Major Project Production Unit - Shoot Day: Stonewall Park

Stonewall Park was a very exciting shoot day for me. Knowing how much this property was worth to shoot at, I felt very lucky to get the chance to film here for our project. I made sure I really knew what I was doing in terms of the schedule, scenes, shots and performances as originally we had two days to do all the scenes but the property owner cut it down to one day. This created a really tight schedule and I knew that I had to make sure we was running on time.

We got to the barn at 6am to start hair and make up and then traveled to the location at 7 to make sure we made most of our time. When we got there we immediately put the equipment where the first scene was and started setting up. This was going to be really tough to shoot as the dining room had mirrors on every wall so we had to make sure we weren't going to be in any. We tried several different angles and kept going adjusting our movements slightly to allow for the mirrors which took time but eventually we got there and did the shots well. I wanted these shots to be cinematic like previously. Since this part is coming in after the scene where she dreams of killing Lorna, which is going to be shot differently to the rest of the film, I felt going back to the cinematic, slow moving shots would help the film flow rather than completely changing. 

Once we did this scene we moved onto the drawing room where Sophie is drinking a glass of wine. I wanted Claudia sitting on the sofa at first but when we looked at it, I felt the chairs next to the window looked a lot more classier and shooting into the light coming through the window gave a really nice effect. We lit her from our side too to make sure she wasn't a complete silhouette. These shots came out really nice as static to break the other moving shots. Her costume and hair have changed to give the effect that these shots are at a different time and I was aware that this scene is a lot earlier on and would have to blend as if its in the same house we shot at before. Being meshed in between the other scenes should give the illusion that its all at the same location. We put yellow coloured cordial in the wine glass to try and give the water a white wine look however it didn't show as well as I would have liked on screen. 

From this scene we then went upstairs and did all the walking down the corridor scenes. I wanted this to be intense and slow. Claudia changed into a shiny Mac coat and put her hair down, again showing a different time. We then shot in different areas of the house including the downstairs by the pillars, up 2 stairways, down 3 corridors and on 2 landings. This was great as it really showed the largeness of the house and how many different areas there are which is what I wanted. It also will allow me to show the actress on her journey with a bit of length rather than repeating clips. This scene is long and drawn out so it was important for me to get as many different shots as possible here. Her expressions still show quite a blank look but as she gets closer to the bedroom it becomes more aggressive. This is what I wanted in order to show the increasing danger and appearance of whats actually going to take place. I made sure to include some shots with the Iron that Sophie will eventually kill the other character with to build tension and create questions of whats going to happen. I got a good range of movement and coverage to help make this work well in the edit. 

From this scene we moved into the bedroom where Lorna is sitting at her table dresser in the bedroom. Sophie approaches and strikes her with the iron. I wanted this scene to be tense so slow movement was what I wanted right up to where she strikes the iron. Obviously, Claudia does not actually hit Karen at any point but she gives the motion as if she is hitting her over the head. Unfortunately these shots came out quite grainy and the decor was not what I had in mind of the bedroom. I aim to reshoot these scenes.

We finally moved onto the bath scenes. Since Claudia was in the bath and in her underwear I wanted to make sure we were professional and she was as comfortable as possible. I made the call to restrict the amount of people needed in the room and just worked with Andreya to ensure she could deliver on performance but not feel intimidated by other crew members watching. This worked well and I ensured we got great shots here. I added some bubble bath and had advised Claudia to not wear anything with straps to ensure it looked as natural as possible. I also decorated the bath room with roses in vases to give the room a more luxurious and striking look rather than it being plain. I decided to do a shot where we run level with the side of the bath along the bottom of the flowers and then we reach Sophies face. This worked really well. I also got a more wider shot to give us something to cut to as well as getting Claudia to look straight in the barrel of the lens. This I feel will work well as I want the audience to feel like she's looking right at them breaking the fourth wall and making them a little on edge for the first time.

