After an amazing filming week were we fitted in everything on the schedule into that week and even the car scenes, we do still have some scenes that we did not get filmed due to complications on my part, as scene 15 later after the wedding there is a group of boys which I misunderstood and thought was men that laugh at Don so I struggled to get people in for that, scene 15 still needs shooting.
Jamie's bedrooms scenes 17 and 3 still need to be filmed as the actress was not available on the Saturday to film so as a group we decided to do them as a pick up later in February when Josie is available.
The scene with Don in his lounge #20 we also decided rather than push it in the week to do it as a pick up with the other Don scene during the month as we had short days of sunlight due to the time of year and we didn't want to push the light inside.
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Major Production: Sunday League Filming Research (Producer)
Producer - what is a producer
I chose to be a producer now I have to research what it is to be a producer and what I have to do to be a good producer, though organisation and communication and a lot of research.
After finishing pre-production I did a lot of research on producing and on certain producers so I decided to have a recap on what it is a producer needs to do in order to make a good smooth running production.
Below is a website I found on first time producers that gives a basic idea of what it is to be a producer, through production, post-production and financing, as this unit is based upon production and post-production I am going to focus my research on these areas
http://www.myfirstjobinfilm.co.uk/producers
I chose to be a producer now I have to research what it is to be a producer and what I have to do to be a good producer, though organisation and communication and a lot of research.
After finishing pre-production I did a lot of research on producing and on certain producers so I decided to have a recap on what it is a producer needs to do in order to make a good smooth running production.
Below is a website I found on first time producers that gives a basic idea of what it is to be a producer, through production, post-production and financing, as this unit is based upon production and post-production I am going to focus my research on these areas
http://www.myfirstjobinfilm.co.uk/producers
Producing entails a variety of responsibilities and no 2 producers are alike. They ensure that good stories are told to the best possible standard and at a reasonable cost based on the potential market.
As highlighted in this screen shot you can see a quote which I found to be relatable as I have found that being a producer has meant doing a lot of different jobs within this one and being responsible for everything even when its not specially your job a producer over seas everything.
Being a low budget producer means that you might have to help out in other departments not just your own, this includes that when you are on a TV set they normally have a production manager and other assisting roles beneath the producer that help out but on low budget you might not have these people on hand so you have to make the best of it and do it yourself.
Products are know as the manager on the film and oversee everything from the start, producers are normally split into two categories; creative and financial. The creative producer handles the script and finding the cast and crew before anything can even go into production. The financial producer takes over once the money has been secured.
During the production the producer has a lot of support as there should be a production team that will sort the day to day things (Line Producer) and the production manager makes sure the production stays on schedule these all work closely together to support the director. The producer will act as the mutual party and deal with problems whilst making sure the director is aware without putting pressure on them.
Experience
This website says that most producers work there way up to the role through other departments to gain the right understanding and also the contacts they can use within their network, and mostly come form a background in production, this I feel is a mixed emotion for me as its always good to enjoy something but I know that I would really be able to walk into being a producer but its good to work your way through in other roles to see how everything works too.
Thursday, 10 December 2015
Pre-Production Major Project: Critical Reflections
At the start of the term I was feeling very optimistic about this term as I had formed my group quickly and we had an idea and the basis of the script before the term started, so when the term started I had already started casting and Helen was nearly done with her first draft so we was way on it and with all our deadlines in places especially for the book to be printed.
Along the way as a team we have had our differences and ups and downs but we have sorted and worked them out to get the final pre-production piece to where we are at now.
We have locations ready and paid for, a big cast of actors all keen and ready to start filming and a crew that is big enough and helpful enough to help get it all done in time.
Some pointers I have had along the way have been the if people drop out or don't turn up its there lost but we have to have a quick come around and find other people, we need to keep people interested and secure them and the locations so that we won't be having troubles like the auditions where people had mix ups on days.
