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Writer/Director
+44 7484 136116
TECHNICAL SKILLS
SHOOTING SCRIPT #1
SHOOTING SCRIPT #2
Once I had decided I was going to reshoot the film, I made some adjustments to the script to cater for the slight changes that I had made whilst shooting. These were mostly small changes and minor details that I thought needed to be added for when I returned to reshoot it.
SHOOTING STORYBOARD #1
SHOOTING STORYBOARD #2
I also decided to draw a new storyboard for the reshoot so that I could include the shots that I had thought of during filming. I also changed the layout and orientation so that it would be easier to refer to during filming and so that I could keep it in my pocket.
VISUAL STYLE
When I first began developing this idea, I wanted to use a visual style similar to Yorgos Lanthimos where the camera is almost omniscient and appears to follow the characters around. However, as the idea changed over time as I developed it, this visual style became more and more inappropriate to the story. After deliberating over the most suitable style for the film, I eventually decided that to best suit the simple story, I was going to try and use a very simple visual style. I thought this was best as I didn't want to be overly ambitious and fail as a result.
Although I aimed to strive for visual simplicity, I also knew that there were moments in the story that I would have to tackle stylistically as they wouldn't be possible otherwise such as the hanging sequence. This allowed me to be a little self-indulgent but it also benefitted me as it meant that I was forced to leave the viewers to create certain moments in their heads which probably made them more effective than if I had tried to achieve realism.
Despite its cliches in student films, black and white was something that I decided on fairly instantly because of the film's topic and theme, which I thought suited and justified the use of black and white. I also much prefer black and white, not just because of its nostalgic feel, but also because it enables a type of simplicity by removing often distracting elements that appear in the frame. This simplicity was one of the main reasons why I decided to go with black and white.
Visual References
One of the main influences of my decision to use high contrast black and white was Federico Fellini as I love the dreamlike and surreal quality of it in his films La Dolce Vita and 8½ where it is used beautifully. Religion and faith are also very prominent themes in these films which is another reason why I liked the idea of using it for my film.
BLACK & WHITE MOODBOARD
Slow Motion References
As I decided to take a stylistic approach to the hanging sequence by using slow-motion, I began looking at various scenes that influenced my decision so that I could analyse them and see how they use slow-motion to perfection.
The Flat Block Marina Scene
This scene in A Clockwork Orange is probably my favourite ever use of slow-motion and it was a massive influence on my planning for this short film. I love this scene because, despite the horrendous, violent acts that are taking place, the use of slow-motion and Beethoven give the acts an almost operatic and balletic quality.
This is something that I wanted to do with the hanging sequence which is why I chose to use an opera piece from La Traviata. However, I wanted to make sure I wasn't being insensitive by trying to make an act of suicide funny but instead show that beauty and humour can be found in the darkest of things including said act.
Steve Madden/ Quaaludes Scene
This scene from The Wolf of Wall Street was another scene that I used as a reference for my short film. Slow-motion is used in this scene as a way of showing the time-altering effects of drugs and it is set to an opera song called 'What Power Art Thou.'
This scene also had a large influence on how I decided to film the sequence in my short film. Just like this scene, I chose to use an opera piece to make the scene dramatic but also to make it humorous. This scene is another example of how beauty can be found in anything regardless of how seemingly insignificant it may be.
CASTING
From the beginning of my idea, I always planned to use one of my close friends. This was because, being the first practical project in over a year, I wanted to make sure that I felt comfortable during filming and I knew having one of my close friends would prevent me from being uncomfortable when directing them. Unlike previous projects, I also decided to have my close friends help me with filming. I obviously planned to do all the technical aspects myself, but I knew I would require assistance with things like carrying equipment and setting up certain shots.
I eventually decided that I would have my friend Patryk play the lead and only role. There were many reasons why I made this decision, some of which were rather strange, and some that were fairly obvious. For example, I knew that out of all of my friends, Patryk would be the most likely to engage in the project and try his best to do what I wanted. Another reason was that I was certain he had the most 'cinematic' face between my friends and I also knew that his black hair would look best in high contrast black and white.
CONTACTING PATRYK
Although I hadn't asked Patryk about whether he wanted to be in the film before I decided I wanted him, I was pretty confident he would agree, if not out of genuine interest, at least out of a wish to help me. The first thing I did was ask him casually to get some idea of how interested he would be in doing it and his reaction was very positive and he seemed genuinely interested.
