Re-shoot

As a group, we sat down together and talked about the production. We soon realised that the start that we thought we needed to re-shoot, actually didn't need to be there at all. The story makes sense starting from the new point, and still has so much content. We were happy to make this decision and are currently still working on the editing process.

The editing process..

We have now started the editing process even though we don't have a section of the footage. We have done a rough cut of the four minutes that we have, and plan to re-shoot in the foreseeable future. We are editing on the Premiere CS6 software. Here Is a screenshot of our progress, with one of the most effective shots in the film.

Martin Scorsese influence..

Martin Scorsese has always had a big influence on me being a film maker. In this post, I compare my work to his when he wanted people to walk in front of the camera to create a sense of realism. I wanted to do this as it was set in a busy bus station, and i thought it would add to the setting. Here is two screenshots; one of Scorsese's 'Goodfellas' kitchen scene, and one of my bus station scene. 

Second day of shooting..

We shot our second day in a rushed enviorment and it didn't go to plan. As the DOP I personally felt I could have done much better in terms of camera shots, but we just couldn't with time restrictions and the people who were there that day. We didn't realise until we actually put the footage up on to the editing software, that it was very grainy. A mistake on my part. We have re-scheduled another shoot where it won't be rushed, and the footage will ultimately be better. Here are some screenshots from that day of shooting.

GO PRO!

We also attached a GoPro camera to the middle of the car, for the inside car scenes. This is the result of a test shot. I think this shot will work well for cut away scenes during the conversations happening in the car.

The first day filming!!

We were excited to get the shoot started as we had put a lot of preparation into it. The first day came, and it was a little bit nerve wrecking at first, as it was the first proper time we had worked alongside the actresses and vise versa. As the day went on, we got more comfortable around each other and the results were starting to show. All round, We were delighted with the performance of the actresses and the footage, and had a successful day. Here are some screenshots from the footage we captured.

Before the shoot..

Just before the first day of shooting, we decided to head to our location and get a feel for the place with a camera and our equipment. We put together this very short clip of some of the shots that may be included within the film itself. All round, we though this location suited the script best for the ending of the film. 

Practice makes perfect..

I have been practising shots for the short film 'DEPARTURES'
and made a short test video of what some of the shots may look like..

Shot List, first draft.

‘DEPARTURES’

Shot List.

Stephen O’Neill

Frankie Price

Matt McQuillen

Shot One: Low angle sliding shot of ELLIE entering the train station.

Shot Two: Low angle sliding backwards as ELLIE walks forwards showing her art folder and rucksack.

Shot Three: CU of ELLIE as her phone bleeps, but she ignores it.

Shot Four: CU of the ‘CHECK BAGGAGE’ sign.

Shot Five: Camera at a low angle slowly moving forward as her art folder falls.

Shot Six: As she is picking up her work, she looks at her phone and the camera tilts up to her face.

Shot Seven: The camera catches the bus leaving, and ELLIE runs past the camera, and comes to a stop.

Shot Eight: CU of ELLIE looking defeated.

Shot Nine: We then cut to an over the shoulder shot of ELLIE looking at the departures board.  She’s baffled.

Shot Ten: ECU of ‘MUM’ ringing her phone.

Shot Eleven: ELLIE sits down as she is talking, but can’t get a word in with her irritating mother. MED shot.

Shot Twelve: We fade back in to show that some time has passed. She looks at her phone again, reading texts from her friend MARNIE, who eventually rings. We cross cut between close up’s of the phone and ELLIE’s face.

Shot Thirteen: Finding out MARNIE is outside, we get a MED shot of her getting up and a sliding low angle shot of her rushing out the doors.

Shot Fourteen: Dutch angle sliding towards the ground as ELLIE gets in the car and closes the door.

Shot Fifteen: The camera cross cuts between MARNIE and ELLIE throughout the car scene, with some close up’s to show emotion.

Shot sixteen: POV shots of ELLIE loosing interest and looking out the window. ECU’s at this point can also be included.

Shot seventeen: MARNIE pulls the car over to the side of the road. The camera is at a low angle sliding as the car stops right in front of it.

Shot eighteen: As the car is at a halt, we cut from shots of the outside of the car back to the inside simultaneously

Shot nineteen:  ELLIE slams the door and starts to walk off. MED shot.

Shot twenty: From inside MARNIE’s car, we see her speed off, driving past ELLIE.

Shot Twenty One: The camera slowly slides as ELLIE walks away in to the wilderness. 

Scripting.

