Unit
22: Production roles in media organizations
LO1 Understand what production job roles are
available within a chosen part of the media sector
Task 1
Positions the camera to track an actor/ scene
while filming in the main production stage of Film production. Initially
records the whole visual side of the product.
Writer:
Creates scripts for actors to read and
perform within films. Works primarily in
the main production stage of the film.
Runner:
Does simple jobs for members of the primary
production team while on set, such as transporting equipment, PR and helping
out when needed, working in the main production stage of the film.
Sound
Engineer:
Manufactures sounds and music score for media
products like Films and Games, works in the main production stage of the film.
Marketing:
Distributes and spreads an audio product
through advertising and social media, works in post-production stage of the film.
Director:
Works throughout the entire process of film
production, overseeing pre-production, planning and the end product,
'directing' actors and cameramen while on set and manages editing during post-production.
Lead
Editor:
In charge of the editing post-production
team, assuring that the film looks, sounds and the overall visual project is in
good quality.
Costume
and Makeup artist:
Prepares actors for particular scenes,
runs through main production and prepares.
Producer:
Manages
the pre-production side of film making. Managing budgeting, costs and the set
design.
Director
of Photography:
Manages
the camera operation involved in a film set, communicates back and forth with
the director and directs the camera actions, works primarily in the main production stage of the film.
Task 2
Task 2
For
my LO1, I will pick two roles within the film production industry; I have
decided to pick both the director role and cameraman.
1st
Roll
Director
A movie director is a storyteller who needs a
lot of people, equipment, creativity and planning to bring his story to a movie audience.
And in the process, the director has to hold on to the vision while dealing
with temperamental artists, union contract requirements, uncooperative weather,
studio time, budget demands and a handful of other uncontrollable
uncertainties. Being a director is a huge role and requires large demands having to oversee all pre-production, production and post-production, which more that any role is important as his full attention and direction is needed on every job and task.
Impact on the production
The impact the directors roll has on the project as essentially that he or she has power and order over the vision, direction and creation of all aspects of the final product. This includes all pre-production, production and post-production, as through all these stages of the film, the director is there to contribute to anything and everything, from storyboards to documentation, in the pre-production stage, Lighting to the actual filming, in the production stage and anywhere from editing to checking the communication between the production workers and the distribution team in the post-production stage of the film.
Impact on the production
The impact the directors roll has on the project as essentially that he or she has power and order over the vision, direction and creation of all aspects of the final product. This includes all pre-production, production and post-production, as through all these stages of the film, the director is there to contribute to anything and everything, from storyboards to documentation, in the pre-production stage, Lighting to the actual filming, in the production stage and anywhere from editing to checking the communication between the production workers and the distribution team in the post-production stage of the film.
Duties
The duty of being a film director is to
oversee and manage the whole of the film project in general and to lead others
towards the ultimate actualization or end.
Contribution to product
The director’s contribution to the product
consists of being reliable for the end product, without the director’s guidance
and overdraft of everything involved, the film project wouldn’t be finished.
Equipment used
The director usually comes across all types
of equipment after instructing the cast on the task that needs to be done. This
will include a wide range of equipment, from different sections of the film
industry.
Skill required
The director needs to be comfortable working
with a wide range to equipment from different sectors of the industry as well
as bringing around a unified vision within the finished production and
maintaining and managing the overall project.
2nd Roll
Film Camera operator
Film cameramen fulfill very specific orders
from directors who have an exact vision of the scene. The camera operator uses
her or his training in camera operation, which may also be called videography,
to capture the images, lighting and effects created by the cast and crew of a
film. Film
shooting schedules can be dictated by weather, environments, budgets and actor
availability. Movie cameramen work on motion picture projects and therefore may
have steady work for long periods followed by times when the individual is
between films. Being a cameraman requires both knowledge and experience when it comes to the films success. only working in the main production stage of the film the cameramen have to put a lot of time and energy into only one third of the whole production stage of a films creation which can be difficult and take a long time to get the perfect shot.
