And so it begins...
'The Mirror'-The First Day
We spent Monday on simple stuff, almost like a warm-up. We went to Dimi's in the morning to shoot the famous (or is it infamous?) cup scene. Louise, Mishaal and I got there early and went over the series of shots, while Dimi made us tea. It was all very informal, as you may gather. (Wait til they see the other side of me!) We then proceeded to shatter several teacups on Dimi's kitchen floor, as he calmly sat and edited the shot list and final schedule. I am surprised he was unnerved by the mess we made (and swept up after each take), as well as the racket, even though he eventually did work upstairs in his room. :) The scene went well; we shot the shatter from several angles and used a tripod for all of them, since the camera position had to be very precise and the shot had to stand out as different from all the others in the film. Initially, we were getting too much light in the kitchen, from the window, and hence seeing zebra all over the scene. Lou cut the light simply by drawing the curtains a bit and changing the F-Stop.
We then went to uni, as we had a meeting for Dimi's film with our project tutor and had to swap the monitor cable, since it didn't seem to be working. We also had to swap our DAT recorder for a hard disc recorder and spent some time in stores sorting out equipment. We attempted to negotiate with the other crew working the same week as us, for a few items, but it didn't seem to be practical, so we used the other monitor instead. Not a good idea, but more on that later. After the meeting, where some changes were made to the crew, we headed back to homebase and began setting up lights, while Shafia (producer) bought food for the crew and Lou (DOP) did a few test shots on a tram, for the next day.
When Lou arrived, we drew up a lighting plan for the next few days and tested all the lighting set-ups we would use, on camera. When we were happy with the results, we left the gels in place and went back to discussing the shots we would do the following day, after hearing Lou's report on shooting conditions on the tram. The actress arrived and I selected her costumes for the film, in consultation with Lou. We also marked the spot on the wall where the mirror was to be hung, according to her height. The camera crew then left (with the camera, to charge it) and me, my AD and producer waited for Hsiang (Sound) to arrive, to check the new sound equipment. I sorted out some last-minute requirements with Shafia, about food and transport, and then she went home too. Hsiang arrived and tested the new sound gear with me and Dimi. We messed around with the boom pole and mike, testing it in distant locations in the house, with Dimi's housemates. Hsiang approved of the sound quality and then left as well. AD and I then sat about for a while, going over the shots one final time. I approved of the final shot list and revised schedule. I then left for home, hoping that all would be well. However, upon arriving, I found out that all of our extras for the next day had suddenly cancelled on us!
The next few hours were panicky for me and AD, until we realized that there was no point and we would have to make do with members of crew on location. We asked a classmate to step in as the conductor on the tram and I agreed to make a cameo appearance as well. What a lovely nod to Hitchcock, who is one of the main reasons I wanted to be a director in the first place and is one of my biggest inspirations. I think I want to include this in my personal style. :) I finally got to bed relatively late, but ready for a 7 a.m. start.
'The Mirror'-Day Two
Today was the first true day of shooting. I arrived at homebase first and went over the equipment list, to check it before loading it into the car. As the crew arrived, we briefly went over the shots in general, while giving each of them the freedom to improvise on location. We arrived at the tram stop on time, meeting our classmate/conductor there. A person from the tram company arrived and gave us a conductor's uniform and said he would be joining us for all of our interior shots, so as to keep the public out of our shooting area.
We secured a good space to shoot in and proceeded to set up while the tram was in motion. It was much tougher than we thought it would be! We couldn't stop moving and were very unstable on our feet. Everybody helped set up and we attempted, in vain, to connect the monitor to the camera. The wire was so loose that the slightest movement would cut the connection. We agreed to abandon it after several attempts. It was a scary thought-to shoot all day without seeing the image?-but I calmly said it was fine and we would move on. We shot the required scenes in the tram interior within a couple of hours, after some stalling during set-up. Also, we were trying to avoid the tram announcements while recording sound. It was a huge challenge, but I am proud to say the crew stepped up to it and we got several great shots. Many members of crew sat in as extras during their scenes and then helped with cable bashing and filling log sheets or using the clapperboard when not in shot. It was teamwork at its best! I managed to squeeze in behind Lou for most of the shots and saw some of the shot we were filming, as a means of 'monitoring'. In some cases, I simply saw the initial frame and a rehearsal and was unable to view it while actually recording. The second biggest challenge in the location was the fact that the sun kept popping in and out, making our image perfect and then suddenly bleached and over-exposed. We felt frustrated, as we had limited time on the tram, but tried to work around the light problem and shoot anyway. Also, the movement of the tram made it nearly impossible to get an extreme close up on anyone, since the image would blur and a minor shake would look like an earthquake on screen!
