Blog

Summer Holidays

Over the summer holidays I flipped my project. I was doing a sci-fi Docudrama which I pitched at the end of May, but after feedback from tutors stating it was slightly too ambitious, I had a serious think about whether I wanted to scale it down or change it all together. It was then that I re-read one of my short stories I had written called 'Prism' about colours that came to life, and I decided to try and turn this into a film. I wanted to do this because after researching lots of different short films, I couldn't find one which handled the theme of colour in the same way I was planning to- so I already had a USP.

Week One- 23rd September

This was a particularly difficult week for me as I felt I was already behind. Because I had only come up with my idea towards the end of the summer holidays, I had not done the extensive research I needed to and did not have my site up and running. This and the fact I had not even started on a script yet meant that I had a lot of work to catch up on and was not feeling completely confident. Also once I learnt that the pitch was going to be Week 7 and I learnt more about how much was involved, I was extremely worried and the pressure I felt was not helping my work pace. 

Week Two- 30th September

This week I had my first tutorial with Lorne and started up this blog. I am still feeling a little stressed about the workload but my tutorial has helped me focus a little so I can prioritise. My script is around half done and I know now for sure who my characters are going to be, so I have already posted my casting calls on 'starnow' and started to contact primaries for my research, a few colour psychologists in London. I have also decided to hire a DOP/Camera Operator for my project so I can officially focus on being Director, Writer and Editor. I also feel more reassured after my meeting about how to handle the sensitive issues in my project and it is definitely now off the ground. Over the next week I need to get the script finished and watch a lot more short films to back up my research. I also aim to have the research tabs on my website updated and a commercial site up and running as well.

Week 3- 7th October

Quite a lot has happened this week, both up and down.

I have been panicking a lot about the status of my script. It was nearly finished about a week ago and I did a very silly thing in a stress mood and deleted the entire document so I could start again. I thought at the time this would help me with the issues I was having with my plot, but of course it has also set me back about a mile behind everyone else. I emailed Lorne asking him for advice, admitting that I didn't feel I could meet with him because of the little progess I had made, which was frustrating because it wasn't as if I hadn't been working on it. 

Now I think I have managed to pull myself back. This week I updated the research tabs on my website and also changed from 'wix' to 'yolasite', which I think was a very good move as I am finding the navigation of this site much easier. I advertised on 'mandy', 'castnet', 'castingpro', '4rfv' for cast and crew and emailed lots of previous students who have set up their own companies. I have also contacted three colour psychologists asking for an email conference/phone call. My website is now looking much better and I have completed reviews for six new short films I have looked at as well as an article. 

The script is still a problem, but I do feel a lot more focused now I have done more research into other short films of a similar length so I know how much plot I can fit into my time in order for it to be portrayed successfully. I have arranged a meeting with Lorne next week to discuss everything and even if I haven't finished the script by then I am going to send him all that I have.

UPDATE 9/10/14

I have now received two applications for the role of my main character Euiva, one from Fiona Whitelaw and one from Heather Skermer. I have also received an application for another character Anferny from Paul Dewdney and have received an honest reply from Ant Leeke, a DOP I messaged.

By next week I am hoping to have received even more applications- at least one for each of my six characters and one DOP. I am also aiming to have the script fully completed so I can send it out to people who are interested. If I have a lot of actresses interested in Euiva I will hold an audition because she is a vital role in the film. 

Week 4- 14th October

This week has been a week of very little progress I'm ashamed to admit. I still have not finished the script and because of outside commitments intruding, I think I may have lost a little focus. I know now I really need to start prioritising around my other jobs so I can focus. I am trying not to let myself get overwhelmed or too stressed as then I am likely to get sick. The only bright side of this week is I have received over twenty emails from potential cast enquiring after my project. This is good news and I feel once I have left the ad up for a bit longer I will then send them the definitely finished script to narrow down my options. I am determined next week will be more successful.

Week Five-21st October

This week is definitely my week where my casting prospects are looking extremely strong. Across all the websites I advertised on I have received nearly 40 replies; at least 5 for each character. This has made me feel a lot more relaxed because I was very worried I would not be able to cast for all seven characters successfully and would receive no applications. I am not getting my hopes up too much yet as I know people may pull out or not be keen on the project but it is a good start.