I need to be clear with all the actors and no one else is to confer with them or they get confused with wrong information even by accident, which is why I organise the shoots and am the only one with each persons contact details.
I need to not let people fall behind and need to confirm straight away as we was messed around by the sound guy a few times saying he would do the sound then he wouldn't etc, so we now in fact have 2 back ups for sound and a lot of back up runners that are capable to do numerous jobs on set except act apart form necessary extras we may need.
Overall this unit has been a busy and stressful time where I wasn't sure if we would get the book printed in time and all the information for the book done in time but it all fell into place we have not missed out on anything important and we have got outside people to help out as much as possible.
I have learnt so much about the means to being a producer and not just the obvious fact like organising he shoots but also helping the director and making sure they is consistency in the way the production is shot and people keen to their timings as the shoot we are on even stricter times for certain locations, I know that I need to seek as much help from the runners to do smaller jobs for me like Lawrence did at the photoshoot just by watching and escorting the actors when I was busy.
So overall I and hopefully my team are happy with the out come so far for this unit as there is not so many bad points as achievements and we all cant wait to film in February.
Along the way as a team we have had our differences and ups and downs but we have sorted and worked them out to get the final pre-production piece to where we are at now.
We have locations ready and paid for, a big cast of actors all keen and ready to start filming and a crew that is big enough and helpful enough to help get it all done in time.
Some pointers I have had along the way have been the if people drop out or don't turn up its there lost but we have to have a quick come around and find other people, we need to keep people interested and secure them and the locations so that we won't be having troubles like the auditions where people had mix ups on days.
I need to be clear with all the actors and no one else is to confer with them or they get confused with wrong information even by accident, which is why I organise the shoots and am the only one with each persons contact details.
I need to not let people fall behind and need to confirm straight away as we was messed around by the sound guy a few times saying he would do the sound then he wouldn't etc, so we now in fact have 2 back ups for sound and a lot of back up runners that are capable to do numerous jobs on set except act apart form necessary extras we may need.
Overall this unit has been a busy and stressful time where I wasn't sure if we would get the book printed in time and all the information for the book done in time but it all fell into place we have not missed out on anything important and we have got outside people to help out as much as possible.
I have learnt so much about the means to being a producer and not just the obvious fact like organising he shoots but also helping the director and making sure they is consistency in the way the production is shot and people keen to their timings as the shoot we are on even stricter times for certain locations, I know that I need to seek as much help from the runners to do smaller jobs for me like Lawrence did at the photoshoot just by watching and escorting the actors when I was busy.
So overall I and hopefully my team are happy with the out come so far for this unit as there is not so many bad points as achievements and we all cant wait to film in February.
Pre-Production Major Project: Producer Research Part 2
sayhttp://www.indiewire.com/article/10-tips-for-successfully-producing-a-micro-budget-feature
This article has a lot of step by step tips to make a good producer and what you need to remember, this is just for low budget producers.
The first tip is: make sure the script is written for a low budget.
It states that you can't produce a film when the script is not good enough, which in are case I feel that it is plus it is wrote to fit the locations and the plot well enough to film on a low budget.
Next: Have a 'home based' location.
She says you don't want to be having loads of different locations as you will be spending to much time traveling and setting up so have a safe space and a main location.
Lucky for our script we have found all our locations in Medway and based around all of our houses just in case and then we don't have to be traveling around everywhere, making this easier and time saving.
Open it up.
Don't have the whole film based in one location as this can tired the audience.
Also lucky for us that Helen is charge of that and she hasn't limited us and also not made my job too and by having too many locations.
Shoot when locations are open.
This is a variable that for us does not make as much difference as we are renting the place out and for small amounts, but Jennifer says that it would be cheaper to film during the open times of restaurants and clubs but you won't be able to control some outcomes
Cast matters a lot.
This for us we feel could make or break our film which is why we did a lot of auditions and casting to find the right actors to fit each characters, this can make or break our film but by having actors who are keen and excited has helped the process.