Impact on the production
The camera-operators are in charge of catching and filming the whole visual side of the film in the production stage of the project and without them and the help, guidance and direction of the cinematographer and director they would be no picture, visuals or film in general. The Camera operators will use there knowledge of cameras and framing, angling, positioning and focus pulls to successfully complete this job.
Impact on the production
The camera-operators are in charge of catching and filming the whole visual side of the film in the production stage of the project and without them and the help, guidance and direction of the cinematographer and director they would be no picture, visuals or film in general. The Camera operators will use there knowledge of cameras and framing, angling, positioning and focus pulls to successfully complete this job.
Duties
The cameraman creates a consistent look for
the film and makes video that help tell the story. It's what's in the frame,
the lighting, getting the mood right - getting images that push the story along
and keeps the audience inside, not outside, the film.
Contribution to product
The cameraman’s contribution to the product
is not only to set up and work the cameras but to also follow the camera
script, take cues from both the director and the floor manager and to choose
the correct equipment, which may include lenses and the cameras themselves.
Equipment used
Cameramen use a wide range of products,
consisting of different gadgets and devices anywhere from the cameras
themselves to monitors and heavy equipment to both show that there professional
and to get the best possible outcome they can.
Skill required
The skill required to be a cameraman is not
only being comfortable around a camera and knowing both in depth and basic
definitions of relevant camera related terms but also being able use a advanced
set of cameras and experiment with different shot types, work closely with
other departments (sound and lighting) and being able to plan, layout and
rehearsing shots.
Comparison of the job roles
The directors contribution and responsibilities are far more important than those of a cameraman as not only does the director have a verity of jobs to be doing and overseeing the whole of the pre, post and production stage of the product but the directors role is hire up in the hierarchy chart which means the director has more on his head and even though his job will be more rewarding, the job itself is more difficult and challenging as there is a wide collection of jobs to be checking up on and managing. Compared to that of a cameraman whose only job is to film, take orders from the cinematographer and communicate back and forth with the lighting and sound crew about working together to make the project and product look and sound as professional as it possibly can.
Comparison of the job roles
The directors contribution and responsibilities are far more important than those of a cameraman as not only does the director have a verity of jobs to be doing and overseeing the whole of the pre, post and production stage of the product but the directors role is hire up in the hierarchy chart which means the director has more on his head and even though his job will be more rewarding, the job itself is more difficult and challenging as there is a wide collection of jobs to be checking up on and managing. Compared to that of a cameraman whose only job is to film, take orders from the cinematographer and communicate back and forth with the lighting and sound crew about working together to make the project and product look and sound as professional as it possibly can.
LO2 Understand the skills they will need to
carry out a chosen media production role
My suitability to be a film director
Throughout my life I've always had a keen passion in films, t.v and in the film industry in general. One of my dream jobs growing up as a child, was to be a actor in Hollywood blockbuster budget films. Since studying media and getting closer to film and t.v in general, through college and outside projects, I've come to realize that I would be happy to work in the film industry as a whole regardless of if I would be a actor or not. Throughout the process of me working on the different projects and tasks, I've come to the realization that I'm more comfortable in my role of being a director that any else, simply because I work best in a group and I progress better with help from a team of people. being given the role as director in several projects I've worked in, I found that I can communicate back and forth well with the group and oversee and help with pretty much every aspect of the pre-production, production and post-production, this is why I believe that I can work well in this role and why this is the path I would possibly like to take in the future..
Written Communication
Written Communication
Directors use a verity of materials when in the pre-production stage of the film project. This may include storyboards, treatments, scripting and shot plans, used to communicate with roles such as the cinematographer and the rest of the team. Throughout my projects and college course at UTC Sheffield, I have created several pieces of documentation deemed worthy of professional standard, primarily through my unit 46 work and urban expression project. Throughout the process of both the Urban Expression project and unit 46 creating a film trailer, I created most of the pre-production documentation for both projects, primarily unit 46, while also taking up the responsibility of director on these projects, this included making shot plans, story boards, health and safety regulations paperwork, actor release forms, gantt charts and recce sheets. These pre-production documentation helped with my role of being a director as I had a clear understanding of what I was doing and how the final project would fit together after all the planning side of the project was done. I believe from this experience that I will go on and have a better understanding of what needs to be done as director and that this will help me take up the role once again in the future.
