Hi,
Yesterday we had our first filming day. We got there (our first filming location, Sun'E'Side restaurant in Merrimac) around ten in the morning to start setting up. It didn't take as long as I thought it would, but I will admit I wasn't very helpful in the setting up of shots. Mike and Conrad knew exactly how to set the lights and the camera up, so it happened really fast.
First we filmed shots of Kylie's dad playing the 'Scruffy Man' as he wasn't available all day. Then we filmed the bulk of the film from a long shot, then moved the camera and did it again with a mid shot. This is going to be really good when we cut it all together, us being able to cut between the two shots. The mid shot we filmed with two cameras, one focusing on each character.
We filmed a variety of other shots, some focusing on audio especially so we can have it in the background while the protagonist is eating with his date.
For most of the day I was writing down the shot log, keeping track of what shots were being taken and the time code for them. My hand writing is a bit messy so I want to get it all typed up and organised this weekend before I forget what I wrote! It's going to be a massive help when we're editing, so we know what shots are good and what ones to ditch.
We had about an hour break, and still managed to be all packed up and gone by 4:30 pm. It took the whole day, but some how didn't take as long as I expected. Everything ran really smoothly, and our actors (Kirsty Macleod and Grant Grierson) did a really amazing job!
Josh said we would all hate each other by the end of the day but that hasn't happened yet....we still have another day of filming though! On Monday Rotten Apple and Grant are coming to my apartment to film the opening sequence in my bedroom, then we're going to head to the uni and film the bathroom scene. It's going to be hard doing this as Grant is supposed to throw up coins, and we still haven't really figured out the logistics of it yet. We were hoping to use the green screen at uni but I don't we'll be able to. I wonder how Rupert Grint threw up slugs in the Harry Potter?
Well that was the first filming day, and it went better than I could have imagined.
The end.
Friday, 22 April 2011
Week 8 - Audio
Hi,
In the lecture this week Josh talked about some general housekeeping things to do with filming, but I didn't take any notes. In the tutorial we learnt about audio. He taught us to put together the boom mic, and all the different kinds of microphones we can use. For most of our scenes we're using the boom mic, except when we're using a different camera (which we're using for shots where we shift the focus).
I didn't have a go at using the boom mic in class, Rotten Apple (our group name) was busy putting the finishing touches on our production schedule which was due. One of my main issues will be (when I'm holding the mic) trying to keep it out of the shot. I'm not the strongest of people and my job as a cocktail waitress crashed and burned due to my upper arm strength (or lack there of).
Straight after class we got the light, camera and audio equipment. We're one of the first groups to start filming so I'm really proud of how organised we are.
The end.
In the lecture this week Josh talked about some general housekeeping things to do with filming, but I didn't take any notes. In the tutorial we learnt about audio. He taught us to put together the boom mic, and all the different kinds of microphones we can use. For most of our scenes we're using the boom mic, except when we're using a different camera (which we're using for shots where we shift the focus).
I didn't have a go at using the boom mic in class, Rotten Apple (our group name) was busy putting the finishing touches on our production schedule which was due. One of my main issues will be (when I'm holding the mic) trying to keep it out of the shot. I'm not the strongest of people and my job as a cocktail waitress crashed and burned due to my upper arm strength (or lack there of).
Straight after class we got the light, camera and audio equipment. We're one of the first groups to start filming so I'm really proud of how organised we are.
The end.
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Week 7, Part 2- Lighting in films
Hi,
This week we learnt about lighting in films so I'm going to talk about a couple films where the lighting and colour really effected the piece.
The first one that comes to mind is 'Thirteen' directed by Catherine Hardwicke (she also did the Twilight films - muted colour seems to be her thin). In the film, as Tracy's (the protagonist) life becomes darker the colour of the film becomes muted until it is almost black and white. The last shot of the film as in colour to symbolise her recovery. It is done very smoothly and I actually had to read about it before I noticed it, then I went back and watched it again.
Another movie that comes to mind is 'V for Vendetta' directed by James McTeigue. At times the lighting is quite bright in certain areas, and extremely dark in others. One example is when the totalitarian head of state is addressing the other leaders. Each one of the leaders is well lit, but all around them is darkness. This lighting makes them seem mysterious and frightening.
When I was in school, they told us that the highest paid people in early Hollywood were the hairdressers. This was because the light would be behind the actor or actress and highlight every single flyaway hair. So for that reason I think I should mention Michael Curtiz's film 'Casablanca' as Ingrid Bergmans hair looks impeccable throughout the whole thing. The lighting people and the hairdressers worked excellently together on that one!
