Final Film Blog.

A short film is usually between 3 and 8 minutes long, should have a clear plot structure and should be entertaining to its audience. Futureshorts is a particularly good source for short films and in my first blog post I show examples of clips I watched on Futureshorts’ YouTube channel and some notes on what I thought about them. Most films have a log line which is usually just one or two sentences designed to entice the audience and give a hint as to what the film will be about. An example of this is from Titanic where the log line is a boy and girl from differing social backgrounds meet during the ill-fated maiden voyage of RMS Titanic. The log line should give enough information as to give the audience an idea of what the film is about, without giving too much away. In my second blog post I give examples of short films we watched in class and the log lines that I created for each of those films. The outline of a film is usually a short paragraph describing in more details the events of the film. If you visit The Internet Movie Database you can search movie titles and find out the log lines for these films and examples of outlines written by movie fans.

In November we created our own short films. We were put into small groups and given the script Choices. I took on the role of Producer, and through my posts three to eight I reflect on the pre-production matter and organisation. On the filming weekend I played a small role in the film and I kept the cast informed of where and when they would be needed. I also brought food and drink for the cast and crew to have on set and I used the clapper board. In pre-production I watched some clips of the first cut of the film and offered some ideas and suggestions during our discussions. I organised the production folder and ensured we had all the necessary release forms, permissions and paper work. This role gave me the opportunity to see how much is involved in the production of a short film and helped raise my interest in film production. I knew that I would like to produce another short film and felt that it was something I did well.

Before Christmas break we watched the films in class. I felt that for a first attempt we were quite successful, although I could see several things we could have done better. We could have taken lighting into more consideration as we ran out of natural light on one of our shooting days and in the final scene you can tell that it is dark outside when it should be daytime. I also thought that for the next film we would concentrate carefully on casting and organise a proper audition. There was a slight editorial error also, as 1:27minutes into the film there seems to be two shots playing over each other. We also realised that there was far too much swearing and this would be something we would watch out for next time. Overall I was quite pleased with the film but it definitely gave me several things to think about for next time such as language and what elements make a film ‘studenty’.

Here is choices.

Over the Christmas break we had to write our own short film scripts with the idea that they would be plausible for other students to film. In my ninth blog post I discuss the key things to take into consideration when writing a short film designed for student production. I had several ideas for my screenplay but found that the difficulty was in writing a script that was easy to produce but also interesting. I then came up with the idea for my script Breakdown, where a young couple break down on their way to a wedding weekend and hitch a ride through the countryside. The journey to the wedding however does not turn out as they expected. In this script I used a limited number of characters, only three with dialogue, one pub location and the rest country roads. Country roads may seem a difficult location but because the university campus is surrounded by rural land I figured this would be ok.

I wrote the script Breakdown and we reviewed the first drafts in class. Several people who read mine seemed to really like the idea and the characters. One negative comment was that it would be too difficult to film in a car. I defended this point and explained that it may be harder than filming in wide open space but it is in no way impossible. Another suggestion was instead of starting the script with the couple leaving the house instead to start it with the car breaking down. This was a comment I took on board and I changed the beginning of the script. This exercise showed me the importance of writing a realistic script. If my script had too many characters or a huge action scene I knew that no-one would choose it and it would not fit the set criteria. It also showed me how helpful other people's feedback and suggestions can be.

We all gave in our final drafts and Mike selected a few scripts that he felt would be good options to produce. My script Breakdown was on the list and I was really hoping someone would produce it! In class Dan and I discussed the scripts we might like to produce and in my tenth blog I explain the pros and cons of each of the possible scripts. We met up with our group and discussed the scripts. We all quite liked The Good Listener but felt that it needed altering.

My blogs 10 – 16 give details on pre-production and in particular, casting. I again took on the role of producer and had the same responsibilities as before, except that I took on casting. I organized an audition, advertised it around university campus with posters (see blog 16), emailed drama and performing arts students, and contact Chris Jury asking him to spread the word to his students. Dan, David and I wrote brief monologues for the actors to use in the audition and I created a hand out for the crew, with details of the actors, who they were auditioning for and a space for notes. This went really well and by the end of the day we had chosen our cast. This showed me how vital organization is to a successful production as we now had options to select our cast and could choose actors we felt suited the roles, rather than having to take what we could get like we did previously. We even organised a rehearsal (see blog 14) with the cast as by selecting our cast early on we had more time to prepare for the shoot.