Verbal Communication
Verbal Communication
In film making, the director has a huge responsibility to communicate with roles from all aspects of the film making process. This includes pre-production, production and post-production, as its the directors duty to oversee these roles and to make sure that the job is both done correctly to his or her standers and the cast and crew are following his/hers instructions to create directors creative vision.
When taking the role of director on my projects, I had the responsibility to make sure that my vision was created. This meant using verbal communication to communicate with all the specific roles on set from lighting to actors. I found myself communicating most with the camera operators and the actors as both required my full attention and creative vision at all times. I had to ensure that the actors knew there task and communication back and forth with the cinematographer gave me reinsurance that the camera operators knew what I wanted. From this experience Ive gained and learned alot, and my verbal communication skills from this task of directing have developed and increased as well as helped me succeeded. Ive always believed that my communication skills have been one of my best assets, especially in a team and i think that from this experience that it will continue to grow and develop.
Practical communication
When taking the role of director on my projects, I had the responsibility to make sure that my vision was created. This meant using verbal communication to communicate with all the specific roles on set from lighting to actors. I found myself communicating most with the camera operators and the actors as both required my full attention and creative vision at all times. I had to ensure that the actors knew there task and communication back and forth with the cinematographer gave me reinsurance that the camera operators knew what I wanted. From this experience Ive gained and learned alot, and my verbal communication skills from this task of directing have developed and increased as well as helped me succeeded. Ive always believed that my communication skills have been one of my best assets, especially in a team and i think that from this experience that it will continue to grow and develop.
Practical communication
While on set, the director has the responsibility to show and act out his or her vision in a practical way. This may include showing the camera operators what and where to film as well as giving specific instructions to the actors to play out a scene or a line the director wants done in a particular way. Because of this, when given the responsibility of the director in my projects, I tried to connect more towards both the actors and the camera operators than roles such as the lighting or sound as the roles of actor and camera operator are more demanding and require more guidance from the director. While on set I made sure I followed the camera operators around to make sure they had the correct shots and angles with my vision in mind as well as giving the cinematographer my person attention before shooting a scene to make sure he knew what was needed. I also worked with the actors and helped them with scenes and lines to make sure they knew how I needed them to preform. Even though I found this task more challenging than the rest, I still believe that I worked well with the team and did a good job making a contribution to how the film was shot and acted out.
Creativity
A director obviously has to be extremely creative when creating a film or working on a film project, this is because every aspect of the film from all the production stages to the job roles and the film itself is entirely created through his or her vision and is practically his or her creation.
Ive always considered myself a creative person and I usually tend to be the most creative in my team whenever starting a project, simply because I have lots of ideas especially when it comes to T.V and film. Most of the themes and general creation including the name of our unit 46 film trailer "In Static" was my idea. I try to contribute as much as I can to the team particularly creatively, I’ve given my own views and opinions in the post-production phase of every project I have worked on as well as giving my own ideas after being assigned a job role as thinking and being creative is one off my best assets and one of the main ways I contribute to my team and project.
Areas for further assessment
After exploring and experiencing just a small part of the film industry in directing, Ive realized that I have an inexperience of knowledge for directing and the film industry in general. This needs to be worked on as I know that there is still much more to learn and experience. Also I believe that I need to take in more inspiration from the group ideas and suggestions as I tent to be quite controlling when given the chance and not all my ideas end up working or being to the teams expectations. These are what I believe to be my "gaps". To overcome and improve these skills, Ive planned on possibly going to the university of Sheffield to study film production and to gain experience and knowledge in all areas of the film industry. This is all after staying at college for an extra year to also focus on film and t.v related projects like Unit 17 and unit 41 where ill be able to base units more around my preferred subject which at the moment in time is film. This will allow me to gain the knowledge and experience I want and need to make both be successful and make it in this industry.
