Actor's Release Form

In order for us to be able to use the footage including the actors we have asked, we need to get them to sign something called an actors release form. 

As you will see bellow, the actors need to sign it themselves and if they are under the age of 18, they must get their parent's permission. 

So here is the official forms and the Terms and Conditions they have had to read and agree to in order to sign their lives away (but they don't need to know that...)

Right we have the actors and their parent's permission so we can start preparing to shoot the footage for our short film.

Preparing for the Shoot

Now that we have all of the research done, we need to get ready to shoot our film. This means booking out equipment to film with on the online booking system, the transport we will need to get the equipment around places, who is in charge of getting the scripts and storyboard printed as well as deciding which role each of the team will be playing when we begin to shoot.

Booking equipment:

So to ensure that we get the equipment want to use when filming, we need to book it out on the online booking system. This enables us to choose when we want the equipment as well as check if anyone else has had (or is hogging) the equipment we need and when they will be done with it. Below you will see the online booking system we uses to do so:

So we have started to book our equipment out. Our first few sessions are booked out ready for shooting on location. Here is the form we fill out and the summary of our booking below:

As you can see it tells you when we will be filming, where what, who with and the equipment selected for the filming. This is filled out each time we want to book equipment out so our first few sessions are covered in this booking.

Transport:

Well, in terms of transportation we need a way to travel to our locations as the aren't all close by. There for, Jack will be transporting us and the equipment to the locations for much of it via car. If we do have difficulty, we do have people on stand by who can give us lifts to the location. This includes actors too so we may have to do more than one trip or they will have to get there themselves. 

As you can see from the shooting schedule, we don't need all the actors for every shooting session and so we may only have to transport 1 other person which is likely to be Mallory as she is the only one who acts on her own.

Other than that I think the transport is sorted with availability and timing for picking up and filming.

Responsibilities:

We need some one responsible for printing out the scripts to give to the actors, the treatment, the shooting schedule the props list etc. Do you know anyone? Just kidding! Here are the responsibilities and who will be in charge of them:

• Props list and props- Charlotte
• Script- Charlotte
• Costumes- Charlotte & Lucy
• Booking and collecting equipment- Jack & Lucy
• Printing risk assessment- Tom
• Charging camera- Jack

Each of these responsibilities must be upheld otherwise it could jeopardise the success and the shooting of the film (seriously...not just being dramatic for once!).

So to ensure this, we need to have a brief meeting before each shooting session to ensure we each have the stuff we need and when. If the camera hasn't been charged, its not going to be much good really is it! So we need to follow these responsibilities.

Crew Members:

On set, there are different roles to be taken on that are all important within the filming process. Each role has a different job but initially they all help to meet a common goal....A FILM! Right , so here are the roles each of us will be taking on: 

*Dramatic showbiz intro music* 

DIRECTOR- Charlotte Billingham 

CAMERA MAN- Jack Parkes

LIGHTING, FRAMING OF SHOTS AND WARDROBE- Lucy Smith

SOUND MAN ON LOCATION- Tom Bentley

*pearl and dean theme ends it*

So that's the crew for you, however we will all be taking on parts of each of these roles as we go through the shooting stages.

Practice shots before filming:

In or film we are going to be using a crane shot which involves the camera being attached  to what looks like a mechanical arm and moved up down, side to side etc to create a smooth shot that looks as if the camera has just flown in from a height. This is a difficult shot to get smooth and accurate especially seen as though we have new cameras.

So this is the shot style we want. This is taken from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe: 

At 1:05, that is the sort of shot we want when we introduce Mallory's house at the beginning of the film. 

Luckily we are working with Jack who has already had experience in doing crane shots and so he will be able to help and show us how to create a smooth shot that shows a clear establishing shot of Mallory's house. 

So it looks like thats it for the planning, `i think we've just got to get stuck in. Oh wait! We could do with the actors signing their lives away now! Release forms!