Cast Rehearsal with myself and Ed.

Filming weekend went fairly well, the cast were efficient and we managed to get quite a few extras for the house party scene. On set I had the same duties as before, and kept in contact with the cast and crew, informing everyone of where and when they were needed. I felt that this shoot was much more successful than Choices, and I think this is largely down to casting. We were so much more organised this time that everything seemed less stressful and to run smoothly. Blogs 17 and 18 give further details on production weekend.

In post production I organized the production folder, ensuring again we had all the correct documents. In the editing room it was discovered that some of the scenes weren’t good enough as there was dust on the camera lens and in another case the lighting was too dark. We decided to re shoot the scenes and I organized the re shoot by checking the actors availability and when would be best to shoot. There was only one weekend when the actors were all available and unfortunately Dan and I could not get this day off work. I gave the production folder over to Ed to have on set and Ed, Harry and David re shoot the distorted scenes. The following week I added the final documents to the folder and checked through it all. Dan, Ed and Harry continued with editing. I explain further details about the re shoot in blog 19. The issue with the dust of lens made me realise how important it is to check every detail during the shoot. If someone would have noticed the dust on the lens, then we could have cleaned it and carried on without the need for re shooting.

Before Easter break we watched the first cut of our films. I found this to be really useful and in blog 20 give full details on what we learnt from watching back the film with an audience. I find it’s really important to have other people who are not involved with the production to watch the film and give criticism. They can give honest and unbiased opinions of the film, and are particularly helpful in seeing if the plot makes sense and if the story is told clearly.

Here is our second short film, Silent Disco.

Two groups decided to produce my screenplay Breakdown, the original script can be found on the scriptwriting page of my personal blog.

Here are their interpretations of my script.

This course has taught me a lot about film making that I didn’t know before. Previously I did not realise huge a huge part pre-production played in the final edit of a film. Without proper organisation it would be impossible to shoot a decent film. I also realised how much can go wrong during all stages of production and that a production team must be ready to overcome and solve any problems. I feel that producing a short film really does depend on the people you work with, as it is hugely important to get on with your team members and work with like minded people who are striving for the same goal.  Another valuable lessons was the the importance of writing a script with its purpose, audience and suitability in mind.

Film Blog 20 - Watching The Rough Edit.

On Monday we watched the rough edit of all our films in class. Silent Disco was shown first and we received several helpful comments.

I explained that we still have music to add in, the scene that was re shot to edit and to add subtitles for the sign language. One of the most interesting comments was that we don't need to include subtitles, that the audience could tell what was being said anyway. I thought this was a great point to make as up untill then I'd assumed we'd need to add subtitles to make sure that the audience would understand. Now I can see that it is clear enough and to include subtitles would be a little obvious and perhaps take away from the action.

We were complimented on our use of sign language, as the other group who based their film on the same script as us admitted that they didn't include it as they felt it was easier without. I'm glad we decided to use sign language, I think it looks more effective and realistic as the character we created definitely would have needed to use sign language on a regular basis. 


Another comment was that we need to do more with sound. We explained that we will be adding music made by Harry for the party scene and overture style music and sound affects created by Ed. We also mentioned that there will be a low humming or buzzing noise in certain parts of the film to show what Hannah is hearing. Mike said this was a good idea and would be particularly affective to use in the scene where they enter the party, as it will show the isolation Hannah may feel and how a deaf person may find it difficult to read people's body language when entering a busy party.


This session was really helpful and we will definitely use the advice given to us when it comes to finalising the edit.

Film Blog 19 - Reshoot.

As I mentioned in a previous post, some of our scenes weren't up to scratch due to dust on the lens and so we had to re shoot several scenes from the house party. Our cast have all been extremely busy with their other projects, but we were able to find a date when Georgia, Jack and Sophie were all available which was Saturday 2nd of April. Unfortunately Dan and I were unable to attend this day as we could not get the time off from our part time jobs, but the rest of the crew were available so we decided to go ahead.