I have promised all the people who showed interest that I would send them a script by the end of this week and then I am planning to have a video audition. This is because I think it will be much easier for people to record and send videos to me rather than have all of them travel to Winchester as most of them are in the London area. Obviously this week is the absolute final deadline for finishing the script and I am hoping this will give me the push I need to just get it done.

In terms of Crew I am a little worried as I have received no applications so far, but  am hoping Lorne will have some suggestions for me as to other sites I can post on. This is going to need to be the next aspect I sort once I have finished the script. I am still feeling confident about the idea though and have no urge to change when it is going wrong which I think is a good sign.

Week Six-28th October

This week was a very good week for my project. I send the script off on the 24th October and have given my cast all the details about the film and requested a video audition. I have given them until Monday 3rd November to do it with a possible extension to Wednesday if there is a serious problem. Sending the script off was a huge weight off my shoulders and has made me feel much more confident. I have also after a meeting with my tutor posted another Crew production call on 'Shooting People.' It has only been up for a few hours and I have already had four applicants so it is looking much better. I have agreed to pay them £300 for a three/four day shoot which is manageable for me and I think will ensure I have a good scope of applicants.

I am currently updating my site to include more research to include in my pitch. This week I am working solidly to make sure I am confident when it comes to the 3rd. I am very nervous about it, but I think I have a good plan and I have run it through with others to check it is okay. I wish I had not been ill over the practise pitches so I had a better idea of how it is going to go, but I think it will be fine. 

Week 7/8- 11th November

The first week of casting was fairly uneventful as I was mostly focusing on the pitch of my film, so I combined the two weeks. I feel that my pitch went fairly well despite me being terrified and I think I answered the questions as well as I could. I think I did the pitch to the very best of my ability and that is all I wanted so I am happy overall.

In the second week, I reviewed the video auditions I had received and decided on my cast. Overall, despite having a lot of applications, I didn't have as many auditions as I had hoped for. It was fairly varied, with eight auditions for the character of Missy and then none for the character of Threek. All the others had two or three. I was worried at first about this low number as I knew that good casting was vital for my film as it is so character driven. However, the process was fairly easy as it became obvious who should play each part once I watched the auditions and I am extremely happy with my choices. I managed to overcome the no candidate issue for one character by offering the part to someone who had originally auditioned for the character of Missy. I think this was the best way to handle that situation and I hope she is okay with being cast as someone different. 

Now it is very much scheduling time. I am going to gather all the cast availabilities and plan to film in the last week of December and early January and then update when I have decided the schedule. All of them were fairly prompt with their emails so hopefully this will make it easier to get quick responses. 

Week 9- 18th November

This week I got replies from all my cast accepting the roles they had been given, this was a very good start! I then sent them an email:

Hello everyone,

Firstly congratulations on all getting the parts. I am excited to work with all of you and really looking forward to bringing Prism to life. Here is confirmation of the roles just so everyone knows:

Euiva: Heather Skermer

Leggo: Hakeem Gabriel

Pop: Matt Parsons

Anferny: Kit Smith 

Threek: Heather Cairns

Missy: Tyana Perez

Yadler: Andrisan Rodrig

The next stage I am looking at is scheduling. As you can all see from looking at the script, there is only one scene where all of you are required to be there so I am happy to be flexible when it comes to filming. The plan so far is to shoot over 4 or 5 days (not necessarily consecutively) and shoot two 'interviews' per day with an extra day for Euiva's scenes. Heather S, you will be the only person required at all the shoot days, the rest of you should only be needed for two. The schedule now is slightly shifted due to me taking time to hire the right people for cast and crew, so now filming will be around the beginning of December (don't worry, nothing will encroach on Christmas!) with possible reshoots in mid January. 

It would be really helpful at this point if you could all send me your availability for December and January (roughly) then I will find the one day where everyone is needed and let you all know. I am also hiring a professional DOP and camera operator so I will tailor around their schedules too. The filming will take place in Winchester, at the University for the Interview Scenes. The one scene in Euiva's 'living room' will take place in Woking. I am hoping this won't be a major problem for anyone. 

So if you could send me your availability plus the expenses you will require to travel to Winchester and Woking. Also any dietary requirements or medical conditions I should know about. Once I have all this I will send you all a contract which you will need to sign and send back to me. 

Script wise, the draft I send you is in no way set in stone. I really want the characters to be 'real' and believable so if there is dialogue that doesn't feel right or you wish to add/change (as long as it is not too major on the plot) I am happy to talk to you about it. 

