Day 1 - MNIJ

Day one of filming My Name is John. I was very nervous on the morning as it's our first day working with a professional actor. I packed everything I could think of and planned everything so we could also come across as professional. Today was the kitchen scene with John and Julie and it was their first day meeting each other (would have liked a read through, but John's tight schedule meant otherwise). I was glad they got on quite well, and the co-director did some exercises with them to get into character.

One thing I didn't plan for was our DoP being stuck and having to go get him. Me and the 1st AD set up while this was happening (I am very glad they were there otherwise I would have been on my own setting stuff up and also making sure the actors are okay). It was not very professional and I'm not quite sure how this had happened. But I have made sure it doesn't again. 

Getting the cards falling out of the cupboard was also super tricky. I did ask for tests to be done the day before and the cupboards to be cleared, but me and the 1st AD did this on the day (not ideal). They didn't fall very well on the wide shots but luckily John had an idea later on in the day of how to make them fall effectively, balancing them inside and carefully closing the cupboard with a fish slice.

One shot was particularly tricky which involved taking the camera off the tripod and following Julie into the other room. We rehearsed it and I pulled focus where necessary and it worked quite well. I was debating whether to get cutaways of the cards falling on their own but it would have been difficult using it in edit as we are going with the one camera set up and having them might allude to having two cameras. If they are absolutely necessary in the edit, we can always go back and get them. 

We finished with the actors at about 14:30 and grabbed a few cutaways of the calendar and also an interview with the dog. This was planned and it's scripted that John's addiction effects the dog so it makes sense to see the dog and have it react to the scene. It's also another cutaway the editor can work with. We brought Sue home after, she was friendly and has great facial expressions. This was the first time being in a student film and she had a great time and is super reliable. John was also a star, he got on with everything like a trooper and aced (pun intended) every scene. 

Test Footage

Today me and the director of Afterlife did a few tests with the slow mo setting on the new Blackmagic cameras. I took a few notes of how to do it, but I ended up having to YouTube a tutorial;



I followed the steps and also lit the tests more that I would usually to compensate for the higher shutter speed. We had two red heads to act as car headlights, and also two overhead studio lights to act as street lights. We tested each shot in different fps (24, 60, 90, 120) and decided which were best for each shot.

We have decided to not film the water shot in the final film as it's not the best shot and the director has better ideas for the slow mo, such as blood trickling down. We have also been told to improve the lighting, we need some sort of backlight (another red head maybe, and say it's a car behind). 

For the head shot, we used three hairdryers to make it as exaggerated as possible. It looked like a L'Oreal advert on 120fps so we avoided that. 

For the emergency lights, we had two gels moving after each other in the tune of Pink Panther on the left hand red head where the car head lights would be. I also walked past to make the glitter of the shirt, well, glitter. I think it would be better with a red gel rather than an orange one. I also really like the reflection of the shirt on the book. The book needs improvement, and to figure out how best to make it fall dramatically. It would look best falling down on the floor, but it's figuring out how to do it naturally. 

I think the tests were successful, we know which works, which to avoid, and which fps to use. 

Location Recces

Kitchen

For the kitchen, I really wanted one with overhead cupboards going into a living room, so Julie could give her interview there and John to be out of focus in the background messing around in the kitchen. I had Hutton Halls in mind (the one used for the Alice party scene), however it was not ideal and clearly a student accommodation.

The sound/editor suggested his house which was perfect, there's an arch way in a conservatory going into the kitchen. The lighting is great and there's also a dog we can interview (and also warn the actors about incase of allergies). 

 

Theatre

The co director tried getting hold of Red Dreams but got nothing back, so we went to find some seedy looking social clubs today. We came across the Corporation Welfare Club and it was perfect. There's theatre lights but we will be bringing red heads just in case. The owner was also really friendly and is going to set up chairs for us and open early. They also said they usually charge but is offering us it for free for a credit!

 

Self Help Group

For ease, I suggested earlier on in pre-production to have the self help group in the same location as the theatre (since most have rooms to hire out and are separate, like Hartlepool Town Hall). However, our theatre choice does not, and quite clearly looks the same if we use the back bit. We had a quick look at our old base rooms today which are a good option. We know the power supplies are good as we have used them before, and can get permission no problem.

I think the bottom room works best as there's no empty desks around the outside.

Corner Shop

The co producer had a nightmare getting permission to film in Hartlepool corner shops and we even thought of changing it to a vape shop. However, I remembered that I know someone who owns a car showroom, which has a little shop! It's near Middlesbrough too so it's perfect. Afraid I don't have any pictures of this (it was quite last minute but I have been there before and knew it was perfect).

Alley

We went an alley today, and my co producer found some more the past few days (but I have no idea where they are and what they are like for sound, etc). I still haven't made my mind up which ones, so I'm going to go on a recce myself to find the best one. 

This one is near the theatre! Looks good but is near a noisy car wash. We went with this one in the end as it was the quietest (wasn't noisy for too long)

Co producer took this one. No idea where it is. Also don't like all the cars.

Again co producer took this one, looks better. Possible lighting issue, also have no idea where it is. Update: I found this one. Was too dark.