Jennifer Westin
Jennifer is a Producer for Covert Production company in Tennessee, America.
She has a film MFA form Columbia and has won the Arthur Krim Memorial Award for excellence in Producing, she was also close to winning the PGA awards, which I talk about in another post.
Some her productions include:
Producing short film and features,
Produced the stage musical "Only a Lad"
She is not a well known producer but she has been successful at her job, she is hard to find on the internet as she is not as well know but even though she is American she is still a good figure with all her good tips online for producers and that she can do it while pregnant and a child thats even better. (picture above shows that she is pregnant, so has at least one child) also she is married.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2059448/ - This a link to her IMDB page but is only tells you every film she has producer and not anything about her unfortunately
This article has a lot of step by step tips to make a good producer and what you need to remember, this is just for low budget producers.
The first tip is: make sure the script is written for a low budget.
It states that you can't produce a film when the script is not good enough, which in are case I feel that it is plus it is wrote to fit the locations and the plot well enough to film on a low budget.
Next: Have a 'home based' location.
She says you don't want to be having loads of different locations as you will be spending to much time traveling and setting up so have a safe space and a main location.
Lucky for our script we have found all our locations in Medway and based around all of our houses just in case and then we don't have to be traveling around everywhere, making this easier and time saving.
Open it up.
Don't have the whole film based in one location as this can tired the audience.
Also lucky for us that Helen is charge of that and she hasn't limited us and also not made my job too and by having too many locations.
Shoot when locations are open.
This is a variable that for us does not make as much difference as we are renting the place out and for small amounts, but Jennifer says that it would be cheaper to film during the open times of restaurants and clubs but you won't be able to control some outcomes
Cast matters a lot.
This for us we feel could make or break our film which is why we did a lot of auditions and casting to find the right actors to fit each characters, this can make or break our film but by having actors who are keen and excited has helped the process.
Jennifer Westin
Jennifer is a Producer for Covert Production company in Tennessee, America.
She has a film MFA form Columbia and has won the Arthur Krim Memorial Award for excellence in Producing, she was also close to winning the PGA awards, which I talk about in another post.
Some her productions include:
Producing short film and features,
Produced the stage musical "Only a Lad"
She is not a well known producer but she has been successful at her job, she is hard to find on the internet as she is not as well know but even though she is American she is still a good figure with all her good tips online for producers and that she can do it while pregnant and a child thats even better. (picture above shows that she is pregnant, so has at least one child) also she is married.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2059448/ - This a link to her IMDB page but is only tells you every film she has producer and not anything about her unfortunately
Pre-Production Major Project: Pilot Research
As we are creating a pilot episode I have been looking into what makes that works and not work, I have watch so many series and they all start with that initial pilot which is the make or break, but what makes or break the pilot and keeps you watching. I have decided to look at the series that fit the most with our genre and type of show like the Inbetweeners although these guys are slightly younger than our cast, Friends which even though is American show is about the lives of people and how they stick by each other throughout and also the shot Sunday League series made just for Youtube.
The Inbetweeners -the pilot is based upon a young boy Will, who is joining high school for the first time as for until this point he has been in private education. The episode travels through Will's experience and the ups and downs of trying to fit in and makes friends, like normal school there is bullying, girls, alcohol and swearing, a lot of swearing.
The pilot starts with the title sequence which has the 4 boys which we haven't seen or met yet but we know these are going to be the sole focus, we then meet Will who in voice over is telling his story of how he got to this point and with also flashes of what going to happen in the future.
The first thing they have to do is to show us the characters along with their personalities in their 'natural habitats' so we get a better feel of who they are and what makes them tick, this then takes you up to the break just before the next adventure the character are about to have 'together'.