If there are any questions at all just send me an email. Also, you can text/call me on 07914641657. 

Best wishes and I hope to see you all soon!

Molly x

This email was hopefully clear enough so that they all understand how the film shoot is going to work. I pushed back the filming date by a few weeks because I have not had confirmation from a DOP that they can work and I don't want to set definite filming dates until that is sorted because I have to tailor to their availability as well.  I have already received a few replies from the cast with their details, I am just waiting on the rest. 

I have also managed to secure the rest of my crew. The reason I did not hire a camera operator as well as a DOP was because of my budget, which I was worried I would be way over. Luckily, I found out someone I work with in the Theatre has lots of technical experience and a degree in Media and has agreed to help for free. His name is Matt Honey and he will be working alongside Raf for all the shoot days. This is a really nice thing for him to do and has saved me a lot of stress. 

Week 10/11-2nd December

These two weeks went very quickly and a lot of aspects of the film I was worried about came together. I got confirmation from my chosen DOP, Rafal Racozy, and we went to go meet in London. This was very nerve racking, as I was going by myself and I didn't even know what he looked like, I just had his phone number. I took precautions by meeting in a public place and making sure he didn't have any details about me that he didn't need. However, the meeting went fairly well and I liked the fact he challenged my ideas and suggested new ones rather than just agreeing with everything I said because that is what I am paying for him to do. He agreed with the expenses and gave me his availability in December/January. 

Now I have everyones schedules and think I have found a few dates which fit the scenes we need to do. It has taken a lot of work, to tailor to a cast of seven plus two/three crew, but I have managed and can now say I will be filming in Woking for Day One on December 11th, then in Winchester December 12th, 18th and 19th. This will mean all my filming is done before Christmas and give me all of next semester to edit. I have confirmed all the rooms in Uni I need and booked out equipment. Now all if left to do is find the small amount of props and costume and maybe one more crew member if anyone from Media Production is around. 

Week 12 (End of Semester One)- 9th December

This week I had a major issue which I had to overcome. I got an email from the University telling me that, although I had booked out the rooms in the Performing Arts Studio for the 11th and 12th, they could only let me have them for two hours in the evening because it was in term time. This was a disaster for me because I knew I could definitely not get my filming done in that time. This meant I had to move back my filming again. 

I consulted the schedule and decided to keep the 18th and 19th (those dates were out of term time, so I definitely had the rooms) but add an extra two days after Christmas in January. Luckily, all the cast and crew had sent me their availability for January as well as December, and I managed to find two days which were still not in term time, but fitted in with everyone's schedule. It was very stressful, but I managed to sort it out. Now my filming dates are the 18th and 19th December and the 8th and 9th of January. Admittedly though, the extra time was appreciated because it meant I could focus on my other deadlines a little without worrying too much about filming. I think I will next update my blog when I am finished filming past the holidays, because I will be too busy to write on it before. Hopefully it all goes a little to plan at least!

Christmas Holidays/Filming- 9th January

Well that was probably the most hectic month of the project so far, but I am still standing and more importantly, so is the project. 

On the 17th December, I booked out all of my equipment and returned to Woking for my first days shoot. This was the day I was most anxious about as it was the only day all the actors would all gather together and if one of them or a member of the crew did not turn up it would be devastating. An upside to filming out of term time is that the loans counter was empty, and they let me loan out two Canon 5D's for Raf and Matt, which is something they do not usually do. This was really goo, because it meant I could use two cameras without any syncing or compatibility issues in editing. 

On the 18th, all my actors and crew turned up, which was a success. I had an issue with Raf turning up nearly an hour late and Matt and Rob having to set up without him, but it didn't seem to cause that much of a problem as they are both very capable. I managed to get all seven actors in my house and filmed them all with the scenes outside the 'interview.' I was very happy with my casting choices, they were all very nice and seemed to be happy to be there. It was intense and I had to keep Raf under control as he tended to spend too long on certain shots, but we just about managed to keep the schedule and film before we lost the light. 

That evening I experienced the biggest issue of filming, and it was after everyone had left. I got a message from my cameraman, Matt, letting me know that Raf had been incredibly rude and dismissive of him all day when I was around and that he didn't know if he could work with him again on the next few shoot days. This was my nightmare as I hate confrontation and didn't want to lose either of them. In the end though I decided, as Matt had turned up on time as was doing this for free, I would trust his word and I sent an email to Raf professionally explaining that I wasn't happy with his behaviour. The filming was the next day and I was very scared at this point he would drop out or refuse to come.

