Live Client: The Production Stage - An Evaluation

The total production stage consisted of 8 different shoots. I felt that overall I was able to develop the following skills:

1. Technical - Having continuous contact with technical equipment such as the Sony Z1HD camera and sound recording devices meant that I was able to pick up techniques of setting up and operating them efficiently. I was able to learn new features and functions by experimenting with the equipment.
   
2. Organisation - In order to ensure all the aspects of the shoot ran smoothly it was important to ensure the crew was aware of the schedule, the correct equipment was booked and hired for the appropriate day and the client was aware of what would be happening. This encouraged me to think laterally about all the influential factors.
   
3. Communication - I was required to communicate effectively by e-mail and in person throughout the production stage. It was crucial to be accurate in all the information that I was conveying as this affected the shoot creatively and technically. I picked up techniques where I paid extra attention to detail such as shoot times, locations, shot lists etc. The process also steered me towards making a standard system that was applicable to all the shoots. For example each call sheet had the same information but was adapted according to the particular shoot. I found that the shoots ran according to schedule as a result of effective communication.
4. Professionalism - I attempted to maintain a high level of professionalism with both my client and my crew. This increased my confidence as an independent multimedia practitioner as I was encouraged to act in a fashion that would be accepted in the industry. This includes characteristics such as punctuality, politeness, good presentation, co-operation and subject specific awareness.
   
5. Business Management - Creating a budget, keeping receipts of expenditures and providing invoices all formed part of developing awareness of the business aspects. This made me consider the cost implications of hiring extra equipment, taking extra taxis for transport, providing lunch for the crew members etc. Considering this was a university project, many of my costs were cut, however if this was to be commissioned or paid for I would have to seriously consider how my services (and the crew's services) would be paid for in addition to the overheads etc.

The production stage has developed a large range of skills in a short time as I had access and exposure to such environments on a day-to-day basis. I have been able to use the pre-production stage and the proposal to support the success of completing the production stage in time. I feel that I could have improved the process by allowing further time for testing and learning how to use the equipment as well as familiarising myself further with locations such as the primary school for the interviews.

I think the most effective aspect of the production stage was the team of crew members. This ensured that each role was fulfilled with concentration. However I feel I could have improved the quality of the footage by selecting crew members with expertise in certain areas such as sound. A major drawback was the lack of expertise in cinematography and lighting which had a direct impact on the quality of the interviews.

My skills and techniques as a producer and director were tested during this stage of the client project. I believe I have improved on my abilities since the simulated project as I have implemented strategies that were effective and introduced systems that I thought were needed. I have developed in practical experience of audio-visual production.

Live Client: Shoot 7 - Adult Interviews & Shoot 8 - Post Parade

Compared to shoot 7 I was more prepared for the set up of this shoot. In addition to this I was more familiar and aware of the location and the people that I would be interviewing. I found that having experienced a similar set up for the children's interviews, my crew was able to set up at the Playwork's office efficiently. I had learned the fundamentals of lighting and was able to adjust the positioning to suit the location.

Lighting - Photograph by Tom Edson

I feel that that this shoot ran far better in terms of schedule, technicality and creativity. As I was more prepared I could achieve the look that I required and I could also capture answers that were crucial for the story of my documentary. The room that I had selected to conduct the interviews was larger than the room in the school and we had further flexibility with adjusting the natural light from the windows. This had an overall effect on the technical quality of the shot.

As well as filming the interviews I had integrated shoot 8 into the same day as it involved the same location. Although this was a drastic change to the schedule it proved to be beneficial as it saved time in hiring out equipment for another day, gathering crew and spending money on transport. I found that I had developed a directing style, and although the production falls within the genre of documentary I was able to direct the characters (staff of Playworks) to achieve particular shots that were crucial for the ending of the film. In order to avoid a re-shoot it was very important to capture the required footage.

Live Client: Shoot 6 - Children's Interviews

This shoot was completely different to the 5 earlier shoots for various reasons:

1. The camera was framed, static on a tripod. Compared to the other shoots the size of the shot was decided and it stayed the same for each interviewee. This is the contradicting aspect highlighting the underlying theme of how 'play' has just stopped. This is how the documentary begins - still and static. The pace then picks up.
   
2. The set up involved a full 3 point lighting kit. This was challenging as we were limited to space and adaptability in the location. In terms of practicality we had to shoot the interviews in the school in a smaller room than desired.
   
