MAIN SHOOT: Integrating titles

We planned from the start that our titles would be simplistic (white/black) and not interact particularly with the sequence, as with Struck By Lightning:

Since our opening includes a voiceover, interaction between two characters and specific shots of what the character is doing, we don't want our titles to be too distracting. They are simply for conventional purposes: to let the audience know who made the film and who is in it. 

Films of our genre usually have these kinds of titles. Because the titles are simple, they reflect the fact that the film is about someone's ordinary life, set in the real world. We are using a sans serif font to show that the film isn't too serious, and positioning them mostly in the corners of the shots.

Here are some screenshots of our edit to show how our titles ended up:

MAIN SHOOT: Actor contract

This  actors could then understand that they must attend the shoot

Although the actors knew that it was important for them to attend the shoot, the actor contract emphasised this importance. However, one of the actors was in our group anyway, so it was unlikely that this really made a difference.

Map of where we'll be filming

Crouch End

MAIN SHOOT: Cast list/headshots

CAST LIST:

Brandon Poonwasie (Christopher):

Eliza King Lassman (Naomi):

MAIN SHOOT: Naomi's costume

We decided that Naomi's costume was perfect in the test shoot and we won't need to change it.

The white of her jacket creates a sense that she is an innocent, open character, and the bright pink jeans reflects her eccentric personality. 

We took inspiration for her outfit from Noelle in It's Kind of A Funny Story: 

pink + white colours

MAIN SHOOT - Christopher's costume

We decided that the outfit Christopher wore in the test shoot was too formal - he looked more like someone on his way to work than a student.

Christopher's test shoot outfit

For the main shoot, we decided it would be more appropriate if he wore a coloured shirt with black trousers - that way, he wouldn't be too casual (e.g. with jeans) so he would stand out as an interesting and different character, which is what we want.
Also, a coloured shirt looks brighter and better connotes the more light-hearted aspect of our genre (romantic comedy-drama).

Here were our options:

We decided on this shirt...

…with these trousers

We decided that this combination was best - the green/blue shirts weren't colourful enough and the bigger checks looked better. With the trousers it was the right balance of smart/casual. 

The other shirts will be placed in the wardrobe (in the test shoot, this shot):

They are similar enough to the shirt he will be wearing to demonstrate his need for routine, which is essential to his OCD/social anxiety.

MAIN SHOOT: Props list

PROPS LIST


- Alarm clock

- Clothes (Brandon)

- Manga book (Brandon)

- Pyjamas (Brandon)

the same ones he wore for the test shoot - these were fine

- Cereal (Audrey)

- Flask (Audrey)

- Coffee (Audrey)

- Toothbrush (Brandon) (we may not use this)


Having a props list was helpful because we knew exactly what we needed and who would be responsible for this. We could make sure that nothing we needed would be forgotten.

MAIN SHOOT: Floor plans

Floor plans gave us a better idea of where we would be position the camera, lighting etc.

(highlighted in orange = shown on camera)

When we were filming our project, we found didn't really need to use the floor plans. It was fine to look just at our shoot board and the camera, and we knew mostly where the camera would be because we had done it before in the test shoot. 



MAIN SHOOT: Location reccie

We knew we would be filming in Crouch End, but we wanted to go on a location reccie to have a clearer idea of where exactly we would be filming our shots.

This was quite useful when we were filming because since we knew where our shots would take place, it made the process quicker. 

MAIN SHOOT: Weather check

Weather check - so we could make sure this day would be fine for filming or if we would need to bring an umbrella

MAIN SHOOT: Adjustments to storyboard and shoot board

Because we decided to change our location and cut out/add in some shots, we had to make adjustments to our storyboard:

Here we added a shot of Christopher washing his roommate's dishes/making tea -
although we're not sure if we'll definitely use the tea shot in the final edit… it depends how long the rest of the opening is

We then slightly changed our shoot board:

We had to use photos of the storyboard shots because it wasn't worth the time to take more photos - we just needed to make it clear to us that these new shots would be needed/old ones taken out so we could refer to it when filming and know what we would film, when, how long it should take, etc. 

Research And Planning: Adapting the script

Research and Planning: Adapting the script

With our original script, we realised that there were parts that needed to be changed for the sake of realism and character relatability, for example, "we're in a bit of a tizz" was changed to "well this is a bit embarrassing".

<--- first draft / final draft --->

We also changed bits such as the interaction with the barista, upon review by the teacher, to just Christopher bumping into Naomi on his way to uni, because it is very unlikely that we would have gotten permission from a barista to be in our film, and even if we did, it would have been difficult to film and disrupting for other people in the coffee shop/coffee stall. This also made the script more audience-friendly and focused on only on the essential parts of the story.

FINAL FULL SCRIPT

Rough Edit Feedback

Rough Edit Feedback

After the teachers had watched our rough edit, we received the following feedback;

• Move the soundtrack to the very beginning - the opening sequence should not start with complete silence (DONE)
• Don't track the character to the bathroom - Instead use tighter framing or increased scale on the mirror, and have him come up into the frame
  

• Collar pop is redundant in comparison to light-switch shot; adapt script to talk about light-switch
  

• Possibly extend voice-over through journey shots OR cut it down, there is a lot of information to take in, and if we do this move 'My routine changed...' to just before collision
• Remember 180 degree rule when filming actual shoot, it was broken during the collision
  
  
  
  

Use tighter framing in the conversation, there's too much space in the frame

Rehearse the collision more so that it seems fluid

Take out line 'I'm not much company' and have him just walk away

Make Christopher look younger - Satchel, chinos, shirt, tie - rather than business looking

Improve lighting in the household shots - Get Chris to show us how to use the lighting kits