Today we filmed the flashback scene between Bethany, Francis and Julie. My job as producer was to make sure everything was all prepared for the shoot, along with setting out the set for the day and making sure all cast and crew knew what they was doing. The actress who is playing the younger Bethany, Saoirsa Addison's guardian Jillian Addison came along to look after her.We began with setting up the room which we was filming in - which is a living room that we made to look 90s style. To do this we took out all modern equipment that may get in the way such as laptops and modern film photographs on the wall. Next, was to double check all the actors felt comfortable and make sure the costumes and mise en scene looked perfect.
Adam brought along a few different jumpers, along with a denim jacket and denim jeans with a plain top. I'd asked him to clean shave so he will look younger, and we planned to have his hair put fluffed forwards instead of gelled back (as it usually is) which made him look younger too.Saoirsa is wearing a pink leotard with a pink tutu and her hair tied up, which is quite straight forward. And Thea's outfit was perfect too Saoirsa was feeling really excited and confident and we made sure she was comfortable and talked through the scene with her first. As she is quite young and it was her and Adam's first time meeting each other we talked for a while before to make sure she was fully comfortable.We began the scene and Saoirsa did great, she was really confident and took Vic's direction extremely well. The day was only a few hours long and everything went according to plan. Considering it's our first day i'm really please as we've been nervous about the flashback scene due to making the characters look younger and hoping that Saoirsa and Adam would perform well together. Adam did great which was really comforting as our actor change made us nervous but Adam performed the role of Francis perfect.
Problems We Had? What would I change?
Today we didn't have any problems, everything actually went to plan which made me feel confident that I'd planned the day out fully. Also, Vic did really well considering he was nervous as it was the first day.
Update:
After filming, Vic and I looked over the footage, it was all great and we are confident with what we have. However, unfortunately Lawrence messaged us saying he is no longer available - which is unfortunate as we'd already gone over the dates, but we have Chris as a backup camera man and Sam will now be doing sound instead which we've all agreed upon.
FILMING DAY 2: 24th February 2016
Today was quite a big day for us. We have 2 locations which means we have to move half way through. I made sure I had all the props with me at all times so that we was prepared for each shoot. We all meet in town which was myself, Vic, Sam, Chris, Amy, Joseph and Georgina. We began shooting the outside scene where Bethany is walking down the street and see's Georgina and George together. We had the tracks booked out, however, we had to return them by half 10 as the second years was using them. Some problems occurred during filming which set us back quite a while, even for the rest of the day. The zoom recorder stopped working and the audio only came in properly a few times. We could hear it in the headphones but every so often it would either cut out or a loud noise would interfere. Recording sound for this was really hard and because it was taking up so much time we decided to record the scene the next day instead of wasting more time. We headed to our next location which was a 10 minute drive away. There, we met actor Julian and Lawrence (who was there to take behind the scenes pictures)
The problems continued with the zoom recorder it was really frustrating with what to do. At one point it completely stopped working for a while and Vic and I was stressing out as we had 4 actors and crew to try please. Eventually, the zoom recorder started working again and we just went with it and recorded what we could whilst it was working. The dinner scene overall as a shot went really well. Vic got lots of different angles for us to work with and we lit the scene in a way (along with turning on the lamp) to make it have a warm tone effect. Finally, we shot the last scene which is Lucy and Bethany in the dining room after work.
Problems We Had? What would I change?
Overall, it was such a stressful day and we went over the schedule very much. Vic and I did our best to work with what we had and I knew that Vic felt extremely pressured which was hard for me to help with due to us not being able to record anything at all until the audio was working. If the audio would of been working, the scene would have been perfect. All the acting I felt was great for this scene, and the lighting worked really effectively. This day really did knock my confidence as we'd had a smooth plan that went really wrong and although it's set us back with having to re shoot the outside scene again, hopefully the rest of the days will go a little more planned.FILMING DAY 3 - 25th February 2016
Prior to filming, we headed back to Uni and spoke with Ferg about it and he confirmed the recorder wasn't working. This was really irritating, however, he quickly gave us a knew one and after we tested it a few times we felt much more confident. First, we booked out the tracks again and went back to the first location which we are re shooting from yesterday. After a long set up process and Chris planning the movement on the tripod, it was finally time to film. I felt very confident with the team as Chris and Vic were always working closely together which put me more at ease as Chris understands what Vic wants and we are confident in his camera skills.