Once I had organised a date we could re shoot on, Ed went ahead and booked the equipment. There were quite a few projects going on that weekend but luckily we were able to get all the equipment we needed. I gave the projection folder to Ed, so that he could use the script, cast details, and notes on set.

I have since met with the crew and they've ensured me that they captured all the necessary scenes and that the footage is much better. This week Dan will be logging and capturing the footage, ready to complete the edit.

Production Folder.
I've now completed all that I can of the production folder, I'm just waiting for Harry to send me the permission from the land lords. Once he has sent me these, I'll check them and everything in the folder. We also each have some notes from our previous meetings that we'll add to the folder in order to show our progress of ideas. I feel that I've kept done well with the folder so far, and have enjoyed organising the material.

Film Blog 18 - Production Photos!

Technology has changed it's mind and decided that it will allow me to share with you my photos from the production of Silent Disco.

So here you go!

Casting.

David & Dan in their suits; giving the audition a professional vibe.

Ed with his camera.

We all enjoyed casting and I feel that we were successful in setting the standard for the kind of cast that we were looking for. I organised and advertised the audition and we held a full two hour casting session. I think this was hugely beneficial to our film as we were able to pick and choose our actors, rather than having to take who was available like in Choices 2.

 Rehearsal.

 Georgia, our leading lady, and Ed.

We held a rehearsal about one week before the shoot. This allowed the main actors to meet each other and to get to know Ed and myself a little better. We ran through some of the dialogue and Ed informed the cast about some of his ideas about staging and how he wanted the characters to be portrayed.

On Set.

 The fig rig that came in very useful.

This photo was taken during the shooting of our very first scene. In this Scene Hannah, a deaf university student, is getting ready for a night out. She's not confident about going but her housemate Rachel encourages her.

In this scene we tried several different shots in a mirror. We wanted to show Hannah's reflection as she's applying make up and to have a clear close up of her facial expressions. For this we used the fig rig as David, our camera man, was able to hold the camera close to the mirror without getting in shot. The fig rig also helped steady the camera and so we were able to try a few different handheld angles.

Here, David is showing Ed the angle he's set up with the camera. Judging by Ed's cheerful expression, he was happy with the shot type.

This photo is from the shoot of the last scenes of the film. In this scene Hannah and Chris go home together after the party, and in the morning she writes a message on the mirror and leaves.

Again in this scene we used some mirror shots. I think this worked really well because the first and last scenes both use mirror shots and close ups of Hannah. I think this helps to tie the film together and is also interesting visually.

Here we have David and Dan setting up for a scene at the house party. This was really enjoyable and we were lucky to have an enthusiastic cast and a good number of extras. Initially I was concerned that the extras would be difficult to get hold of or to direct, but they all took Ed's instructions well and I think everyone enjoyed shooting this scene.

We also had a few laughs with Ed during these scenes. Ed took on the role of Dean, the house party host, and so we decided we needed a few comical shots of Dean enjoying the party. This included spinning around on a desk chair, falling off the chair, and being sick in the sink. I understand that this doesn't portray a very positive light on drinking or students, but I hope that people will see it is only Dean who is misbehaving and that he is a comic extremity; the other students and guests are behaving more responsibly.



Film Blog 17 - Production Weekend

Now we've had our production weekend, and things seemed to go well. Our cast were all efficient and hardworking, and we even gained a couple of extras on the day! We filmed almost all day Thursday and Friday, and we kept Saturday penciled in as a day which we would film on if necessary. It turned out that because of lighting issues (the sunlight disappeared quicker than we expected), we did in fact have to use this day to film. We shot in the morning when the lighting was just right. Overall I think this was a successful shoot and that everyone worked really hard. I took my camera on set and captured some interesting on set moments, however unfortunately my camera is now being temperamental and won't allow me to upload the pictures to my laptop. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and I'll be able to update this blog with the photos!

The last few days Dan has spent logging and capturing the footage. He's put together a rough edit, which he and Harry will finish later on. Harry and Ed will be working on the sound. I've been finalising the release forms and permission forms for the production folder.

I've just received a call from Ed who has informed me about a problem. It seems that during some of our takes there was dust on the camera lens and this has affected the quality of the footage. It has only affected a few of the scenes, of which were only in one location and with just four cast members. We will have to re shoot these scenes, Ed has recommended Saturday the 24th March. This is because most of the cast members study Performing Arts and so are incredibly busy during the week. I have just emailed them, and hopefully this date will be ok for a re shoot.

