Arts and Crafts - Silhouettes

I helped the director out with making a cage for more silhouettes. We spent Monday making it and figuring out how to get the werewolf in it to escape and break the bars. We used split pins to bend the bars an figured out to put some holes in so they also stretched to do this.

We did a few tests with it on the Tuesday to see what it looked like and tried it with different gels. We like the green which we can use for the goblin we are getting commissioned by an illustration student. Overall it looks pretty good! The bars are a bit scraggly but it adds to the effect. However we may need to make it taller to cover up the curtain and look good amongst the other circus set.

The Grand Hotel - Recce

I sent an email to The Grand Hotel on Friday to see if we could do some tests on Tuesday. Having received no reply, we popped by on Monday for a recce and to confirm if Tuesday was still okay. I looked very professional with felt tip all over my hands from doing arts and crafts before for Circus.

We had a look around the Ballroom and there are huge windows on the ground floor but not a very nice view of a car park. We noticed a few more prettier ones on the top floor, so we asked nicely if we could have a look. We did, and it looks fab! There's also plug sockets nearby that we can use for red heads. 

 

We asked if Tuesday (the original plan) was still okay to do test footage, and they said it was fine. I booked out all the equipment but couldn't turn up due to me being camera op for Circus and doing tests that day. I heard that the ballroom was being used when they turned up and gave them an email to ask about dates. At the moment, next Tuesday and Wednesday are free, but can change up to a day before, so I am emailing again next Monday.

Sexism in the Industry

"And the guy was pretty drunk, and he ripped some of my clothes trying to take them off me, and when I got up and started screaming he said, 'Did you want to make this music video or not?'" - Penelope Spheeris (director)

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3935911?page=2

"The worst was when my agent sent another woman director in for an interview, and afterwards the guy called up and said, 'Never send anyone again who I wouldn't want to fuck.'" - Martha Coolidge (director and first woman president of the Directors Guild of America)

Average Salaries of Crew Members

This took me a while to figure out (so please appreciate this and cite me if you wanna use it, copyright and all that jazz); with so much information out there, it was hard to calculate an average. This research is to compare with what we should get paid at University (just a bit more research into producing), and also for my Level 5 Professional Studies report. I have mostly used information for the United Kingdom (there is a huge difference in pay in different countries).

Director; median salary is about £53,000 a year with an hourly wage of £25

Producer; median salary is about £57,000 a year, with an hourly wage of £27

DOP; median salary is about £48,000 with an hourly wage of £18

Sound; median salary is about £34,000 with an hourly wage of £16

Editor; median salary is about £33,000 a year with an hourly wage of £15

On average, a film crew is paid £7 an hour.

A lot of different factors can determine the average, such as location, age, bonus' and even gender. 

Sources

https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/jobs-film-average-salary-career-paths/
http://work.chron.com/salaries-film-tv-crews-29603.html
http://www.payscale.com/
https://www.indeed.com/salaries/Film-Crew-Salaries

Quick Progress Report

Nothing amazingly new on the Tag front. I have sent the director a shortened script and auditions but received nothing back. We really need this casting, so I have suggested making the cast a bit younger. Again, nothing back. I have also contacted The Grand Hotel hoping to film and get some test footage there on Tuesday. I am working on risk assessments and booking forms too but I do not know what they need (lack of communication is a huge issue here). Just doing this blog post as I haven't included much information on Producing for this module. I have mostly been posting forms to the VLE. 

Spotlight Test

Today me and the director booked the studio for a few hours to see if we could make a spotlight that we could use for the big show at the end of the film. We used the lighting on the ceiling in the studio first, which is how a level 4 did something similar. However, it didn't quite have the results we wanted with no defined circle. Apparently there used to be some steel covers to put on them to stream the light into a circle but they have gone walkabouts. 

The lecturer however said they had some spotlights (two, but one was broken). We plugged it in from the bottom sockets and put it on a lighting stand, and definitely has the results we wanted. However, we need a bit more height on it. We were advised not to put it on the ceiling today, but for the actual shoot, we would need to. I will ask the lecturer if this is doable.

Jib Test

Today we went over to Production Design to try out a jib shot the director had in mind. It took a while to set up the jib (+2 extra people), but we got there eventually. The level 4's also filmed us fail so that was fun. 

We did a few shots with the jib and it looks good! We have a bit of practice/blocking now for the actual shoot. We would also need to be there well in advance to set everything up.

We also tried a similar shot with the slider and tripod (like in this video, which I talk about in this blog post). It was a lot less smooth, as the director wanted it going up and down as well as sliding in and out. We did a few tests, but I had to step in saying it didn't work and looked bad. The jib was by far the success of the day.