GENERAL IMPRESSIONS
Pre-Production
During this module I was given the role of Cinematographer which later changed to both boom operator and Cinematographer. This was a bit of a challenge because I found out a few days before shooting day. This means I had to do some last-minute research on the equipment I would be using on the day and what setting should be used on the mixer. For the Cinematography role I made a 5-page shot list which was hard because I had to make it before seeing the set. This means I did not have much to go on and I had to use my imagination for most of the shots.
I sent this out to everyone via the google drive folder. I think the shot list helped give people a better understanding of the large variety of shots that could be used and of the range of equipment (which some people have not seen before) we could use to create these shots. This could also give the directors a better idea and help with their creative vision of the film.
Before shooting day I set myself two goals based on the feedback I got in the first year which was to be more confident and speak my mind more. I also struggle with insomnia, so I really wanted to focus on getting there on time, not missing any days and having enough energy to perform my role at a high level.
On our recce day I took a few photos of the set which I posted in the google drive to help the directors create the storyboard which can help give them a good idea of the space and can help them with actor and camera placements. For the rest of the day I talked to Pete to get a better understanding on what equipment will be available to us on the day and I relayed this information with the directors so we could discuss a few nice shots. After listening to the directors' vision, I talked to the camera team about the lens, equipment and camera movements to make them more confident on the different types of shots we will perform on the shooting day.
Production
On the first day of production, I was boom operator which means I will be setting up the audio equipment, recording sound for the film and listening to make sure the sound is of good quality. When we arrived at the film set, we faced our first problem. Half the audio equipment was still at the university and we did not have time to go back and get the missing items. We had to make do with what we had so we changed our original plan which was using 4 sound kits with a mix pre each, but we only had the equipment for 2 sound kits and no mix pre. We decided to have 1 sound kit per group and the other person working on audio in the group will wear the headphone to spread the workload with the boom operator. After setting up and making sure the audio worked, I helped Dan with lighting because on the first day he was the only person set to do lighting for both sets. I helped him put coloured filters on the light to try and match the time of day the scene was set in and we also had to trouble-shoot some light placements with the restricted spaces. With the help of Pete, we used different lighting mounts and we were able to setup all the lighting ready for the film shoot. For the first half of the shoot, I was using the boom to try and find the right position around the film set to capture clear sound while also not being seen on the camera. For many scenes I would have to move around on the floor and sometimes under objects to avoid being in frame. The second half of the shoot I would listen in the headphone if there were any interruptions or interference in the audio. For example, on a few of the takes we could hear background music playing from the warehouse next door.
On day 2 I took the role of cinematographer where I worked closely with the director to make sure all the shots work and follow the rules. For example, the 30oc and 180oc rules. I also wanted to make sure we had a large variety of different shots, so I showed the director and camera team the slider and dolly. I showed them what shots we could do with them and we all chipped in to give our opinions. I know from past projects I didn’t speak up that much so I really wanted to make sure I was heard during this project so if I didn’t agree with any of the shots, I would talk to the camera team and we would come up with a better shot which we suggested to the director. Towards the end of the day, we started to run out of time so we were unable to capture all the different angles and movement I would have wanted but we still ended up finishing all the shots on the shot list and pack up on time.
Post-Production
After the Christmas break the editing process started but before we got our hands on the footage, I decided to make a title sequence. With the little time we had I got to work planning out a simple but effective idea. With my knowledge of Premiere and After Effects I collected a few World War II photos and downloaded an old school font to match the theme of the film. After constructing a well-planned title for the film, our editing group hosted a meeting where we planned out tasks for everyone to get on with. For example, finding music, creating the end-credits and choosing the best shots to use. After a discussion our group decided to do most of the work remotely because of the little time and because of the tech park closure. With the help of the team finding material for me, I started putting the edit together once I got hold of the raw footage. The next day I took my edit into the university to receive feedback from the directors. Shortly after making a few changes the power from the building went out. This caused the editing to come to a halt and the directors were unable to create the final edit. They decided to ask me to complete the edit with my own equipment which I agreed to. I also thought the directors had done a lot of work during the pre-production and production stages of the project, so I did not think it was fair on them to take on the editing work load as well.