Film Blog 16 - Audition Poster.

I thought you might like to see the audition poster that was put up around campus! I created two versions of the poster, one which had bigger text and didn't specify on characters, and a second with small text that had details on the cast we were looking for.

Here's the second version.

AUDITIONS FOR A SHORT FILM-

Silent Disco.

“When you can’t chat someone up, how can you get their attention?”

We are a group of Creative Writing and Creative Media Practise students looking for actors to play several roles in a short film titled Silent Disco.

The filming will take place between THURSDAY 3^rd MARCH – SATURDAY 5^th MARCH.

Auditions will be held on TUES 15^TH FEB in CE.G01 (Castle building) between 3pm – 5pm.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Lead  Female Role: Deaf 19-year-old female, seemingly reluctant to party but out for a good time

·         Attractive, young student

·         Must be able to learn very basic sign language

·         Must be comfortable with dancing and smooching scenes

·         Must be available on all days: Thursday 3^rd March, Friday 4^th, & Saturday 6^th

Supporting Male Role: The good guy who falls for lead female

·         Good looking in an innocent way

·         Must be able to learn very basic sign language

·         Must be comfortable getting intimate with lead role

·         Must be available on all days: Thursday 3^rd March, Friday 4^th, & Saturday 6^th

Support Female Role: Lead’s best friend and housemate, out for a good time

·         Fun, bubbly, student

·         Must be able to learn very basic sign language

·         Must be available on all days: Thursday 3^rd March, Friday 4^th, & Saturday 6^th

Opposition Female Role: Lead female’s ‘opposition’

·         Must be able to be convincingly bitchy & cocky

·         Must be available on at least two of these dates: Thursday 3^rd March, Friday 4^th, & Saturday 6^th

Second Support: Third housemate and friend of lead and support

·         Good friend, normal kind of girl/guy

·         Must be animated during party scenes

·         Must be available on all days: Thursday 3^rd March, Friday 4^th, & Saturday 6^th

Party Host: Welcoming and tipsy host

·         Must be animated during party scenes

·         Must be available on at least two of these dates: Thursday 3^rd March, Friday 4^th, & Saturday 6^th

AND LOTS OF EXTRAS TO BE IN A HOUSE PARTY SCENE!!

If you would like to arrange a time slot to audition, would like to be considered but cannot attend the audition or are interested in being an extra in the party scene please email danielle.johns@bathspa.org

Film Blog 15 - One week to go!

This week are working on the final preparations for our shoot starting this Thursday. I have been working on risk assessments, creating documents which give clear details of the possible hazards on set and what we as a production team will do to avoid them. I have appointment myself as Health & Safety representative, and on each day of filming I will brief the cast and crew on the possible hazards and what must be done to avoid them.

Ed has done a great job of creating the shooting schedule. It gives exact details on time, place, who will be needed and what sort of costume the cast will need to bring with them to set. I found this document really useful, not only because it makes things clear and gives us a time frame in which we must complete shooting the scenes, but also because it makes things very clear to the actors about exactly when and where they will be needed. I sent the shooting script to the cast, with a brief message reminding them of a few other details. I think having this shooting schedule will help them see exactly what will be happening and hopefully should stop any actors turning up at the wrong time, place, or in the wrong costume. I added to the schedule all mobile numbers and emails of cast and crew, so this document will also work as a contact sheet in case we need to get hold on anyone on the day and I am unable to access their contact details from my mobile phone.

Ed has also been working on the shooting script, including details of shot type, shot length, etc. When he has completed this, Ed will send it to David who will create the story board.

Harry has been finalising the locations and getting permission. He has contacted the film office and is waiting for their reply, giving us permission to film on a street in Oldfield park. We will also be filming in two different houses, which Harry has also located, and he will be chasing up the permission from the landlords today.

Dan has completed the third and final draft of the script. I’m really happy with this, and think Dan has done well to incorporate all the ideas and changes we discussed in previous meetings. Although the plot line is very similar to the original script, we have swapped the genders of the main cast and added in a few small scenes and characters. I think we have taken on quite a light hearted and fun approach to the script; one that reflects us as a group.