Mockumentaries should also be noted, I think. Although Oren Peli's 'Paranormal Activity' movies aren't the first horror films to be made in the recovered-footage style, they are the most recent. This required a lot of natural light, and night vision. We had to be able to see enough but not too much or else it wouldn't have looked realistic. The night vision I think is an excellent technique for this. It keeps some things in the shadows, which makes it really scary, while giving the viewer enough light to watch what the characters are doing while still maintaining a realistic night time feel. This way of lighting became hugely popular with the film 'The Blair Witch Project' directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. People still think that movie is actually real!
Lighting is extremely difficult and I never thought about it until I did this course. To make something look realistic but interesting as well as being consistent....that's tough!
The end.
This week we learnt about lighting in films so I'm going to talk about a couple films where the lighting and colour really effected the piece.
The first one that comes to mind is 'Thirteen' directed by Catherine Hardwicke (she also did the Twilight films - muted colour seems to be her thin). In the film, as Tracy's (the protagonist) life becomes darker the colour of the film becomes muted until it is almost black and white. The last shot of the film as in colour to symbolise her recovery. It is done very smoothly and I actually had to read about it before I noticed it, then I went back and watched it again.
Another movie that comes to mind is 'V for Vendetta' directed by James McTeigue. At times the lighting is quite bright in certain areas, and extremely dark in others. One example is when the totalitarian head of state is addressing the other leaders. Each one of the leaders is well lit, but all around them is darkness. This lighting makes them seem mysterious and frightening.
When I was in school, they told us that the highest paid people in early Hollywood were the hairdressers. This was because the light would be behind the actor or actress and highlight every single flyaway hair. So for that reason I think I should mention Michael Curtiz's film 'Casablanca' as Ingrid Bergmans hair looks impeccable throughout the whole thing. The lighting people and the hairdressers worked excellently together on that one!
Mockumentaries should also be noted, I think. Although Oren Peli's 'Paranormal Activity' movies aren't the first horror films to be made in the recovered-footage style, they are the most recent. This required a lot of natural light, and night vision. We had to be able to see enough but not too much or else it wouldn't have looked realistic. The night vision I think is an excellent technique for this. It keeps some things in the shadows, which makes it really scary, while giving the viewer enough light to watch what the characters are doing while still maintaining a realistic night time feel. This way of lighting became hugely popular with the film 'The Blair Witch Project' directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. People still think that movie is actually real!
Lighting is extremely difficult and I never thought about it until I did this course. To make something look realistic but interesting as well as being consistent....that's tough!
The end.
Friday, 15 April 2011
Week 7 - Production Schedule and Lighting
Hi,
This week in the lecture we learnt about how to put a production schedule together. It's a lot more complicated than I thought. Even though it is complicated, as the producer, I've been putting it together and it is making everything so organised! It is extremely necessary I think so we make sure the set is ready, the costumes and props are ready, the cast are ready and the crew are ready. It also helps to make sure that we know that all the crew that are needed on set are ready. For example, our opening scene has no dialogue so a boom operator isn't as necessary.
In the tutorial we were in the drama theatre rather than the computer lab and learnt about red head lights. Josh taught us about the Red-Head lighting kits and how to set up the '3 Point Set Up'. Before we do this however we need to maximise the already available light (eg. lights in the room, natural light etc.), and analyse where the logical source of light would come from. It's good to reflect light on something else to light the subject, rather than shine a light right on them. It makes it seem more natural and less harsh. Josh recommended that if we are shooting in a small space to try and only use one Red-Head as they get REALLY hot.
The three aspects of a '3 Point Set Up' are the back light (hair light, corona), the fill light and most importantly the key light. The key light is the one we should always set up first, and use the other two lights to support the first.
The end.
This week in the lecture we learnt about how to put a production schedule together. It's a lot more complicated than I thought. Even though it is complicated, as the producer, I've been putting it together and it is making everything so organised! It is extremely necessary I think so we make sure the set is ready, the costumes and props are ready, the cast are ready and the crew are ready. It also helps to make sure that we know that all the crew that are needed on set are ready. For example, our opening scene has no dialogue so a boom operator isn't as necessary.
