This is going to be a little informal and just go through how I felt this whole process went for me. Im going to alk about it in the different sections of the production and where I felt I could have improved or felt like I excelled.
Initial Idea:
My initial idea was something totally different to what I have produced, it was going to be an instillation about image, and the beauty industry but this idea got thrown out because i realised that I couldn’t pull it off and started to realise that it wasn’t even something i was interested in but would look technically good on a show reel. I think that if it wasn’t for Kate Bentley I would still be struggling with this project and would have handed in something that had the that will do attitude which is something that I really didn’t want for my final major project. So I decided to develop a script that I had been working on with a friend as a kind of joke and something to look back. Clifton was a massive help in the early days of the production and I got a little obsessed with sending him drafts and wanting tutorials to talk them other to be honest I couldn’t think of an ending for the piece an Clifton helped me write it.
Pre-Production:
The pre production was something i thought was going to be a breeze, I had a script partly written and Clifton was helping me finish it I thought producing a film would be easy. First thing I did was ask people to help me produce, I would be the first to say that my organisational skills are lacking so I asked Nick Henley-Smith because I live with him and he handles all the bills and stuff in the house so I knew he would be good. but things didn’t really get going I felt bad asking him to do stuff for me that wouldn’t be his project so I asked Kate Bentley who I have a good relationship with and I know she would put her all into helping me she was the one who told me to do it! At first she acted as a motivator making me set deadlines to have things done by. I spent a lot of time in the library in the early weeks signing up to casting websites and keeping up with the blog. This stage in the process is the hardest to set yourself realistic deadlines I was finding it harder to commit to putting dates on when I would have things done by things like the casting, it was scary to think that this was actually going to happen and it could be a total disaster was scaring me! My first hurdle (and there were a few) was the location. I had scouted Callice Court and set my on filming there so I sent a preliminary e-mail to see if it was available and this started a back and fourth to Julian Lavander of about 20 correspondents back and fourth which led to me being able to film in Liberty Park. This is where the second hurdle came into play I went on a recce to see the suitablity of Liberty park and it was perfect a show room that was used apart from the cleaners having their break, wheres the hurdle I hear you ask, well the flat was perfect but the the receptionist dropped a bomb on me that the whole flat wasn’t available! I spent nights just lying awake thinking how to get round the problem of making one room look like 3 and I didn’t come up with any so I just went on the day thinking that we could cheat it and set up the same room three times but we got there and the rooms were available by some kind of miracle (the email I sent begging helped no doubt). Casting was a whole hurdle in itself I left myself a moth to do it and still couldn’t get all the roles filled, thinking about it now trying to cast 5 roles was a big test and realising that two of the roles were tiny it made sense to put myself in a role and it wasn’t ideal and I wouldn’t do it again but it was needs must kinda of thing. The role for Mike was another hurdle. The part was cast 4 times in the end and the final ”Mike” didn’t know he was going to be in it till about an hour before the shoot but he was really good.
Shooting:
This Was my favourite part now looking back on it. I was a bag of nerves due to my bad pre production but when it went well it felt like it was something I wanted to do as a career being on set was a laugh, it didn’t feel like work at all Time flew by but I didn’t mind. The one thing I could say is that i wish Matt and Vince could have helped for the shoot in the S.U I was left a little alone and kind of had to fend for myself and i almost sank without a trace but Kate again pulled me through it.
Edit:
This was the most time constraining time for me I had so many set backs but the main hurdle was the avid crash I would have been finished in time and not worrying about anything if it hadn’t of happened but I guess that could happen in the world of work and you just have to prepare yourself for when it is up and running and make sure everything goes smoothly.
Finally my thoughts on the whole process of the film making I am feeling really happy with the final result and cant wait to work on it again and with the actors. The only thing I would change is that I would have very little work to do on the pre production side, this is where I had the most stress and I really didn’t enjoy co-producing the project at all. It has defiantly given me the bug for film making!