Now, we were taking our time with the shots until we were suddenly informed that we had only an hour left, as the person from the tram company had to leave then! We rushed through the shots, ignoring log sheets and clapperboard in an effort to get every shot needed in time. Shafia worked on getting our rightful hours to shoot (we had permission for 5 hours officially) when she was not in the scene. She thankfully succeeded and we slowed down the pace, while dreading the earful we would get from our editor about the uneven log sheets! We finally got the shots we wanted and then got off the tram for lunch. While cast and crew ate, Shafia (producer) and I went to buy more batteries for the sound gear and then sat down for our own lunch. We all had a nice informal chat over lunch and the actress got along well with the crew, which subsequently made shooting more enjoyable for everyone. She said really enjoyed working with us, even though I knew the shots were tedious on that day.
We then got on the tram again, and went up to the house, where we were to shoot the exterior shot of Alice leaving the house. We set up quickly, as we were in the middle of a sidewalk, and began rolling almost immediately. We did the shot from a few different angles. We had a few problems with sound, as the boom would not extend as far as the shot, but we decided to sort out location sound for the scene in post-production, by recording sound seperately.
By now, daylight was fading fast and we had several key shots to do at the tram stop, so we moved quickly and set up very swiftly at the next location. It was only a minute away from the house. We sorted out the shots and I asked my AD to call 'Action' and even 'Cut' for some of the scenes, since I was acting in them. I approved of most of the frames, but it was impossible for me to see some of them, for which I relied on him completely. I found it rather challenging to act and direct at the same time, especially because the scene demanded subtlety, plus I was exhausted by then. However, AD did a great job of directing both me and the actress, and we managed to get several great shots just as the sun went down. I went back to directing for the close-ups on the actress, and then we wrapped up and headed back to town. The actress left for home and we went back to homebase.
I made snacks and Dimi made tea for us, as we sat and had a crew meeting. I thanked the crew for a very productive day in a challenging location and went over the shots we needed the next day, with the sound and camera department. I also pointed out a few places where we needed to improve over the next few days. We then decided how we would hang the mirror in the staircase. Finally, everyone went home to get dinner and a good rest before a very early start tomorrow. I stayed on for a bit with AD and went over the day's work, as well as what we needed to do the next day. We figured out what steps we could take to improve efficiency on set, but didn't worry too much about the situation, as the tram scenes were actually the most difficult in the script. I then went home and viewed the day's footage, and discussed it online with AD. We decided not to re-shoot any of the scenes and instead focus on the rest of the script. I am now sitting and continuing that discussion with him, while eating a very late dinner. I must get to sleep soon, for a 7 a.m. start tomorrow, which implies a 6 a.m. alarm for me! All in all, it was a great experience today. The tram shoot was by far the most exciting place I have ever worked in and the thrill of overcoming challenges has always motivated me. It was serious work, but fun for everyone and I was glad to know the crew had a good time shooting at, as did the actress. Now we need to hope this continues! :)
Gute Nacht!
gk*
Listening to-Tilly and the Wall & Bright Eyes
March 06, 2007
February 24, 2007
the mirror reflects
These blog titles are getting cheesier by the day...sigh...
Well, it was another mad week but I will try to recall most of it in sparkling, vivid detail. I had a meeting with my directing tutor (Steve) on tuesday, where we came up with some great ideas to enhance the 'look' of the film. He encouraged me to experiment with black and white, and I decided to do so in the edit, but not while shooting. Most of the crew agreed to the changes and felt it would add aesthetic value to the film, as well as an interesting theme. I watched a few films from the era he suggested, like 'Repulsion'. I also now openly admit buying several fashion magazines for research. This is highly believable, as many of my classmates will testify that I would rather be out of fashion than buy a copy of 'Vogue'. But the magazines surprised me. I got some interesting ideas from them. One had an article about models being dangerously skinny (as if that is a new issue, but anyway) and another had a diary-esque article about a woman trying to live for a week without any mirrors. This intrigued me and I read the entire thing. What I at first dismissed as a silly piece of writing by a fashion-obsessed beauty editor turned out to have many points I identified with. I understood how difficult it must have been for her in some situations, such as getting a haircut or dressing for a formal event, without a mirror. I wondered about mirrors in people's lives and what they mean to them. This led to a few minor changes in the script, which is now on its fourth draft.