After this scene I got cut aways of the corridors and some of the rooms to help with the edit if we need it and reviewed all the footage to ensure the bulk of it looked great and was up to the standard I wanted it to be at. After reshooting a couple of scenes because of grain I am finally happy with how most of it looks and I look forward to see it coming together when I help Drey in the edit process. 

Major Project Production Unit - Stonewall Park Call Sheets And Schedules

As soon as I booked in the shoot day for Stonewall Park I felt it was important to do call sheets for this day. The schedule is very tight and the location is not local so I felt it was vital every member of crew and cast had these to look over and get familiar with what we were shooting on the day.

I wanted it to keep in the same format as all the other call sheets that I had done and they worked really well so I carried on using the same style just changed all of the information to what was needed for that day. Once they were complete I sent them out to everyone who is involved in the shoot day so that they had them. You can see a copy of the call sheet below:

Major Project Production Unit - Edit Review With Simon

Today we had an edit review with Simon. Since we havent filmed all are scenes yet, it was still really important for him to see it and give feedback to us as he would get a sense of where we were going with it and the type of shots I have been getting making sure they work. We showed Simon the few scenes we were working on and explained that we are working straight onto a fine cut rather than a rough cut as we still had a lot of the film to shoot and we knew time would be really against us if we kept making rough cuts until the film was finished and then had to make it into something finer. This worked well for us as I could see the whole film in my head really clearly so I was able to communicate to Andreya where each piece went.

After watching the edit, Simon was able to give us feedback about what he had seen. He explained that the shots were looking really great. He loved the movement of shots that I went for and said it felt cinematic and professional. He could also see that the voice over was very clear and worked really well overlayed on the shots, they work really well together. This was great to hear as it gives me even more momentum to keep going at the level we have worked at and my main focus is to make sure that on all other shoot days we are keeping it to the standard that we have set.

Major Project Production Unit - Research And Assisting The Edit 1

When it comes to the editing, it is Andreyas role to make sure the edit of the final film is done to the best it can possibly be but I was a little unsure what my role would be in this part of production. I questioned whether I left her to it and it was her part to do or whether I was heavily involved in this. I decided to research this to gain knowledge so I could carry on directing to the best of my ability throughout the entire production.

I first of all came across a website called media match, a US online magazine, which gave a brief outline on what a directors purpose is from begining to end. The article explains that in pre production a director makes crusial desicions in chosing cast, crew and locations to make sure the film will work mechanically and asthetically. I feel I have acheived this to a good level for the film making sure everything came together. It then goes on to talk about post production which was the section I was most interested to read. The article explains that in post production, a director works very closely with the editor right through until a final edit is reached. This has highlighted to me that its very important that I sit with Andreya throughout the editing process to ensure the vision is being achieved and it is edited the way I intend it to look.

I decided to have a look at another website as I wanted some more detail into the role. I came across one called film reference which explained a lot more about my responsibillities in post production. The article says "Once actual filming has finished, the director must preside over the completion of the work during post production. Before 1940, for example, a hollywood director often had literally no imput in the cutting of a film. By contrast, the contemporary digital manipulation of images has increased to such a degree that the directors close involvement in post production stages is often a necessity. The editor and director will work through the films pace, trim moments of unwanted excess and ensure that the montage generally serves to reinforce the works intent". This says a lot to me about what I need to do as I director in the editing process. I realise I am very much involved to ensure that creatively the project is going the way I want it to look in many areas.

It also explains about how I director works with music. It explains that a director is usually very heavily involved with choosing a films score. They often are responsible for how sequences are intended to make an audience feel and music is a large part of this. The article says "In working with a composer, he might intimate how the score reinforces the affective intent of key sequences or even structures the order in the montage". This is something that I feel will be really important as I feel music is such a big aspect in making our film work. I have already looked through some royalty free tracks that I feel would be a great addition to the film so this will help when it comes to editing. Now I know all of this I will ensure to apply it to the post production stages. 

