Major Project- Book Final

The book has been finished and includes the following information-

• Synopsis
• Cast and Crew
• Script
• Production Documents
• Production Stills
• Props
• Promotional Material 
• Output 

This book was a collection of information created by Lex and myself. I formatted and edited the book, while Lex made the written content as accurate as possible. This will be printed and bound for hand in. Originally the book was going to be printed with black pages but we realised when printed it would have a boarder there fore I changed the pages back to white. 

Each element of the book was well thought out and was produced in mind of the book. With such things as the introduction pages were especially written to fit well with the film. The main changes from the original idea of the book is that the Output section has been added and the location section has been removed. 

Major Project- Collaboration

Throughout the project collaboration has been essential. This either being with the actors, crew or within the grit team. As our last day approaches I have chosen to reflect on the collaboration within the project.

Much of the collaboration in pre-production was with the director (Lex Wilkinson) and myself. I worked logically and organised most of the film with the creative side being mostly tackled by Lex. Within this collaboration I contacted actors, crew and locations, this was a long process but paid off due to the quality of the final product. Within each step of the film and organisation I made sure that Lex was informed and had a say in what was decided, this made the project easier as we were both aiming for the same creative look.

During production much of my collaboration was with the actors and the continuity supervisor (Sophie Marriott), this was due to the need to make sure the film was made with good continuity. I worked closely with the actors before each shoot to go over their lines, this did lead to small script changes as some phrases did not fit the actors.

The document screenshot below was created by myself and Sophie, this was to help not only Sophie but also to inform the actors of what was expected for them to bring to each day. This document was sent out to the actors after a week without a shoot, it was to remind them of what was worn in the scenes already filmed.

During post production, I worked with the editor and director. This was only as a reviewer, I watched the film and gave a new perspective on the film for the editor and director to listen to. This fresh perspective provided information about how the audience might see the film. During production I created the schedule for the editor, special effects creator and the director to see and follow, this provided clear deadlines and a goal for each day. 

Major Project- Producing Process

While writing the report I have come across some flow charts that explain the role of the producer, this is for pre-production and production. 

Pre-Production, Producer role 

As shown by the flow chart the process in pre-production, most of the work in the pre-production starts with the script, moving down to different sections that involve contacting people. Some parts of the flow chart are things I may not have handled by myself, such as the equipment was managed by the Director of Photography but I booked the equipment for the shoot. Such collaboration was done throughout the production. 

Production, Producer role 

Most of the production was myself helping other people and being around for trouble shooting, a lot of the roles listed were taken by one person. The Director of Photography was also a gaffer, lighting and camera operator. The continuity department was tackled alone by Sophie but she always had myself on set to help out. On set I managed to be the Art Director and Producer. It just happened that I knew what needed to be done and was on set to help. 

These flow charts were found at Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video. 

Major Project- Re-shoots

For this project there have been two days of re-shoots, but neither one of these days were required due to one of the actors not being available for a whole day of shooting.

Danny Draven in his book- The filmmakers book of the dead- has a section on editing they express the need for re-shoots, this is an issue for the editor but is arranged by the producer for them.

Both re-shoots were arranged and were successful as they were able to make the film have scenes that were either missing or badly needed. The final scene was filmed twice but both times in different ways giving the editor an option of a long shot or a series of converge shots.

Arranging the reshoots were simple as we had scheduled to film so early we were able to give the editor plenty of time.

Major Production- Editing Schedule

This is the original schedule for the post production but this has changed due to set backs, we are within the schedule but we could have been more accurate with what we were doing and when.

Schedule

I made sure that I created this with the director and editor so that the goals where achievable.

Major Project- Post Production Producers

During post production the lines of control cross over between the Director and Producer, within Grit the director has the last say on the shots that are used but as the producer I watch the work and add input from the audiences perspective. Due to the Director and Editor watching the film being edited they know why they have made every single cut and why they have chosen each shot. As producer I am here to give another perspective on the work.

Professionally post production is produced slightly differently than we may have chosen to do. Companies such as Raindance have come up with what they believe is the steps for post production-

The suggestion is the above article talks about how hard Pre-production and Production are on the Producer, but Post Production is mostly handing the work over to someone else to edit and create into a final product.

They have created a list of 13 things for post-production-

1. Picking an editing format- we chose adobe 
2. Hire a picture editor- Sophie Marriott our editor
3. Hire a sound editor - We decided against this 
4. Do ADR- Although we didn't do this exactly, we did have other sound of dialogue recorded
5. Do Foley- our Director of Photography and director did this 
6. Secure Music- This has been completed
7. Do re-recording/the mix- Our editor managed this 
8. Get an M & E- This was not needed for this film
9. Get your titles- The titles have been made with music and effects
10. Get a DCP- We have a hard drive with all our images 
11. Get dialogue script- The script has been changed a long with the film 
12. Get a campaign images- We have our final images ready to be posters
13. Get a trailer- A trailer is being created by the Director of Photography

With reflection the sound is a large part of the postproduction that could have been more well developed, with the help of a sound designer the sound could have been achieved easily but has to be currently tackled by the editor. 

Other opinions on the post production and producers include that on this website- Film Makers, in which they express that the editor and director handle most of the work and the producer is only brought in when they ask. It seems that the main role is to make sure that the budget it still being kept to.

Although we are not paying for the time of our editor we are still trying to stick to a time period so that other work required of the editor is completed for their own assessment. 

Major Project- Screening Guests

For the screening we have many people coming to the screening as we have over 300 seats, meaning 300 guests, therefore that the list needed to be detailed. This lead me to creating a guest list that was cross referenced with the tickets purchased.

The website EventBright sends notifications every time a ticket is purchased, this email includes, the type of ticket, the name of the registered person and the email that they registered with. With this information I have created a guest list, I have requested that producers get the tickets for their actors, they register the actors name but get the tickets sent to their email. This is to make sure that the producers have control of how many tickets are booked for people.

The guest list hopefully is detailed enough so that someone on the door is able to keep track of how many people they let into the theatre.

Most of the correspondents with the rest of the year group have been through Facebook, I made sure that I explained in detail what needed to be done. 

Major Project- Production Diary

Everyday was different on set, either due to the location that we were in for that day or the amount we have to accomplish for that day.

All days had their own plan's but over the 14 days, we had some issues. Such as making sure that we had enough crew for each day but thankfully with the relationships with other students we were able to make sure that we had all we needed. Equipment was always booked in advance making sure that we had what we would need each day to create the film, this was taken care of by myself and Mike the director of photography.

Most of the days within the house were long due to the amount of shots that were needed. Our actors did not mind the hours as we were in a warm environment and were constantly filming.

Although on the first day of filming we stated later than expected we made up for it over the next shoot days making sure that we kept to the schedule. The days on location tended to be the days that were shorter as we made sure that we would not be stood around in the cold with the actors for no reason. These days on location were fast but thorough, we made sure that we were getting all we needed.

On one of the last days I recorded a TVPlay for the university. Mike was able to edit it quickly and give it to our tutor ready to go out.

 

Here are a series of photo's by Alex Robert that show working on set.

Major Project- Producers

Being a producer is a large job that covers a lot of the production, from pre-production all the way until the screening. The Met Film School have interviewed Paul Webster, they have come up with the top 5 things for a growing producer to keep in their mind, this is more for freelancing. 

From each one of these points you can see how to develop being a producer, such as the point in confidence, this helps throughout the production as confidence is always good to have on set. As a producer you are there to trouble shoot, if you are not confident, it can seem like you are unsure of what you are doing. 

Other websites such as Learn.org are able to define what a producer is and what they do. 

Budgetary concerns are something that needs to be tackled throughout the production, making sure that everyday you are keeping to a budget. This can mean making the production keep going, or go later than planned to make sure you are making the most of what you have paid for. 

Other websites such as Forbes- give an insight in how producers in the industry can improve 

I think that the tips from Forbes so far is the best advice, it is mostly to collaborate, help those around you and they should be able help you. By bring creative people together your end product should be a combination of the creative minds that have been involved in the production. 

Major Project- Report Writing

For this unit I have to submit a report, for that I need to collate all the information from the project into one document. This document needs to include parts of the blog, evidence of my work and research.

The research I will be doing for the blog is slightly different than for the blog, the blog is more of a visual place in which videos and photo's can be used to show what I have looked at but in the report I want to have references from books and journals.

Books such as Producer to Producer are able to give insight into industry standard producing but also are able to talk about how it may be different for students.

They also have a website Producer to Producer- which is able to provide documents that can be downloaded and used for production. 

From the same production company comes this book, it provides insight into professional budgets, how to create a budget and where your money should be going. 

Major Project- Tickets and Seating

For the tickets at the screening we have tried to keep it simple and limit how many from each production can be invited. To do this each producer has sent me a number of how many outside crew and actors they have had on their production. I took this number and doubled it so that the actors could have a +1, this can not be for all of the productions as some have 30 people, meaning 60 from that film would be attending which would be overpowering for the other films.

I have also requested the seating plan from the Hazlitt theatre, they have provided it helping myself to be able to place people in seats that they can easily gain access to the stage where they will need to introduce the films.

From this seating plan we can see that their are isles each side of the seating but the students will be seated either side of the main isle that goes down the middle of the seat, there are 20 spaces in this area, each half row will have a student and their guests seated. Currently most students have 6 spaces, but this can be changed on request. The section at the front next to the stage will be actors, this section will be full of the actors of each film, this means that actors can sit together and are not taking seats from family members. 

Major Project- Screening Meeting

The second official screening meeting was lead by Simon, this meeting was to establish how far as a class we had gotten. With the location secured for the amount of time it is, this means the starting time has to be brought forward to 17:30, this could pose an issue for parents that work but most of the students have said this may not be an issue.