On Thursday, we had a camera class with Paul, where we discussed specific issues about films we were shooting. We tried to light the very dark location for 'Toilet' and thought of viable solutions to manage this. We decided that changing the bulbs on the ceiling lamps or using a bright key light bounced off the ceiling would be best. We also looked at locations for 'Silence' and I suggested blocking lights in the hallway with black poster paper, in order to create shadows. I later met my AD and discussed locations and props for the film, as well as some script details. We planned a meeting with the whole crew for the coming Sunday. I also got some books from the library on directing, hoping to find inspiration.
On early Friday morning, I received the news that Jon would be unable to work on our film. We hurriedly asked Mishaal to take over as assistant camera and he readily agreed. We had one set of auditions on Friday, where a few people turned up. I even resorted to walking around campus and approaching young women with "Hey! You look exactly like the kind of girl I am looking for! How would you like to be in a student film?". I have never picked up women before in my life and now wholly understand why my male friends complain about it. :) We found a few women we liked and are waiting to see some more, but the casting situation in general is looking positive. We also looked at the tapes from Zoe's audition and liked a few people whom we could call for the London audition. At the end of the day, it was a well-organized and productive casting session. There were no mistakes or moments of feeling unprepared. A big 'thank you' to our producer, Shafia!
Saturday was (finally) a day of some rest. I went out and finalized the first storyboard with Lou and then bought some essentials to survive the coming week, such as long-lasting food and a flash drive! :) I looked over the storyboard myself and made notes for the meeting tomorrow. I also contacted a friend who works in theatre, about some actresses.
The budget has been planned to accommodate vintage clothes and posters for the set. I am all set to make a trip to London next week for buying these items and to conduct a final audition. It will be a hectic week but hopefully a productive one. The script I was writing for my MA film is currently on hold, as are all the other scripts I was churning out swiftly. 'The Mirror' has completely taken over my working hours and the only spare time I have is spent resting, to gather energy for the rest of the work.
I must run along now and get some (much needed) sleep. The week ahead is going to fry my nerves and I must be prepared. Ciao!
gk*
listening to-Franz Ferdinand
Well, it was another mad week but I will try to recall most of it in sparkling, vivid detail. I had a meeting with my directing tutor (Steve) on tuesday, where we came up with some great ideas to enhance the 'look' of the film. He encouraged me to experiment with black and white, and I decided to do so in the edit, but not while shooting. Most of the crew agreed to the changes and felt it would add aesthetic value to the film, as well as an interesting theme. I watched a few films from the era he suggested, like 'Repulsion'. I also now openly admit buying several fashion magazines for research. This is highly believable, as many of my classmates will testify that I would rather be out of fashion than buy a copy of 'Vogue'. But the magazines surprised me. I got some interesting ideas from them. One had an article about models being dangerously skinny (as if that is a new issue, but anyway) and another had a diary-esque article about a woman trying to live for a week without any mirrors. This intrigued me and I read the entire thing. What I at first dismissed as a silly piece of writing by a fashion-obsessed beauty editor turned out to have many points I identified with. I understood how difficult it must have been for her in some situations, such as getting a haircut or dressing for a formal event, without a mirror. I wondered about mirrors in people's lives and what they mean to them. This led to a few minor changes in the script, which is now on its fourth draft.
On Thursday, we had a camera class with Paul, where we discussed specific issues about films we were shooting. We tried to light the very dark location for 'Toilet' and thought of viable solutions to manage this. We decided that changing the bulbs on the ceiling lamps or using a bright key light bounced off the ceiling would be best. We also looked at locations for 'Silence' and I suggested blocking lights in the hallway with black poster paper, in order to create shadows. I later met my AD and discussed locations and props for the film, as well as some script details. We planned a meeting with the whole crew for the coming Sunday. I also got some books from the library on directing, hoping to find inspiration.
