Trying to be productive is trying

Well the neglecting of my Blog has started in earnest it would seem, time to make amends me thinks - So what have I been up to; Well the short hand version is as follows:

1) Filming - Not a Spielberg on this occasion - I was asked to shoot footage of my step dads male voice choir… An entertaining evening it has to be said. Oh I was also asked to shoot 10 seconds of footage for work - not the most taxing of shoots.
2) Editing - The above (Its now on youtube for those that enjoy watching groups of men. (The lowest possible MPEG quality has been used here so please don’t write to me and complaint)
3) Preparing a shot list / shooting sequence for the new short film that im working on.
4) Consuming alcohol at my Brothers 30th party- Happy Birthday Bro
5) Working - The day job pays the bills im afraid.

So as ive made a semi conscious decision to make this blog more about my exploits as a wannabe film maker I will concentrate on numbers1, 2 and 3 in my short hand list of things that I have been up to.

Shooting the choir was fun - but more importantly it was educational, I don’t get as much opportunity as I would like to get my camera out and get some experience so any event like this is more than welcome. So what did I learn; well first of all I learned that filming Live events isn't easy (who knew). The biggest problem is only having one take to get it right. The second biggest problem is ME… I cant help but fiddle and tweak until I get things just the way I want them. This is fine when you are shooting a film but is completely counter productive when filming a live event. I need to learn to get my set up right and then leave it alone.

I also learned the importance of using the right equipment - I was shooting the footage from a Tripod designed for a normal SLR camera. The tripod its self wasn’t of poor quality, it just wasn’t designed to be used with a heavy video camera. As a result any minor adjustments I made to the shot look like someone has driven a car into the side of the camera… The lesson of using the right equipment was later rammed home when I started chopping up the footage. The editing suit im using at the moment isn't bad if you want to edit your home movies or maybe make a youtube video but its no good if you are trying to produce something remotely professional - as a result im now on the prowl for a new editing suite. (oh and a new capture card - mine cost £6 and is not exactly top of the range)

Shot lists - well Ive faffed around with this for 2 weeks but ive finally finished putting together the shot list for the new film. In case you don’t know a shot list is basically exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a list of all the shots that you need to get in order to have a finished movie. And should look something like this:

1 - ECU (Extreme Close Up) Slight high angle - boy sits alone on the grass
2 - WS (wide Shot) Long Lens - Camera Tracks from right to left - boy moves out of frame - aliens move in from left.
3 - MCU (Medium Close Up) - The head alien is stood behind the boy, phaser gun in hand.
4 - ECU - on boy - The phaser can be seen in soft focus behind the boys head.

You get the idea… (In case you are wondering the shots listed above are not from the film im working on - thankfully)

It sounds like an easy enough task but there are a few things to keep in mind when you create a shot list:

Firstly you need to get coverage - in other words you need to get the right footage adn enough ot it... there is nothing worse than getting to the editing suite and wishing you had got an extreme close up on the bad guy just as he gets shot.

Secondly you need to think about how you want to tell the story - shot choice can be critical in conveying the right mood.. Stanley Kubrick was a genius when it came to choosing his shots - just think of The Shining (need I say more).

Next you need to think of the set up - Its always good to write a dream shot list that includes an awesome crane shot or a sweeping shot of the car taken from a helicopter - but when you have a budget of £0.00 you need to be sensible and think of the best way to tell your story with what you have available to you - that’s not to say you should abandon all hopes of getting that chopper shot but you might want to think of other ways of getting it - ultimately you need to be able to tell your story without breaking the bank and without annoying your producer, cast and crew.

A good shot list should tell you everything you need to know about the shot and what you are trying to achieve.
A good director should be able to forget about his precious shot list when the producer, first AD or the tea boy has had a better idea.

So my next task is storyboarding the film… Ive never really produced a good set of storyboards before but im keen to get it right and give the producer something tangible to work with when trying to secure actors / money / cars / costumes / breathalyzers (don’t ask)!

Like I say ive never really produced a good set of storyboards before so wish me luck and watch this space...