I have been contacting people to be extras in the house party scene and so far we have a handful of extras. The house we will be shooting in isn’t too big, so hopefully it will look quite full! Ed, Dan, David and Harry have also spoken to their housemates to see if they will participate in the house party scene.

Earlier on in the production progress, I compiled a list of characters, locations and props. This week I have been getting the props together. We don’t need too many; a mirror (which Ed will be supplying), fridge magnets (which I’ve bought), lipstick (which I’ll bring to set), and empty bottles/cans (which everyone will try to bring a few of to set). I also plan to bring make up remover wipes to set, as there is a scene where the main character will be applying lipstick. Ed questioned how easy it would be to remove and reapply the lipstick several times, as we will need to do in order to get several shots. To overcome this I will bring make up remover wipes so that the lipstick can be removed quickly and easily between takes.

Each of us will also put £4 each towards the cost of food and drink, which I will be getting for us the day before the shoot. This way the cast and crew will be hydrated, fed and hopefully have a more enjoyable time on set!

I have just had a call from an actor one of the minor characters telling me he is apparently now unavailable for the shoot. I’ve spoken to Ed and seeing as the character only has two brief lines, Ed will take on the character.

I feel quite confident about the production and am really looking forward to getting on set! I feel that we’ve worked together brilliantly as a group, and that we have shared responsibilities and work load equally. I’m interested to see how things go on the shoot and if there are any changes we make or parts we decide to add in on the day. I probably shouldn’t say this, but... so far so good!

Film Blog 14 - Cast and crew meeting

Today Ed and I met with the principal cast to discuss the production, look at some of the scenes and to give everyone the chance to meet each other. This went really well and Ed and I were really pleased with how everyone got on and seemed very natural in the scenes. We’re happy with our cast and think they all capture the characters extremely well. In the next couple of days David will complete the final draft on the script. He’ll then send it to me and I will send it to the actors. The next time the cast and crew will meet will be in two weeks on set. Harry is working on locations, so when he has done that I can inform the cast of where they’ll need to be on each filming day. Then we can decide as a group filming times, etc. I’ve created an event on Facebook, so that all the crew, cast and supporting artists will be aware of the exact dates and times they will be required for filming.

Film Blog 13 - Casting

We held our audition on Tuesday which was very successful. We created monologues for each character and asked the actors to read them. For the role of the deaf character, we created an exercise where the actresses could act out specific scenarios. We then reiterated filming dates, etc and I took everyone’s contact details and said I would get back to them in a few days.

As a group we immediately preferred some of the actors as the role they had auditioned for. Some of the auditionees seemed to capture perfectly what we were looking for. In particular, a performing arts student called Sophie auditioned for the role of Jojo, the funny, bitchy supporting female. She made us laugh straight away and just from reading the monologue, she had all the pauses and inflictions in the right place.

We discussed the cast and we decided who the four main characters would be.

Our cast list is as follows:

Hannah – Georgia Traher

Chris – Jack Whittingham

Rachel – Kim Piper

Jojo – Sophie Pearce

We didn’t find quite the right person to play the party host. David and I both have a friend in mind who might do well at this role so we will discuss this with them before confirming these roles.

Update!

David’s friend is unavailable for filming, but my friend is willing to play Dean the party host. I’ve discussed this with the group and they are happy with this arrangement. Now our speaking cast is sorted! We still need to find extras and a few minor roles.

Film Blog 12 - Preparation for Casting.

On Friday I emailed the room booking service at Bath Spa, and this morning received confirmation that we will be able to use the room CE. G01 on the specified date and time.


After receiving this confirmation, I then created a casting poster with information about the filming weekend, log line for the script, and audition details. I sent this to the group to have a look at and they were all happy with it. I then received from Ed a list of character profiles and so I made a second audition poster that incorporated some information about the cats we are looking for. I thought this would be a good idea as the basic poster would be bigger and more eye catching, but the poster with information about the characters might further someone’s interest who is already reading the poster. I then printed copies of both these posters and stuck them around campus. The poster with the bigger font I posted in general places such as the SU and canteen, and the poster with character details I posted around buildings I know are used by drama and performing arts students.


