Production Diary

Week 1 - 19/02 - 25/02 

I have created some AI images to show what my FMP will look like and the mise-en-scene of my film. I asked AI to create an image of a man in a 80s style suit walking through a UK high street and I chose the best ones. I also asked AI to create a man with the same style of clothing on the beach with a gun. It gave me a colourful scene with a flashy and summery suit which is perfect for the 80s setting.

I also asked it to create a man hitting golf balls off of a person in a dark dingy room. This is my opening scene and it has given me a good photo to base my set off. These images have influenced how I will set up my scenes and pick my locations to ensure they match with the 80's theme.

I had also took some photos to show what my opening scene may look like whilst wearing a basic outfit to replicate the 80s. These pictures below show some low angle and birds-eye-view shots which I intend to use to show the power that the man in the hat has. These angles work great to show the audience the position of power these characters may have and the way they are controlling, or handling, the situation.

I started to work on what I would show in my 1 to 1 with Lee Skinner including a SWOTT analysis and a map of influences for my film. I identified some of my strengths and weaknesses and what opportunities I have during this project. The map of influences included my main influence, The Business (2005, Dir. Nick Love) and what it was influenced by. By identifying this films influences, I can see what I need to focus on to create a film accurate to the mise-en-scene of the 1980s.

Week 2 - 26/02 - 3/03 

I had my 1 to 1 with Lee discussing my FMP idea and SWOTT analysis. We teams called and I presented my work on my mood boards, map of influences and an original image showing what my production may look like. This would help me to explore my ambitions, areas for improvement and would act as a proposal for my FMP. Lee said that it was a good and clear proposal and he agreed that I could go ahead in making my film.

I went out to buy some 80s style costume from charity shops. Using my knowledge on 80's fashion through primary research, I was able to find some shirts and coats to use in my film. Costume is a main part of my film and is needed to achieve an accurate mise-en-scene of the 80's. I also found some outfits in my wardrobe and managed to fit it to the colour scheme of my film. The clothes are very bright and bold, showing the attitude of the 80's and the characters in my film.

Week 3 - 4/03 - 10/03 

Our college had an expo day in which we listened to a few talks with people from the industry. Personally, this helped me to think about how I would go about pre-production and the overall film making progress in my own FMP. It was very helpful to hear from people who actually work in the industry and showed me what programs or projects I could do to further myself in the business.

I took part in recording a test shoot for my classmate, Barnaby Hale for his Final Major project. I acted as a camera operator and filmed a scene that will be later shown to the class to test Barnaby's idea. In this scene, the characters brake "the fourth wall" to add more comedy to the scene. The test shoot was to see if it would be received well from an audience and if it would work within the film.

Week 4 - 11/03 - 17/03

On Monday, I brainstormed some ideas for my script with my Dad who is one of my actors. I discovered how I would make the story unfold and how to give the characters more depth. This helped me to produce a backstory for my main characters and showed me how they would act in certain situations. This also helps the actors to enter the role of the character if they can understand the character's morals, thoughts and feelings.

Our class took part in creating a clay bust of the character Glen Quagmire from "Family Guy."

We learnt that when pitching a movie, they might ask for a model for a character in your film to better show how you envision your characters. This is helpful to know since in the future when we may be pitching our films to big companies, they may ask for some models to better understand your vision and how your film will look in the end. Next week we will be creating a bust of our choice and then eventually creating a miniature figure of a character of our choice, original or not.

I messaged actor Danny Dyer on Instagram to gain some primary research. He played the lead role in my main influence "The Business (2005)" by Nick Love so I sent him a message asking about his experience on set and if he had any tips for my project. I am hopeful that he responds to my message and that I can gain some more information for my research, I will also try to message director, Nick Love to try and gain some tips for my project and some of the things that happened on set from the perspective of the director. When my film is complete, I will send the finished video to other actors from the Business to gain their feedback and thoughts.

I sent out a survey to obtain primary research for my pitch. Some of my classmates responded which helped me to refine my idea and improve my project. I discovered that a small percentage of the class didn't watch 80's films or listen to 80's music, so I will have to make the 80's aspect very obvious and direct to ensure the 80's feel is correctly portrayed. I also intend to conduct a focus group where a draft of my script can be read and also refined.

Week 5 - 18/03 - 24/03

Our class had a rehearsal pitch on Monday. Overall, my pitch was not fully complete and could be improved. The research was there but could be more in depth and relevant to my film. I had focused more on research rather than planning and I still needed to complete some planning documents such as the shot list.