3. The shots were more directed rather than 'fly on the wall' as I wasn't just capturing what was happening but actually creating what I wanted to happen.

I found the interview process particularly challenging as I couldn't predict what the children would say. This was when my directing skills were really tested because I didn't want to force an answer from the children but I also needed to achieve and gather particular dialogue to tell my story.

Lighting is an area that is difficult to get right. It was useful to have the crew's perspective and help to achieve the style I needed. We had a black backdrop with strong 3-point lighting. I wanted to highlight the lighting and make it obvious that the 'subjects' were under a spotlight. we had limited space, which affected the lighting technique. Cinematography is an aspect of filmmaking that I would like to explore and learn in depth.

Live Client: Shoot 5 - The Play Parade

Today was one of the most challenging shoots that I have experienced. To start off with we were a crew of 10 people and we had three cameras to cover the event. Fortunately the weather was on our side and it was not raining. I found that having detailed shot lists for each camera was very useful and ensured that the shots I required were captured. The day ran smoothly and on schedule. The crew members worked very hard and took initiative for the project as well as worked well as a team.

We all found ourselves racing up the roads of Radford and trying to keep up with the marching crowd of over 100 adults and children. The parade only lasted for approximately 20 minutes but that time was very tense busy and stressful. It was very difficult to direct 3 cameras at the same time and I had to trust the camera operators to achieve the objectives I had set out in the shot list. It was extremely beneficial to have 'spotters' helping the camera operators. They also made logs of the shots and time-codes which will simplify the editing process. Although I now have 3 hours worth of footage for only one event, I think that this will also give me a big choice of shot sizes and angles for the edit.

Delegation is a quality that comes with hard work and practise. Especially after being used to doing everything yourself, it is something I think I am developing quickly with the scale of this project and find that this is achieving better results. Audio Visual production requires a range of skills and requires the input of various people, creatively and practically. Having to co-ordinate 3 cameras was a useful exercide and I feel more confident in operating the equipment. In addition to this I have been working with the same crew members on a regular basis and we now have an understanding of the ways in which we work. The day brief at the begginning of the shoot was very important to me and I think it was essential to gather the crew and communicate my intentions for the day.

Overall I am pleased with the outcome of today and am looking forward for the next shoots as well as the editing stage.

Live Client: Shoot 3 & 4: An Evaluation

These two shoots were based at a new location: Radford Primary School. I found that signing release forms was the most challenging factor. In order to simplify the process I had written my own version of the release forms for parents. However it was still complicated to explain the project and obtain signatures from parents with time constraints. We were set up fairly early in the day, which resulted in extra crew members available to help with the release forms. I learned from this process that the paperwork involved in the filmmaking process is by far one of the most influential facors in the success of a smooth shoot. I had to ensure all the details were correct and in place, including risk assessments.

Shoot 3:
Camera: Sherrilyn Lombardelli
Sound: Matthew Robinson
Production Assisstant: Janet Chu

Shoot 4:
Camera 1: Sherrilyn Lombardelli
Sound 1: Diana Sabau
Camera 2: Alex Burton
Sound 2: Matthew Robinson
Production Stills: Tom Edson

We finished both days on schedule and captured the footage that was required. The weather was not pleasent and it was raining on both days. This made me consider the implications of this happening on the day of the Play Parade. It would be very difficult to get the shots I want with bad weather conditions!

Live Client: Shoot 2 - An Evaluation

Shoot 2 was very similar to shoot 1 where we tried to capture the office atmosphere at Playworks. Unfortunately it was not as busy as the week before but we still managed to get the shots I had outlined in the shot list.

For this shoot we also had Tome Edson present to take production stills, which is very useful for documenting the process of making the film. I found that as a crew we were very efficient as we were familiar with the location, characters and the style. In addition to this we had formed a working relationship from the shoot before and understood eachother. Furthermore we were more comfortable and confident with the equipment.

Live Client: Shoot 1 - An Evaluation

Street Play Documentary: Shoot 1
Location: Playworks
Scenes 3 & 4: Rally Preparation at the Office
Time: 10:30 - 15:00

Crew:

• Director: Bindni Karia
• Camera Operator: Sherrilyn Lombardelli
• Sound Operator: Samantha Kirk
• Production Assistant: Diana Andreea-Sabau

Production for the Street Play documentary began today. I was really nervous yet very excited. We were very punctual and the whole shoot ran very smoothly accodring to the schedule. I found it extremely helpful to have time to test the equipment before we set out. Fortunately the crew arrived earlier than expected which meant that we had time to go through each piece of equipment.