This episode does not consist of a lot of locations as the main ones are in fact the school in which I can image the rest of the season will evolve around and the pub in which the big event happens while Will tries to make friends and fails. To compare to our pilot we have a lot more locations and main locations but about the same amount of actors, the 4 main boys the girl crush and a big extras scene and they pulled it off and kept it neat and consistent, even though its only 21 minutes long there is no a lot that happens but it does keep you watching so the time goes quickly which is a bit different to ours as there is a lot that happens but the main story is friendship for the episode about the drift apart to the coming back together plus it set over more time than the Inbetweeners and Will's first day.
Friends - An American show based around the idea of friendship and what it entails to stay together along with the ups and downs, similar to the Ibetweeners and school life, how different people from different walks of life stay as one, this episode shows how even people who drift apart can come back together along with each character being unique in their character and loved.
Again it starts with the title sequence and the first camera shot is of the coffee shot "Central Perk" which tells us this is going to be the main location and for the guys to hover over this sofa, We see 4 people so in tern they each talk so we hear there voice and their judgement on the first girl 'Monica". Each in term we hear and learn more about them, introducing the characters as we don't know there names until about 3 minutes in which in when we meet the other 2 characters and the dramatic plot changer.
Even though this is an American show it is about the same length as the Inbetweeners and holds similar concepts such as the ups and downs of life and just trying to survive which is also what our pilot is about but they are all just adaptations on this with a different story and characters, Friends however is more like ours as its based on peoples life instead of school and the struggles they face to keep them together.
Steve Bracknall's Sunday League- this 3 part series is based upon a Sunday League team that are trying to win and make it big like every other team out there, this short pilot of only 7 minutes is set on a pitch and based on true events.
Starts straight into the episode where we are in a bush looking for the ball, which to me is a bit unclear to start with and confused why. Then a minute in we get a simple title sequence which is just a black screen with the title and music which cuts suddenly, the episode contains a lot of unsettling language and shouting form the coaches to the team, which we don't even get to see. After the title sequence all we see is the coach swearing and talking about football to the team for the rest of the episode which is not keeping the interest of the audience, the music is however consistent at the end there is also no credits and instead just this guys twitter name, this is a good example of how we don't want our pilot to be.
After watching this I can tell that the sound isn't that great especially the fades from music, there is no show of the boys except when looking for the ball at the start, in fact we don't even see a ball for the whole episode or anyone playing. The coach is however motivational through all the nasty language which we won't be using, this is a simple show but there isn't much Sunday League about it and at least we know that by showing more people and storyline that we should be able to keep the audience better and what not to do.
The Inbetweeners -the pilot is based upon a young boy Will, who is joining high school for the first time as for until this point he has been in private education. The episode travels through Will's experience and the ups and downs of trying to fit in and makes friends, like normal school there is bullying, girls, alcohol and swearing, a lot of swearing.
The pilot starts with the title sequence which has the 4 boys which we haven't seen or met yet but we know these are going to be the sole focus, we then meet Will who in voice over is telling his story of how he got to this point and with also flashes of what going to happen in the future.
The first thing they have to do is to show us the characters along with their personalities in their 'natural habitats' so we get a better feel of who they are and what makes them tick, this then takes you up to the break just before the next adventure the character are about to have 'together'.
This episode does not consist of a lot of locations as the main ones are in fact the school in which I can image the rest of the season will evolve around and the pub in which the big event happens while Will tries to make friends and fails. To compare to our pilot we have a lot more locations and main locations but about the same amount of actors, the 4 main boys the girl crush and a big extras scene and they pulled it off and kept it neat and consistent, even though its only 21 minutes long there is no a lot that happens but it does keep you watching so the time goes quickly which is a bit different to ours as there is a lot that happens but the main story is friendship for the episode about the drift apart to the coming back together plus it set over more time than the Inbetweeners and Will's first day.
Friends - An American show based around the idea of friendship and what it entails to stay together along with the ups and downs, similar to the Ibetweeners and school life, how different people from different walks of life stay as one, this episode shows how even people who drift apart can come back together along with each character being unique in their character and loved.
