Today we began by disussing terms used on set and how we should use them to help us on our production weekend. In professional filming there is a sequence used by the crew and director prior to a take, which helps enable a successful shot.
Mike’s example of this sequence was as follows:
Stand by
Standing by
Run to record
Camera person starts recording, check the Time code is running.
Recording
(Usually correctly marked up on clapperboard)
Scene X Shot X Take X
(Pause)
Action!
They do this in order to ensure that once the director is ready (stand by), the crew are also ready (standing by). Sometimes quick final checks need to be made to lighting or sound, and so the crew only reply when everything is absolutely ready for a take. If there is a problem or adjustment to be made instead of calling ‘standing by’ they inform the director and correct the problem. Then, once again, the director will call ‘stand by’ to check everything is ready once again.
‘Run to record’ is the director’s cue for the camera person. Once the director is confident the cast and crew are standing by, this is how they communicate to the camera person to start rolling the tape. When the time code is running the camera person calls ‘recording’ and the stage manager steps into the shot, with the clapper board and calls the scene, shot and take.
Clapperboards are used mainly for editing purposes. When the film editors are rewinding or fast forwarding the tape they look out for the clapper boards as signs for the beginning and end of each take.
When the director is ready, the crew are standing by, the camera rolling and the shot set up by the clapperboard, it is then that the director shouts ‘action’ and the actors begin.
When the take is completed the director, and only the director, calls ‘cut’. Sometimes the actors are still and the camera keeps rolling before the director calls ‘cut’ .This can be because the director or another crew member is checking levels on the camera or sound to ensure the clip was recoded correctly. All cast and crew must remain in position until the director calls ‘cut’ and the take officially completed.
After the take the crew perform a technical check, to make sure that everything was hot successfully. Mike explained to use how important it is to do this, and how especially important it is to mention if there is a problem. It is easy to redo a take, but much more difficult to edit a dysfunctional tape or sound problem. After these checks the director may or may not decide to do another take.
After this discussion Mike set us up with a kit to film The Eager Student. Using our logged shot ideas from the previous workshop we began shooting. Today there was just the four of us and we didn’t film all the shots we had hoped to. Even so it was a helpful experience as it gave us the chance to use the equipment for the first time and get a taste of the production weekend. David will be our camera man, he attended a camera workshop last week and he will continue this workshop next week as well. I was useful to me in particular to see David operate the camera as I can now see that he has learnt what he has so far had the opportunity of doing so well.
We then went to the editing suit to capture and edit our clips. Here we had a brief on how to use final cut pro. Harry will be editing our film, along with Dan to assist him and Ed to edit sound. Dan edited our shots and made them into a short clip. Mike informed us of an editing workshop next week, which Dan and David will attend. Harry already has experience in editing and final cut pro, so although he will be main editor it is not necessary for him to attend the workshop.
We then organised our next meeting to be on Wednesday, with our main concerns being cast and locations.
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