I made sure that I was always keeping an eye on the time and we was running to schedule. This day was especially important as it wasn't planned out till yesterday and we still had another location to go to. However, Vic worked really efficiently and got all the shots done that he liked. We did stay at the location slightly longer than expected but the reasons was to practice the camera movement and get additional takes to make sure we had enough coverage, so it was fine to do so. I was really pleased with the shots and the tracks definitely helped create a more professional look.
Surprisingly, the sound we recorded for this day was probably one of the best, and we was outside - so i'm very happy with that as I was worried that there would be too much wing.Next, we moved to Charlie's house once again to film the breakfast scene with Amy and Joseph. With all the props to hand, the set up for this scene ran quite smoothly, we had a number of angles filmed which we was confident about. However, in the edit we noticed the angle of George was out of focus so this was unusable - to fix the problem Vic changed to a two shot so we still had coverage of him which worked well. The scene took a little longer to film than expected, however we didn't finish too late and the extra time was definitely needed.
Finally, we headed to Rochester to film the argument scene,this was was challenging to film as the lighting seemed to be hard to set. Some shots worked really nicely, however some were a little dark and I worried about the grain that may show up. I tried my best to help with the lighting, however, it was hard to get the middle stye we wanted - so decided to try darken it in post production.
The scene worked really well and the actors was always wanting feedback especially Joseph as he was really into the scene and enjoyed doing it.
Problems We Had? What would I change?
Overall, this day was quite challenging. We had a lot of location movements which meant I never felt very settled as I was trying to make sure we wasn't running over time. However, if I was to change anything about the day, it would be more lighting planning in the room we filmed the argument scene in. Only because, it would of been nice to have a more set lighting tone, instead of it always changing when we moved the equipment. Also, I wish I'd decorated the room a little more as I think it looks a bit TOO empty (the walls aren't decorated). I am happy with today though and am excited with the rest of the filming days in the theatre!
FILMING DAY 3 - 29th February 2016
Today was our first day filming at the theatre. We set off at around 8am and arrived at 8:30. Today was the day we had around 9 cast and crew in total and was quite nerve racking as it was a huge day. I was a little nervous incase my schedules didn't work efficiently, however, they proved to be scheduled perfectly as we had enough time for each scene without worrying about time at all. First, we shot the scene where Lucy is stood waiting for Bethany on the stage. We had a lot of variation of shots so that we had more of a variety. The lighting also worked really well as we was using the stage lighting and had full access to what we wanted which was really helpful. I was glad that we had prepared with our test shoot as it allowed us to pre prepare the lights and make sure they would fit with the scene, along with knowing if we would need any additional lights - which we did as it was very dark and we needed to light each individual person.
We also shot the scene where Lucy meets Francis which I think worked really well. After a while of practicing a three shot, Vic felt much more confident and shot lots of angles which meant much more room to work with in post. The lighting was also great in this scene and I think the shots with Francis are the best.
Finally, we shot the scene where Bethany, Daniel and Francis are all talking together. This worked really well and i'm happy with all the actors performances' - especially Michael as he brought such a great performance for Daniel. Once again, the lighting was really great as we tried to light not only the characters, but the background so that the red tone of the seats would fit nicely in the shot - which worked really well.Problems We Had? What would I change?
