Shooting Jessica

Shot with Jessica Brady today for the final scene.  It was only a couple of seconds of footage but the setup took a couple of hours.  Footage looked good though, doing a few different slates and lenses.

Shooting again

We are shooting on the 30th March with Jessica and again on the 1st April with the whole cast.  These two shoots in 3 days will hopefully bring the film that bit closer to an end.  After we complete these scenes it should only be a short interior bar scene and then it will be a wrap.

Website Up

Website is up and running with WebEden.  Pretty basic at the minute but will obviously improve once the film nears completion and I can get some sort of showreel or such going on.

http://filmicmcgaun.webeden.co.uk/

Creating the website

I've started to create a proper website for the film.

I'm using webeden.co.uk and it's really quite easy to use.  It's just little technical problems that are slowing it down.

It struggles to upload files bigger than 3mb and the majority of photos that we took were done with the Canon 5d and these are around 4.5mb.  They're really good photos though so I'll probably just compress them so I can upload them easier, instead of using photos taken with different cameras.

Final Shooting Dates

Final shoot date is April 1st with us hopefully getting everything done, including the bar scene and any pick ups that need doing.

Edith, Jessica and Micky are all on board so hopefully everything will run smoothly from 12pm until we get it finished.

Editing

David started the edit today from his home.  He was sorting through the clips and we arranged what takes to use.  Looking back at the footage after about a week, I see that it's a mixed bag of really usable takes and a lot of stuff which we could never use.  I know this is the same on every production though and I shouldn't think that this is a reflection of the overall quality.

Myself and David weren't happy with the takes from the downstairs scene.  The lighting is a little off and there are some visible problems with Jessica's makeup but we are trying to work around that rather than having to re-shoot it.

I'll update as we go along.

Next Shooting Days

This morning I finally managed to get some more equipment out for what will hopefully be the final part of the shoot.  I initially thought I wasn't going to be able to film again until mid-April but after checking the stores at Northumbria I have now got equipment from the 28th March until April 8th.

Exact shooting dates are tba.

Influences

The film has been influenced from a variety of different sources.  The script, the overall tone of the film, the lighting and the direction all come from a a mix of areas.

Although I would say that the biggest influence on most aspects of the movie has been film noir.

We've really given our own take on this genre of movie, but it's certainly been the key factor in it's creation.

From the story to the low key lighting, we've kept film noir in mind with every step.

Checking out the footage

I've had a chance to look over the footage that we shot yesterday and so far we've got some really good stuff.  I haven't checked much of the sound yet but we plan on doing a lot of foley and pick up sound anyway.

I'm really impressed with some of the shots, especially the bathroom scene.  So far this really seems to tug at the emotions.

Shooting Too Much Love / Day two

Today was hugely successful after a slow start.  We were originally supposed to be set up by 9am to start shooting for 9.45am.  However, David Reed was driving to mine and he hit hard traffic in Newcastle so didn't arrive at my house until around 9.30am.  I explained the delay to the actors who I was supposed to be collecting from Northumbria University at 9.20am.  They were also going to be late as well though, so David's delay didn't have such a knock on affect that I though it would.
I met Jessica around 9.35am outside the Ellison building but Micky wasn't there as he was a little confused as to the pick up point.  After about 5-10 minutes I finally found him and we were on our way back to the 'set'.

Testing lighting positions in the sitting room

Testing lighting filters in the sitting room

We got back to mine for around 10am and David was almost fully set up.  We were shooting downstairs for the first time but we had practiced with the lighting there a lot, so we were confident.  Victoria Spalding was also helping us out with the shoot today as a clapper loader.

The two actors we had already knew each other through a mutual friend and they were comfortable with everything that we were going to do.  We got started and shot downstairs for about an hour and then headed upstairs to do the bedroom scenes.  David used the shoulder rig for the downstairs shots and used a variety of lenses to get different view points and angles.

The shoot had so far gone very well.  The actors were good, the crew were good and we were getting plenty of shots, trying different things and just being very thorough really.

David explaining the art of the sex scene

The bedroom scene could have been awkward for people less professional than we had on the day, and the fact that they already knew each other was a bonus.  We talked through the scene with them and David explained exactly what it entailed.  It went very well, and again plenty of shots were taken and re-taken.
The actors were very responsive to David and mine's instructions and direction.  They were good to work with and often helped each other out with their own feedback.  They weren't afraid to chip in with their own ideas or help to improve the scene either.  We made it comfortable and just had a laugh.

We broke for lunch after this scene and I took Micky back to Newcastle as he was done for the day.  We still had a lot to get through with Jessica though, but she was feeling good and was ready to go!

We decided to re-shoot the make up scenes using the shoulder rig.  David also changed the emphasis of this scene from sad to happy.  We still kept the red lighting though.  The rig just added such a great subjective feel to these scenes.

We shot the bathroom scenes today also and I was very impressed with Jess!  She made it incredibly emotional for me who was just sitting and recording it.  This will look even better after all the editing and in the final piece I'm sure.  Jess smeared a little bit of Vicks under her eyes and then just went for the rest of it with her own abilities!  Very good stuff, very powerful and will surely pack a huge punch.

Bathroom scene

We also tried to film the exterior shots of Jess(Adie) walking through the streets.  Yet we were losing light fast and it was incredibly windy, so it didn't look too right.  But still, we got the best shots we wanted of Jess & Micky!

We kept a casual vibe to the day and i think that's what made it so easy to work with everyone.  There were certain times when me personally got a little rattled when a shot didn't go right, but that's just the way I am, I try to be such a perfectionist.  It was a great day overall and we got loads completed.

Some more prep work

Today we got all the equipment out again in preparation for a full day shoot tomorrow.  I'm excited about the prospect of having a lot of work done but also quite cautious with regards to what happened two weeks ago.  We have a reliable cast now though and last weeks shots with Jessica gave us a lot of confidence in taking on something of this scale and achieving something special.

We were given the wrong Tascam sound recording equipment by the stores, so last minute preparations included  understanding how to use this new one.  David was also finalising his shot list and shooting script.

Audition recap

The audition went splendidly well today.  I was a tad late but what's new to be honest.  I must work on that.
Me and David Reed were auditioning Micky Mcgregor for the role of William in the film.
I didn't have time to gather a script before I came out and David didn't have one with him either so we decided just to do some quick improvisation.  Micky did have some notes on his phone from the work that I'd sent him before.  I'd sent him an edited version of "William's confession" to read so to get into character more.

"She killed me.  She killed me and I loved her.  She loved me enough to make me bleed.

Sometimes it takes a knock to the system to make you truly realise things.  I took a bullet right through the heart.
I brought it about my own downfall.  I set things in motion with more momentum than a runaway truck.  I knew it was coming. 
Adrianna always had it in her to kill.  She told me so herself.  But I knew anyway.  I don't blame her for doing it, I pushed things too far, and in a way, I judge her for not killing me sooner.
I think Adrianna knew what I was doing.  She knew I was being unfaithful.  She got more intense.  She began stealing my phone, hounding me to find out where I was at every second.  Suffocating me.
I was careful, but one night, caught up in the excitement and the exhaustion of it, I forgot to watch my back.  It turned out Adi had known for weeks.
She was standing in the doorway, watching us.  It must have been some time before I noticed her.
I only realised when I heard a crack, and blood spilled over me.  Adie had shot Dolores.  Where did she even get a gun?  I knew this was it, the final curtain.
I thought I was next but out of nowhere she started pleading with me.  Telling me she loved me, and begging me not to leave her for the corpse of Dolores.
"I love you!  Don't leave me!  I love you!"
She came towards me, tears streaming down her face, telling me she loved me.  
Saying she was sorry. "

His reading was great and we offered him the part there and then.
We talked through the locations and times and all that and agreed to meet him on the Thursday with all the right gear and get it started!

Possible actor

Over the weekend I was forwarded a CV by a friend of mine at university.  The CV belonged to Micky Mcgregor.  He has had quite a bit of experience and he has been out of academic circles for a while, so he has some real world acting experience on stage.  He's also done a couple of short films which is a bonus.  I think some people get a little intimidated with the camera.  When most people start out acting they begin in stage and it can be a different world at times.

Auditioning tomorrow so hopefully all will go well!

It's March

Time is getting pretty short now, and it's hard to keep on track of everything that needs doing.  It feels good doing the work, but with things like the practical production folder it literally feels like you could just add endless things to it and never be fully finished.  I just want to make it as professional as possible and efficient.

Had some trouble getting equipment out and another actor has dropped out of one shooting day, but not to worry as hopefully we can just work around it.

Third year drama students have more experience but are considerably more busy, so whatever kind of cast you choose, you're always gonna' run into problems.

First Day of Shooting

Today was our first official day of filming, and although things didn't go completely to plan in the week leading up to it, the day went rather well.

I picked Jessica up at 11.30am in order to start shooting for around 12.15pm.  While I was away David Reed and Chloe Halliday changed the lighting for the bedroom scene.  After testing a few different positions and cloths for filters and things like that, the end final result was very pleasing.

Today we shot for around 2 hours and 30 minutes and came out with a lot of good footage.

The end result is decent, yet personally I'm not 100% happy with the end product.  I am proposing to shoot it all again next week.  

The one I was pleased with though was the lighting.  i found it set the tone brilliantly and shows just how much fun and creativity you can have with the cinematography.

However, I am pleased that we practiced all the setups, lighting, new scenes & actions, & I'm now supremely confident going into next weeks schedule.

Pre-Production Problems

All ready to shoot tomorrow and our male actor has dropped out.

Huge disaster.

However, as we have a lot of scenes where we only need Jessica Brady to play Adrianna, we decided to push the shoot back 24 hours and continue on Thursday.  Myself and David are using today and tomorrow (Wednesday) as days to practice the lighting and get the setups 100% correct. 

Some images of the lighting set ups etc.

Redhead

Lighting test with red cloth hanging on door

David trying the blue cloth over a redhead

Greaseproof & blue cloth

This only worked a little bit, and instead of producing a blue-ish, cold effect onto the room, it merely softened the light.  

Next we tried blue & green folders like you would use a gel.

The result

It produced a very cold and soft light on the subject, perfect for the added flashback scene.

All in all, despite the dropout, it was a productive day in which we finalized the lighting for the film.