This week, we created another clay bust but this time, we got to choose what character that we would create. I chose to make the character "Leather face" by starting with a featureless head and shoulders and adding a mask. I then added hair, an apron and a tie to finish the bust. I also added a severed finger in the style of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We will be painting them next week to finish our busts completely. These busts give us experience in creating models which can be used to further pitch our films.

I had participated in a script reading for Luke Ashwood's film in which I am a part of. We ran

through the whole script and analysed the techniques and dialogue in Luke's script. At the end, Luke collected feedback from us and any improvements that he could make. The main opinion was that it had a good storyline which could be easily followed by an audience and effective dialogue for a crime film set in London. Overall, this helped him towards his primary research and making his film the best it can be.

I also took part in filming test shoots for Barnaby Hale and Lewis Baker. This will be a good representation of how their film will look and feel, including their chosen camera techniques and overall production style. Their scripts and shot lists we're still in development and these test shoots helped them to improve their scripts and shot lists to achieve the correct emotions and symbolism. I will be completing my own test shoot on Sunday with the help of Luke Ashwood to assist my production and final pitch.

On Sunday, I recorded and edited my own test shoot for my FMP. I decided to do the opening scene of of film for my test shoot. This included the character "Geoff" being interrogated and

severely beat by the big boss "Charlie." This will help me in creation of a full shot list and storyboard when I shoot the final film. I also edited the whole test shoot together on the same day as we have the final pitch soon.

During this shoot, I also started to think about the different 80s themed props and background items I can incorporate into my final edit. When I present this to the class during my presentation, I will ask for feedback from my peers and apply this to my final edit. This information will help me to learn my audience and help to improve my shot list for the final recording of my FMP. Whilst filming, I discovered right away that some lines needed to be changed ,such as the burger scene, to make it more realistic and for it to flow better. I also found that some of the camera angles and positions would have to be changed to fit the real filming location as it will be much more open and have more walking space available for the characters. Overall, I think my test shoot was successful and is a good representation of what is to come for my film.

I also participated in Luke's test shoot for his FMP we filmed his FMP's opening scene and he will

present this during his final pitch. He plans for me and Riley to be the main characters in his film and play the same role as we did in this test shoot. During this test shoot, Luke assessed the different camera angles he had chosen to see if they will work in the final film. He will be showing this test shoot when he does his presentation and will receive feedback from the audience. He discovered that the car park that he intended on filming in becomes very busy and is always filled with cars which may not be suitable for his final edit.

Week 6 - 25/03 - 31/03

We had our final pitch where I had the chance to show my research into the 80s and crime and also present my test shoot. The overall feeling about the test shoot was that it is very intense and the script was well written. One piece of criticism that I received was that the cuts are very quick between shots but I thought that this could work in my favour to build tension and keep the scene fast pace. I conducted a lot of research, both secondary and primary, into the UK in the 1980s and this was well received within my presentation. The audience could see that I had put a lot of effort into my research but overall my presentation was quite slow due to me reading every word of slides instead of paraphrasing and using my bullet points. This is something I will work on for my next pitch to ensure the audience does not lose interest and become bored.

I have discovered a music producer on Instagram called "Sunglasses Kid." He creates instrumental songs reminiscent of 80s movies and shows such as Miami Vice and Lethal Weapon. After doing some research into his music, I discovered a song called "Red Shoes." This was one of my favourites that I heard as I felt it could fit in well in my film for background, non-diegetic music.

My classmate, Jes Villanueva, created a test shoot in which I helped by filming. We filmed a fight scene from his film which he had carefully choreographed and designed. I acted as a camera man and filmed the fast paced and aggressive shots to present the fight scene as fast paced and

violent. I got to improvise some scenes which made the fight feel more natural and spontaneous to an audience. Overall, the scene turned out good and Jes learnt what to improve in his chorography during the edit.

Week 7 - 01/04 - 07/04

Easter Holidays

Week 8 08/04 - 14/04

Easter Holidays

Week 9 15/04 - 21/04

As my film is set in the 1980s, current money would not be suitable to use in the film. Therefore I had to print out and accurately cut sheets of old money to achieve the 80s look. I cut the sheets of money in college and trimmed them down and perfected them to the best of my ability whilst at home. This was included in my research and I worked hard to make the little aspects like this, time accurate and realistic to add to the mise-en-scene and further solidify the theme of the 80s.