I had decided to have a calm and planned approach to today's shoot and feel this worked very well. For example I spent almost an hour introducing the crew to all the characters at the Playworks office. I also allowed enough time to brief the crew on health and safety and describe exactly what I wanted to achieve from the shoot. This meant that we were all well prepared and less time was wasted in discussion as the shoot was taking place. We took our time to set up the equipment and to ensure that everything was connected correctly. It was very important to double check the format, ratio and mode on the camera.

I found that setting up the sound was the most challenging task. Samantha was very confident with the equipment. I have not been through the footage yet and am worried how the sound has been recorded. As a crew, we worked well as a team and I found that staying calm and focused was extremely beneficial when trying to capture shots on the move. As a bonus we captured everything that I had planned to in the shot list. However I decided not to take the shots outside due to continuity issues with the snowy weather.

Live Cleint: Testing Equipment

I had a two hour session today to use and test the equipment that I intend to use on Friday's shoot. I am mainly concerned about capturing everything that the protagonist says as this is how the story of my documentary will be revealed. However I also need to capture the ambient sound and have control over the levels of each in the edit.

http://www.windovertheearth.com/VSoundDevices.html

As a result of conversations with academic staff and technicians I have decided to use a portable mixer and connect a radio mic and a K6 mic into two separate mic channels. I will pan each mic hard left and hard right and change the settings on the HD camera so that each mic records onto separate channels. Although this method will result in two mono tracks I will effectively have more control on the levels of the dialogue and the ambience.

http://www.toptech-tls.co.uk/Radio%20mics.htm

At first i found it extremely difficult and challenging to get my head around the equipment. All the cables and buttons. But I am really glad I had a test today rather than on the day of the shoot. Once I attempted to push the buttons and discover what each function does, I learned that it is quite logical and not as complicated as it looks. I have made noted but I hope that I can put all this into practise for the shoot. I will have far more assistance than I have ever had on a shoot and therefore I will have more support. Fingers crossed....technically!

Live Client: The Big Crew Meeting

Over the past three weeks I have been running what I call 'A Massive Recruitment Campaign' for people to get involved in my project. So far I have had exceptional response from the first year Multimedia Students. They seem very enthusiastic and willing to gain experience, which is nice to see. I think this form of collaboration is the way forward, they get the experience and I get a helping hand, it is a win-win situation.

http://www.incognita.com.au/

I have scheduled a pre-production meeting which is less technical and more of a 'prep-talk' before production begins. My aim is to increase enthusiasm between all the contributors and create a sense of passion for the film. I do not want them to think that they are working on my project but rather we are working on this project. Hopefully it will go well, I am quite nervous about it but also excited.

Live Client: Pre-production

The first day of my shooting schedule is very close and I feel like I have a million and one things to sort out:

• Location Release forms
• Shot lists
• Call Sheets
• Risk Assessments
• Floor Plans
• Talent Release forms
• Book and take out equipment (as well as confirm how to use some of it)

I found my way to the Fine Art department yesterday with the help of Owen. It was like I was visiting an unknown territory and everyone looked at me as though I was from a foreign country (Waverley - the city of Multimedia). However this adventure was worth it as I have got my hands on some pag lights which will improve the light source for my documentary.

http://www.creativevideo.co.uk

Client Project - Gantt Chart

Below is a gantt chart that outlines my time management during this project. To summarise:

• Pre-production = December 08 & January 09
• Production = February 09
  
• Post-Production = March 09
  
• Contingency = April (week 1)
• Distribution & Evaluation = April (weeks 2-4)
• Screenings & Publicity = May 09

Total Production = 6 Months

Client Proposal Presentation

For my presentation I started off by showing the pilot film to introduce the subject, establish the characters and also show the style I am aiming for. I then went through slides with key points about the proposal as a guide. I felt the presentation went well and my confidence in talking in front of groups of people is improving. I received the following feedback from staff and peers:

1. Structure: define further in terms of what each section will represent. Instead of beginning, middle and end use establish subject and problem, climax, find solution, conclusion (what happens now) and resolution.
   
