We have little time to get all the permits that we need, from permission from the council to film in the street, to written agreement from the pub; fortunately the Student Union bar is a little more media-savvy...
We only have five days until filming is due to begin and we're getting into what Alec Ferguson calls 'Squeaky Bum Time.' Our group has to have all the paperwork in order to be allowed to start filming, and we have very little margin for error.
As producer, responsibility for procuring the paperwork lies with me. Yesterday I learned that some of the salient details had fallen off the application form that I had sent to the Bath Film Office. Without their permission in the form of a permit, we can't film in the city's streets.
Fortunately, they were agreeable to issuing permission, pending us providing them with a risk assessment. They wanted evidence that we had thought about the perils inherent in filming on location.
Meanwhile, I'm still chasing The Raven for their formal agreement; having been taken around the pub by their team, there's no doubting their commitment. But their priority is running a pub, not filling in release forms for a university film crew -- but I shall nag them.
Fortunately, the Student's Union bar is proving more amenable, but they have experience of these events, so filling in permission forms is second nature.
I've left Megan and Julia to get permission from the University, but if the get any problems, I'll help them out.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Last Year's Model
This is what you can do at our level...
As recommended by Megan, here's one of last year's films.
I particularly like the use of music, which really fits well -something that's really hard to do at student level, and the nightmarish way that the perspective keeps shifting; just who is the voyeur? Is it the Claudia? Stuart? The silhouetted man? Or is it each of us that watches it?
If the film has a weakness, it's that the sound on the crucial dialogue is of very poor quality, and that that whole section, when Claudia breaches the fourth wall, is completely out of the blue. They've clearly not heard of foreshadowing -- that, or they felt that it wasn't needed.
And on a lighter note, I recognized that archway through which Stuart ran...we were filming there ourselves ten days ago!
As recommended by Megan, here's one of last year's films.
I particularly like the use of music, which really fits well -something that's really hard to do at student level, and the nightmarish way that the perspective keeps shifting; just who is the voyeur? Is it the Claudia? Stuart? The silhouetted man? Or is it each of us that watches it?
If the film has a weakness, it's that the sound on the crucial dialogue is of very poor quality, and that that whole section, when Claudia breaches the fourth wall, is completely out of the blue. They've clearly not heard of foreshadowing -- that, or they felt that it wasn't needed.
And on a lighter note, I recognized that archway through which Stuart ran...we were filming there ourselves ten days ago!
Friday, 12 November 2010
Perfect
A short film featuring the Mighty Marc Warren....
You know how it is when you see that gorgeous girl (or guy)? How envious you feel --even if it's quickly squashed-- of their partner?
Here's Perfect, the ahem, perfect antidote to any such feelings. Because that perfect (wo)man might not be quite so...
You know how it is when you see that gorgeous girl (or guy)? How envious you feel --even if it's quickly squashed-- of their partner?
Here's Perfect, the ahem, perfect antidote to any such feelings. Because that perfect (wo)man might not be quite so...
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Late Submission
Forms and deadlines wait for no man...
Even allowing for my certainty that we had very little time until shooting was due to begin, I've still been on the hop by that oldest of problems -- illness.
With two weeks to go, I should have had the forms asking Bath Spa Council for permission to film in by last Friday; by that time I had already gone down with a viral infection, so I rang the Film Unit in Bath and was reassured that the form didn't need to be in a full two weeks before, that Monday would be acceptable.
The problem was that I wanted to get the others to look the form over first to see if I'd missed anything, or got it wrong, but the virus delayed my getting it out to them until Monday, so it was late Tuesday before I got the form in -- effectively first thing Wednesday.
I can only hope that they'll cut us some slack. Without that bloody permission, we can't film at all. We'll just have to see.
Even allowing for my certainty that we had very little time until shooting was due to begin, I've still been on the hop by that oldest of problems -- illness.
With two weeks to go, I should have had the forms asking Bath Spa Council for permission to film in by last Friday; by that time I had already gone down with a viral infection, so I rang the Film Unit in Bath and was reassured that the form didn't need to be in a full two weeks before, that Monday would be acceptable.
The problem was that I wanted to get the others to look the form over first to see if I'd missed anything, or got it wrong, but the virus delayed my getting it out to them until Monday, so it was late Tuesday before I got the form in -- effectively first thing Wednesday.
I can only hope that they'll cut us some slack. Without that bloody permission, we can't film at all. We'll just have to see.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Location, Location, And Once Again...
A good afternoon in all, with a couple of nice surprises thrown in...