I conducted a location recce on Thorngate Halls in Gosport. Inside of the many rooms and corridors of this building are very dated and reminiscent of UK past. I feel that this area is perfect for my main antagonists offices and shows a great mise-en-scene where I can add my own props, pictures and 80s things. The Thorngate Halls have been standing in Gosport since the 1940s and was turned into a recreational building in the late 60s. The halls have received little refurbishment or updates since then and therefore would be great as the offices of Charlie, who's carer peaked in the 60s and early 70s.

I acted as the camera operator for Jes' test shoot in a forest fight scene. Jes used this test shoot to improve his chorography and see if his shot types would work for that scene. I was able to improvise some camera angles and movements for this shoot and contributed to improving some of the chorography in these scenes. This test shoot was not as effective as the last one but it did positively effect Jes' planning and helped him to improve his production documents such as his shot list and chorography.

I joined Barnaby Hale in a script reading of his FMP. We discussed the different aspects of the comedy and scriptwriting. During this script reading, we assessed what jokes worked and what ones didn't to ultimately improve his script and help him to see what audience feedback he would receive after showing his film. Overall, his script was very funny and recieved laughs from us as it was being read. Barnaby managed to identify which jokes did not land as they should and took this knowledge with him to adapt his script for the final edit.

I have drawn up a floor plan and concept art for where I am filming in Thorngate Halls. This will help me to set up the room when I begin filming and I can determine what props and layouts look better in the film. I have tried to design a desk where all of the props and items will accurately reflect Charlie's character and who he is by showing what he keeps on his desk. With the floor plan, I tried to give enough space for characters to move around and for the camera equipment to fit in and achieve the correct angles and shots. In the event of a room change, the two drawings can still be followed and the same room layout will be shown in the final edit.

Week 10 22/04 - 28/04

I have started filming for my FMP. Luke Ashwood, Stewart Power, Graeme Hardy and I went to built up garages to film my opening scene. This scene was only two shots so I needed to get this bit done and out of the way. This filming day has boosted my motivation and helped me to mitigate any challenges for later filming dates. This was the first time I had got all of my actors in costume and I saw that my selected outfits worked very well for the mise-en-scene of the 1980s. This is the very first scene of the film so it needs to catch the audience's attention and I believe the action in this first scene sets the mood of the film and lets the audience know what there in for right off the bat.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I helped to film Luke's film at The Eagle pub. He had gotten permission from the landlady to film in there in the morning and we managed to complete all the scenes needed in the pub. Luke's film is set in London and this pub is very reminiscent of that "Olde London" pub feel. The mise-en-scene in this location was perfect for Luke's film and we had access to all part of the pub including behind the bar and Luke utilised this by using the whole space in his shots.

On Sunday, I got all my actors together to film all the scenes taking place in Thorngate Halls. We spent 8 hours filming from 11:00pm to 7:00pm and managed to get all the scenes in the office done. When we got there, I discovered that we would have to switch rooms from the Georgian room due to it being used. This new room was a perfect size and colour scheme, one bad thing is that there was a loud echo in this room which I did not account for as I expect to film in the other room. This would be an issue when editing the audio but it also may have symbolism that Charlie and Goon have loud booming voices and over power Geoff and Danny. I was also able to utilise practical effects during my time filming and had my makeup artist apply fake blood and bruising to Luke's face after he is beat with the golf club; We made sure not to make the bruises too dark as in the shot they are very fresh and would appear as dark bruises or black eyes that early on. I will spend next week editing these clips together ready for my final product.

Week 11 29/04 - 05/05

I attempted to film one of the scenes in my film. The weather was pretty cold and it had started to rain, which contrasts the summer setting of my film, so eventually we packed up early and abandoned filming. My film is set in the summer so the grey clouds and rain would not have worked for this scene. There is also some building work being done which could cut off the whole area soon, however, the location that I chose worked very well for an 80s mise-en-scene. The old Chinese takeaway behind us with the built up, industrial brick walls and surroundings portrays the "tired, old, working class town" so it will be effective when the weather gets better. I have decided to use these clips as a test shoot and show it to my peers.

I took part in filming a training video for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. The lead of the RASSO (Rape and Serious Sexual Offenses) department came in and was leading the training video on how to conduct valid and proper documentation for other Officers working in this department. This was a very exiting task as the video we were shooting was very important and serious and will help police officers in our area to stop serious sexual crimes. This experience can be added to my CV and work experience to show how I can take part in creating fictional films and also take part in serious projects for a client.