My suitability to be a Camera operator
Before working on projects in and outside of college, I had no knowledge and experience of working as a camera operator, apart from taking and filming the odd picture and video on my phone while abroad on holiday. After working on several units in college and working on projects in my off time, I believe Ive gained some experience and knowledge of this particular job role of the film industry. From my experiences so far I believe Ive both excelled in this particular job role compared to others I have tried out and I have gained some skills to help me succeed in this job role, if I was to pursue this in the future.
Written communication
Camera operators don't use much written communication while working on set of a film, as most of the instructions and pieces of documentation they follow are created in the pre-production stage of a film, compared to the main production stage which the camera operators work in. Also the documentation itself is created by someone in a different job role with the directors creative vision in mind. Camera operators follow instructions from the cinematographer as well as storyboards and shot plans and use these as a main tool to get the best shot they possibly can. Being a camera operator I will work closely with and follow orders from the cinematographer as well as follow the instructions from the shot plans and storyboards to make sure I both have the perfect and correct shot but also because I know this is what the director wants and visualizes. From my experiences working as a camera operator, directions from the cinematographer, shot plans and storyboards helped me succeed in this task because from the pre-production documentation I knew what to do. I believe because of my experiences working as a camera operator, Ive learned more skills in this field of film and this will help me in the future if i were to take on this role again.
Verbal communication
Camera operators don't tend to use much verbal communication when filming a scene, working on set. camera operators do have to communicate with the cinematographer who gives direction to the camera operators as well as sometimes communicating back and forth with the lighting and sound crew, working together to get the best possible outcome they could. After experiencing being a camera operator on several projects Ive taken part in, I had to make sure I knew my responsibility by talking to the cinematographer and taking directions by him. I also made sure that other roles like lighting and the sound crew knew what was wanted by the director as the outcome would've been better if we were working as a team. I believe im good at communicating and taking this particular role helped me express this. Even though there is not much communicating in the role of a camera operator compared to roles such as director and the actors themselves, I believe I did well in this task and gaining more experience and knowledge in this area of film would help me progress further.
Practical communication
Camera operators are in charge of filming the visual side of the film itself, created through the directors vision. Without the camera and the knowledge of how the camera works, the camera operator couldn't do there job, also having previous experience of working in the film industry is key when it relates to the films success. Being a camera operator demands lots of knowledge of the film industry and how the industry works as well as the knowledge of the equipment there using which is vital to the success of the film. Camera operators take directions from the cinematographer who works closely with the director to see what specific shots he/she wants as a result of there vision of the film, the camera operators then do what is asked of them by the person direction of the cinematographer. In my projects when shooting a film, I always make sure I was following the right instructions given by the director and never by my own accord unless allowed, this way I gained some experience of being a professional camera operator by taking directions from the director. And I was allowed to show my creative side by doing what I believed to be positive towards the end result of the film. I also worked with the lighting and sound crew and filmed some initial draft footage to make sure that the picture looked as professional as it possibly could. As a result of this I believe Ive gained some vital information and experience and im happy to have been apart of the final product.
Creativity
Camera operators have the responsibility when on set to be very creative as not always throughout the entire process of the film may the director want his or her input into the look of the final product. As a result of this, the camera operator usually tend to film what they believe to be necessary towards the end product of the film, this may or may not end up being used but its the creative aspects that count. Also the camera operators have to match the creativity of the directors and turn there creation turn it into a reality by filming it on set. Also when filming a film or scene with a high amount of special effects or CGI, the camera operators may end up filming something that's not actually there or gets put into the film later on in the post-production stage of the film making process, this is why camera operators are extremely creative and with a mixture of there technical ability and creativeness, its a perfect match. Ive always been a creative person and with the role of a camera operator you don't get as much freedom as you would as a director. The role of a camera operator demands so much navigation and direction from the director itself that its hard to be creative but its still something im looking forward to learning about more in the future.