We all met at the Hobgoblin in Bath this afternoon at 1pm -- the first time all six of us have made a meeting at the same time. Darren (the landlord) was as helpful and supportive as ever, but we had arranged to look at The Raven so we trooped off there.
Initial signs weren't good -- the bar staff were busy and to be honest we felt a little like interlopers, even when some of us ordered food and drinks. However, when Rod took us all down to the cellar, we noted much more enthusiasm -- even to the extent of his making suggestions.
Out of that came the news that the pub has cctv -- if we can splice that feed into the edit, then we get a win on the editing. And he has an office which he's agreed that we can use.
So we're happy -- we've solved two of our three outstanding location issues.
We all met at the Hobgoblin in Bath this afternoon at 1pm -- the first time all six of us have made a meeting at the same time. Darren (the landlord) was as helpful and supportive as ever, but we had arranged to look at The Raven so we trooped off there.
Initial signs weren't good -- the bar staff were busy and to be honest we felt a little like interlopers, even when some of us ordered food and drinks. However, when Rod took us all down to the cellar, we noted much more enthusiasm -- even to the extent of his making suggestions.
Out of that came the news that the pub has cctv -- if we can splice that feed into the edit, then we get a win on the editing. And he has an office which he's agreed that we can use.
So we're happy -- we've solved two of our three outstanding location issues.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
The Turning Point
In which things change, decidedly for the better...
I mentioned that something very good happened on Monday.
We managed to nail down the script to the point at which it was possible to start storyboarding it, and at that point Julia, Baylea and Jaeeun have stepped up to the plate. As Julia is directing, this makes a lot of sense, and was a welcome respite at a time when I was in serious danger of being overwhelmed by work of one sort or another.
It's a similar situation to the Murder Mystery Evening last year, when Mark similarly took over, and I think it's a very healthy sign. If we can overcome the technical constraints, we should have a pretty good chance of finishing the project.
I mentioned that something very good happened on Monday.
We managed to nail down the script to the point at which it was possible to start storyboarding it, and at that point Julia, Baylea and Jaeeun have stepped up to the plate. As Julia is directing, this makes a lot of sense, and was a welcome respite at a time when I was in serious danger of being overwhelmed by work of one sort or another.
It's a similar situation to the Murder Mystery Evening last year, when Mark similarly took over, and I think it's a very healthy sign. If we can overcome the technical constraints, we should have a pretty good chance of finishing the project.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Move Over, Brad Pitt
A New Star Is Born...
(The main title was ironic, by the way -- as you'll see below...)
I didn't manage to blog yesterday, despite putting in a marathon 12 1/4 hour stint, that finally ended at 8.30 last night. Today won't be quite so long - at least, I hope it won't.
All things considered though, it was a great day.
On the downside, I made my screen debut in a filmed version of The Eager Student. I may have overdone the tired and washed out bit, so that it might have to be retitled The Knackered Old Student. :)
It was genuinely weird, seeing myself as others do. I have a mole on my neck just below my right ear, but I'm used to seeing it below my left. Odd little things like that make everything look a little surreal.
It was slightly unpleasant, if I'm honest. I have fairly low self-esteem which I manage to hide most of the time; maybe if I was used to it, had glammed up, etc, it wouldn't have been so bad...but hey. It's all about the experience.
What I found hardest was not looking at the camera, and having to try and do everything the same from take to take. It's much harder than it looks.
And the upside about yesterday?
Oh no, you don't get all that in one day. I'll post about that tomorrow...
(The main title was ironic, by the way -- as you'll see below...)
I didn't manage to blog yesterday, despite putting in a marathon 12 1/4 hour stint, that finally ended at 8.30 last night. Today won't be quite so long - at least, I hope it won't.
All things considered though, it was a great day.
On the downside, I made my screen debut in a filmed version of The Eager Student. I may have overdone the tired and washed out bit, so that it might have to be retitled The Knackered Old Student. :)
It was genuinely weird, seeing myself as others do. I have a mole on my neck just below my right ear, but I'm used to seeing it below my left. Odd little things like that make everything look a little surreal.
It was slightly unpleasant, if I'm honest. I have fairly low self-esteem which I manage to hide most of the time; maybe if I was used to it, had glammed up, etc, it wouldn't have been so bad...but hey. It's all about the experience.
What I found hardest was not looking at the camera, and having to try and do everything the same from take to take. It's much harder than it looks.
And the upside about yesterday?
Oh no, you don't get all that in one day. I'll post about that tomorrow...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)