As I now knew he wanted to do it, the next thing I did was jokingly send him an excessively professional and frivolous letter that detailed what I was doing and asked him to confirm whether he was going to be in my project. In this letter, I also attached the latest version of the script and a contributor's release form for him to sign.
CONTRIBUTOR'S RELEASE FORM
MEETING RECORD
In preparation for the day of filming, I organised a meeting with those that were going to be involved (Patryk, Sam, Jacob) and we all met at Patryk's house. This meeting was very helpful as it allowed us to discuss and organise how the day was going to go. It also gave me a chance to speak to Patryk about what I needed him to do and also allowed me to explain how we were going to film the hanging sequence which was going to be the most difficult and time consuming part of the filming process.
RISK ASSESSMENT
LOCATION RECCE
Whilst planning during pre-production, I made numerous visits to the location that I planned to film in which was a field in the village that I live in. During these visits, I made a note of various things to ensure the location was suitable for my project. Something that was a little annoying was that, as we progressed toward summer, the tree obviously grew more and more leaves so it became less and less cinematic with each visit.
LIGHTING
Because of the numerous jobs I was going to be doing on this project I decided that it would be best to rely solely on natural lighting. I also knew that there was a high chance that it would rain on the day and the use of lighting equipment would have become another thing that we would have to somehow shelter in the event of a sudden downpour. Time was also another factor in my decision as the need to properly light each of my shots would likely have at least doubled the time each shot took to set up and I didn't have much time at all.
SOUND
As the location was a field in the middle of nowhere, there wasn't much sound at all except the occasional tractor passing in the distance. However, this didn't matter much at all as I made the decision not to record any audio. I made this decision as my film didn't include any dialogue at all and it also allowed me to give instructions and direction to Patryk as the camera was rolling.
SPACE
Unlike most other locations, space and accessibility was something that I didn't need to consider because of the obvious vastness of the field I chose to film in. However, during the first shoot, there was a high chance of it raining and so I need to assess the accessibility of vehicles as I planned to have my Dad drop off his van by the opening to the field so that, in the inevitable event of a downpour, we had a place to shelter the equipment and ourselves. Luckily there was a perfect area just in front of the opening to the field that allowed my Dad to park his van out of sight and out of the way.
LOCATION: Open Field, Henstridge
CHOOSING EQUIPMENT
As I was striving for a fairly specific visual style, I made sure to spend a lot of time planning what equipment I was going to use for the project. As I wasn't sure which equipment was available to book and because I had planned to use certain lenses for certain shots, I decided to ask Callum a number of questions so that it would help me decide and plan further.
Now that I knew more about the equipment, I began planning extensively and also started watching videos on YouTube that explained how to use the Blackmagic URSA camera so that when it came to using it, I wouldn't struggle with getting used to it or having to work out how to use it.
However, I was still a little uncertain in regards to the frame rate question as Callum thought I was considering not shooting in the standard 24/25 frames per second for my project when I really only wanted to use a high frame rate for the hanging sequence. Because of this, I decided to explain my question a little better.
Now that I understood what frame rate would be achievable, I began implementing it into my planning. However, a problem that arose was, as a result of COVID-19, equipment was only available to collect and return between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm which wasn't a great amount of time as I live half an hour away from the college which would essentially decrease my available filming time by an hour as I would have to get to college to pick up and then return the equipment.
However, it was mentioned that the college was trialling allowing students to take the equipment home the day before which I then asked about. Callum agreed that I could come and get the equipment the day before ready for the next day of filming. However, I would need to write a statement asking to collect the equipment and confirming that I agreed to take responsibility.
Responsibility Note
EQUIPMENT BOOKING FORM
FILMING DAY #1
BOOKING EQUIPMENT
FILMING DAY #2
Because of how little time we had to complete this project, I was originally quite unsure as to whether I wanted to reshoot the film as it would only give me one day to edit and finish it before I was expected to submit it. However, because of how unhappy I was with the results on the first filming day, I felt I had to as I knew I would regret it later if I didn't.
When I decided I definitely wanted to reshoot the film, I enquired to Callum about the possibility of booking out equipment after the half-term which gave me only one day to complete the edit.
PRODUCTION CALL SHEET DAY #1
PRODUCTION CALL SHEET DAY #2
PROP LIST
ROPE
CRUCIFIX
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