In the tutorial we were in the drama theatre rather than the computer lab and learnt about red head lights. Josh taught us about the Red-Head lighting kits and how to set up the '3 Point Set Up'. Before we do this however we need to maximise the already available light (eg. lights in the room, natural light etc.), and analyse where the logical source of light would come from. It's good to reflect light on something else to light the subject, rather than shine a light right on them. It makes it seem more natural and less harsh. Josh recommended that if we are shooting in a small space to try and only use one Red-Head as they get REALLY hot.
The three aspects of a '3 Point Set Up' are the back light (hair light, corona), the fill light and most importantly the key light. The key light is the one we should always set up first, and use the other two lights to support the first.
The end.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Week 6, Part 2 - Homework
Hi,
For this weeks homework we had to watch the first five minutes of a movie and write down every single shot. I chose 'Bedtime Stories' because it fits in with the theme of our story (at first appears realistic, but you realise very quickly it is a bit fantastical). It took ages for me to do, and I can't imagine doing it for the whole film! It was a good exercise though, even if it did take me a long time to actually do it.
The end.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Week 6 - Crew Roles
Hi,
This week in the lecture we learnt about various crew roles in the movie and whether they fall above or below the line.
Above the line crew roles are as follows:
This week in the lecture we learnt about various crew roles in the movie and whether they fall above or below the line.
Above the line crew roles are as follows:
- executive producer
- producer
- associate producer
- director
- writer
- production designer
Below the line crew roles are:
- camera operator
- camera assistant
- sound monitor
- sound mixer
- boom operator
- line producer
- script supervisor
- assistant director
- art director
The director of cinematography (aka cinematographer) falls under both of these categories.
For our film we're making this semester, Josh has recommended that we choose a producer, a director and a production designer just to make the pre-production and production run a lot smoother. He also recommended that the camera assistant also double as the sound monitor and keep a shot log.
I never really realised how many different roles there were in film making, and how much of a team effort it is. You only ever really hear about the actors and the directors, but each of the above crew roles are essential for the making of a movie.
In the lecture we watched some of The Mechanic starring Jason Statham (Marry me please?). We didn't get to watch all of it but I did notice a little flickering of foil or something (I can't remember its actual name) at the top of the shot. Apparently throughout the movie this happens often, as well as the boom mike being visible. I'm definitely going to download rent it and try and pick up on these mistakes.
In the tutorial we learnt how to use the cameras that we'll be using for our films. We were given a filming activity to do, but we spent too much time trying to decide what to film that we didn't actually film anything. This has just confirmed with me that we need to make sure our shot list is really organised so we don't waste any time on the days of filming
In the tutorial we learnt how to use the cameras that we'll be using for our films. We were given a filming activity to do, but we spent too much time trying to decide what to film that we didn't actually film anything. This has just confirmed with me that we need to make sure our shot list is really organised so we don't waste any time on the days of filming
The end.
Friday, 1 April 2011
Week 5, Part 2 - Tutorial activities
Hi,
This week in the tutorial we discussed different ways we could begin our films, and also talked a bit more about our characters and where we want to go with the story.
Right now we're thinking of having it as a date scenario. The guy is trying to impress this super sexy girl, but at some point during the date he realizes he left his money at home. OH NO! So the main part of the story would be him thinking of various ways to get out of the situation he is now in. For the opening sequence we had two main ideas:
1. Split between the two main characters getting ready and use extreme close-ups to highlight their differences. The girl being clean, organised, and putting her make up on tidily. We hadn't really decided what we would do for the guy. He could either be a nerdy guy, or just really unorganised and messy, living in a party house.
2. We were thinking we could have the opening sequence just of the girl getting out of a car and walking into the restaurant, and a waiter being really confused as to why she is on a date with the protagonist.
We didn't try film any of this, it was all just brainstorming so we'll see what happens.
The end.
This week in the tutorial we discussed different ways we could begin our films, and also talked a bit more about our characters and where we want to go with the story.
Right now we're thinking of having it as a date scenario. The guy is trying to impress this super sexy girl, but at some point during the date he realizes he left his money at home. OH NO! So the main part of the story would be him thinking of various ways to get out of the situation he is now in. For the opening sequence we had two main ideas:
1. Split between the two main characters getting ready and use extreme close-ups to highlight their differences. The girl being clean, organised, and putting her make up on tidily. We hadn't really decided what we would do for the guy. He could either be a nerdy guy, or just really unorganised and messy, living in a party house.
2. We were thinking we could have the opening sequence just of the girl getting out of a car and walking into the restaurant, and a waiter being really confused as to why she is on a date with the protagonist.
We didn't try film any of this, it was all just brainstorming so we'll see what happens.
The end.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)