On Sunday, I acted in another scene for Luke Ashwood's film. We filmed in a car park and acted out Luke's character being punched in the face. This scene is the start of the climax of the film and will kick start the story. Luke decided to film late in the afternoon on a Sunday to make sure the car park was fully empty and no cars would put a holt on production. Luke had changed the location of the car park for the actual filming for a bigger, more quiet one to ensure filming would not be interrupted and to give the effect of a quiet drug deal with no one around to view it. Overall, this scene went well and the change of car park location worked in Luke's favour as he discovered an alleyway behind it that was reminiscent of a London street alley that a suspicious character would be walking down.

Week 12 06/05 - 12/05

I had filmed the precinct scene this week and decided to change locations as the building works had covered the whole of the precinct by now. It was a very sunny and hot day today so it was perfect for the theme of my film, and we managed to shoot the whole scene in this one day. The new location allowed for less pedestrians being in the way and no reflective surfaces like the precinct, which had windows all around. One problem with this location was that it was right next to a main road and there were cars going past at all times. The audio ended up being a problem but also shows the hustle and bustle of the town. I also worked on some of the editing the same day.

I helped to film for Dan Wilkes and his rendition of "My Strange Addiction." Barnaby Hale acted as a man addicted to drinking urine. I was a camera operator and acted as Barnaby's foreign friend. As a member of crew, I helped to set up set and filmed an improvised close up. The film was set in a TV studio so naturally we used the media studio in college to film. We utilised aspects of a real TV studio with three point lighting and a proper audio set up. The script was mostly improvised by Barnaby with the base story being he likes to drink pee. It ended up being a surreal and hilarious scene and worked very well. One thing that could have been better is if there was a full shot list to refer to as I think that some of the jokes could have been elevated with the use of different camera angles.

Jes Villanueva, Luke Ashwood and I filmed a scene in which Jes and Luke have a fight. I was the camera operator and followed a shot list written by Jes. I also had the opportunity to improvise my camera work for a fight scene and use techniques chosen by me. We filmed on a cycle track which had a lot of cyclists and dog walkers interrupting the scene but eventually, we filmed the whole fight and pre-fight scenes. The choreograph was very good and had been elevated by Jes' test shoots earlier in the month, which helped him refine his chorography. One thing that could have been improved was the audio quality as we filmed beside a main road which had constant cars going by.

I filmed a scene for my film which introduces the main character, Danny, to the audience. Luke Ashwood acted as camera operator. We started by filming the scene with a huge building and old broken air conditioning units to show the town is impoverished and has bad standard of living. This helped to convey a feeling of loneliness and feeling of being small with the huge building over shadowing the main character.

We then turned everything around to try a different shot, this shot included a clear blue sky and huge flat towers. It was contrasted by darker, shrouded brick walls closer to the camera and more dull colours around the character. We still managed to achieve the feeling of the buildings over shadowing Danny but this time from further away and the building is more colourful showing that Danny's future may be bright.

I decided to use the second clip after conducting a small focus group which considered what clip

would work best in my film. They agreed that this clip looked more cinematic and portrayed the symbolism better. Something that went well was the use of leading lines bringing the audience's eyes in many different ways, showing that Danny is in a confusing period of his life and needs to straighten himself out.

Week 13 13/05 - 19/05

 We had to do a bit of voice acting for Jes' film. Some loud and jarring could be heard in Jes' film and those voices are me, Luke and Barnaby ranting for inaudible background speech. This audio will be heard when Jes' main character first takes the drug to show how it affects his mind and mentality. Something that went well was that it was multiple voices and they were all inaudible which shoes the state of characters mind and that he is facing his own personal demons. Much like drug users in real life.

My film features a voice-over at the beginning which I recorded using a podcast mic. This part in my film introduces the character as someone with a average, struggling life in a UK town. It establishes the location of the film and kickstarts the story. I tried to sound as down and depressed as possible when recording these lines to portray how Danny is feeling in that moment. The line shows the audience that he has nothing else to live for and needs a fresh start in life. Something that went well during this was the use of the podcast mic, the sound is very high quality and sounds very crisp during editing and whilst watching the clip back.