Later on I emailed Chris Jury to see whether he would be able to help me advertise the audition amongst his students. I knew Chris briefly from working as Script Editor of Liquid Soap last year and he was very helpful in sending a mass email to his performing arts students promoting “another fantastic casting opportunity”. I sent Chris another email thanking him for this; I think his input will be more effective than our posters in spreading word.


Next, I logged onto Facebook and sent an email version of the audition poster to all the students I am friends with who study drama or performing arts at Bath Spa. I also sent a slightly altered email to students who I think may be interested in being an extra in the film. Next, I went onto The Guild’s Facebook page (Bath Spa’s drama society) and posted on their wall information about the audition.


Hopefully this will advertise our film and audition thoroughly.


Update:I have just received the first email regarding the audition from a student of Chris Jury’s. I have decided that the day before the audition (Monday 14th Feb), I will send the auditionees an extract of the script which best shows their character. This way they can get an idea of the character and what they might be doing. At the audition, I will provide the auditionees with a printed extract of the script to go over a few minutes before, and then ask them to come in and read from the extract, and ask them a few questions.


I’ve just created an audition timetable. This will allow me to book the actors in for 15 minute slots, giving them plenty of time to read through the script and participate in any exercises or answer any questions we think are necessary.

Film Blog 12 - Meeting

Today we confirmed our group and our choice of script with Mike. This time my group is includes just myself, Ed, Harry, Dan and David. We felt that we worked particularly well together last time and were happy to work together again. I think five will be a good number for us as well, as I think that is enough people to cover all the jobs that need to be done without anyone feeling they don’t have enough to do or don’t have a specific role.

We have chosen the script The Good Listener, we decided this for several reasons;
• We liked the idea of a deaf protagonist and thought this could be really interesting in terms of directing and casting.
• We also thought we could do some different things with sound because of the deaf protagonist. Some of our initial ideas included playing with the volume, muting, creating static sounds like when a hearing aid is adjusted, and using vibrating sounds such as you might hear from a loud speaker.
• Casting would be fairly straight forward as the entire cast are students
• Locations would be quite simple because we would only really need a house with a female bedroom and a male bedroom, and a street.

Some of the things we think may be slightly difficult, but we feel there are ways around them are;
• The house party scene. It may be difficult to stage the house party scene with so many guests, but this could be done if someone keeps charge of the actors and extras.
• The hearing aid, however we may be able to get a display model from a doctor’s surgey or Specsavers who have started selling hearing aids.
• Sign language. I have looked up British Sign Language for all of the phrases used in the script, and they are not terribly difficult but not necessarily easy to remember for someone who has never signed before. This can be helped by keeping print outs on set, with description and diagrams of the phrases used.

Last time we had trouble with casting and so this will be our first point of focus. As discuss on our meeting today, I will make audition posters and share them with the the group to check over before posting them next week. I will also book a room for casting, for Tuesday 15th February between 3pm – 5pm.

Film Blog 11 - Choices!

Here's our first short film Choices. After a fairly successful production weekend and a long haul in the editing suit this is what we came up with!

Film Blog 10 - Choosing Scripts and Groups

Monday 31st January

Today we were given back our scripts which had been marked by Mike and we each had a tutorial with him to discuss this. My mark was 62% which I am quite happy with. Mike said it could have been improved by more things happening in the pub which would make the couple uncomfortable. He suggested they had little money on them, and so could only afford one drink which would make the land lady annoyed. He also suggested that the couple were on the way to the wedding, not the rehearsal dinner. That way there would be more of a sense of emergency for them to get somewhere. Mike said my script was visual, but with plenty of dialogue. He also said he enjoyed the character of Jack, that he was odd and “also slightly creepy”. Unfortunately Mike was able to guess the plot twist when the taxi arrived, and so perhaps I could have concealed this more. I feel quite happy with the script overall and enjoyed writing it.

In the lesson we were told to get into the groups we wanted to work in and discuss which scripts we might like to produce. I was happy to stay with my group from last time and we had previously discussed this. Today however only myself and Dan were present and so we discussed script ideas together. I will email the rest of the group later to confirm that they still want to work with us and to show them out notes on the scripts.

