Progress

So this is the beginning of a very busy week. I went out on Saturday and bought a vase (to smash) and paints to make the two signs. I'm currently going over my script/prop list to make sure i haven't missed anything out. If i'm right and i have collected everything then i'll bring in all in tomorrow and store it in the radio studio so that i know where everything is. Tomorrow my crew will be working in the tv studio most of the day so that the set is ready for shooting on Wednesday. I'll also be meeting up with an actor who i hope to use for the main character. The two actresses that i selected to come in tomorrow and chat about the part still haven't e-mailed me to confirm that they are coming in, which is a little worrying - however i can always bump Kavita up to a main role and find another girl for the non-speaking 5 second shot. A small issue has come up. Tomorrow Oxfam will hopefully call me and confirm that i can shoot inside their store. The issue is that my camerawoman Annie-Rose can't take another Sunday off. I don't know what day Oxfam will allow me to film however if Sunday is closed then i have to take that opportunity. Thursday would have customers and would be a major inconvenience to myself and Oxfam. In the scenario that i take the Sunday i will bump Chris up to cameraman as he would only be used selectively for the special effects otherwise.

Update on the update

Busiest 3 days of my filmmaking life - 2 lead actors dropped out and then the primary location did as well. So i was mildly stressed. Rang around a pool of actors on Thursday, then two who i had previously considered spoke to me - long story short Michael Killen is coming in on Monday the 21st of May to read the script and get to grips with the project. The other actor who dropped out was playing the lead female role, so i went onto Gumtree, posted an advert and a day later selected the best two from that. They should hopefully becoming in on Monday as well. I went to reccie/rekkie/star treckie the primary location on Thursday when they told me that it had all of a sudden become a problem. They said they would have to clear it with the manager and that he would call me soon. So i gave them two days and when they still hadn't got back to me i rang around all the oxfam charity shops in Belfast. One of the Oxfam shops on the Ormeau Road said they could probably help, they couldn't see why it would be a problem. They are ringing me back on Monday to confirm that it is a go. Monday will be the big day then, Karol, Annie-Rose, Chris and myself will be set-building all morning while i intermittently interview actors and hopefully get a positive call from Oxfam. I'm away out now to buy props - WITH  MY FRIEND.

Soundtrack

I'm reasonably certain that this uploaded correctly.

This is the audio clip that Kevin McAleese sent me, his interpretation of the ideas from the script/my comments on the tone of the piece. I told him i was happy from 34 seconds onwards but the beginning wasn't great, the piano is too obvious and lacks subtlety. I sent him Trent Reznor's soundtrack for The Social Network, i wanted more techno/electro keyboard. In my eyes electronic keyboard has replaced the violin as the means of scaring audiences, for example strings played a major role in the score of Jaws. However when the piece starts to pulse from 34 seconds onwards it becomes much better. I use the word pulse because it feels like Calum's heartbeat, something i told Kevin to accentuate, especially when the film reaches its final stages and the tension is upped. Long story short, great place to start - i'm expecting a redrafted piece by the end of the week. I sent Kev an e-mail with specific songs to listen to for ideas so hopefully his vision will be refined.

Im going to listen to Trent Reznor's band Nine Inch Nails for ideas. They released an album specifically for filmmakers to use for films so i'll probably start there.

Update

I was filming Karol Murray's film on Saturday so i have neglected the blog a bit. All the parts in my film have been offered to professional actors that i met at a film festival in Belfast.

Calum - Chris Heath
Lily - Niketa Ferguson
Homeless Woman - Kavita Thanki

They each expressed interest in the role and are currently reading the parts. Should be confirmed in a day or two.

I had a production meeting on Monday with my crew, Karol and i discussed the importance of diegetic sound, i also went over what his role is in relation to the professional sound recordist that im using Kevin McAleese. Karol and Kevin are good friends so i spoke to Kevin later on Monday night and he understands the look im going for. Kevin sent me a demo of what he perceived the tone of the piece to be, i'll post that up here when i discover how to. I showed Annie-Rose the storyboard for the first scene which she seemed happy enough with - couldn't finish the storyboards as i haven't rekkied (or whatever the term is) the antiques shop yet. However im doing that tomorrow and then the storyboards will be finished over the weekend. So yeah, oh i have the second location confirmed, which is being used on the 23rd of May. It's the television studio, im setting up the white boards tomorrow and painting them on Thursday with either Karol Murray or Chris Thompson - so that should be ready to go for Wednesday. The main concern now is getting props and costumes. I'll pay more attention to the costumes once the actors are guaranteed, probably go shopping for them on Saturday with a friend. I already have 6 out of 13 so i'm not too bothered by that. I've spent a lot of time preparing everything so i'm quite relaxed, having all my written coursework definitely helped me focus my energy on the shoot. Oh and the script is now finished, i'll send that to you now Jacqui, or maybe i'll just bring it into class.