Pub

We know we can get permissions from Wetherspoons easily as we have filmed there before, so this was our first and best choice. We have chosen a booth near the end of the pub so it's quiet (we have also booked it during a quiet time) and people can avoid it.

Auditions, Casting and Rehearsals

Today we held some auditions for My Name is John. My co producer posted in all the Facebook groups and made a chat for the actors so we could send details, scripts and character bios. A few people could not make the auditions so sent self tapes or show reels. I had a plan of who was coming today (3 definitely scheduled in, 5 that showed an interest in turning up, and 7 that just said they were 'available'). I was very disappointed that only one person turned up in the whole day. Luckily the new acting course should make casting films less of an issue. 

I have uploaded analysis of each person who have handed in a showreel (or a picture/IMDB profile) to the VLE page. 

The module handbook also calls for the Director to have rehearsals with the cast. However, with John's availability, we have had to miss this out. My co director has done warmups with John and Julie so they are more comfortable with each other and their characters.

*UPDATE* 18th January: Due to actors dropping out from only having one line and the location, I have had to recast the shopkeeper and the old lady on the day.

Blackmagic Mini Ursa Pro - Tech Dem

https://creativityinnovationsuccess.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/blackmagic_ursa_mini_pro_side_ef-mount_1920px.jpeg?w=840&h=630

Today we had a tech dem on the new Blackmagic cameras. There's also a manual on the VLE which I will read in my own time to further familiarise myself with the different settings. This camera can shoot in 4.6k, and has a larger sensor than the previous Blackmagic cameras so even if we film in 1080p, it will appear better quality.

The viewfinder doesn't fit in the bag, so will have to ask for that separately. There are new lenses that come with the kit; 24-105 variable, 50mm, 85mm, as well as the ones (14mm and 35mm). The prime lenses are faster and will be my port of call, but remember to turn off the camera before changing lenses! 

Histograms are on the bottom left of the display screen. There are also build in ND filters on the front numbered dial. The native ISO is 800 but it's worth changing if we are filming in a compressed format (it's suggested that we do NOT film in 4K RAW as it's just too big). The recommended format is PRO RES HQ, but if we do film in RAW, the setting has to be 'lossless'. 

The camera can also stack batteries, much like the P2 camera and the cards, so it continues onto the next one. 2 batteries can last all day and takes 3 hours to charge. Blackmagic cameras take CFAST cards as well as SD cards if filming in basic 1080. There should be a toggle above the card slot so the camera knows where it is recording to. If I do decide to film in 4k, it's a good idea to warn the editors as it will take longer to edit. 

The left side of the camera has ISO/GAIN, SHUTTER, and WHITE BAL toggle switches and you are also able to lock them off once happy with the settings. There are a lot of record buttons, but the one on the handle grip must be plugged in in order to use. 

There's also a setting called 'false colours' which helps with exposure settings, especially when using green screen. To turn them on, go to menu-guidelines-monitor-frame guides. The codec will be at the top of the screen and the resolution is at the bottom. The recommended settings are 4k 16:9. 

There are XLR ports in the camera just in case. You can't adjust gain settings while recording. LUTS can also be installed from an SD card. Opposite the LCD screen are waveforms which are useful when filming outside. Playback is the button 'play'.

We also had a look at filming in slow motion, which the director of Afterlife was particularly interested in, so I have made plenty of notes and booked a test on the 16th to explore these settings. If you go into menu-record-frame rate. You can have 60fps max. There's a HFR button on the camera near the front which allows for a higher frame rate for slow motion. A lower shutter angle should also be applied to compensate (11.2). The HD window sensor (menu-record) should be on 120fps. Handheld works particularly well for slow mo. If you remove HFR and change it to 12fps, it gives a blurry 'drunk' effect. 

Mood Boards

I found it quite difficult to mood board My Name is John as Pinterest didn't have what exactly I picture the locations as. The kitchen pictures are very posh so I tried to find some with a kitchen leading into a living room (how I pictured the setting) but also a working class house (which don't seem to exist!). Pinterest also has a lack of UK corner shop pins so I had to pin a shop that cold felt items (but it has the right look, minus the felt items). I added a few colour palettes of a old yellow and a dark blue, to give warmth to the film as it is a comedy. The dullness of the yellow suggests caution but also happiness as the film is comedic and has a happy ending, with some darker themes. Blue can mean communication as well as intelligence and self expression which I think covers most of the themes John is going through. He expresses himself through magic but it is seen as a taboo hence the darker shade. The darker shade can also mean lack of communication between him and his wife.

The DoP and co-Director are also a contributors to this board on Pinterest.

Christmas Work

I will put a tag on each post to which production it relates to (saves me putting it in each title).

I have managed to secure John Archer to the project and he has given us 7 days at the end of January in between his very busy schedule to film. This means we will have to plan quickly and efficiently to avoid having to get pick up shots and to test shots and secure locations in time. We have a finished script (will talk about the process on another blog post) which I have sent to John. Prop lists, shot lists, and auditions are in place for when we get back. Locations are the main thing to get sorted now.