Pre-production
As the producer of table anxiety I have been over seeing the whole of the pre-production process making sure that regular meetings are arranged, a folder with the necessary documents is created, cast is found and so on.
Pre-production documents
To begin with I arranged a meeting with the crew to ensure that we all were responsible for at least one preproduction document such as:
Moodboard
shot list
storyboard
call sheets
cast and crew agreement
location recce
risk assessment
production schedule
budget
prop and costume list
contact list
Arranging who would be responsible for each of these documents and creating a folder with a template for each was very effective as it meant we had planned the main elements of the film very quickly and we could move on to really considering some of the technical elements of the film.
Location
As we were limited to just filming at Craiglockhart the choice of filming space was slightly more difficult as our film is set in a restaurant however we were unable to film in the restaurant areas of the campus. After a recce we decided that one of the more modern classroom could be dressed to look like a restaurant from a certain angle.
Casting
In order to cast the film I started by putting put a casting call on Facebook and giving an email to respond to. We received just over 10 responses therefore we needed to narrow the selection down. The applicants were asked to send in a short audition tape where they gave a short intro to themselves and read a quick monologue. We immediately knew who we wanted to cast as Sam but set up a call back for two boys wanting to play Alex to do a chemistry read with our chosen Sam and from there found the right actor for Alex.
Timekeeping and planning
There were many documents that needed to be completed and pieces of planning that needed to be done in order to arrange filming efficiently and I found overseeing this process to be very easy on this project in particular as each member of my group was able to do there part independently and quickly. However regular meetings were definitely necessary for checking that everyone knew what they were doing.
Next step
I am currently preparing for the shoot this week making sure that the call sheets are completely up to date and that the camera and sound reports are ready alongside the other documents we need for filming. I am also keeping am eye on the group chat to make sure things are running smoothly and no one is confused about what they're doing.
Shoot Day
We arrived on set at 8:00 the day of the shoot in order to set up the location and ensure we had all the equiptment we needed before the actors arrived. Although there was a lot to set up we were way ahead of schedule by the time I needed to go meet the cast members. Aimee did a 30-minute rehearsal with the actors once they arrived and by 9:30 we were ready to go. When the actors first arrived I made sure to get them to sign cast agreements so that Over the course of the shoot I was script supervising to ensure good continuity in the film as well as keeping track of time to ensure we were on schedule. I also was responsible for making sure everyone had ate enough on set by setting up a small table of food in the corner.
Overall the day was very productive and there were a couple things I learnt from producing on set. Firstly I found that coming prepared with spare scripts and production schedules significantly helped out the crew as they were easily accessible and everyone knew what we were doing. However one thing I wouldve done differently would be scheduling in more time for sound as we left the room tone until the end and ended up needing more time. I also feel that although we were ahead of schedule for dressing the set we could have spent more time ensuring that it felt realistic as this has made the footage look slightly less realistic than we would've hoped.
We will now move into post-production with a month to finish editing and sound. I will be checking up on the editor and sound designer during this process to make sure that the final cut fits the original idea and meets the criteria for the assignment.
Post-Production
During the edit, we found it difficult to keep within the time restrictions of the brief, therefore, made the decision to sacrifice a few marks and go over the time limit as the film wouldn't work being any shorter. Helping out and checking in on the edit as a producer mostly meant making sure that everything had been structured correctly and checking up on continuity as well as ensuring that picture lock happened soon enough to make sure sound had enough time to work.
When it came to sound some of the main challenges was layering the right selection of sounds to ensure that the right atmosphere was created. Furthermore, it was difficult to figure out how we were going to edit the internal thought dialogue to make it different to the normal dialogue and ensure it was realistic. Overall my role as producer when helping out with sound was similar to editing as I was just keeping track of time and making sure that the edit and sound fit together for the final cut.
Crit Feedback Reflections
One major piece of feedback from the crit was that the final piece would have worked far better without the voiceover. We were complimented on the attention to detail in the set design however one tutor felt that we could have avoided giving a way that it was a classroom through more strategic cinematography. We were also instructed that although our sound was added to the café environment, the voice-over used an echoey tone as opposed to the recognizable more quiet, and intimate style. The final major piece of feedback commented on how the set could have potentially been dressed slightly better to make the space feel more believable.
A piece of feedback that resonated with me the most was regarding the use of the voiceover which as the process of making the film went on changed in purpose. When we originally were discussing the idea the voice over served as one of the main parts of the dialogue where it would almost be like a mismatching conversation between two peoples thoughts on an awkward first date. However during the script writing process the voice over lost it’s meaning slightly and became an unnecessary delivery of information we could already understand through subtext. Therefore in further projects I will consider that just as the project can end up changing when things don’t go to plan, it is also okay to make a decision even later on to make changes no matter how significant they may seem.
I feel receiving feedback throughout the process significantly helped the project. For example during the script writing process our tutor was able to notice dialogue that was only slightly out of place in the script which improved the overall film. I would consider the films strongest points to be surrounding the visual attention to detail and sound in many respects. We worked hard to ensure that every detail in the set was well thought out which includes the menus, ice creams and even the t-shirt that Alex wears. I also feel that when we added sound to the film the set came to life. Something that isn’t visible but improves the overall quality was the planning we completed. This made the production process so much more efficient so that on the day of the shoot we knew exactly what we were doing and post-production also were clear on their roles.
For me, this group was by far the most hard working and enjoyable group to work with so far on the course. Firstly everyone in the group showed a good degree of passion towards their role therefore I do not feel that the film suffered significantly from one aspect not being considered closely enough. I also feel that although everyone in the group was strongminded, we did not experience conflict as everyone was able to communicate very professionally and maturely. Finally I feel that everyone was quick to do a task when it needed to be done making my role far easier! If anything could have been improved in the group it maybe would have been some more regular meetings for post-production to be sure we had all had input on the sound and the edit.
Comments