2. Pilot was clear and concise, showed the subject and style well. Last shot of the pilot however was not good and should not have been used. The pilot represents your skills and ability and should therefore not include anything that is shot poorly.
   
3. Ensure clarity of exact shots for the production crew.
   
4. In the pilot some of the shots were not technically correct. Make sure interviews are done at eye-level and framed correctly.
5. Ensure same aspect ratio is used for all filming. I had captured some of the footage in 4:3 and rectified this after handing in the proposal. I showed the corrected version for my presentation.
6. Advised to use children as a means of telling the story, keep the theme running visually - giving children a voice - don't get carried away allowing adults to talk about play expectations and experiences.

I felt that presenting my idea to people was a beneficial exercise as it forced me to know my proposal inside out. This also gives me the chance to receive constructive criticism from individuals with experience in audio-visual production.

Client Proposal - The Final Draft

The final proposal for my client proposal was a 30 page bound document to include the following sections:

• Background & Introduction
• Synopsis
• Treatment
• Characters
• Locations
• Style & Format
• Structure
• Production Plan
• Budget
• Audience & Distribution
• Production Personnel
• Appendices
• A: Playworks Newsletter
• B: Play Parade flyer
• C: Work in progress DVD
• D: Location Photos
• E: Visualisations
• F: Script
• G: Scene Summary
• H: Detailed Shooting Schedule
• I: Detailed Budget
• J: Production Personnel Details
• K: Management & Legalities
• Bibliography

Writing the actual proposal was a lot easier than I had expected. Although I think this was only because I had done a lot of background research and 'preparation' for the proposal (for example the proposal organiser in Michael Rabiger's book).

I found it very difficult to produce the budget as I lack skills on Excel, which is not good considering I want to go into Producing. I found it interesting however to find out professional rates for crew staff and prices for hiring equipment. In total the foretasted budget came to a grand total of £85,000. This is the cost for the entire production including salary, insurance, staff, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution. One of the largest cost I found was my salary (if the documentary was being produced commercially for broadcast).

Producing a detailed schedule was not only time-consuming but also difficult as certain aspects had to be decided. For example I used the Production Management Software Celtx to write a script, for which I needed to know precise details. The script then acted as a backbone to create a detailed schedule, scene summary, catalogue etc. Once all the main details were inserted the software efficiently produced reports, this indirectly saves time for the rest of the pre-production phase.

Ultimately the appendix items made up most of the proposal and supported the main written section. I enjoyed producing the proposal and it gave me an insight into aspects I wouldn't have otherwise thought of. Although the proposal had been handed in there is still a great deal of pre-production to do:

• Detailed call sheets for crew
  
• Recce of all locations
• Risk Assessment for all locations
• Obtain talent and location release plans
• Shot Lists
• Equipment Lists
• Production Briefing Meetings
  

Client: Proposal Sections

1. Cover Sheet
2. Contents
3. Synopsis
4. Treatment - Background Information, Structure, Sequences, Theme, Style, Characters, Location, Format (Equipment), Voice, Point of View
5. Storyboard
6. Target Audience
7. Distribution Plans
8. Schedule of Works
9. Budget
10. Production Personnel
11. Work-in-progress (WIP) - DVD
12. Work-in-progress (WIP) - written description

Client: Proposal Organiser

In order to put my documentary into perspective and fully understand the subject I followed an organisational structure outlined by Michael Rabiger in his book Directing the Documentary. This tool included the following sections which forced me to think deeply about what kind of film I am about to make.

1. Working Hypothesis - what do I believe in? how is this reflected in my film? what are the conflicts? what is the POV? What do I want the audience to feel?
2. Topic & Exposition - the film's subject and background information
3. Action sequences - characters that will appear, events and activities that will take place
4. Main Characters
5. Conflict
6. Social Significance
   
7. My motivation for making the film
8. Audience, its knowledge and prejudices
9. To-camera interviews
10. Style
11. Tone
12. Structure
13. Resolution

This process not only made me question why I am making this film but also how it will come together as a story and what significance each aspect will have. This has also prepared me to write my proposal.