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the first day at the theatre, and very glad with the support we had off everyone. I was really happy with the actors costumes that we'd planned out and think it definitely helped bring the characters to life. I was really glad Patricia was there as she was really helpful with anything we needed, and helped out with the clapper board and saying the shot name for the camera and audio for post production purposes. Patricia also managed the amount of people well and was always saying 'quiet on set please' to make sure there was no one talking when we was getting ready to shoot. I think the day went well and we used our time wisely, we didn't go over any time at all and I'm very happy with the shots that we filmed.FILMING DAY 5 - 1st March 2016
Today was a very daunting and stressful day for myself as a producer and Vic as director. The first problem literally started from when I woke up. I received a text from the makeup artist mentioning she couldn't make it which just started my day off really bad. I was looking forward to having hair and makeup done professionally for Amy when she is on stage, and also when she comes back on at the end and has bruises over her. I was a little worried already as the previous day I'd called the courier who was delivering the cloth as asked where it was as it was meant to arrive the previous day to the call. I asked for it to be delivered straight to the theatre (as it was so heavy and came on a palette).
They said they would send it there instead but couldn't guarantee it would arrive before lunch. This really daunted my confidence as at 9am we was meant to be filming the masquerade ball scene and I would have so many extras waiting around, plus the time it would take to put the cloth up. When we arrived the cloth was there which I was SO relieved about. The next step was to put it up which definitely wasn't easy. Luckily that day we had myself, Vic, Chris, Sam and sound op Tom Fishenden to help out. Everyone really pushed together to get the cloth up and although it was too big, once it was up I think it brought the stage to light so much better as the colours worked really well. This took about an hour to set up, and throughout that hour I was wondering where the extras were. I received a phone call to the theatre from an extra expressing he was sorry but couldn't come due to illness, and an email from an extra mentioning she couldn't come any more due to personal issues - however, everyone else just didn't turn up. Honestly, I was so upset because we'd spent ages putting up this cloth, had the helium machine with us, balloons bought, ribbon ready, around 15 - 20 masquerade masks ready and lots of props such as glasses and a small tray with nibbles on it for one of the extras to carry round as a waiter to set the scene of the ball. Anyway - there was nothing we could do as there wasn't enough actors on the day to try create a different type of ball, so after a while of waiting, I decided we just needed to move on and do the next scene.We moved on to film the next scene which was the stage scene with Bethany and Francis. I really enjoyed this scene as we'd already done rehearsals for it so the cast was confident with the movements and what they was going to do. We'd also done a test shoot so we knew the types of shots that would be filmed which helped a lot. I think Vic directed the scene really well and we had a lot of wide shots, mid shots and close ups to look through. The lighting worked perfectly and I'm really happy with the way the scene was filmed.
Finally, in the afternoon we filmed the audience scene. Due to no extras, we did our best with putting all the cast together in the seats and lighting it in a way so you could only see a few heads / bodies. We also tried to put some crew in the audience to create a bit of a better atmosphere. Although this wasn't the best, we did what we could with the time and people we had and I think it worked well. Once we have the stage talking in the background I think the atmosphere will feel more realistic.
Problems We Had? What would I change?
Obviously, the problems we had have already been discussed - however, if there was anything to change it would be to try fix more contracts / exciting material to keep the extras, although it was unpaid and we could only offer them food, drink and copies of the film, it's obviously not enough to keep people interested. It was such a long process to find all the extras and with the amount of resources that I used, I wasn't sure how else I could find them without a payment method. Overall, the rest of the day went really well and I'm happy with how the scenes we filmed turned out.
DAY 6 - 2nd March 2016
Today was the final day at the theatre. I think this is the day with a lot of scenes, however they are all small, therefore a shorter day has been scheduled. We arrived at the theatre and began filming with Amy in the backstage room. Although it's a used space, we decided to try decorate it a bit with clothes and props to make it seem more realistic as it was a little bare. We also put fairy lights around the mirror to decorate it a little, and added lots of makeup and hair props to the table to make it look like a space that Bethany would sit at to get ready for shows.