Since we have finshed filming some of the scenes, myself and Andreya have decided to start the editing process with what we have got so far so that when it came to shooting more scenes, we can build upon what we already have ensuring we have the maximum amount of time to produce a really good edit. Andreya started by putting all the footage into folders and naming the clips so that it was easier to see what was what when in premiere. Once this was done I was able to sit down with her as we went through pulling clips onto the timeline together and roughly put them into place to see how they would fit. I explained to Andreya that I wanted it to open with the establishing shots of the house and some rumbling sound effects followed by a few shots of Sophie from behind not reavealing the front of her. Drey would do a rough cut of the scene and then I would view it and swap some things around to try and get the pace and flow of things how I felt was more what I had imagined. 

Once we had roughly done the opening scene we then moved onto the picadilly scene. This scene was a joy to do. I wanted this to be striking and bold but also dream like. We had great coverage of shots giving us a lot to choose from. I explained that when I was on shoot, I purposely did a shot that was intended to open the scene. It starts close to her dress and then the camera moves backwards as she moves forwards revealing the outfit and the location she is surrounded by. Andreya put the clip in as well as other clips and worked off of my script to know where the voice over was meant to be placed for this scene. After she constructed a rough placement of where the clips went, I reviewed it changing a couple of shots and shortening clips to make sure it was coming across how I wanted it to. I have found some pieces of music through previous research also so Drey put these onto the timeline and we worked together to cut it as fine as we could. I am really happy with the shots. The fluidity and movement as well as trying to look cinematic really works well and I am so pleased that it is coming across how I had it in my head. Working with Andreya closely on this edit worked really well as I could see the film coming together and gave supportive advise throughout. She was great at placing everything and cutting things together but I was also there to ensure my vision was coming across and the scenes flowed well. 

Major Project Production Unit - Music Selection

As this project is very visual, I knew from doing previous research that music was going to be a really important part of this piece. I understand that the music will really drive the narrative forward and really compliment the tone and style of the film. For me, the music had to marry the film perfectly so I put a lot of hours into finding the right pieces. I looked at royalty free tracks on youtube and found a few that I felt would fit well. You can view a few here:

Piece One:

Piece Two:

Piece Three:

Piece Four: 

Piece one I feel would fit well on the Piccadilly scene. It creates a real atmosphere creating intrigue and mystery. I also feel it throws a moody tone over the whole scene making it really stand out and grab the viewers attention. Piece two is a lot more dramatic, this I feel would be great for a tension scene maybe towards the end as the music builds a lot. Piece three is a more ominous and slower track. It has tones of mystery again but its less aggressive than the other two. I feel this could really compliment the other two tracks but still give the style that I want for the film. Finally, there is piece four which is a slow building track. This one is another tense track but it has a great slow build and is less dramatic allowing me to really add slow tension to a scene. I can see this overlayed on the scene where she kills Lorna the first time around. 

Major Project Production Unit - Shoot Day: London

For this shoot, we needed to travel up to London filming at Piccadilly Circus, Savile Row and The Financial District. Having organised permits and permissions I ensured that the crew and cast were all legally fine and had sorted out all the right paper work so no issues would be caused. We ensured the equipment was fully charged the night before and I had a look over the shot list that I had produced so I knew what shots we needed to get when we was up there. On the first day, this was just Piccadilly and Savile row as we would not have time to do the financial district this day so we would film that on the following day.

When we got there, we had some lunch and stopped at a nearby cafe that we had scouted out before to ensure we had a place to go to set up the equipment and make sure everything was ready to go for when we arrived at the location. Once everything was set up, we then headed over to Piccadilly and started shooting. It was incredibly busy here which we knew it would be and crowds of people were watching us and taking photos. This made everyone slightly on edge at first but I reassured everyone to carry on as if it was a normal shoot and a set and once we got going everything was fine. We made sure we was not in the way of everyone and that we were safe in what we was doing.

