedicte (Camera), as me (Simone) and Shorai will not be able to help much through the filming stages as we will be having to get commands from them as we can not see how well the film is going or how badly it may be, such as distances between actors, as they are not suppose to be as close as they are to each other within the film.

New story board

Some people in the group did not believe that having two female characters would be good as there are some scene where it may seem weird, so they thought it would be better to continue looking for a male character. From this I decided to create a new story board following the one we drew up before and including items which we discussed as a team, with two female characters.


Story board:

Co-Director Notes

These are notes which our co-director created. She created it as it makes the film easier for her to follow, allowing her to direct the film better, when working with the director and also at times when the director will not be there. This also allows the actors to have an in-depth understanding on their roles and there would be more of a direction from the director.

Team Talk

I recently talked to my team, as our actors have let us down to many times, so I asked them if it would work if we had two female actors instead of one female and one male. As I would personally volunteer myself to be an actor, if they are okay in using two female characters. The advantages of using me as the female actor is that I will be reliable, I would always be there. As I know if I do anything to set the team back it would not just be bad on me, but also on my fellow team mates.

Filming

Yesterday Friday 17th October, was the date we planned to film, we checked the weather to see if its good conditions to film in, we had all our equipment and was ready to go. Unfortunately our male actor decided to bail out on us last minute, not given us no notice or opportunity to find an alternative, he basically left us stranded.

This is a major set back for our group, as actors keep on dropping out even when they have told us they are going to certainly be there. We are now currently a week behind our time schedule and also really behind our production schedule.

We now once again have to find another actor. I am going to make a proposal to my group and ask do we definitely need have to have one female  and one male actor? Is it possible to have two female actors. If the group agree with this, i will personally volunteer myself to be the actor as i will be reliable and we would be able to finally start filming our short film.

New Script

We kept the script the same but changed the actors names so it is easier for all of us to follow. 

Team Meeting

Team meeting notes: In our third group meeting we discussed:

• Who can be our actresses as we need somebody reliable.
• What days we will be filming, and what we will be filming on that date.
• what to do if one of the cast members can't make it - replacements
• Special effects- what we can and cannot do, which colours and shades to use as their are different types of cuts and bruises.
• We've discussed where to film in hollow ponds.
• We know what area to film in.
• Progression of actors and members.
• What the cargo container looks like from the inside.

Weather

As we are filming tomorrow i checked the weather report through my phone to see what the weather conditions will be like while we are filming. We have planned to start filming after college hours (4:20).

From the weather report i got, it shows that it will not be raining, but it will also not be sunny (we are still cautious about the weather, as conditions and reports can change quickly). The weather report also shows that the floor may be damp as it would have been raining from the day before.

*Leytonstone is the location of hollow ponds.

Checklist and feeback box for pre-production task

Above is an image of our tick list of what has needed to be done and blogged onto each member of the teams blog. This is the Pre-production task including recces, call sheet, etc...

Actors

As I blogged before we have been able to successfully secure a male actor for our short film which goes to the same college as us, as he is more reliable and less likely to bail out from our team like the other actors we have had before.


Thankfully, today we were able to find our female actresses which was a struggle for us as a team as no one said that they can certainly be in our short film, all the answers were maybe rather than yes. So after a long discussion we were able to conclude that we need somebody reliable; someone that will be there everyday; somebody that is not camera shy. Our answers turned to somebody on our crew would need to be the actor. The co-director Shorai, after further discussion put herself forward to become our female actress, which we are all thankful for. This allows us to start filming straight away which will be tomorrow 17/10/2014. Which is the second day of filming we planned to film on.


*We did not film on our planned date as we did not have any confirmation from any of our actors*.

Short Film idea

Recently today as a group we were discussing the different camera angles which we would use in our short film, and also what shots we will be using at what time of day. Shorai Shoniwa-Forchin a member of our group told me to look at the beginning of a film, which was part of her case study, which is called victim.



I really enjoy the beginning of the film as it creates a scene using a variety of close ups and extreme close-ups, without using an establishing shot.


If we use this as the beginning of our film instead of an establishing shot like we wrote on our story board, I believe that it would be a lot better as it is something different to what other people would be doing as we are creating a scene from different items which is at hollow ponds.


As this is a group project me and Shorai need to pitch this idea to the rest of the group to see if they are on board or if they feel it is easier to stick with the establishing shots. This then allowing us to focus our time more on shots of the actors allowing us to be able to cause tension on a better scale, as are short film will be a thriller.

Special Effects (Cut)

I am currently learning on how to create a small cut, this is quite a challenge for me as i am use to doing large cuts like stab wounds. I have done three designs which all needs improvement to it, to make it look more realistic. To crete the cuts i have used the make up kit shown before, wax and blood. I am still trying to create new ways on making this cut, such as finding thinner paint brushes to paint within the wound, using latex and cutting it making it look like skin, then underneath i would be adding cotton wool or wax to add depth into the cut. This is all experiments i will try in the future before we start filming the scene within the cargo container.

Cut 1

Above are images of the first cut i created using wax and red paint, the wax is scattered and not in a complete straight line as some small cuts i get are jigged as in its cut, skin, cut, skin.

Cut 2 

Above are images of the second cut i created, it is in the same format/ technique as cut 1, but this time i have added black, it adds depth into the cut, and also makes the skin look more dead. Items used for this cut was wax, red and black paint.

Cut 3

Above are images of the third cut i created, this time i decided to not do the jigged pattern with the wax so it is able to hold the blood within its structure. This is a more gruesome cut, which is more of a deep flesh wound. To create this cut i used wax, blood, red and black paint.

Special Effects (New Bruise)

Before in my blog i showed the work of a bruise which i can do for our short film. This time i have learnt to create a darker bruise as new bruises are normally a dark colour which then turns into the bruise i showed before being light and harder to see. I used the same make up kit to create this bruise, but used a lot of red in the background to make it a darker bruise.