I have been doing research into soundtracks from 80s films. Specifically, "The Firm" (2009, Dir. Nick Love) and "The Business" (2005) with the same director. The Firm is set in the 80s like The Business and its soundtrack includes many British hits. I have used these soundtracks to influence my own soundtrack and further increase my knowledge on 80s music in the UK. I discovered that films set in this time, use a lot of electric and funky songs for its soundtrack and this type of music adds to the mise-en-scene of these films. I learned that the most popular genres of music in the 80's UK was new-wave and synth pop which I worked on adding to my soundtrack where relevant.

Me, Luke and Riley Wagstaff filmed some scenes for Luke's film. This bit was driving away in the car to meet a potential buyer for some drugs. It is also a comedic scene as Riley drives in a Fiat 500. This would be the beginning the film and it introduces mine and Riley's friendship in the film. The scene includes a clever montage of my character making tea for Riley, showing our bond. Something that went well during this filming session was the comedic factors which landed very well on day. Something that could have been improved was more L and J cuts to keep the conversation flowing.

I filmed a scene with Luke and Jes for my film today. This scene includes a drug deal in a dodgy and dirty alleyway. I chose this alleyway for its yellow dingy floodlights and lights imbedded in the floor. This scene includes Luke's character getting angry and spiteful towards my character so these contrasting colours including yellow and green reflect the emotions felt in the scene. The red spotlights also symbolises the anger felt from Luke's character and the tension from the scene. Something that went well was the camera angles that I had chosen for the scene as they really brought emotion and gave a sense of haphazardness within the characters.

I filmed a scene introducing the character of John inside Katies Vinyl Bar. I used the kitchen to film a drug swapping scene, this gave the effect of a money laundering company that this character is working for. The shiny workspace tops and various kitchen utensils set the mise-en-scene very well and symbolised a clean place where drugs get cut up or money gets counted. I also filmed a small scene for a montage with Luke and Jes, we filmed in a dark alleyway to achieve that shady drug deal feeling. The lighting was very good in this scene as it symbolises a dark and dangerous atmosphere as Danny is dealing the drugs.

I helped to film another fight scene for Jes' film. It was a rainy day and in this scene, Jes' character is teleporting around a sun dial whilst fighting the antagonist. I was given the shot list and filmed the shots, I was also able to improvise some shot types during filming to add more flow and realism. The rain was not planned for but added to scene as this is the climax to the film. It is emotional and violent which makes the rain a great use of pathetic fallacy. One thing that went well was the use of cutting on action to help the fight scenes flow better and appear more natural to the audience.

This week, I composed a small piano bass sound effect to build tension in my final scene. This will be used in the scene where Charlie discovers that Geoff had the cocaine in his car and builds up for the climax of Geoff's death. The dissonant sounds of the piano puts the audience on edge and makes them uncomfortable which foreshadows the following events. I utilised dissonant chords when composing this short sound effect, these types of chords make people on edge and nervous. This is scientifically proven and will hopefully work well within the scene to make the audience feel that way.

Week 14 20/05 - 26/05

I am in the final stages of editing ready for the final screening. I have 2 more small scenes to shoot and my film will be completed at a run time of around 15 minutes. So far, I am happy with the way my film has turned out and I believe that my extensive research into the 80's decade and crime genre helped me to produce a film with a time accurate mise-en-scene and interesting to watch. I think that I could add some L and J cuts during the conversation scenes to make them flow better and sound more realistic.

I have filmed one of the scenes that I needed to film. This scene was Danny staring at static on a TV to symbolise how his mind is scrambled in this moment. The use of the dark room and the contrast of the bright TV screen worked well in conveying this emotion and will be effective in the film. In the scene, the only thing fully illuminated is Danny's face showing how he is surrounded by darkness and doesn't know what to do, moving forward.

I filmed the last scene for my film where Danny looks down at his dwindling money supply. This builds the scene up for when Danny gets greedy and takes all the cocaine to sell. It shows the ties that money has on Danny and how he will betray his best friend if it means he can stay rich. This scene is silent showing that his mind is fully focused on nothing but the money and how he is obsessed with the money.

The final screening was today and my audience wrote some feedback for me and to put into my final evaluation to reflect on my FMP. I saw that the main criticism was about the audio quality is some scenes. I expected this from the audience but other than that, the overall feeling was that it was good and kept the audience interested. My film received applause at the end and I feel as though it was a success. One thing that was out of my control was the audio levels in the theatre which were a bit loud at times but this was down to the speakers inside. Overall, I have enjoyed this project and the challenges that have come with it. I look forward to my next projects and to further increase my skills.