I wanted to get some shots of Claudia walking around the iconic place ensuring it is all captured and recognisable. I carried out plenty of different shots following her from behind, tracking from the front, low angles, wides, close ups and pans. I wanted to get as much movement as possible to add to the busyness and the motion of the place itself. Claudia took my direction really well and settled into the character well. Overall once we concentrated on what we was doing everything went really well and the shots look great. 

After this we went back to the coffee shop to review our footage and then moved to Savile row. I had gone to different shops explaining that we were doing a shoot and needed carrier bags. All the shops were happy to provide us with them which helped with this scene. I chose Savile Row as this is an expensive place to shop in London and it had a lot of expensive cars and window fronts. It was also a little less busy than Regents Street adding to the exclusivity of the street and less High Street. Overall these shots went really well and I am pleased with what we got.

The following day we headed back up to London and concentrated on the Financial District. The lighting had changed and instead of sunny it was overcast which was annoying but it didn't affect the film too much as the two scenes are separate rather than integrated together. When we got up there, we found another local cafe and began setting up the equipment like last time. Once this was done we went to where the first scene was and began shooting. Although it was busy again, we all felt a lot more relaxed on this day and went straight into it which was great. The first place was St Pauls Cathedral and I made sure when looking at the shot list I got all the coverage I needed to get. Something a little frustrating was that I wanted her to be sitting on the steps of St Pauls Cathedral but we couldn't as the permit would not allow us to film on the actual grounds but I worked around it getting different shots outside. We also tried a different type of shot that I haven't done before using the gimble where we moved all around her. This gave a really nice effect and turned out really different.

Once we had done these shots we then used the underground to head to where all the high rise sky scrapers were. I wanted these shots to show a more modern city look and to see her amongst the buildings. These shots were a little more tricky as it was getting dark but we managed to light the scene well and continue shooting until we got the shots that I wanted to get.

Overall Im really happy with how everything went and I feel we all dealt with everything really well. You can see a behind the scenes video that I made below about London 

Major Project Production Unit - Shoot Day: Bradbourne House

Bradbourne House was the first location that we filmed at. I had ensured that the call sheet for this location had been sent out to all the crew and cast a few days before to make sure everyone knew what time they needed to arrive and give an overall breakdown of the day. Once I had done this everyone confirmed they would be attending the shoot and understood what was happening on the day. I next sent an email to Bradbourne House to ensure the confirmation of the location making sure everything producer wise was all ready for the shoot. I also ensured costume for the scenes we were shooting was laid out and ready as well as other props. The evening before we picked up our hired equipment and took this as well as some of the equipment from the University to a barn of someone I know as we will be using this as our base. The barn is located 5 minutes down the road from Bradbourne House so this I felt would be easier to use being near by. We put everything on charge and made sure everything was ready to go the next day.

On the morning of the shoot myself and Andreya got to the barn early to ensure everything was ready and in order. I picked up the actress and brought her there making sure we all had plenty of time. The Hair and Makeup Artist was due to arrive at the barn early to start her job but after 45 minutes of waiting she failed to show. This set us back some time and I had to quickly think on my feet as she was not responding to any of my texts and calls. Claudia expressed that she would be able to do her own hair and make up and I decided to go with this to ensure that the character would look on some level the way I wanted her to look. Claudia kept coming to me asking if what she was doing was ok and I kept giving her direction of little bits I wanted changing as I took inspiration from previous research about how I wanted her makeup to look. Overall Claudia did a fantastic job on her makeup and I was really pleased she could get it to the level that I wanted it to be.

Once Hair and Makeup was done, we were ready to set off to the location. We arrived there a little early at 8:50 and the other crew we hired were there too to help us carry the equipment in. I met with the person from the property who was going to be helping us with anything for the day and I expressed to her what we will be doing and at what times we will need certain rooms. Once this was done we put all of the equipment in the green room and set up the equipment for the exterior shots whilst the actress got changed for the scene after.