The first scene worked very well and was quite simple to film. Vic and Chris used a few trick shots by moving the table forward slightly and filming behind it to make the room seem bigger and have more room to film Amy.Next, we filmed the scene with James, Adam and Amy which was the rehearsals of Bethany and Matt. We decided to extend the dialogue a little during production as it would allow to show Francis' character a little more as he's stood there pushing for them to work harder. It also would allow us to see the stress on Bethany's face more, instead of just having them chatting about the lines. I'm happy this change was made as when shooting the scene it worked really well and I think it made the scene much more interesting. I made sure that the necessary props were there and that Matt dressed appropriately. The shots with Francis stood looking at the stage worked beautifully as the light flare works well with the red seats in the background. Vic also made the decision to have Francis sat down when he's talking to Bethany - this worked well as he's very casual at first, and the placement of the characters makes Bethany look like the powerful character when she is talking about working for Daniel, however, Francis then stands up and becomes the powerful one again and she becomes little once he tries to overpower him.
Another scene we shot was when Bethany is peaking behind the curtain to look for George, and Francis sneaks up behind her. During this scene we found that it was a little awkward for Francis to just walk off during the conversation, and didn't work as well as I thought it would. Vic decided to change it so that someone calls Bethany's name from backstage, and she says 'oh, sorry gotta go, on in 5!' so she is the one that leaves the conversation and Francis is stood by himself, annoyed.I think this works extremely well and I'm glad that Vic made this decision as a director. It also makes Bethany's character look more powerful and enables us to see the development of her character as she is getting stronger and less bothered about Francis' opinion.
Finally, the last scene we shot, was Bethany staggering back on to the stage looking into the audience. Due to having no extras, we tried to create a HUGE bright light in front of Bethany as she looks into the audience from behind her, although it was hard to do, we still managed it and I think it will work well with the applause and the music in the background. We also tried to create light flares which was hard as Bethany is spinning round and often I was in the shot as I tried to carry the light around her at an upwards angle.
Problems We Had? What would I change?
Today we didn't have many problems at all, and I think me and Vic's team work has definitely got stronger throughout the project. One minor problem was the makeup artist not being there, so I had to improvise and do my best with what I had with me as I knew I'd have to do the makeup for this scene. On the final filming day, Amy will be doing the makeup as she has the proper equipment and can do bruises better than me. I think because the scene is quite short, the makeup isn't too noticeable so it won't look too different to when Amy does it. Although I want it to look the same, we have a lot of close up shots on the next filming day, and I definitely don't want the makeup I did to be on the shot as it's not the best and will take the production level down.
DAY 7 - 8th March 2016
Final day! Today is the day we filmed a few pick up shots, the outside scene, and the big finale dancing scene in Dartford. We began by filming the scene outside with Francis and Bethany when they are talking outside the theatre, this scene went really well and we easily got all the shots needed, along with some great sounds which Vic and I were happy about.
Soon after, we went into the room we had booked out and Dan had already taken out the drum kits and extra things in there, we wanted a completely empty room. Vic and I had been busy buying props for the scene and had a car full of props which I was completely happy with. What we brought was;
-3 Clothes rails
-Black cloths to cover some speakers
-Ballet costume
-Mask
-Photograph
-Tall light
-Small speaker
-Clothes to put on the rail
It did take much longer than expected to set up, as the rails was in 3 separate boxes and needed to be put together from scratch. We couldn't of put them together beforehand, obviously because of the size so we did what we could with the time. It took around an hour to set up, although it set us back, I think it was worth it as we created a set up that looked like an old, dark backstage dressing room.
I really liked how Adam portrayed the character of Francis, he literally looked crazy - and it was such a dramatic change seeing him scrubbed up and with messed up hair, compared to when we usually see him in smart suits with his hair gelled back and looking (mostly) smiley. I think the overall costumes worked well and I'm very happy with the outcome of this scene especially.
Finally, Vic, Amy, Joseph and I all went back to Rochester to film a pick up scene of Bethany walking in the bedroom when George is asleep which was reasonably simple to film and was done very quickly! Our final scene we filmed was George 'rushing' down the street to get to the theatre. I really liked the lighting that we filmed in, it was all natural and we chose a great time to film as there was also a street light on behind which made the scene a little more golden. The scene went well however, for this scene it was just Vic and I filming and doing sound and it was very hard to walk backwards quickly in time with Joseph without shaking the camera. Vic and I switched roles numerous times to both see if either of us could do it, however the tracks were essential. This is something I should of thought about more, and should of booked the tracks out for. Hopefully we can fix this in post somehow. The sound however was recorded really clearly which I'm happy with as we kept listening to make sure it wasn't too loud from on coming traffic. We was filming on a main road and often people would walk past talking loudly or a lorry would drive past, but eventually we got there and filmed it great.