The next day Raf phoned me before the day and we had a very civil discussion. He was sorry there had been a misunderstanding and was willing to fix things today with Matt. I was very relieved and was able to put that worry aside and prepare for the next day. I was planning to do two interviews this day with three cast and two crew. I was low on crew because everyone had gone home for the holidays, so had to do it with just me, Raf and Matt. However, because the filming was not very demanding, it was all manageable. 

This day went very well apart from one hitch; I didn't have time to film both the interviews so had to make a decision halfway through the day about whether the actor coming in the afternoon should bother because we were so behind. I knew this would impact my filming times, but spoke to Raf and decided I would rather add an extra filming day and get better quality rather than try and rush through two interviews when I can't bring my actors back again. He agreed to include the extra day in the price, so I added the 6th Jan and only did one interview on the 19th. 

The last three days filming actually went extremely smoothly compared to what I was expecting. I now knew the format of the interviews and how long everything would take, and I finished each day on time and with two 5D's worth of great footage (Matt and Raf sorted their issues out and I couldn't have wished for a better duo!) It was extremely smooth and apart from a slight hiccup where I thought I had lost some footage but then realised it was on a different SD card, it all went to plan. I was slightly held back by the lights and could only film in daytime hours which was sometimes frustrating, but I am very happy with what I have filmed and can only hope that I can do it justice in the edit. 

My only other issue is my budget. I have just paid all my actors and crew and have spent nearly £950 in total, which is over-budget. This means that any money I was going to use towards a professional colour grader is now going to be scrapped and the first few weeks of Uni are going to be hard. Colour grading myself is a risk, but I think I have the skills with Premiere and Looks plus the help of my peers so that I can achieve it. All in all, a very successful shoot. 

Week One/Two/Three- 2nd February

The reason I have combined these three weeks is because this is when I took a break, to give me critical distance. I had decided that I would need a week or so without touching the footage so I could edit with fresh eyes, especially as I directed it as well. It did turn into slightly longer than expected, simply because of the demands I have felt from outside work and catching up on my other modules. I have also chosen to be Director in my TV Studio module, which is taking up a significant amount of my time. In this break, I also helped out on Rob and Mandy's films, who are my peers. During this time, I also fell ill, which I was expecting, and I am glad this happened now rather than near the deadline or during the shoot. 

However, now I am back and think I have gained enough distance to be able to edit from a slightly less personal perspective. I have got a month and a half to edit the film, and have already sorted the footage and put it into neat folders to make the process as smooth as possible. Having looked over all the footage, I think I may need to go film some cutaways in Woking to create a more defined balance between the interview scenes and the extracts from the 'real world.'

Week Four/Five- 16th February

These two weeks have been mostly the same routine. Editing. I have just managed to put together a cut that is ready to show Lorne and it has taken a bit longer than I hoped. When I first put all the footage on the timeline, there were a few problems with continuity which meant I could not use certain angles as much as I wanted to. This made the editing process very tricky and prolonged. At this point, I am trying hard to balance my workload so I do not neglect Creative Writing or TV studio which is proving to be difficult. There was also the fact that the actors now wanted copies of all their footage, so before I even started editing, I had to find all their individual clips, export them and send them via WeTransfer/Dropbox. I don't mind doing this because I know the actors have done an amazing job and deserve the footage, but it was something I did not schedule in.

Next week I am planning to show Lorne my cut for the first time, and I hope that it lives up to the expectations set in the Pitch. I am a little nervous at the moment because I have had to cut it down from 32 minutes to 21 and I am worried I may have lost some of the impact. However, 32 minutes was too long and slightly repetitive with the interviews, so I am glad I was ruthless.

Week 6/7- 2nd March

Everything has fluctuated in these two weeks. I feel like I have made progress, but at the same time I am spending so much time in MMC I am starting to feel a little disheartened with my project. I am the sort of person who finds it very hard to stay focused on one thing, so I am starting to resent the amount of time I am working on 'The Prism.' I think this is just a phase though, and I am trying to stay optimistic. The problem is that the natural solution would be to have a break, but I am at the stage now where that just isn't possible because of the amount I have to do in the time I have left.