I decided to start outside as I knew the weather was going to be nice and I wanted this to add to the shots for the beginning of the film being bright, sunny and beautiful.

All of these shots I wanted to be done on a gimble that we hired to give fluid movement like the test shoot we had carried out earlier. We done several shots to establish the house to give it a grand luxurious look helping to establish the characters supposed wealth and elegance. I wanted to draw towards the house from a low angle making it look big and tall as well as getting bigger as the camera draws closer to it. This took a bit of time trying to get the movement right but we succeeded and I am really happy with house these shots went. 

Once we had done this, we moved onto the shots inside starting with the blue room. I feel this room is big and elegant showing space with tall ceilings and paintings on the wall. All of this really adds to the film and portrays the character exactly how I want her to be. On this scene I wanted the actress to walk from the hallway through the corridor into the blue room and ending in the brown piano room. I decided I would get this all on one shot from several different angles allowing us to cut between them. This took a few goes as it was difficult moving from several different rooms all in one take but we eventually got everything we needed. I wanted to do it all in one take for a couple of reasons. The first was to lock down a master shot making it easier to cut in the edit. The second was through inspiration by the previous films I had looked into like The Shinning and Hereditary that use these long shots which really add a cinematic artistic look to the film. I thought I was going to find this difficult myself but I kept calm, directed Andrea to how I wanted the shot to look, directed the actress in terms of blocking, pace and facial expressions to ensure everything came together how I wanted it to. I was very pleased with how these shots came out and feel this will look great when put in the edit. 

Next we moved onto the brown piano room getting some more coverage in there. I felt the black piano reflected the character really well and I wanted to get some shots of her leaning on it and standing by it amongst the brown wood panelled walls. We got a lot of wides as well as close ups on the tripod and also the gimble as well to produce some shots moving from a mid shot to a close up. I kept referring to my shot list to ensure I was getting everything I needed as well as referring to the script to make sure everything was being done exactly how I wanted it to be. We also had to be conscious of the reflection in her glasses so I made sure she wasn't looking in our direction where the camera would pick this up. 

After this scene we had some lunch and set up for the next scene which was in the drawing room. Claudia changed her costume and we headed in there. We got some cut aways of the chandelier and a shot moving through a corridor and then moved into the actual room. This room had great Symmetry and light reflection that really added to the scene. I wanted to do a slow moving shot towards the actress as she stairs out the window. I feel we did this really well and were able to do this in just a couple of takes which worked out well for time. 

During this scene the other actress Karen arrived and the runners greeted her whilst I was still filming. I then ran through her costume and went through the scene with her. We used a suitcase that I had and I wanted her to look business like and give the sense of a power woman. I relayed to her this to make sure she gives the right performance. We then shot this scene and it went really well getting a lot of different angles, movement and general coverage. 

Once we did this scene we moved onto the stair case. This was fairly straight forward as I wanted two shots, one of Claudia sitting and then walking up the stairs and then Karen walking up the stairs to tie in with a later scene. Both shots were static at the bottom of the stairs and there were no issues with this. Once this was finished the shoot was complete. I am really happy with the shots and the way I directed on this location. I payed attention to time, the props, the way everything looks, the actresses performance and to make sure they were in the right costumes. Overall this has been a really successful day and Im pleased with the way I handled everything. 

Major Project Production Unit - Location Recce: Stonewall Park

After having a conversation with Catherine on the phone a few weeks ago, I scheduled for myself and Andreya to go and have a look at Stonewall Park to make sure it was exactly what I wanted and to make sure it would work in terms of matching Bradbourne House. We drove to the location which was around 40 minutes away and I let her know we was on our way. When we got there I was greeted by her and she gave us a tour of the house. We first went into the dining room which I felt would be perfect for the film. It was elegant and was bright with bold colours with was very similar to Bradbourne. It works perfectly for the scene in the script where she is sitting at the dinning table but also works consistantly overall with the film. The only concern I have about this room is the amount of mirrors that there are but I am sure I can work around this being aware and concious of our positioning.