Areas for further assessment
Again I believe that my knowledge for the role of a camera operator and the film industry in general is still at a amateur level for me to succeed in this area as of yet. Also I think that my specific knowledge about cameras, how they work and what I can really accomplish with them isn't up to scratch yet for me to do well in this field of work, as well as the experience factor that im definitely slacking on to do well. These are what I believe to be my "gaps". But to over come these issues, I plan on researching more about cameras and the role of camera operator in film as well as studying the film industry more in general, in the following years. Because of my previous experiences of taking on the role of camera operator and liking the role, but knowing much about cameras and what is expected of a camera operator. I believe I will study camera operating more that other job roles in the film industry as i would like to learn and peruse this more in the future. As I've said before, I plan on going to The university of Sheffield to make this plan a reality. But this will obviously come after staying at college for an extra year to focus my time on film and T.V units such as unit 17 and unit 41.
Creativity
A director obviously has to be extremely creative when creating a film or working on a film project, this is because every aspect of the film from all the production stages to the job roles and the film itself is entirely created through his or her vision and is practically his or her creation.
Ive always considered myself a creative person and I usually tend to be the most creative in my team whenever starting a project, simply because I have lots of ideas especially when it comes to T.V and film. Most of the themes and general creation including the name of our unit 46 film trailer "In Static" was my idea. I try to contribute as much as I can to the team particularly creatively, I’ve given my own views and opinions in the post-production phase of every project I have worked on as well as giving my own ideas after being assigned a job role as thinking and being creative is one off my best assets and one of the main ways I contribute to my team and project.
Areas for further assessment
After exploring and experiencing just a small part of the film industry in directing, Ive realized that I have an inexperience of knowledge for directing and the film industry in general. This needs to be worked on as I know that there is still much more to learn and experience. Also I believe that I need to take in more inspiration from the group ideas and suggestions as I tent to be quite controlling when given the chance and not all my ideas end up working or being to the teams expectations. These are what I believe to be my "gaps". To overcome and improve these skills, Ive planned on possibly going to the university of Sheffield to study film production and to gain experience and knowledge in all areas of the film industry. This is all after staying at college for an extra year to also focus on film and t.v related projects like Unit 17 and unit 41 where ill be able to base units more around my preferred subject which at the moment in time is film. This will allow me to gain the knowledge and experience I want and need to make both be successful and make it in this industry.
My suitability to be a Camera operator
Before working on projects in and outside of college, I had no knowledge and experience of working as a camera operator, apart from taking and filming the odd picture and video on my phone while abroad on holiday. After working on several units in college and working on projects in my off time, I believe Ive gained some experience and knowledge of this particular job role of the film industry. From my experiences so far I believe Ive both excelled in this particular job role compared to others I have tried out and I have gained some skills to help me succeed in this job role, if I was to pursue this in the future.
Written communication
Camera operators don't use much written communication while working on set of a film, as most of the instructions and pieces of documentation they follow are created in the pre-production stage of a film, compared to the main production stage which the camera operators work in. Also the documentation itself is created by someone in a different job role with the directors creative vision in mind. Camera operators follow instructions from the cinematographer as well as storyboards and shot plans and use these as a main tool to get the best shot they possibly can. Being a camera operator I will work closely with and follow orders from the cinematographer as well as follow the instructions from the shot plans and storyboards to make sure I both have the perfect and correct shot but also because I know this is what the director wants and visualizes. From my experiences working as a camera operator, directions from the cinematographer, shot plans and storyboards helped me succeed in this task because from the pre-production documentation I knew what to do. I believe because of my experiences working as a camera operator, Ive learned more skills in this field of film and this will help me in the future if i were to take on this role again.