Problems We Had? What would I change?
I think the day went to plan really well, however, I think in my head when writing the script I had a much more elaborate vision of the dancing scene with Amy. I know she's not a dancer and I can't expect that from her, however, I wish there was a little more that was done to build the scene up more before Francis and Bethany begin spinning round as much. Vic knew that this was the scene I had been so excited for, so Adam and I tried to go through with Bethany some tips on what she could do to do the dancing a bit better, Adam had experience with dancers so he was helpful in supporting me in this. I know it's not the best but I was determined to make sure we had enough footage for that scene as it's such a big scene were we find out the truth and the dancing is meant to be quite dramatic. I was thinking of finding a professional dancer on Casting Call and filming some legs and arms sequences (no face) that could be edited in along side Amy. However, I'm not sure if we will have time, however, I'll look more into it. Another thing that could be changed is the makeup. Although Amy did it really good, I think it should of been darker to look more realistic. I really like the location we filmed at and it fit my vision perfectly after realising that a dungeon was a little dramatic for a small theatre. Finally, I would make sure to book out the tracks on all scenes which a character is walking fast for, this is a mistake on my half and I should of thought about it more clearly. Overall, the day went very well and I can't wait to see the edit together!
PICK UP DAY!
Finally, day 8 was a short pick up day that we hadn't had time to shoot on the other days. We travelled to Charlies house and met up with Amy, there we filmed her reaction in the dining room when she finds that the box is empty. This was filmed quickly and Vic tried lots of different angles which worked well. We also recorded some sound separately of the noises of the tissue paper which sounded great on the recording.
The last scene we shot was of Bethany waking up in the morning and seeing the rose in the musical box. This scene was great to film and Vic tried some new establishing shots of a pan into the room instead of already being in the room, this worked effectively and I think it makes the introduction to the scene all that more creepier.
Overall, the filming has been so much fun to do, with some parts that have made me so stressed out! However, I'm really happy with the finished shots and think that something great can be created in post production. I'm so excited to see the first edit and get everything put together, it's been really nice to see my script come to life and see how working with other people really helps to create the idea you want. I'm very thankful for all the support i've received throughout from the cast and crew and especially Vic, as he's helped me throughout with the amount of work I had, he gave tips and ideas, and I tried my best to support him also throughout the filming days.
I think as a producer, I have succeeded most in the mise en scene side of things. I always did my best to look for the best props possible, and to think about all the small things in the scene and the sentimental things that can help bring the scene to life. I ordered so many dresses and we tried them with Amy to see which would fit best. Although some things was only for one scene, it was still essential that I made sure they was to the best standard possible. I think the weakest part of myself as a producer was casting. Although i'm thrilled with everyone, there are some people who I think aren't as strong as I would of liked. I did pick the best from who we had, however, I think it would of benefitted our film much more if some people were more natural to the roles.
Final day! Today is the day we filmed a few pick up shots, the outside scene, and the big finale dancing scene in Dartford. We began by filming the scene outside with Francis and Bethany when they are talking outside the theatre, this scene went really well and we easily got all the shots needed, along with some great sounds which Vic and I were happy about.
Soon after, we went into the room we had booked out and Dan had already taken out the drum kits and extra things in there, we wanted a completely empty room. Vic and I had been busy buying props for the scene and had a car full of props which I was completely happy with. What we brought was;
-3 Clothes rails
-Black cloths to cover some speakers
-Ballet costume
-Mask
-Photograph
-Tall light-Small speaker
-Clothes to put on the rail
It did take much longer than expected to set up, as the rails was in 3 separate boxes and needed to be put together from scratch. We couldn't of put them together beforehand, obviously because of the size so we did what we could with the time. It took around an hour to set up, although it set us back, I think it was worth it as we created a set up that looked like an old, dark backstage dressing room.