These are the drafts of the script for the film 'Departures'. I think the idea came across very strong and has fabulous story potential. It covers the theme 'Dislocation' well, telling the story of Ellie and Marnie. We are happy with the final script, and nearly ready to start shooting.

FIRST DRAFT- 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B90thYBM1bYzOGlRandldGpXS28/edit?usp=sharing

FINAL DRAFT- 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B90thYBM1bYzamRoR2ZPX0NOaFk/edit?usp=sharing

Staying on top..

To stay on top of the film making process for this short, the three members (Myself, Matt and Frankie) have created a facebook page were we can share new information about what is going on, post if we have any new ideas or ways to film, discuss meetings and finalise schedules.  I think this will benefit us in the process, and help us ultimately keep on top of our work towards the short 'Departures'.

My Voyage To Italy- Martin Scorsese..

These are some notes I took down while the documentary was being screened. 

• Italian cinema had a great effect over Hollywood..
• They can communicate through film..
• If Scorsese never experienced Italian Neo Realism, he would be a very different person and film maker..
• Broadened his horizons in life..
• The Genre shows the struggle of the Italians moving to America after world war two..
• (Neo Realism)- People realised they weren't sets, it was real life. 
• Racial/Emotional..
• Captured the imagination..
• Alessandro Blasetti- Italian folklore (Director- Roberto Rossellini)
• The epic- Neo Realism- captivated Scorsese.. 
• Film would never be the same again after Italian Neo Realism..
• It was a response to experience- changed the rules of movie making..
• 'The bicycle Thief' changed film history for Scorsese.. 
• 'Open City' introduced Neo Realism- Open mind and cinema to make something fantastic.. It as a phenomenon. Ordinary people who all became heroes under extraordinary circumstances.  
• Rossalini was driven to try and find a way to 'Direct facts'..
• 'Germany Year Zero' by Rossalini had a true impact on Reality.. 

Watching this documentary opened my eyes into the history of film making and showed me why Neo Realism was so important in terms of film history. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

DIY Camera Dolly/ Slider..

This is the result of the slider I've build from scratch. I done a short experiment in 10 minutes just to get a feel for it.  I am happy with the outcome, and I can't wait to use it in my final film to make it flow together nicely and hopefully make it more cinematic..

Philip Bloom and his inspiration..

Philip Bloom has his own 'Camera Dolly' range. After watching his videos and reviews on them, I desperately wanted one. Unfortunately I'm not loaded and can't afford to pay £700 odd pounds, so I decided to improvise and try to build my own.

After I had some research on the film I'll be shooting, I came across one person in particular who's work I absolutely love. His name is Philip Bloom. He shoots 'Postcards' of different places around the world where he visits, among other things such as short documentary's. I think the cinematography in his work is beautiful, and he has gave me that kick to produce work that could possibly similar. 

My ambitions & Job role..

In this short, I really want to take on the role of the cinematographer. It's my preferred job role and I love how it lets me express my creative side when it comes to shooting.  I have looked at many short and feature films with fantastic cinematography which has inspired me in many ways. One of the shorts that has inspired me is called; 'SOULED' which was made by a student from the NY Film academy. The short was shot so beautifully and I always came back to one shot where the camera would slide across with objects in the foreground out of focus. I was inspired so much, I researched it and decided to try and build my own camera slider to get a more cinematic feel to my final short.

My Initial Thoughts..

My Initial thoughts of the project were great! We get to do a short film, and basically shoot whatever we want within the chosen theme. It lets us as individuals express our personalities and have a bit of freedom with the work instead of being set and stuck on one topic. It also lets us work on the job role we feel most comfortable in,what we are strongest at, and let us build experience in that role.

The theme we got given was 'Dislocation'. When I found this out, I was a bit confused by the topic, and what we could actually film that was in the theme of dislocation. After some research, I have came more to terms of what the project is about. We can go down the route of both fiction and documentary which is a good option, but after recently filming a documentary, I would prefer to go down the fiction road.

Dislocation goes down many paths. We watched a Wes Anderson short; 'Hotel Chevaliar' in class which expressed the theme of dislocation. The two central characters were obviously in some sort of a relationship but aren't together any more. She comes back for one night and says things like 'What ever happens, I don't want to loose you as a friend' but yet wants to have sexual relations with him. This shows the theme of dislocation.

First Introduction..

This is an introduction to my new blog for my final short film of the year. Within this blog, you will find me posting about anything that I find interesting, inspiring or ideas that I come up with that I will be able to use to benefit my short film.