Verbal communication
Camera operators don't tend to use much verbal communication when filming a scene, working on set. camera operators do have to communicate with the cinematographer who gives direction to the camera operators as well as sometimes communicating back and forth with the lighting and sound crew, working together to get the best possible outcome they could. After experiencing being a camera operator on several projects Ive taken part in, I had to make sure I knew my responsibility by talking to the cinematographer and taking directions by him. I also made sure that other roles like lighting and the sound crew knew what was wanted by the director as the outcome would've been better if we were working as a team. I believe im good at communicating and taking this particular role helped me express this. Even though there is not much communicating in the role of a camera operator compared to roles such as director and the actors themselves, I believe I did well in this task and gaining more experience and knowledge in this area of film would help me progress further.
Practical communication
Camera operators are in charge of filming the visual side of the film itself, created through the directors vision. Without the camera and the knowledge of how the camera works, the camera operator couldn't do there job, also having previous experience of working in the film industry is key when it relates to the films success. Being a camera operator demands lots of knowledge of the film industry and how the industry works as well as the knowledge of the equipment there using which is vital to the success of the film. Camera operators take directions from the cinematographer who works closely with the director to see what specific shots he/she wants as a result of there vision of the film, the camera operators then do what is asked of them by the person direction of the cinematographer. In my projects when shooting a film, I always make sure I was following the right instructions given by the director and never by my own accord unless allowed, this way I gained some experience of being a professional camera operator by taking directions from the director. And I was allowed to show my creative side by doing what I believed to be positive towards the end result of the film. I also worked with the lighting and sound crew and filmed some initial draft footage to make sure that the picture looked as professional as it possibly could. As a result of this I believe Ive gained some vital information and experience and im happy to have been apart of the final product.
Creativity
Camera operators have the responsibility when on set to be very creative as not always throughout the entire process of the film may the director want his or her input into the look of the final product. As a result of this, the camera operator usually tend to film what they believe to be necessary towards the end product of the film, this may or may not end up being used but its the creative aspects that count. Also the camera operators have to match the creativity of the directors and turn there creation turn it into a reality by filming it on set. Also when filming a film or scene with a high amount of special effects or CGI, the camera operators may end up filming something that's not actually there or gets put into the film later on in the post-production stage of the film making process, this is why camera operators are extremely creative and with a mixture of there technical ability and creativeness, its a perfect match. Ive always been a creative person and with the role of a camera operator you don't get as much freedom as you would as a director. The role of a camera operator demands so much navigation and direction from the director itself that its hard to be creative but its still something im looking forward to learning about more in the future.
Areas for further assessment
Again I believe that my knowledge for the role of a camera operator and the film industry in general is still at a amateur level for me to succeed in this area as of yet. Also I think that my specific knowledge about cameras, how they work and what I can really accomplish with them isn't up to scratch yet for me to do well in this field of work, as well as the experience factor that im definitely slacking on to do well. These are what I believe to be my "gaps". But to over come these issues, I plan on researching more about cameras and the role of camera operator in film as well as studying the film industry more in general, in the following years. Because of my previous experiences of taking on the role of camera operator and liking the role, but knowing much about cameras and what is expected of a camera operator. I believe I will study camera operating more that other job roles in the film industry as i would like to learn and peruse this more in the future. As I've said before, I plan on going to The university of Sheffield to make this plan a reality. But this will obviously come after staying at college for an extra year to focus my time on film and T.V units such as unit 17 and unit 41.
LO3 Be able to carry out a specific production
role for a chosen media production
Last year, I was assigned the task of creating a film trailer as a part of my ongoing college course at the UTC. With this task I, as well as Jake Dungworth, Will Hewitt and Alex Raynes, worked as a group to start and finish this project. After the trailer's completion, the video would be pitched to local Sheffield based film company, Warp films, which they would watch and give us feed back on our project and how they thought we did as amateur media students. Because of this I was immediately hooked as im a big film fan and with this opportunity, was given the chance to not only work and gain experience in this particular field. But also I was able to gain true feedback from a successful professional film company, in charge of creating amazing films such as, Dead mans shoes and this is England.
