Pages

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Unit 4 Point 3 - Production Log - Short Film


Production Log

Over the summer holiday we had a scriptwriter assignment. Once we did, we had to give out a pitch to the class, so that they could give feed back on the script. Once that was done, we were given a short film assignment to make our script on screen.

On September 12th – 19th, I used StarNow to find actors. Most of them were from London and Birmingham but they were able to travel to Lichfield. Once I picked all my seven actors, I send them the script three weeks earlier so they can learn their lines, so we can film on the actual day without any mistakes.

I needed a crew so I chose Chevy for Cinematography, Josh Coleman for second camera unit, Keilan for sound and Duane for assistant cameraman as it's also for our own production 'Miscellaneous Films'.

I bought the gun lighter as a prop and had my own hats to see what looks good for the detective. I got an old clock by my neighbor.

During the summer holiday, August and start of September, I got the location which is a dining room in 'The George Hotel' in Litchfield City. The Dining room looks old from 1950's. The manger nicely let us use the room for free, he gave us the wine classes, table white clothes for props. The manger let me knew what days I could film in the room, which are 8th Monday and 9th Tuesday could have it from 8am to 7pm. 

On 5th October the equipment we took out was the DLSR Camera, Zoom Mic, Boom Pole, Lens, and Dolly which was very important to use as they were the intro and ending shots.

On 8th October, I told the crew to be hour and half earlier so we could set up the props and equipment. Duane and I got their first at 9am. We talked about where we should place the crime scene/dining table and the suspect circle. So we decided to set up the dining table in the centre of the room, above it is a chandelle. We made a suspect circle as we took the six chairs down the end of the room where there is a fireplace and mirror. We discussed about how we should use the lights in the room, how the short film should begin to have the detective to say his lines at the start while his walking to the suspects circle.

10.30 am, Josh, Chevy and Keilan came on set. Then I had a text from Will playing the Detective saying he missed his train and will be late. Between 10.30am to 11am the six actors arrived. We were hoping to film at 11am but we couldn’t start because Will is in every shot. So I decided to go through the script with the actors, to see how they do and to see if I had to tell them, If it was good or not. I told my crew to set up the equipment and test out some shots on the dolly.

Once I finished rehearsing with actors, gave out pointers to them, I went to Cinematographer to see how the dolly shots looks for following the feet of the detective. But the shot didn’t work because we couldn’t go low enough to get the feet in so Josh and Chevy came up with a different shot. The shot was a wide shot, where the detective comes out from the door, we see his silhouette, where the dolly starts from one end of the dinning table we also see a wine glass. Then the camera follows the detective walking beside the dining table without seeing his face.

Then I told the actor to get chance in their costumes. We set up the lights to make it noir lighting and we dimmed the lamps and chandelles, to give that noir and coldness feel to it. Then hour and half later, 12.30pm, Will finally arrive. Gave him some hats of which he thinks suits the character. I went through the first of his lines and told him the change that he will be walking beside the dining table to the suspects while he says his lines. I broke up his lines where he should start and stop his lines during different shots.

I rehearsed with Will, showing him what he needs to do. Once he was clear what he was doing, we finally started filming. Will had a lot of lines to learn, so he messed up a few times in shots, so we took a lot of takes to get it right. We moved on to a mid-shot of the detective where we finally see his face, and smells the drink and walks to the body, as the camera follows his arms to cover up the dead body’s feet with the sheet. Josh took extra and other shots as he was second unit cameraman, as he took a mirror shot while Detective was walking by dining table. A silhouette of the fallen chair, as you can see detective’s feet walking pass. Then the next shot was the Detective walking into the circle towards the mirror. We filmed the shots in order, so we could play out the whole story and see how it goes and to know each action in each shot so we won’t make a mistake.

In all the shots between the Detective and Suspect we filmed it mid-shots. We wanted to the Suspect to feel like they have been cornered and have something to hide. With the Detective being a little away from the Suspect, to show he is in control and that he doesn’t trust them and he isn’t their friend. The shot changes when ‘Miss Slayer’ – Olivia is dying as she coughs and stands up – the shot is a wide shot as she falls, Detective, Dr Sinner and Mr. Black rush to her. Then we went to hand-held for Dr Sinner checking her pulse to show shock and distress. Once Dr Sinner and Mr. Black sit down the next shot was a Close-up of the Detective’s face reveling the murderer as it was a pan, as once he said the name, the camera pans to the murderer, which was Miss Paddington.

Then we went back to the mid-shots of Detective and Miss Paddington to show she is cornered and unmasked. Next shot was a dolly shot as it goes pass Miss Paddington holding her gun as there is a knock at the door. The dolly moves towards to show the door. The shot was to show that there was no escape and the police want to arrest her as they are drawing her in. Next shot would be her to grab the detective, a mid shot. Then we did another dolly shot, same shot back from the first dolly shot as we wanted to have the same feel of coming in and out of the room. The dolly follows them walking towards the door. When they stop, the dolly stops as the Detective opens the door.

Then we did the reaction shots of each suspect when they are listening to the detective while he is walking, when Dr Sinner says his an morphine addict, When Miss Slayer is dead, Miss Paddington reveled as murderer, and gun revels. I shouted out this, so they can give me a reaction from each action. The last shot for the five actors before they left were a hand-held shot where they laugh as everything is reveled that it’s in modern day. I said to them laugh and imprecise of what your saying, gave them examples of what to say. The camera went around the room to capture everyone, included when Miss Slayer gets up, as she is not dead. We did the last scene for Detective, Miss Paddington and Pizza Guy.  

We set the camera to film in colour for last scene. We were in a rush to finish it as almost time to leave the room. Most shots were mid, over the shoulder and close-ups. The last shot was a close-up of Miss Paddington out of the room, as she turns to face the camera to wink towards the audience to say ‘We trick you’, it isn’t a murder. We finished at 7.30pm. We got it all filmed and done on that day, didn’t need to film the next day. I felt it went really well, I am please with the work, actors and crew and what we filmed.

On 25th October, I booked out the college studio, with the DSLR Camera, light kit and Micro Lens for an extreme close-up of the eyes; this was for the intro/title sequence for the short film. We used two different people one female and one male to see which walks better. We had a pan side from one eye to the other. Then we did a shot extreme close-up of the eye. I directed them when to wink their eye, and have their eye wide to show shock and then I told them to wink again. All the filming is finished.