Live Client - Rally Meeting

I attended a meeting on the 8th Jan 09 at Playworks with regards to the Rally that will be taking place in the February half term. This will be a big part of the documentary and will also be challenging to film. Through the meeting I discovered that the documentary can easily take shape of a common structured story to include a beginning middle and end. Although this kind of narrative structure is almost inevitable I do not want the outcome to be visually typical. This has made me think of ways in which I can create something that visually tells the narrative and emphasises the importance of 'play' without using common characteristics such as interviews. This is not only to make the documentary unique but to also support and compliment the underlying theme of children having 'freely chosen' play opportunities and therefore having their own voice to represent what they think play is.

Alice suggested that we could do a play session with the children about filming. I think this would be very interesting and could lead to shots and ways of telling the story that may not be achievable by an adult or student camera operator. However this would mean varied image quality and formats as the children would use a normal miniDV compared to a HD Camera.

The idea of allowing the children to tell the story of play has made me consider splitting the documentary into two parts:

1. What is play?
2. What is the Street Play Project? = Alice and the Rally

These two areas fit together well, part 1 establishes the subject and introduces the problem. Part 2 finds a solution through the character Alice Sidwell and resolves the problem through the rally as the launch of street play. However the story has to be constructed precisely in order for the parts to flow into eachother.

Live Client Shoot 1 - Preparation

Playworks held a re-launch of the Play Action Network (PAN) which was a social event and debate on ‘the state of play today’. PAN exists to bring people interested in play together; providing a forum for debate on current issues affecting children and young people’s freedom to play, highlighting good practice and mobilising action needed to preserve and promote play at a grass roots level. This was an extremely valuable opportunity to capture some footage of the launch presentation of the Street Play project by Alice and Paul and also gather information and research from the variety of people connected to play in Nottingham.

Although I did not intend to begin filming until early February, I decided to shoot the re-launch of PAN as a form of research. Considering many important people were going to be attending it would have been a shame to shoot the event with only research objectives. This forced me to think about the narrative of my documentary and capture particular shots as well as research. This meant I would need to prepare various pre-production documents. To start off with I found this difficult to put into context as I had not planned the rest of the shoots or set the story in stone. Therefore I approached this task by looking at the basics – I considered what foundations would be required for the client project as a whole. Below is a list of the preparation I carried out:

1. Find crew for the shoot – E-mail 2^nd and 3^rd Year students

2. Book equipment

3. Create posters to inform guests of filming

4. Location Release

5. Talent Release

6. Shot List – shots that will be used in documentary

7. Location plan and Recce

8. Shoot day schedule

9. Call sheets for crew

10. Brief client on what will be filmed

11. Brief crew on what is required of them

12. Risk Assessment

13. Buy Tapes

14. Interview questions for particular guests

Live Client - Playworks

My live client is going to be Playworks – is an independent citywide voluntary organisation that exists in order to support and promote children’s right to good quality / freely chosen play opportunities.


Playworks is funded by the National Lottery for various projects and is launching a new ‘Street Play’ project. I will be producing and directing a documentary about the project assistant Alice Sidwell, how she is involved in the project and what she intends to do with it. The final multimedia product will be an authored DVD and will also act as a promotional video for Playworks. I intend to make a character lead authored documentary with a strong stylistic approach.

The research process had begun from the first meeting with Alice and the Project Co-ordinator Paul Booth. They have given me an overview of the project, how it fits into the Play Action Network (a larger project) in Nottingham and what their intentions are in the coming months with regards to Street Play.

Simulated Client – Presentation and Feedback

The final stage of the simulated client project was to present the multimedia product in your tutorial group. The following are the main points of feedback I received:

- Message not so clear – what virtual water actually is
- Message could have been stressed further by voiceover
- Video quality not so good – could have been improved by lighting
- Sound levels needed to be adjusted
- Voiceover was very effective
- Graphics were good – could have been slightly bigger and bolder
- Concept was really good, the idea made sense
- Good subject choice – something that people don’t really know about
- Could have been improved through better technical skills

I felt the feedback was well justified, and agreed with what my peers and tutor advised. My specialisation within the AV pathway is producing and directing and therefore the final product lacked high quality standards although the concept was really strong. By concentrating on my skills and using other specialised people for the actual production I could drastically improve my future projects. For example someone with camera operation skills and specific sound skills would know the technical aspects better than I would and I could therefore concentrate on directing them towards what I want to achieve.

Overall I thought the concept of Virtual Water was quite strong, however due to my lack of technical skills I was unable to deliver the idea effectively through the advert.

Simulated Client – The Final Multimedia Product

This is the link for the final Multimedia product: