Technical aspects of filming

The camera settings and techniques I will employ to achieve a 'cinematic' look;

- Manual control
- Movie exposure - manual
- Shoot in 24 frames per second
- Shutter speed 50, (180 Shutter rule)
- low ISO
- Picture style - neutral
- Shallow depth of field

Unfortunately due to the DSLR I am using - Sony alpha 85 (below) - the fpr rate is not adjustable and set to 30 fps, as a result I will also increase the shutter speed to 60.

I will shoot most of my footage with a tripod (below), as shaky footage, if accidental, creates a cheap, tacky look, however any handheld footage that is shaky can be corrected within after effects.

This tripod is especially useful because the platform on which the camera sits and be rotated smoothly using the attached lever. I used the lever system for tracking shots and cut away shots.


I watched a few instructional videos (one of which is below) in preparation for filming with a DSLR. 

Filming 14/01/18

Below is call sheet I have distributed to the cast and crew.



Cast/crew required; Amy, Billy, Matty, Michelle, Dennis.
The following risks apply to this shoot, these are similar to the previous shoot.
The weather is appropriate for filming, as it is dry and not too bright.

Left - A prop/equipment list I used in preparation for the shoot.


28/12/17 I phoned Matty to ask if he had the following clothes; Smart trousers, shirt, smart shoes etc, and confirm the date of filming. Having confirmed the previous we are set to film. 

Below is a video summarising the day's filming.

Filming 07/01/18

In preparation for the shoot I contacted Dennis to confirm suitable dates/time.



Today (04/01/18) I contacted Dennis to arrange his costume, as this is a zero budget film I am hoping he will have appropriate clothing for the role, if not, I will find a source to borrow from.


He replied and has a suitable costume.

Luckily the weather looks to be pretty clear, and crucially, dry.



I have sent the following call sheet (created from this website), with all information above, plus casting, times etc to the cast.


I created a table to asses any risks the shoot may pose, and how I intend to deal with them.

I used this checklist to ensure I remembered all equipment, props etc.













Filming today was a success; although not all planned scenes could be shot, scene 4 has been recorded, along with multiple scenes including only Halliam. I have evaluated the footage in the video (below).

With next Sunday an arranged date, any shots missing, or that are of poor quality, can be reshot then.

The shoot took more directing than I thought it would. By directing, I mean giving specific directions on how to act, advising on voice, and body language, how to come across more emotive. This is understandable as the actor playing the protagonist (Billy Eyre) hasn’t had any experience in acting. This wasn’t the case with all the actors though: Dennis could improvise with ease, and with little direction could add colour and variety the few original scripted lines. 

Side note: Having enjoyed his role in the project, Billy, who plays Halliam, has since gone on to join a drama group. 

Filming 29/12/17

Planning to shoot early morning.

Cast/crew required; Amy, Billy.
Equipment; Violin, music stand, camera, SD card.

The room for risk in this shoot is very low, regardless I have analysed the one possible risk in the following table.



Footage to shoot;

- Halliam playing the violin... badly.
- Halliam realising his lizard I lost and searching for it.

Evaluation of shoot - The footage from this day regarding the violin playing was very jolty, as I was not using a tripod - I will reshoot this scene with a tripod shortly.

I am however, very pleased with the lost lizard footage, and have started editing this scene.

Mise-en-scene

There are a few cut away shots of objects with encoded meaning and reference in my film eg. the lost teddy bear poster.

I hope to use blue lights are to foreshadow police involvement.

Colour 

The narrative of my film becomes progressively more sombre and sinister -- the colour should reflect this (from warm, bright colours, reds, oranges, to dark, cold shades, blues and greens). 

Props

I have used pages to mock up the lost teddy poster that will feature in my film.

30/11/17

On 30/11/17 I will be meeting with a potential cast member (HOMELESS MAN) and the owner of my preferable location. If he is up for taking on a role I hope to arrange a date of filming with him  and pass this on to my other cast members. I will also use this weekend to try find an actor for the role of CRYING GIRl, and take headshot of the actors.

8/12/17 - Dennis agreed to play HOMELESS MAN, and the location is secured.

Location

I shortlisted 3 possible sets for the short film, scouting each location before deciding on where to set majority of the film.

In dark comedies, quirkey behaviour/events are often in contrast with a seemingly 'normal' setting, hence the premise for my location ...

A description of the ideal location; A semi-detached house, with a garden and windows. Quiet neighbourhood, local, accessible.

Location 1

Location 2

I spoke to the owner and scouted the house, but due to the location I will not be filming here; its quite far to travel for the cast and myself. Furthermore the house would preferably by semi-detached. 

Location 3 

I will be using the interior of this house for some scenes, it's my house so no need to travel, and I wrote the script with my home in mind. However it is not easy accessible for the cast and having scouted the street (shots below) it is far too remote, and scenic - so all exterior scenes will be shot elsewhere.

27/11/17

"I've currently got your R+P mark as 17/20. This reflects a well written and insightful body of work which I would describe and very proficient and in places, excellent. I feel that you could have covered the technical elements in your descriptions of films from the genre in more depth.

Your screenplay is challenging and inventive and I think if you pull it off, will be a great little oddity! And after your fantasy film last year, I'm don't doubt that you will."

To get this mark to a shinning standard I'll be going through my work on genre, and adding in some technical elements, such as shot types, and editing conventions within dark comedy. 

I have since addressed this, putting technical analysis into my post on Fargo. 

"This is a great post Amy, clearly established primary and secondary TA based on well founded information, well done." 

Woohoo! No work needed there clearly! Well done to me :)

Characters and cast

HALLIAM - William Spence

As my brother, William will be incredibly easy to use. He is eager to play a part, having starred in my film opening last year.

Costume

The actor can provide their own costume, I want the actor to have some freedom within their role, and choosing the appearance of a character is a great part of this.


His character will wear; A blue long sleeved T shirt, underneath a red short sleeved T shirt, black skinny jeans, and pumps.

KEVIN - Matty Firth

I met Matty through a Facebook page for filmmakers. It’s a risk working with a stranger in that you cannot known their ability/ skill level, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Below are screenshots from my conversations with Matty in preparation for production.

Costume

Very smart, but odd. A waistcoat and shirt done to the top with no tie. I think I can source this costume through friends/family. Needed; Shirt, smart trousers and shoes, tank top/ waistcoat.

Having rang Kevin, he has volunteered to source his own costume. 

Kevin has OCD, a mental disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, perform certain routines repeatedly ("rituals"), or have certain thoughts repeatedly. People are unable to control their thoughts or activities for more than a short period of time. Dark comedy is not unfamiliar with mental health or disability, with representation (good and bad) in League of Gentlemen and Psychoville. 

HOMELESS MAN - Denis Spence

Below is a sketch I have drawn up to show my idea for this character's atheistic (completed before finding an actor).


Costume

This nameless character will wear an assembly of torn, scatty clothing. A scruffy shirt (with subtle blue and red stripes), emphasising his delusion through the haphazard way in which it is has being fastened. 

I visited Denis in person to ask him to act in this short film, I followed up our meeting with this email. 

Needed for costume; Over sized scruffy fleece, scruffy T shirt, hat, Hiking boots (unlaced). Dennis has added some nice touches to this costume - he purposely buttoned his shirt wrong, to enhance the portrayal of his inept character.

POLICE OFFICER - Michelle Spence

As a family member, Michelle will be easy to use.

Costume

I am hoping to rent a costume for this character from West Yorkshire Playhouse. 

Unfortunately the playhouse did not stock the suitable sized police costume, and so today I will visit Jay's Fancy dress shop in search of a costume. I have rang them to ask about stock, and they conformed they stock a suitable costume.

LIZARD

Not exactly cast but there are things to be taken into consideration when working with animals. To make sure my use of animals complied with regulations I acquired the RSPCA's guidelines. 



Particularly when working with reptiles, it is important they stay warm; reptiles can't be out of their enclosure for long periods of time (causing complications with travelling), and can not be outside in cold temperatures. This means we will have to adapt some of our filming locations.

There are risks when working with animals, for example, they might poo on the costumes.

Storyboard

Inspiring my own story board, below is an extract from dark comedy series, Fargo.



To draw the shots in my storyboard I used adobe draw and adobe capture, (applications shown in screen shot below). Not only is this incredibly easy to use, I can access my shots from any device, and produce scalable vector images. I've worked previously with this application, however picked up further information from the video below. I will combine and order each shot using a free, celtx application.

Below is my storyboard, I will be using this as a rough guide whilst filming.

Fargo

A 1996 British-American black comedy crime film written, produced, edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It’s grotesque and comedic - a brilliantly quirky dark comedy.

A reoccurring element of the film is the vast blank landscapes. Like other dark comedies, location is used to reflect a character's situation - here Fargo is a subordinate member of society, helpless, and discompose. The symbolism of a small man made vehicle amongst an overpowering setting portrays this well.



In an obvious contrast, minimal lighting is used to suggest danger.



The Coen’s use stunning long shots to create space, and momentum. See this tracking shot below.



Tension is created through the use of slowly paced shots; In one slowly paced scene, strewn homely items are shown in a montage of POV shots (point of view), portraying to characters weakness and fear.

In a comedic way, the Coen's juxtapose diegetic and non diegetic sound to directly contrast the dark elements within the narrative with the normality of a 1980's American life. In a scene where a woman is kidnapped from her own home, a monotonous TV commentary clashes with the woman's scream and the sound of smashing glass. This is underlined by Burwell's sinister score. This use of sound reflects a reoccurring element within dark comedy - carnage and chaos amongst the mundane.

The soundtrack (by Carter Burwell) is very effective. The sparse, fiddle lead score explores Scandinavian folk music. Despite the comedic nature of the film, Burwell used his soundtrack to create as a stern, morbid atmosphere.

"The scene is Minnesota and North Dakota in a winter whiteout, and the exaggerated cheerfulness of the characters only makes the situation more lonely and hopeless. I wanted to contrast the smallness of their humanity with the endless white landscape by playing them with fragile solo instruments: harp, celesta, and hardanger fiddle. The hardanger - native to Scandinavia - is a fiddle with sympathetic strings that add a shimmering glowing drone to the played notes."

"... I found a folk tune that had become a hymn called "The Lost Sheep." Its title was perfect for Bill Macy's character, but its soulful sadness was perfect for the film as a whole, so I expanded on it using a film-noir orchestration. It became the opening music for the film." - Carter

Stark, hollow soundtracks, such as this one are a convention within dark comedy, contributing to the ominous narratives. 

The film was a great success, with a budget of $70 million the film made $60.6 million at the box office.

Publicity

Below is the Facebook page for Inside No.9. They have used this to promote individual episodes and update fans on upcoming series' and cast, etc. I will base the content and structure of my page from this one.

I have used Facebook to cast hunt, and so far had two responses for the part of Kevin, and an offer to compose for the film/ free access to original music as a soundtrack. I posted in a group called "Northern Film makers", a group with over 5300 members, below is my post.


Through this I have met an actor interested in playing the role of Kevin.

Following the pre production of my short film I will be posting updates to a Facebook page. So far I have used the page to distribute a survey on dark comedy.



I have now further used my Facebook page to publish the news of actor conformations, stages in production etc, subsequently summoning a larger audience.



Like inside No.9 I will be releasing promotional images throughout production (e.g. below)

I have also posted behind the scenes type posts, and regularly update the page profile and header picture.

In addition to Facebook, I have used Twitter to promote my page, as users of one often commit to both sites.

Whilst experimenting with my poster title I stumbled on this, and thought it would make a pretty sweet Facebook header, so I went ahead and uploaded it.