As previously stated a running order has been created-

• Roadman 
• Mark
• I Pull The Strings
• Andrei
• Sunday League 

Interval 

• Hannah 
• Grit
• Sam 
• SeiKay 
• Downstage 

We have also been tasked with finding our ushers, so far I have only 2 but Laura has said that she will help me to recruit more people. 

The program that is being created by Ruby Rogers now has colours, a running order and soon will have the information from each of the groups.

Posters have been discussed with Mark, he is still waiting on a few people to send him official pictures and he is currently working on a poster for the Screening its self. 

Tickets have gone live on event bright, they are being controlled by myself. The current system is that each producer books the tickets for the actors and then sends the pdf's of the tickets to the actors. The students will be booking their own tickets online. A guest list is also being arranged by myself. 

Major Project- Costume

For the film costume needed to be considered, this was due to the fact that we have bloody shirts, hats, pizza guy uniforms and blood splatter.

For one of the main scenes we need the actor to have two shirts, one to have blood and a hole and the other to be clean and ready to wear. Over a 14 day shoot, we have made it so that there are not very many costume changes but the death scene is being filmed first there for two shirts is needed. We bought two shirts as well as two knives. One has been shortened to be attached to the actors shirt, so that is appears that he has been stabbed but the other knife is used for chase scenes.

The pizza guy polo top was brought and used in two scenes, firstly it was used so that the pizza delivery guy had a suitable top to wear. But was then used later on so that one of the actors could appear to be stabbed, this required holes in the top but also fake blood.

The knife was used in at least three scenes, the shortened version was used twice, once in the final scene and another time in the tent scene. The knife was attached to the actor with duct tape and cardboard, we created something that the knife would stand up and look realistic.

Major Project- Promotional Material

For the promotional material the director has created posters, these are currently being used on the Facebook page to attract the audience.

We are also printing the posters, we are having them ordered, one in A1 and other smaller ones. The director has created 6 different posters in different styles and as a group we have decided what poster we would like to print.

Although we have a range of posters this one really suits the style of the film as well as having a hint of mystery. Sean played by Zed Josef, the main character is featured in this poster with the line 'lose yourself' as this reflects the film well. 

Major Project- Book Making

During this production many things have been created and can be found on blogs and in reports but they are not all in one place. This lead to the idea of a Grit production book. This book is being produced by myself and the director. Together we are putting together elements of the film from different places, bringing the production together in a single book.

In this book we plan on having-

• Script
• Script changes
• Production photos 
• Production Documents 
• Casting
• Props
• Locations 
• Marketing photos

This book is being produced on Word and will be bound ready for hand in. The book will be created by myself and edited by the director. This is so that I can make the format and keep it the same as the pre-production book but also that the director can put in from more of a creative view why parts of the production are the way they are. 

Lots of images will be included in the final document will be images taken mostly by the photographer that was present on the shoot. 

Major Project- Set Design

For the set during the film it was changing due to the real world seeping through to the film. For this we had to make sure the set made small changes over time and that the changes were hints to the un-realness of what was being seen.
The original set up in the room was so Archie (James) was positioned on the larger couch looking at the television.

We put different items around the room, including bottles to show the drinking of the characters, the cards that are seen in the first scene, a pizza leaflet and lighters with a dirty spoon, implying a drug addict. 

 Some of the frames were placed with photo's that had been torn up to look as if the character had taken them out in a rage and ripped them apart. All leading to the idea of an angry jealous person.

The final of the film ended being the actor on the sofa that we often see Sean on, this helps to see that he could have easily been on this sofa during his fantasy of another world. 

During the production the rooms were dressed by the director and myself. We were able to keep track of where everything was by taking regular photos and then using them to make sure the items in the original plan were still there for the final take. 

Major Project- Review

During the Samantha Adams workshop we reviewed the film with her, this lead to a discussion on parts of the film that may need changing the main issues were-

• To many words on the screen during one scene 
• No music 
• Sound Design
• Some affects are missing 
• The film is confusing 

To each of these points we discussed why and what was happening. The words are being kept as they are there to create confusion. The music is currently being created and added to the scenes, sound design is being currently worked on therefor these and not to be worried about. Recently the effects have been finished but not imported into the film, therefore this is being done. The film being confusing is the point, we want the audience to think about what they have seen and want to watch again to look at all of the hints. 

From the meeting with Samantha I found that some of the film could be improved upon, this was relayed to the rest of the team that are now looking at all aspects that were talked about. 

Major Project- Producer Research Part 2

While writing my report I came across a book Maureen Ryan, after reading the book "Producer to Producer" written by Maureen Ryan, this book lead to helpful websites and documents that can be used during production.

Maureen Ryan has been producer on these projects:

Her bio that can be found on Producer to Producer website- 

She has also co-written the book- Film+Video Budgets. Within the book Producer to Producer, Maureen Ryan references a shot film she produced called 'Red Flag". It gives the perfect example of how to make a short film, script, budget, schedule and all. 

The book provides knowledge on the different roles within short films, documents that can be used, collaboration and the creation of exceptional films.