Dan and I particularly like;
* The Other Woman

* Take Care

* Heads or Tails

* The Good Listener

Mike posted thirteen different scripts on Minerva and these were the four that Dan and I think may be the most suitable. We discussed the themes of the scripts and came up with the following ideas:
* The Other Woman – Jealousy, suspicion, trust.
* Take Care – Karma, comeuppance.
* Heads or Tails – Freewill, fate, luck.
* The Good Listener – Assumption, Trickery, ‘boys will be boys’.

We then began talking about what may be easy or difficult to produce in each of these films.

-The Other Woman needs a more mature cast and particularly at the end of the script there is a party scene which would need a fairly number of mature actors. This would be more difficult for us to cast as we would have to find older actors and many of the drama and performing arts students at Bath Spa would be too young for the role. This would involve us going to drama groups in Bath and Bristol and seeking actors, however actors from established groups or workshop may not want to work for free which would be a problem on our low budget.
Location, costume and props wise The Other Woman would be easy to film. It only requires a house, a party room and a couple of outdoor scenes. There are no special prop or costume requirements.

-Take Care would also be easy to film location wise; it only asks for an office room and a house. However the final scene involves the room being turned upside down. This would be difficult, but not impossible to film. We could, for example, create a fake upside down room by lying on a smooth white surface and placing a light in the middle of it. This may not look too effective, but it is something that we could discussion in pre-production.

-Heads or Tails would be simple to cast as it only requires a few student characters, it has simple locations such as university, a cafe and a student house.

-The Good Listener would also be easy to cast and find locations for. However, the main character uses sign language several times in the script. This would be difficult but not impossible to work with. We could research the phrases online, print off diagrams of how to sign them and would then keep this information to hand on set in order to help the actor with his “lines”. We would also need a hearing aid, but we could probably find one of these in we look in the right places, perhaps a demonstrative hearing aid or one that doesn’t work anymore from a doctors surgery or hospital.

The Other Woman and The Good Listen interest me the most, as I think these could be interesting and fun to create. These are also the two stories that appeal to me most, although I don’t really like the ending of The Good Listener. Still, this is something that could be changed.

Film Blog 9 - Writing my short film script

December 2010.

Over Christmas we have to write a short film script which should last approximately ten minutes. I already have a few ideas in mind, and over the Christmas break will create a synopsis and scene outline of each. Using that information I will then consider which plot I would like to pursue.

We need to write the script with the intention that it can be produced by university students. This would mean bearing in mind the criteria:

- Not too many characters.
- Don’t include characters that you won’t be able to cast. E.G, it would be really difficult to find a new born baby with parents willing to allow their baby to be in the film or to cast an elderly man who can tap dance.
- No elaborate settings. E.G, don’t set the script in France (You can’t go to France!), on a hot, sunny beach (You can’t guarantee the weather) or in 1952 (You couldn’t possible cover every aspect of 1952, such as the cars on the street and types of houses).
- Don’t include action that you won’t be able to film. E.G, a riot or a professional ballet performance.

Mike also suggested that we avoid mockumentaries, zombie films and scripts where the first scene is someone waking up; these are typical of student films and don’t go down well. He also recommended that if we have a good idea go for it; many things that may seem a bit difficult can be accomplished or faked in the film.

With all this in mind I will start to plan my short film script.

Film Blog eight

08 – 11 -10

Meeting.

Today I explained in full the casting rearrangements, what happened, why it had to be changed and how this affects us now. Everyone was in agreement that this was probably the best thing to do at such short notice, and that we could all work around filming on Thursday and Friday instead of Saturday. Ed still has not heard back from the film office of SU manager, and so he will email them again about the change of dates. I will rearrange the rooms and gardens. I also contacted Mike regarding collecting the camera early and using his office, both of which he said was fine.

We went through the story board which David had made. Dan will edit the shooting script, and move the university scenes from Saturday to Thursday. Once he has done this he will send it to us all.

After the meeting:

Dan sent us all the edited shooting script.

I changed and confirmed all the university locations for filming on Thursday 11^th November.

I contacted the cast I had arranged (including extras, but not Rosie or the bully who are Kay’s responsibility), informing them of shooting dates, times, locations, costume etc. I ensured they were happy with these arrangements, and if they had any further questions to let me know.