Editing the shot list- Condensing

Before filming commenced, the producer (Natalie) and I were aware that my shot list included far too many shots, which would realistically not be possible to film in the limited time period we had. 

At times, I put way too much emphasis on  scenes that were less interesting and didn't need as much coverage. For example, I noted down 10 different shot types for the scene where Michael is walking home. I found this was unnecessary and would be too time consuming, leaving us with less time to film the more vital scenes for our story. I realised Rose (Editor) wouldn't need as many shots to cut to in a scene like this and emphasising too much on Michael walking would be dull, uninteresting and provide a very amateur look to our film, which is what we all wanted to avoid. Likewise, I had included too many shots within all the other scenes. I realised that within films, there are about 3 different shots within each scene, so I began to go through each scene, selecting only 3 different camera set-ups for each one, which was more realistic and also gave Rose sufficient coverage. 

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!

Location scouting was an important process in the pre-production stage as it sparked ideas regarding potential shot compositions and production design. I took a few photographs within the house, as well as the outdoor areas, paying particular attention to the placement of the lighting, camera and props. This enabled me to consider what aspects would work for the film and what wouldn't. 

Few brief ideas constructed: 

Scene: Michael walks into the living room after his dinner and a long day at work.

Potential master shot:

I thought this composition would be visually striking for the audience but it also centralises Michael as he walks towards the camera onto the sofa, which would presumably build sympathy for the character. 

Potential shot within the scene:

I felt that placing the camera directly in front of Michael will draw the viewers closer to the character, whereby they gain a better insight into his unhappy state. 

Mirrors: 

When I saw the large mirror in the master bedroom, I felt that this could be used as a symbol for identity in our film. 

I used Rose (editor) as a stand in for the images below.

EXAMPLE: 

Scene:  Michael sits on his bed and looks out the window, then walks out the room.

I thought of potentially filming this scene through the mirror, and have Michael glance at himself in the mirror in a displeasing way before walking out of frame. 

Scene: Michael discovers a box of childhood items

Like the beginning, I thought I could similarly film this scene from the mirror, showing Michael inspecting the items of his youth. However, here the mirror represents him rediscovering his identity as he reconnects with his inner child. 

A) Beginning 

B) End

After viewing these photographs side by side, I thought they would work well together as shots, linking the beginning to the end and signifying a development in the plot. The first image above represents Michael in his state of isolation, as he walks past the mirror and briefly glances at himself in despair. However, image B represents Michael sitting down on the bed facing the mirror, however this time he glances happily in the mirror as he reconnects with his youth by looking through a box of his childhood memories.  Michael begins to thoroughly examine himself in the mirror, showing that he finally accepts himself as an older man. 

Location scouting: outdoor areas 

 The outdoor areas in Holmfirth were stunning and presented a great number of possibilities for shots. I have gained a few ideas for establishing shots shot compositions and camera movement for when the man and boy have adventures through nature. 

Potential location where Michael and the young boy throw stones

Potential establishing shot 

Potential establishing shot and location where Michael and boy sail boats

Potential sword fight scene

Our group realised that due to the fact that it was extremely cold and windy, we should condense our outdoor scenes and to stick to the production schedule, especially as we were working with a 

child actor. 

Coming up with an alternative ending for 'Child's Eyes'

Current ending to our film: 
Michael spends the day with a young boy (his younger self) and can't find him the next morning. He realises that the boy was a part of his imagination and puts a home video of himself as a child, reconnecting with his inner child. 

Discussion with John Edmonds: 

After our group had a discussion with John Edmonds, he made us aware that some people may perceive the young boy as the memory of Michael's deceased son. However, Lauren (director) intended to communicate the idea that the young boy was a memory of Michael's younger self.

My proposed ending: 
Michael adventures through nature with the young boy (his younger self) and when they come home they play Hide and Seek. When Michael looks for the boy, he doesn't find him but instead finds a box of childhood items hidden at the bottom of his closet. Michael sits on his bed, in front of the mirror and looks through these items. He smiles and makes silly faces towards the mirror and his reflection is of that young boy, imitating exactly the same actions, which is clearly his younger self.

Confirming the ending: 
After proposing this idea to the group, they were all happy to include this new ending, as it had more clarity than the original ending.

Steadicam tutorial

Today we had a steadicam set-up demonstration and found that it was a complex process, which took a long time to set up and was difficult to balance, even more so as we have never used it before.  Additionally, as the cinematographer, I would have to take regular breaks if I were to use the steadicam. With all these factors, we found an issue regarding practicality. Due to the amount of time it would take to set up and that I had no experience using it, our group felt that it may actual affect the quality of our film and use up much of our limited and valuable filming period. 

By not using the steadicam, I could concentrate more on learning about and practising with the camera equipment I was already familiar with. Therefore, on the day, I would feel more confident filming and the time could be used productively to film all the required scenes as opposed to spending time setting up the steadicam. 

Condensing the script

'Quality over quantity' 

As the cinematographer, I was overwhelmed by the number of scenes and shots that were included in Lauren's (director) original screenplay. I felt that we didn't have sufficient time to film all of the scenes and that filming that much content would lead to a potentially rushed production, lacking in quality.  Natalie (producer) was also wary about this as she was in charge of timekeeping and realised that it was not feasible to film the large amount of scenes in the limited amount of time we had. Therefore, our whole group, condensed the material, by reducing the number of scenes between Michael and the boy. We prioritised scenes, which were the most relevant to the storyline and visual appearance of the film and cut out unnecessary parts. 

Casting the child actor

Natalie (producer) has arranged for our group to go to the performing arts school Stage 84 in Bradford, whereby we attended 2 acting classes for children aged between 7-11. We made note of a few boys, who were confident, upbeat and dedicated to their acting. 

However, after location scouting, we found that Rose's family friend's son Fletcher, who lives in Holmfirth, would be well suited for the part. He is energetic and joyful, thus we are convinced that he will perform realistically in the role of the young boy. 

Additionally, because the boy knows Rose, he will be more confident and as he lives in Holmfirth, he will have his mum present with him whilst we are filming. Additionally, Fletcher and Tony both have blue eyes, which is useful as they will be representing the same character. 

Casting Tony

After interviewing numerous people, there was no one who drastically stood out to us. Therefore, I reviewed the applications that Natalie (producer) has emailed us and came across Tony’s profile. I immediately thought he would be well suited for the role due to his extensive acting experience and his showreel displays his realistic and emotional acting performances. The photographs on his profile shows that he has an expressive face, which would be an advantage to our silent film, whereby feelings of sorrow and happiness have to be expressed through facial expressions. Additionally, his dedication to acting is apparent through his previous acting experience in various unpaid student short films, also indicating that he would be more patient whilst we are filming. 

 After I suggested interviewing Tony to Lauren (director), she watched his showreel and arranged an interview with him.

Interviewing Tony: 

Lauren and I went to the West Yorkshire Playhouse to meet Tony for the interview. He expressed his enthusiasm and dedication for the role and displayed wide-ranging knowledge about film. He was very friendly and confident and talked to us about his previous acting experiences. Ultimately, his personality and versatility in terms of acting really impressed Lauren and I and we were keen to cast him for the part of Michael.