Dining Room:

We then moved through a corridor which I had not considered for the film but I feel it could really add to it. It had wooden floors, Stone pillars and pastle blue walls which I feel conveys a real sense of wealth. I feel this could be shown at the start of the coridoor scenes where Sophie walks to kill Lorna. Also the amount of light coming in with contrast to the room just ahead really looked great in contrast with eachother so I can really envision a dramatic fluid shot here either on a gimble or a track.

Hallway Coridoor:

We them moved into the drawing room. This area is bright yellow with sofas, bookcases and huge bay windows. I loved the boldness of the room and could really see great use of cut aways for this room as well as a shot of Sophie drinking wine by the window. This room had great light and really stiched together well with the other rooms.

Drawing Room:

After this we moved upstairs. As we were walking towards the bathroom and bedroom I could tell that this location was going to be great for the coridoor scenes where Sophie walks to kill Lorna. The house went up 3 sets of stairs so I feel I could really make it look like a long tense journey that the character goes on towards that dramatic scene.

Stairs:

Unfortunatly we were not aloud to shoot in the main bathroom that I had seen online as there was trouble with a previous crew but we were offered an alternative bathroom that could work. Its a little bit plain so it will need a bit of set dressing but overall I feel it would work. 

Bathroom: 

We finally was shown the bedroom. This room was not what I had expected at all. It was again quite plain with not much decor. I am not overly keen on how it goes with the asthetic of the film but I am sure I will be able to make it work with more set dressing. 

Bedroom: 

Overall I feel really positive about this location. Where Bradbourne House gives me large state rooms and big chandelias, Stonewall really manages to keep the asethetic with the bold bright colours and large elegant rooms but allows us to shoot scenes that make the house look like its been lived in. Both locations really compliment eachother and I feel they both fit the script, and tone of the film well.

Major Project Production Unit - Voice Over Record Day

Voiceover is very important when it comes to this project. I want the viewer to hear the words of the poem as they are watching the visuals on screen pairing the two together creating an unconventional narrative. Since the voiceover is really important in driving the story forwards, I wanted it to be professional sounding and as clear as possible. I arranged a date with Claudia to come in and record with myself and Andreya before we started filming as I also feel its another way Claudia can really hear how I want the story to be delivered in terms of style and tone with her voice.

I picked Claudia up after lunch and brought her to the maidstone studios. I decided to book out the sound recording room as I feel this will enable us to get the best possible sound making her voice as crisp and clear as possible. In the morning, myself and Andreya had a lesson with Fergus on the mixer and audition software to ensure we both knew what we were doing and that we were getting all the levels right when recording. I also felt it was important to do this before Claudia got there so we could go straight in with the recording and minimise time for her.

When Claudia got there I went through the script with her again. I had also printed the words seperate from the script making it easier for her to read line by line without all the descriptions around it. We made notes on each line so she knew the sort of tone I wanted. From previous research I read that the way the character speaks is really important so I made sure I was paying attention to the style of accent that I felt was right. Once this was done we then moved into the recording booth and carried out some tests to make sure all the levels were right. This took a couple of tries but I wanted to make sure the quality of the sound would not be compromised. We then went through the poem line by line doing several takes in different speeds and slight variations in tones to make sure when it came to overlaying the voice over we had different options. This took a while to do but I felt it was vital that this was the way to do it. After the line by line recordings we then went on to record a whole read through twice just to ensure we had a back up of pace and flow incase some of the lines did not work seperatly.

Once we finished myself and Andreya went through all of the voiceover on the computer to ensure that we were happy with the quality and all the lines were clear. We re recorded a couple more lines just because I felt a couple were a bit fast but when that was done we were all finished. I am very happy with how the voiceover day has gone and Im excited to begin filming next week.