When planning and originally creating and brainstorming, ideas for this project, I at the start was in charge or was given the task of making most of the pre-production documentation for this project. This included creating Gantt charts, Recce sheets, paperwork for the legal and ethical considerations as well as creating the Actor Release forms which were never used due to Will Hewitt e-mailing the actors instead. Before doing this project, I didn't know much about the film industry or how it worked, only being a fan of the films themselves. But due to me learning and slightly experiencing, film through my projects, the knowledge and skills I have gained through studying media at the UTC really helped me create and complete the pre-production documentation needed for this task.
When creating the narrative for the film trailer, the team all more or less had the same ideas which was good as we all knew what we was doing and there was little disagreements between the team. After weeks of planning and discussion we came up with the story of a schizophrenic, drug-addict who begins having strange, unusual blackouts that often result to him awaking next to a random body who he assumes he must have murdered. In the story this has happened several times, then he begins to suspect that someone is doing this to him purposely. I and the team was happy with the final result as the story went through several changes towards the beginning of the creative process, and im happy to have played a part of the final product.
As well as creating most of the documentation for the pre-production stage of the film
I was also given the main role of being Health and Safety manager which consisted of me both creating the Risk assessment documentation sheets and being responsible for any accidents that may have happened while on set. Because of the consequences i was faced if anyone was to get hurt.I did prier research and analyzed several locations we had planned on working at, before the production stage of our project. I also did altercations if the locations looked to be unstable or seemed to be in dangerous conditions. This led to me changing one of our locations to a better more friendlier location in that of a relative’s house that both made it safer and easier to come across as no owner’s permission was needed. I also changed one location in that of a derelict abandoned building close to college, that looked unfit and in no condition to film in, to a much safer location at college that worked just as well, if not better. This is where I believe that I went out of my way to ensure the safety of my team and fellow colleagues, as I didn't need to except the health and safety role in the first place and I didn't need to do extensive research.
Heres an example of the pre-production documentation that I created.
Carrying out the role of Director
When on the day of filming, I would make sure that my team mates and I knew what we were doing for that particular day. I as well as Will Hewitt would sort out the equipment being used, look and plan out our shots for that day by making and creating the draft shot plans and storyboards so we wouldn't get confused while on set. This also made it easier for the team as we knew exactly what we were doing and what we wanted to do at all times, especially if we were filming a scene in a location known by one of the team like Will's house, Alex's house or my grandparents flat as we knew the environment and surroundings so it was easier to plan out in the pre-production stage.
When filming, I would often follow the actors around making sure that they knew there lines, what they were doing and the way to preform there particular roles. I and the team thought it was best to try out new ideas and suggestions like different angles, scenes and lines by both the team mates and the actors themselves just to add and catch additional footage in preparation for the editing post-production stage of the film. This turned out to be vital towards the end product as some of our original scenes were changed for those in which we shot as additional ideas on set.
I believe I worked well as director in this role as I would both communicate well with the actors, give and take feedback from them and the team as well as work closely with the camera operators to make sure that the camera was in focus, the sound quality was good, the frame rate was in good condition and that the camera was turned on the right setting. And that we successfully did what we initially planned to do. As well as this, I was happy at how well the team worked together and gave ideas and made the filming process a success.
I and Will Hewitt organized the 8 locations that we used and filmed in for our project. Team mates houses, Sheffield Live, residential fields, abandoned buildings, sports bars and the UTC college itself were used as a part of our project and I believe from the end product that the decisions we made were key to the trailers success. I really enjoyed working as a director for the first time on this project. I think I did a good job and because of this and the success of the trailer, I'm happy to have been a part and contributed to the team and to the product we created. I hope that I get the opportunity like this again and im able to progress and grow to suit this job role more in the future as I plan on learning and studying more.
This is an example of me Directing, in the production stage of the film project
Carrying out the role of Camera operator
As well as taking part of director, I also played a part of camera operator for the film trailer project. The main tasks I would do as camera operator would be sorting out the equipment, film the scenes I were told to by the director and follow instructions by the director, the storyboards and the shot plans so that I knew what I was doing as well as knowing that i has the directors vision in mind at all times.