On early Friday morning, I received the news that Jon would be unable to work on our film. We hurriedly asked Mishaal to take over as assistant camera and he readily agreed. We had one set of auditions on Friday, where a few people turned up. I even resorted to walking around campus and approaching young women with "Hey! You look exactly like the kind of girl I am looking for! How would you like to be in a student film?". I have never picked up women before in my life and now wholly understand why my male friends complain about it. :) We found a few women we liked and are waiting to see some more, but the casting situation in general is looking positive. We also looked at the tapes from Zoe's audition and liked a few people whom we could call for the London audition. At the end of the day, it was a well-organized and productive casting session. There were no mistakes or moments of feeling unprepared. A big 'thank you' to our producer, Shafia!
Saturday was (finally) a day of some rest. I went out and finalized the first storyboard with Lou and then bought some essentials to survive the coming week, such as long-lasting food and a flash drive! :) I looked over the storyboard myself and made notes for the meeting tomorrow. I also contacted a friend who works in theatre, about some actresses.
The budget has been planned to accommodate vintage clothes and posters for the set. I am all set to make a trip to London next week for buying these items and to conduct a final audition. It will be a hectic week but hopefully a productive one. The script I was writing for my MA film is currently on hold, as are all the other scripts I was churning out swiftly. 'The Mirror' has completely taken over my working hours and the only spare time I have is spent resting, to gather energy for the rest of the work.
I must run along now and get some (much needed) sleep. The week ahead is going to fry my nerves and I must be prepared. Ciao!
gk*
listening to-Franz Ferdinand
February 17, 2007
writing frenzy
Hello again readers!
I spent the week looking for locations again. We also decided to make some major changes to the script for 'The Mirror' and now have a third and final draft, which I typed out yesterday and sent to the entire crew. I now understand what my tutor meant by a Director's interpretation of the writer's script. I think I am finally progressing towards developing a directorial 'style'. Imagine...one day, people will watch a film and say "Oh, but that is such a typical GK film! How dull!" Sigh...big dreams!
I did a shoot for Hallam Volunteering on Wednesday aka Valentine's Day. It was at a class for senior citizens, to keep them fit. The toughest part of it was that almost all of it was handheld and I tried my best to be as stable as possible. Also, there were windows on every side and plenty of daylight coming in. We coped by moving as close to the people as possible, which was easy, because there were quite a few intimate interviews.
I also watched dozens of short films over the week for inspiration or ideas, in terms of plot structure. One film which struck me as an extreme form of what we are trying to achieve in this film, is 'Meshes of the Afternoon' by Maya Deren. It was shot on film, in black and white. It was a landmark in American film, one of the first Psychological films to ever be made. I decided that 'The Mirror' would not push the psychological angle that far, but would certainly explore it. I also did some research on the condition we are exploring in the film. Here's an extract from Wikipedia:
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder, which involves a disturbed body image. It is generally diagnosed of those who are extremely critical of their physique or self image, despite the fact there may be no noticeable disfigurement or defect.
Most people wish they could change or improve some aspect of their physical appearance, but people suffering from BDD, generally considered of normal appearance, believe that they are so unspeakably hideous that they are unable to interact with others or function normally for fear of ridicule and humiliation at their appearance. They tend to be very secretive and reluctant to seek help because they are afraid others will think them vain or they may feel too embarrassed to do so.
Ironically BDD is often misunderstood as a vanity driven obsession, whereas it is quite the opposite; people with BDD believe themselves to be profoundly ugly or defective.
BDD combines obsessive and compulsive aspects which has linked it to the OCD spectrum disorders among psychologists. People with BDD may engage in compulsive mirror checking behaviors or mirror avoidance, typically think about their appearance for more than one hour a day and in severe cases may drop all social contact and responsibilities as they become homebound. The disorder is linked to an unusually high suicide rate among all mental disorders.
A German study has shown that between 1-2% of the population meet all the diagnostic criteria of BDD, with a larger percentage showing milder symptoms of the disorder (Psychological Medicine, vol 36, p 877). Chronically low self-esteem is characteristic of those with BDD due to their value of oneself being so closely linked with their perceived appearance. The prevalence of BDD is equal in men and women, and causes chronic social anxiety for those suffering from the disorder.
Phillips & Menard (2006) found the completed suicide rate in patients with BDD to be 45 times higher than in the general US population. This rate is more than double that of those with depression and three times as high as those with bipolar disorder.
You may find more information on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder
We did several test shots over the week, experimenting with white balance and F stops. On Friday, we had a class with Paul, where we listed some of the main problems with shooting 'The Mirror' and possible solutions. That is where we hit upon the idea of a manual white balance for the bathroom shots. We also learnt about using a spider dolly. Afterwards, we lit and shot a few scenes with a portable blue screen. We experimented with the shots and people used and are waiting for the results next week. I just got back from another test shoot in the bathroom on location. Most of our locations are confirmed and we are working on a storyboard and production schedule, to keep everything on track. Casting is on the 23rd and we are hoping for the best! I hope it goes well...