Shooting Schedule

 So in order for us and the actors to know when and where we will be filming, we need to have a shooting schedule for us to follow. This enables us to know all the information such as when we are filming, where, which shots and what equipment and props we need as well as who will be at that scene. 

We needed to ensure that we could film on days when all of the directors/producers/sound people etc were free so we created a table showing which days we were free at the moment and then had to speak to the actors to ensure that they were able to make it. Without the actor we have no film so its kind of vital they can make it!

With all this in mind, we put together a shooting schedule, telling you when we are filming, what, where and what we need. Oh and not forgetting the actors we need for each day! 

Right, so here is the shooting schedule:

So now we have a plan for the shooting schedule we're almost ready to shoot, we need to get the actors permission to use the footage they're in then I think we're ready to shoot!

Animatic

So in order to get have an idea of what the film is going to look like, we needed to create an animatic. This is basically the storyboard images put into an animated routine. It has everything in it from the music, the dialogue, titles , credits etc. This enables us to have a rough idea on what the film end product is going to look like. 

Right, so here is the animatic for The Illusion of Existence:

Evaluation:

I think that overall the animatic is successful in giving us an idea of what the final film is going to look like as well as giving us an idea of how long shots need to be to fit in dialogue. 

Visually:

The images shown on screen in the animatic are clear and show exactly what is going on within the shot. If an image isn't as clear or needs an action that happens in that scene then there is a written direction that states what action is going on in that frame. So if there is need for the actor to turn their head in a certain direction then there is a direction for the actor to turn their head. This is beneficial as when we are shooting, but the image alone we can tell what directions the actors need to take. 

Another good thing about visuals is that they are fast paced, we were worried that it was going to be too quick to watch but turns out they were just the right speed for someone watching it to take in the action, not all of them though. 

I think that some of the shots could be a little longer to prevent to loss of shots due to them being toughest for the audience to see. This would also increase the length of our film as it is a little shorter than we'd hoped.

Music and Sound: 

The music within the animatic suits the mood as it represent the idea of Mallory taking each day she meets this male at a time, wondering who he is, where he's from etc. It changes part way through to show the build up in the twist that Peter doesn't really exist and the tragedy that happened to him. The music also in  a way represents the loneliness of the female and gives a bit of pity towards the her on the audiences behalf. 

The sound effects fit nicely with the different objects that occur in this animatic and are realistic noise that sound like the actual object unlike some of the sound effects available. Each one represents the objects well other than a couple but overall the sound is accurate. 

There is a problem with the first set of music. it has been moved and has caused a jump between two sets of the music. This is because we have had to re-start the music as it runs out part way through. we can either adjust the music so it flows or swap music part way so that it sounds intentional. Also the ending doesn't sound quite finished, it sounds like it just fades so maybe bring back the original ending. The mobile phone sound also needs changing as it isn't realistic and sounds as if it had been recorded on a phone so that needs replacing with a real phone ring. 


Overall I think that the animatic was a success, it fits within the 5 minute range and is aimed at our audience but that's just the animatic. We've got to turn this into a real film. I feel it is a realistic goal with clear shots for each frame and most of the sound is accurate but does need a little work. Other than that I think this is a pretty good animatic! 

Now that this is completed, its time for us to move on to the final stages of planning and preparing to shoot our film.

Extra research: Harry Potter Studios

As part of our research for creating a film, we visited the Harry Potter Studios in London to get an insight into the elements that go into on of the most globalised film series on the planet! Ok so we wouldn't be doing all of the things they did but still, many of the processes within the films are similar to that that we are going to need. 

So after all the excitement and what not of the Hogwarts Great Hall (sorry but there are going to be spoilers!), we got to see some of the set designs and how their planned and prepared the costumes for the actors and for themselves to understand.

Research and Planning of Harry Potter

Planning for each of the Animal actors who were
more more demanding than the human ones!

The hundreds of wigs that were planned designed for the actors
within all the films.

Each costume designed made and used for each
of the actors. They had spares too! Double the work!