While on set for the first scene, the team waited for Wilson Davies and Luke Goddard to arrive. These were the two main actors in our trailer. we would set up the colleges equipment in preparation for there arrival. While waiting I would often take draft shots of the surroundings and imitate the scenes we would be shooting to both gain a good feel and understanding of the Canon DSLR 650Ds I would be using and working closely with but to also make sure that the location was a good choice and appropriate to what we wanted and expected.
We would often tend to take variations of the same shots and scenes to give us more of a verity of choice in the editing stage of the film. Also it would make it easier to edit as we could cut back and forth using shots from different angles. In the scene with the actors both walking up to and walking into the house were taken several times with several different shots including dutch angles, close ups, panning shots and tracing shots from both in front of the actors and behind.
I as well as Will Hewitt filmed most of the footage throughout the entire production process of the filming duration. during the filming at Sheffield Live, Will's house, the field scene, the abandoned building clips as well my grandparents house and the UTC basement scene, I filmed most of the footage. I'm especially proud of the Psycho Wilson scenes where he holds up the gun and punches the wall as I both filmed those scenes and thought of the idea of him doing that as well as much more ideas including the name of the trailer itself "In Static". Throughout the process of the film, I had little knowledge of using a camera and had some difficulty with the settings and the quality of the footage at times. After gaining more knowledge and experience of using a camera throughout the 8 days filming, im happy that I took part as a camera operator and contribute so much to the final product.
This is an example of the camera work that I filmed on set of In Static, UTC basement scene
Carrying out the role of Editor
As well as all these other roles I contributed to, I also did small amount of editing using Adobe Premier pro. I worked alongside one of my team mates Will Hewitt and after all the filming was finished and all the footage was taken, we set about cutting it down and putting it in order. To do this we arranged the clips and put them into bins to help with the sorting out possess. We followed the storyboards and shot plans and started organizing them appropriately to what it looked like on the documents and what we thought would look best. We also used transitions and effects to make the work look like a professional standard piece of work, and took alot of time doing this to maximize our chances of getting good feedback from Warp.
I decided whilst Will was away that I would start editing, and managed to create a small amount of the finished product before the whole team came to a conclusion that we would change our original idea. Even though I wasn’t 100% happy with the finished result and would have changed a few bits myself, I and the whole team was happy with Will work as the main editor and happy with the final product.
Throughout the process of the whole post-production stage of the film trailer. I helped Will with all the editing that he needed. I was assed for ideas by Will and the whole group as a team did contribute to the creative side of the final editing stage. after many discussions and many variations of the trailer in all different stages of the video. I believe that we got the best possible result that we could have with this project and I'm happy to have contributed towards the final product.
Overall Contribution
I believe through doing this project that I both learned alot and experienced alot that will help me out in future developments. From this project I have found that I really enjoy film and the industry in general and I plan on seeing this through and taking part in all film and t.v related projects that I possibly can. Since my experiences with this piece of work. I'm really happy with my contribution to this project as I can happily say that I tried to experience all that I could while I had the opportunity. I took on the 3 main roles of director, camera operator and editor as well as created most of the documentation for the initial stage of this project. I'm happy that Ive experienced roles in all pre- production, production and post-production throughout this task and due to the success of the trailer, I know that my contribution in all 3 areas was enough to see the trailer succeed. I feel that my skills that I barely had before doing this project have grown massively as well as my confidence. I believe that I made good decisions and that of what a professional director, camera operator and editor has to do to succeed. I think that my direction and the things that I did while in that role like, express my thoughts, communicate, getting involved and seeing the project through was professional of me. I also think that taking control of the camera and playing my part, staying dedicated to the shot plans, storyboards and the directors vision was key to the success of the trailer. And even though I didn't do much editing, im happy that I tried and contributed, even though my specific part of the editing process wasn't used. I think that my skills have improved massively throughout this project and has so my personal confidence, experience and knowledge of the business because of the success of the trailer and the extremely positive feedback the group received from Warp films. Because of the positivity I have gained from doing this project, I intend on researching this further and possibly studying this more in college and university.