I have spent a lot of time this week working on my script for my MA film as well. Even though it is very early, I can never sit still when it comes to writing and am currently working on 4 scripts. I don't know when I will eventually make them, or if they will ever be produced, but I am giving them all a fair chance for now. I am off now, to watch a few films and enjoy an early night, for a change!
Au revoir!
gk*
I spent the week looking for locations again. We also decided to make some major changes to the script for 'The Mirror' and now have a third and final draft, which I typed out yesterday and sent to the entire crew. I now understand what my tutor meant by a Director's interpretation of the writer's script. I think I am finally progressing towards developing a directorial 'style'. Imagine...one day, people will watch a film and say "Oh, but that is such a typical GK film! How dull!" Sigh...big dreams!
I did a shoot for Hallam Volunteering on Wednesday aka Valentine's Day. It was at a class for senior citizens, to keep them fit. The toughest part of it was that almost all of it was handheld and I tried my best to be as stable as possible. Also, there were windows on every side and plenty of daylight coming in. We coped by moving as close to the people as possible, which was easy, because there were quite a few intimate interviews.
I also watched dozens of short films over the week for inspiration or ideas, in terms of plot structure. One film which struck me as an extreme form of what we are trying to achieve in this film, is 'Meshes of the Afternoon' by Maya Deren. It was shot on film, in black and white. It was a landmark in American film, one of the first Psychological films to ever be made. I decided that 'The Mirror' would not push the psychological angle that far, but would certainly explore it. I also did some research on the condition we are exploring in the film. Here's an extract from Wikipedia:
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder, which involves a disturbed body image. It is generally diagnosed of those who are extremely critical of their physique or self image, despite the fact there may be no noticeable disfigurement or defect.
Most people wish they could change or improve some aspect of their physical appearance, but people suffering from BDD, generally considered of normal appearance, believe that they are so unspeakably hideous that they are unable to interact with others or function normally for fear of ridicule and humiliation at their appearance. They tend to be very secretive and reluctant to seek help because they are afraid others will think them vain or they may feel too embarrassed to do so.
Ironically BDD is often misunderstood as a vanity driven obsession, whereas it is quite the opposite; people with BDD believe themselves to be profoundly ugly or defective.
BDD combines obsessive and compulsive aspects which has linked it to the OCD spectrum disorders among psychologists. People with BDD may engage in compulsive mirror checking behaviors or mirror avoidance, typically think about their appearance for more than one hour a day and in severe cases may drop all social contact and responsibilities as they become homebound. The disorder is linked to an unusually high suicide rate among all mental disorders.
A German study has shown that between 1-2% of the population meet all the diagnostic criteria of BDD, with a larger percentage showing milder symptoms of the disorder (Psychological Medicine, vol 36, p 877). Chronically low self-esteem is characteristic of those with BDD due to their value of oneself being so closely linked with their perceived appearance. The prevalence of BDD is equal in men and women, and causes chronic social anxiety for those suffering from the disorder.
Phillips & Menard (2006) found the completed suicide rate in patients with BDD to be 45 times higher than in the general US population. This rate is more than double that of those with depression and three times as high as those with bipolar disorder.
You may find more information on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder
We did several test shots over the week, experimenting with white balance and F stops. On Friday, we had a class with Paul, where we listed some of the main problems with shooting 'The Mirror' and possible solutions. That is where we hit upon the idea of a manual white balance for the bathroom shots. We also learnt about using a spider dolly. Afterwards, we lit and shot a few scenes with a portable blue screen. We experimented with the shots and people used and are waiting for the results next week. I just got back from another test shoot in the bathroom on location. Most of our locations are confirmed and we are working on a storyboard and production schedule, to keep everything on track. Casting is on the 23rd and we are hoping for the best! I hope it goes well...
I have spent a lot of time this week working on my script for my MA film as well. Even though it is very early, I can never sit still when it comes to writing and am currently working on 4 scripts. I don't know when I will eventually make them, or if they will ever be produced, but I am giving them all a fair chance for now. I am off now, to watch a few films and enjoy an early night, for a change!
Au revoir!
gk*
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