I really liked how Adam portrayed the character of Francis, he literally looked crazy - and it was such a dramatic change seeing him scrubbed up and with messed up hair, compared to when we usually see him in smart suits with his hair gelled back and looking (mostly) smiley. I think the overall costumes worked well and I'm very happy with the outcome of this scene especially.
Finally, Vic, Amy, Joseph and I all went back to Rochester to film a pick up scene of Bethany walking in the bedroom when George is asleep which was reasonably simple to film and was done very quickly! Our final scene we filmed was George 'rushing' down the street to get to the theatre. I really liked the lighting that we filmed in, it was all natural and we chose a great time to film as there was also a street light on behind which made the scene a little more golden. The scene went well however, for this scene it was just Vic and I filming and doing sound and it was very hard to walk backwards quickly in time with Joseph without shaking the camera. Vic and I switched roles numerous times to both see if either of us could do it, however the tracks were essential. This is something I should of thought about more, and should of booked the tracks out for. Hopefully we can fix this in post somehow. The sound however was recorded really clearly which I'm happy with as we kept listening to make sure it wasn't too loud from on coming traffic. We was filming on a main road and often people would walk past talking loudly or a lorry would drive past, but eventually we got there and filmed it great.Problems We Had? What would I change?
I think the day went to plan really well, however, I think in my head when writing the script I had a much more elaborate vision of the dancing scene with Amy. I know she's not a dancer and I can't expect that from her, however, I wish there was a little more that was done to build the scene up more before Francis and Bethany begin spinning round as much. Vic knew that this was the scene I had been so excited for, so Adam and I tried to go through with Bethany some tips on what she could do to do the dancing a bit better, Adam had experience with dancers so he was helpful in supporting me in this. I know it's not the best but I was determined to make sure we had enough footage for that scene as it's such a big scene were we find out the truth and the dancing is meant to be quite dramatic. I was thinking of finding a professional dancer on Casting Call and filming some legs and arms sequences (no face) that could be edited in along side Amy. However, I'm not sure if we will have time, however, I'll look more into it. Another thing that could be changed is the makeup. Although Amy did it really good, I think it should of been darker to look more realistic. I really like the location we filmed at and it fit my vision perfectly after realising that a dungeon was a little dramatic for a small theatre. Finally, I would make sure to book out the tracks on all scenes which a character is walking fast for, this is a mistake on my half and I should of thought about it more clearly. Overall, the day went very well and I can't wait to see the edit together!
PICK UP DAY!
Finally, day 8 was a short pick up day that we hadn't had time to shoot on the other days. We travelled to Charlies house and met up with Amy, there we filmed her reaction in the dining room when she finds that the box is empty. This was filmed quickly and Vic tried lots of different angles which worked well. We also recorded some sound separately of the noises of the tissue paper which sounded great on the recording.
The last scene we shot was of Bethany waking up in the morning and seeing the rose in the musical box. This scene was great to film and Vic tried some new establishing shots of a pan into the room instead of already being in the room, this worked effectively and I think it makes the introduction to the scene all that more creepier.
Overall, the filming has been so much fun to do, with some parts that have made me so stressed out! However, I'm really happy with the finished shots and think that something great can be created in post production. I'm so excited to see the first edit and get everything put together, it's been really nice to see my script come to life and see how working with other people really helps to create the idea you want. I'm very thankful for all the support i've received throughout from the cast and crew and especially Vic, as he's helped me throughout with the amount of work I had, he gave tips and ideas, and I tried my best to support him also throughout the filming days.
I think as a producer, I have succeeded most in the mise en scene side of things. I always did my best to look for the best props possible, and to think about all the small things in the scene and the sentimental things that can help bring the scene to life. I ordered so many dresses and we tried them with Amy to see which would fit best. Although some things was only for one scene, it was still essential that I made sure they was to the best standard possible. I think the weakest part of myself as a producer was casting. Although i'm thrilled with everyone, there are some people who I think aren't as strong as I would of liked. I did pick the best from who we had, however, I think it would of benefitted our film much more if some people were more natural to the roles.
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