Detailed designs of each of the sets with annotations as to what each
part of it was going to represent or look like.

So as you can see from these pictures, there was a lot of planning needed to implement and create the successful films in which these Harry Potter's were. 

End outcomes of the Harry Potter Films?

Well other than a lot of wonga, they had a successfully executed set of films. They did have the books to go on but they still had to go through the same process of planning and researching, meeting with people, finding actors etc. All of this is what we have to do and so by seeing what it is like in a big industry sized film such as Harry Potter, you being to understand why all the elements we go through are important. 

There were things they have to do that we didn't like design their sets and locations but they still had to find some of them and get costumes that represent each of the characters. 

Our film process is just a scaled down version of theirs as we don't have fire breathing dragons or women that become fat and start floating like a balloon (if only we did...)but the concepts are the same and they inspired us with our film making such as the shot types and different ways in which we can portray a character or scene. 


Finally...

People say that the magic is ruined when you go to Harry Potter Studios, but really its just beginning. You learn so much about the behind the scenes effects and how much planning goes into a film so big as this. 

I think its safe to say that we are now wizards and witches of the filming world...all we have to do is prove it to you! Lets get going, now where's that Floo Powder?

Storyboard

Next step was to create the storyboard. This shows each of the frames that will be included in the the short film.  Information including the transitions between frames and the shot time, int ext etc are all needed on this storyboard. 

So here it is, the storyboard for The Illusion of Existence: 

Well there you have it, the storyboard for out film. Now this is completed its time for us to do the animatic. This is where we bring the images to life (well sort of) by adding in the sound, dialogue, the lot. Its one of the biggest tasks within the planning process so we better get a move on!

Script

A script is another major part in the filming process. Actors need it, Directors, producers even the cleaner (ok maybe not them...). This needs to have everything, the whole Shebang a film script needs. 

So here you have it, the next big blockbuster film coming to an internet streaming sight near you (a little bit of advertising there) The Illusion of Existence script: 

Now that we have our script we can move on to our storyboard and animatic, where the script comes to life though the power of illustration (or in some of our cases a bunch of 2D stick men in a flat location!) 

Production Review

Before we carry on with the rest of the R&P, I think we need a little review time to see if we are on track for the end of R&P.

How are things going?

Well over all I think things are going well as we each have our own individual jobs and goals to be doing as well as our group aim. These include jobs that need completing or research and images that need collecting in order for our R&P to be completed.

It has been difficult to get all the members of the team together at times with us all having different timetables and schedules for things we need to complete but I think this has been overcome and we are making swift progress. 

The development and progression of the film planning stages are starting to show and I feel that each task we complete creates a more detailed perspective on the film (deep, I know..) 

Do you think you are on schedule? 

I feel that we are on schedule to complete the R&P, however, it will be as close to the deadline I think as we have so much to do with very little time. The storyboard probably should have been well underway now but that is on the way to being completed soon I feel. Overall I think the group are going to hit the deadline, completing all the tasks scheduled for each day. 

Well theres a little summary of how I think we're getting on. I reckon we'll hit the deadline, if not....well we'll come to that bridge..never hopefully! Enough rambling, we've got work to do, lets get back to it!

Props Research

In our 5 minute short, we have a variety of props that appear. Each one has a different representation or reason behind having it. 

All the props involved in our film are listed below with the scene they will be in and who will be using them and how if necessary  (you don't really need to tell us how to watch toast pop out of a toaster do you?):

Prop Representation and meaning:

So we have the props that we want but we really need to be specific in the objects that we choose and the type. You wouldn't have a serial killer carrying round a blow up mallet to kill people would you? Specifics are key!

Clock:

The clock will be the first piece of diegetic sound we hear.The clock won't be anything fancy which suggests the character within this room isn't really one for appearance more practicality. The clock is there to serve its purpose of waking up Mallory. By having an alarm clock it also symbolizes organisation and punctuality as someone who sets their alarm wants to ensure that aren't late or miss important events or situations (her job). 