In my meeting with Lorne he told me that the project had a lot of good aspects, but that it was still too long. The interviews dominated and meant that it sometimes became a little repetitive with too much talking. This was always going to be a risk of choosing this type of project, so I have a few ideas on how to make it better. I am planning on doing one last filming day this week just to go back to Woking and get some time lapses and cutaways. I think this is a simple way to add some more diversity and make the project more cinematically. The time for more feedback has passed now, so I can only take on board what Lorne says and hope I pull it off.

Week 8/9- 10th March

These weeks have been the most hectic, but actually most enjoyable, weeks I have had for months. Once I started colour grading and incorporated the extra footage I had shot into the timeline, I felt excited about the film again. The time lapses looked really nice and it was worth getting up early to capture the sunrise. This along with the cutaways and a section in the middle which included black and white archive footage meant that there was much more between the interviews. I really like the way it looks now and have enjoyed the colour grading very much. I was initially going to hire someone else to do it, but I felt confident enough with Adobe to do it myself, and I am really glad I did. 

The only aspect left to do now. This is the bit I am looking forward to the least as it is the part I am not very interested in. However I have managed to persuade some of my peers to assist me in exchange for me doing favours for them. Rob has agreed to show me the ropes with Adobe Audition (which I have never even opened!) if I help him with his finishing touches and DVD cover. 

Week 10- Hand in Date (18th March)

Wow. What a rollercoaster. My final year project has now been submitted, and I am extremely proud.

The final stages of the editing went fairly smoothly. The sound was completed faster than expected and I managed to export a version to show a few people before I did the final export. This meant I got a little audience feedback before the hand in, and it was worth it. I was told to polish a few cutaways and increase a few sound levels, but overall people understood and appreciated the story, which was my main worry.

Rendering and Exporting was an absolute pain, but I managed it eventually. I thought the rendering would not take very long because I had already done the time lapses which had the most frames. However when I opened Adobe again it had deleted all my rendering, and I had to start again. Then once I did start rendering on Monday 16th at 8pm, the MMC had a power cut which crashed all the computers. This was terrifying because I thought I had lost some work, but luckily I had been saving and backing up as I went along, so it wasn't detrimental. It took 10 hours to render, and then another 20 to do two different exports; a Maximum depth 6.5 gb version and a slightly lower 4.2 gb version. I was too scared to leave in case the computers crashed again, so I stayed in the MMC for 36 hours straight. This obviously wasn't ideal at all, but I am glad I did it because otherwise I wouldn't have handed in so comfortably at 11am on Wednesday. 

Overall I feel I did my absolute best with this film. It has had so many hitches along the way which I am going to address in my Criticial Reflection, but I am really proud of myself for sticking with the idea and executing it in the best way possible. I feel the version I handed in was the best so far, and I put my heart and soul into it. I don't think I can say more than that. Now to go sleep for a few weeks.

March/April- 1st April

It's now been a few weeks till hand in, and I have had a little time to relax. But last week I was back in the game again, ready to deal with my other four deadlines.

On the day of the hand in (March 18th) I premiered my film on my Facebook page and on YouTube. I encouraged everyone to share it and got a wide range of feedback. The constituted audience of friends and family reacted to it with overwhelming positivity, but to avoid bias I also asked my actors to share it with their friends to get some more neutral opinions. Those researcher constituted groups also came back with positive feedback, clearly understanding the message and deeper meaning I was trying to portray. I will put more details onto my critical reflection page. 

Alongside this, I attended a screening which was organized by all the Media students and the general public. There, I broadcast my film and got personal feedback. The overall census was good; a few people did not understand every message I was trying to portray, but they seemed to like it all the same. Everyone agreed that the acting was strong and that it looked visually appealing. The only constructive criticism I was given was to maybe attempt a shorter version, or try and re-edit it so the ending is a little less interpretative. I will take these points on board, and re-edit a shorter version which adheres to these views.

My next stage which I only completed last night was to send the film off to festivals. I uploaded the film to Without A Box and Film Freeway which gave me easy access to the short film festivals in the UK currently accepting submissions. I had saved up a little money so I could pay for all the entry fees I wanted and spent that money submitting my film successfully to 15 festivals. Most of them won't give me feedback or a response until June/July, but I am glad I have submitted them early. I have already received a response from Edinburgh Short Film Festival thanking me for my entry.