Again it starts with the title sequence and the first camera shot is of the coffee shot "Central Perk" which tells us this is going to be the main location and for the guys to hover over this sofa, We see 4 people so in tern they each talk so we hear there voice and their judgement on the first girl 'Monica". Each in term we hear and learn more about them, introducing the characters as we don't know there names until about 3 minutes in which in when we meet the other 2 characters and the dramatic plot changer.
Even though this is an American show it is about the same length as the Inbetweeners and holds similar concepts such as the ups and downs of life and just trying to survive which is also what our pilot is about but they are all just adaptations on this with a different story and characters, Friends however is more like ours as its based on peoples life instead of school and the struggles they face to keep them together.
Steve Bracknall's Sunday League- this 3 part series is based upon a Sunday League team that are trying to win and make it big like every other team out there, this short pilot of only 7 minutes is set on a pitch and based on true events.
Starts straight into the episode where we are in a bush looking for the ball, which to me is a bit unclear to start with and confused why. Then a minute in we get a simple title sequence which is just a black screen with the title and music which cuts suddenly, the episode contains a lot of unsettling language and shouting form the coaches to the team, which we don't even get to see. After the title sequence all we see is the coach swearing and talking about football to the team for the rest of the episode which is not keeping the interest of the audience, the music is however consistent at the end there is also no credits and instead just this guys twitter name, this is a good example of how we don't want our pilot to be.
After watching this I can tell that the sound isn't that great especially the fades from music, there is no show of the boys except when looking for the ball at the start, in fact we don't even see a ball for the whole episode or anyone playing. The coach is however motivational through all the nasty language which we won't be using, this is a simple show but there isn't much Sunday League about it and at least we know that by showing more people and storyline that we should be able to keep the audience better and what not to do.
Pre-Production Major Project: Producer Research
Jason Blum
Jason Blum is the Producer and CEO of his company Blumhouse production but Jason was not always as big as he is now and even now he classes himself as a low budget especially compare to hollywood, Jason is a horror movie producer and his first big hit was Paranormal Activity which is one of the most profitable movies in history and was made on a budget less then 5 million.
Jason has worked for lost of different companies in different companies and has even worked for Hollywood before but he is an inspiration now as he is one of the most noticeable producers in the horror genre and he makes the lowest costing and most profitable films to date but yet he does not flash off his cash as he does not have a expensive car and driver but drives around looking like a handy man in a van with a small office and staff.
http://www.laweekly.com/arts/can-budget-slasher-jason-blum-prove-the-way-hollywood-makes-movies-is-horrifyingly-wrong-6176088
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-04-24/jason-blum-the-penny-pinching-horror-movie-maestro
After reading these article on Jason he has worked hard doing what he loves and for him that has always been producing and finally he is now his own producer, the article states that most producers in Hollywood have previsouly been actors or directors that have got board and what to make their own films, like the one i mentioned in one of my other posts like Adam Sandler who is executive producer in most of the films he starts in as he now owns his own production company (Happy Maddison).
The article is inspiring to the next producer as it gives in insight into what Jason went through and he even got the dream of Hollywood but it just wasn't right for him and now he has found his calling and loves his job which works around his family, which is a surprise in the film industry.
Jason Blum is the Producer and CEO of his company Blumhouse production but Jason was not always as big as he is now and even now he classes himself as a low budget especially compare to hollywood, Jason is a horror movie producer and his first big hit was Paranormal Activity which is one of the most profitable movies in history and was made on a budget less then 5 million.
Jason has worked for lost of different companies in different companies and has even worked for Hollywood before but he is an inspiration now as he is one of the most noticeable producers in the horror genre and he makes the lowest costing and most profitable films to date but yet he does not flash off his cash as he does not have a expensive car and driver but drives around looking like a handy man in a van with a small office and staff.
http://www.laweekly.com/arts/can-budget-slasher-jason-blum-prove-the-way-hollywood-makes-movies-is-horrifyingly-wrong-6176088
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-04-24/jason-blum-the-penny-pinching-horror-movie-maestro
After reading these article on Jason he has worked hard doing what he loves and for him that has always been producing and finally he is now his own producer, the article states that most producers in Hollywood have previsouly been actors or directors that have got board and what to make their own films, like the one i mentioned in one of my other posts like Adam Sandler who is executive producer in most of the films he starts in as he now owns his own production company (Happy Maddison).