Lamp:

The lamp again won't be anything special, only for practicality. She turns it on to make light within the room to show us more clearly what the room looks like as well as what she looks like. Not all of the things within the room will match showing again that they are their for practicality rather than style. 
Toothbrush:

This will be a simplistic styled toothbrush which is in good condition suggesting either she doesn't use it much or that she takes care of the toothbrush and replaces it due to the excessive use of her old one. This only appears for a few seconds to show her morning routine. It will only show parts so this suggests that hygiene is important to her and her welfare. 

Kettle:

The kettle again will just be there to serve its purpose of making hot drinks etc. It will look relatively new compared to the mug she uses so it may indicate that she has been forced to have a new kettle due to her old one breaking again suggesting to the audience that she only buys things when she really needs to showing her as a bit of a 'tight wod'.

Chipped/Stained Mug:

The mug will be chipped and covered in stains suggesting that this may be her favourite mug. It may have sentiment to her as it could have been a present or gift for a special occasion. The mug will look rather old due to the chip suggesting again its for practicality rather than style. The mug with also be rather young looking again bringing out this idea of it being sentimental to Mallory. This again portrays Mallory as being someone who likes to keep memories and remember the past as if it were today or yesterday. It shows there is still an ounce of bubble, lively personality left in her, she just doesn't want to show it (yet anyway).
Toaster:

The toaster again, similarly to the kettle, will be relatively new. Toasters are rather quick when making toast and so it suggests that she doesn't have time to sit and make herself a nice luxury breakfast. She seems to be always on the go and not have anytime for herself. She 'eats to survive rather than survives to eat' (as the french say).

Keys:

The keys will be rather tangled with a few key rings on them. This shows that she may have a lot of responsibility if she has a chain full of keys. It also shows her to maybe have a good memory as as we see her walking out the door and locking the door, she knows straight away which key is hers. Alternatively, it also shows Mallory to be rather unorganised as there are so many keys for different things but no way of telling which are which. All her keys for work, home etc are on the say chain. This also suggest to the audience that her life is that busy, all of her different life aspects, work, social, home etc are all jumbled into one. They aren't separate; Mallory is always working at home for example.

Handbag:

Mallory's handbag is rather tattered and torn again showing that she goes for practicality over style. Her shabby bag suggest that she isn't that well off but her house and some of the things in in show she has much money. She uses her money on things no one will really see rather than things that represent her middle class status.

Stack of Folders:

These folders may show that she isn't really organised in what she does or that she isn't coping with the amount of work she has. These folders show that she has a taxing job that relies on her working both in and out of hours. This will be a rather high pile of folders just to exaggerate how much work she has. Also these folders are at home showing again that she has no real divide between her home life and work life showing she has no time for herself. 

iPhone

This subverts the idea of Mallory being show as not so wealthy. This may be a popular phone choice but it is an expensive brand and so shows her wealth. However, again, no one will see her this way as it is something that no one judges her on as no one in the scene really sees her phone. Again she is judged on her looks rather than people seeing behind them. This does show however that the lead male that bumps into her doesn't judge her on her looks or her wealth, but her personality.

Apple:

This apple is eaten in the park by Mallory before Peter comes along. The apple is there to represent the fairytale Snow White. When Peter comes along, Mallory drops the apple. This is exactly what Snow White does when she 'dies' in the fairytale. The apple is there to subtly foreshadow the events to come and the truth about Peter as he turns out to be dead.

Laptop:

The laptop, like the iphone, will be expensive, looking rather new and looked after. This suggest to the audience again that she has the money but just spends it in ways to make her life more practical rather than improving the way she looks to have the ability to share these things with someone else. The audience sees this through all the new things she has and compares them to the old things she owns, seeing her true priorities.

Now I think we have all our research.
Location? Check!
Costumes? Check!
Risk assessment? Check!
Props? Check!

Jolly good! Its time to move onto the S,S,A (Script, Storyboard and Animatic incase you thought I was joining a new society or something!) Lets get cracking as there's lots to do.

Risk Assessment

Now for all of the locations, it's important that all of the risks are covered. This includes chances of tripping over, dangerous roads or loss of equipment due to the area. 

Here you have it, the risk assessment covering the high risk and low risk problems on the locations we are planning to film on. 

So if someone were to fall or stand on a sharp piece of glass, we have an action plan to limit the risks that these locations may have (Hopefully no risks will occur, we don't have the time for hospital trips). 

Next up is the props. This is probably going to be a long risk as we have a lot of props within our film, so we better get cracking if we want it done anytime soon!

Location Research

To be able to film, we really need locations to film on. The right location means we can capture the true essence of the film as well as having the ability and right to film on locations. 

Location 1 - Bedroom

So the first location is going to be in a bedroom. Mallory's bedroom place an important role in representing the kind of person she is before we even see her. This location will be towards the beginning and end of the film, each time we see it, it will be different. The first time we see the room, it will be rather messy and not very well looked after showing that she doesn't care about the way things look, maybe due to not having anyone there to judge her on how tidy her room is. Also the room will be rather dark and not very lively with very little items of importance in there which again shows this idea of her maybe being old fashioned and not caring for style only for humbleness and the homely feel. To the audience it may seem like a landfill but to her its home. There will be photographs around the room of her and what looks like her friends, moments she has cherished when she used to be a party and social person. This shows that there is still that part of her that doesn't want to be the boring person that does work all the time as we see later on in the film. Her bed will be perfectly made on the one side to show that she is alone with no one living with her. However the double bed suggests she wishes or is expecting one day for there to be someone to fill that empty side.
The next time we see the room, the floor will be clean and it will look more like a room rather than a landfill. This suggests to the audience that she has had a sudden change of heart and that maybe the male's death has taught her that you only live once. She needs to get out there and grab every opportunity she has, including having a social life. This is reflected through her clothes and her bedroom.

The room is accessible to the production team as well as it being a good way of representing the character with a few changes and additions. We do have limited space within the room and so we would have to limit the camera equipment that we need in order for us to have the ability to film. 

Location 2- Street Location

Street view one side of the road

Street view the other side

Well, as you can see in these photos, this is going to be the location for the first meeting between Mallory and the mystery male. This locations is a large area and doesn't really have any shortcuts that could suggest to the audience that the male has somewhere to go our hide when he suddenly disappears. This location is vital as we need to set a realistic atmosphere and the element of mystery in the males personality and presence.  The location is rather quaint and not many people walk through here adding the the males mystery as to why he is actually walking down here. This will also be the location that the second male and Mallory bump into each other and where the film ends just to show that it wasn't the location but the male that was the mystery.

This location is rather easy to film on as the pathways are wide enough for us to fit camera equipment in as well as being accessible for transporting the equipment and the group to the location. The only thing we will need to consider is the fact that there can sometimes be a lot of traffic traveling down the road and so we will need to be aware of the safety of the equipment and the production team but that will be covered in the risk assessment.

Location 3- The Park 

This will be the location for the second meeting between the two main characters. This We will see an establishing shot of the park. This is a massive open field that will later be filled by the male and female walking, then later the disappearance of the male. This location again allows us to show the audience that there isn't something right about the male rather than it looking as if he could have just gone behind a tree or taken a turning.

Location 4- The Park Bench

As well as the full part shots and location, we will also be filming on a park bench within the park. This will allow us to place the camera to show the sudden appearance of the male. This location allows us to show that the female is one minute on her own and the next minute he appears. Again it just allows us to add to the mystery element of the male character as well as being a quaint innocent place that is unusual for such an event to occur.

Again these locations will be easy for us to transport equipment and the production team as well as giving us PLENTY of space for us to film!