Ah, visuals... Below is a video fo a short film that inspired my idea - well in terms of how the portal will be shot and the murky atmosphere

Pretty sure that's everything. Im going to instruct the lead actor (who plays Calum) to act like Armie Hammer/Morgan from CW's short lived comedy/sci-fi/drama Reaper.

http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/arnie-hammer-as-morgan_291x437.jpg

Pretty much your average, smarmy douchebag.

The actress who plays the femme fatale Lily will incorporate the seductive nature of Hollywood femme fatales, Anna Paradine from Hitchcock's The Paradine Case, Phyllis from Double Indemnity etc etc. My only issue with these comparisons is that Lily is the protagonist and they are generally antagonists. I've been struggling with the idea of a "good" femme fatale and while there is no real example, sod the stereotype - i've firmly planted the point that Calum is an ass in the script and im more than happy to have the characters morally ambiguous because while the entire piece is in a surreal setting, the actions of Calum are very real.

Oh and in terms of directorial style, the shots will turn from mid-shots to close ups more consistently as the film progresses. I've paid special attention to the directorial style as it's important i build tension throughout the piece, so obviously im going to elongate shots as everything draws out towards the end.

I'll post up the audio clip from Kevin now, possibly.

Script Redraft

I'm just finished redrafting my script for what i hope is the last time. Like i had mentioned before i have streamlined the themes to solely centre around feminism and male misogynistic character traits. I intend to send the script out to peers so that they can review it - paying specific attention to the critique provided by those who had read previous drafts - hopefully they can give me an analysis of how they feel the story has progressed.

Production Meeting

Yesterday i held my first production meeting with my team.

Annie-Rose = Camera Operator
Karol = Sound Recordist
Chris = Special Effects
Artur = Art & Design

The meeting last 45-50 minutes and was very productive. Karol got me in contact with Kevin McAleese who is now considering doing the sound mix for the project. I asked Karol to learn about using solid state recorders as we are shooting on DSLR. This brings me to Annie-Rose, we agreed using a Canon 550D was the best way to go, so i've started looking at a wide angle lens to purchase - it makes the entire piece more 'cinematic' - according to one of my tutors. I'm sending Annie-Rose my storyboard on Sunday night to look at for our next production meeting which will be on Wednesday 9th May. I spoke to Chris about how he intends to shoot the portal sequence, what we are going to do is shoot sideways as he approaches the portal so the camera see's the mirror, then remove the glass, put in a green screen and then shoot it one way through the mirror and then the other way through the back of the mirror - to give the reflective effect of a mirror. We intend to do screen tests on Wednesday 9th May to confirm that this will work. Artur and i discussed the style of the mirror/portal and he believes that Ikea has the style i am going for - he will post up pictures of the mirrors he has and the mirrors Ikea has tonight (which i will post here) and i'll decide which one to use by the end of the week.

The date i intend to film on is now Thursday 24th May. This date suits the owner of the location the best. Chris has pictures of the location which will be posted to me at some point this weekend.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/58mm-Wide-Angle-Lens-Canon/dp/B003VNF116/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336153974&sr=8-1

This is the lens i am considering buying.

Weekend Progress

Last Thursday i booked out equipment for the shoot. The shoot will hopefully take place between the 18th and 21st. I picked this date because the shop i hope to use is closed on Sundays, which is the 21st. However over the weekend i began to think about what camera i intend to use. I started looking at the picture quality of DSLR cameras and i'm edging towards shooting on a Canon D6 instead of a Sony Z5. The limitation of using the Canon D6 is that the majority of shots will have to be static but thats a small price to pay for superior picture quality. I'll talk it over with my DOP Annie Rose before deciding 100%. I'm going to email a contact of mine (Brian Mulholland) to see if he can get me in touch with actors. I'm going to hold a production meeting this Thursday to discuss effects with Chris and shots with Annie Rose. 20 days to go.