The article is inspiring to the next producer as it gives in insight into what Jason went through and he even got the dream of Hollywood but it just wasn't right for him and now he has found his calling and loves his job which works around his family, which is a surprise in the film industry.
Pre-Production Major Project: Sunday League Research
Sunday League is the term used for the minor league football players that get up on a Sunday morning while other are still in bed and chase a ball around a muddy poo covered field during the snow and torrential rain, but it seems that football means a whole lot more to some people which is why that get up so early on the day of rest to kick around a football.
I did some research into the topic of Sunday League style of football and what it involves and where you can go from there. I found this short documentary on Youtube after watching the Sunday League series that is based on Youtube and this was in the suggestion to watch next.
Sunday League is a documentary that followed the plights of several Sunday football teams across England over the course of a season as they took to the muddy fields and parks to play this not so beautiful version of the beautiful game. This film focuses more on the people who play, rather than the sport itself and asks the question 'Why do Sunday Footballers keep coming back week after week?'
After watching this which is just over 30 minutes of footage from the Sunday morning football matches that the minor players put together with a few interviews of what football and Sunday League means to them and why they keep going back and getting up so early each and every Sunday, I think this a very good sum up of the football and links very well to our project even though the pilot episode doesn't have much football Sunday league is not just about the football but about the friendships and the life behind it all, why these people from different backgrounds and personalties get on so well and all have that one thing they share dearly, Football.
This even shorter documentary is based on a young man who so desperately wants to make if from the Sunday league to the professional payoffs and his tale of how to do this. Over the 11 minutes there is interviews with different people from parents of young players to football scouts, they say that from each team of about 20 maybe 4 will get scouted and get the scholarships in which maybe 1 will make it to professional and that not even the players you see on the TV games playing for Spurs/Chelsea or West Ham but for their reserve team.
This documentary sums up just how hard it is to do like another job out their, but with the right passion and skills who knows. This shows how a lot of people have dreams to play football but some still only play for Sunday league teams which most don't know exist but they love what they do and keep hold of that at no matter what age.
I did some research into the topic of Sunday League style of football and what it involves and where you can go from there. I found this short documentary on Youtube after watching the Sunday League series that is based on Youtube and this was in the suggestion to watch next.
Sunday League is a documentary that followed the plights of several Sunday football teams across England over the course of a season as they took to the muddy fields and parks to play this not so beautiful version of the beautiful game. This film focuses more on the people who play, rather than the sport itself and asks the question 'Why do Sunday Footballers keep coming back week after week?'
After watching this which is just over 30 minutes of footage from the Sunday morning football matches that the minor players put together with a few interviews of what football and Sunday League means to them and why they keep going back and getting up so early each and every Sunday, I think this a very good sum up of the football and links very well to our project even though the pilot episode doesn't have much football Sunday league is not just about the football but about the friendships and the life behind it all, why these people from different backgrounds and personalties get on so well and all have that one thing they share dearly, Football.
This even shorter documentary is based on a young man who so desperately wants to make if from the Sunday league to the professional payoffs and his tale of how to do this. Over the 11 minutes there is interviews with different people from parents of young players to football scouts, they say that from each team of about 20 maybe 4 will get scouted and get the scholarships in which maybe 1 will make it to professional and that not even the players you see on the TV games playing for Spurs/Chelsea or West Ham but for their reserve team.
This documentary sums up just how hard it is to do like another job out their, but with the right passion and skills who knows. This shows how a lot of people have dreams to play football but some still only play for Sunday league teams which most don't know exist but they love what they do and keep hold of that at no matter what age.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)