Potential Location 5- Outside a Shop

Now this is a potential location to film but there are a few things against us filming here. It would be a meeting place for the final bump into between the two lead characters where the female is shopping and he bumps into her. However it would be difficult to show the disappearance of the male character and its a popular place for shoppers so they may get in the way of the camera. The other problem is that we may need rights to film here but it is still a potential filming location. 

Location 6- Train Station

This location is a lot better to film in as we have the ability to show him disappearing but in a different way to the others. Rather than her walking off, she turns round, turns back and he's gone. For the third time the audience is left wondering where the male went and how he he disappeared so suddenly.

As you can see in these photos there is no where for the male to go so suddenly as well as the ease we have of transporting production crew members and equipment. We will need to be careful as there is a danger of trains and the tracks but again this will be in the risk assessment we do.

Location 7- The dining room (work)

So this will be a rather quaint room where by we see the female doing her paperwork. This will be a small room and rather simplistic due to the idea of her being a rather plain person with nothing fancy in there. There will be paperwork on the floor to again show how messy and uncaring she is about the way her house looks as well as showing she lives on her own with no one to impress or no visitors. This location will need to be big enough to film in with our equipment as well as being accessible for everyone to get to. 

Location 8- Mallory's House

So this will be Mallory's house from the outside. This location will appear a few times throughout the film the establish where the scene is and where Mallory is. This house is rather large and so it looks as if more than one person would live here. When the audience find out that only Mallory lives here, it builds up sympathy in the way that she is well of with finances but she spends it on thinks that make her seem desperate for someone to share it with. She also comes across as maybe hopeful and dreamy that this is what her house will look like when she has a family or finds someone who loves her etc. 

This house show that Mallory would rather spend money on things she may need in the future rather than things she needs to get her to where she wants to be (nice clothes to allow her to meet someone she likes)

This location again is easy to get to, there is plenty of space as well as it being located in a cul de sac which means very few cars will be driving down here. 

Existing Film Location Comparison:

Our film locations do follow conventions of existing media locations as the evidence below will show. The main film that our film compares to is Time Traveler's Wife which will justify our choice of location however there are other films in which I will be using for justification.

Park Scene:

As you can see, the male and female meet on a bench. This may not be in the middle of a park but it is a similar idea where by the male appears and disappears whenever and wherever without knowing when or where he is going to end up. The male and the female in this film both show interest in each other like in our film and they do end up having a conversation with each other about themselves just like The Illusion of Existence.

Park Scene:

This scene backs up our idea of setting the scene in a park. This is the second meeting between the male and the female just like in our film. it is a rather quaint setting which is similar to ours. We will have a few people but the concept of having a meeting within a park and discussing more about the female than the male. He does eventually disappear just like the male in our film without the girl knowing why or how it happens.












Bedroom:

Again as you can see from the Time Traveler's Wife, out bedroom is of a similar set up to that of this film. The main female character is alone with her one side of the bed perfectly made, again suggesting she is alone. She is to one side of the bed which with a double bed, exaggerates the fact she is alone or expecting company to come one day. This room is more exotic looking but we felt that our character was a little less outgoing that the female here and so that is reflected in the objects placed in the room. However both of the rooms do look luxurious as if they have the money to spend which is what we wished to be represented by the object quality within the room.

Similarly to this the 2007 film PS I Love You follows the bedroom layout of our film. The female is alone due to being widowed. A little like our film all of her things are everywhere making her look like a messy person but when you actually look at the room, it has high quality rich colours similar to that of ours. This again shows the wealth of the female character but shows her messy time and unorganised personality.

Dining Room:

Now this is the kitchen from the 2006 film The Holiday. The female who usually lives here has a lot of wealth but like our female character, lives on her own. This image shows the room with many people enjoying the company of a temporary home owner but when Amanda lives here, there is no one but her around. This dining room shows the wealth but not over wealthy. It also suggests that she is always expecting people to join her but usually its just her eating alone, like our female character Mallory.

So there you have it, our location research done and dusted. We just need to get the rest of our research and not forgetting the all important risk assessment.