Drama Project - Colour correction

As the editor hadn't done colour correction before I helped show her how to use the 2 way and 3 way, as well as how to use the video scopes. We used key frames to subtly remove the saturation of the clip, that we originally wanted to when filming, working well. We also gave the shots more warmth as it was a flat day and the white balance was set a bit too high kournalidge for the camera to get any colour in. I also showed her a few tricks like giving the shadows a slight tint of blue for the interior location to give a filmic look.Once she learnt and understood I left her to it.

Drama project - shoot day

The shoot started slow as with any shoot but we soon meshed together including the Actors. It was a fairly grey showery day at the peaks and as a result the light was fairly flat bland and grey, we tried to bounce as much light as possible in with the reflectors, but there wasn't much light to reflect. The top cliff location was far too wet and galey when we returned, impossible to work in for many aspects. Nonetheless the sheltered decrepit building worked just as well. My main concern was that the Director had specific ideas and shot lists which were adhered to, meaning we didn't get any coverage. The blue lit face shot didn't work as our mobile lights weren't any way bright enough. The house location worked well as it was big enough to get all the equipment and lighting in surrounding the set. It took a few attempts to get the lighting and shadows right but once we mastered it it worked fine. We had a good laugh and it was a lot of fun. It was interesting working in a larger group seeing the dynamics working.   

Drama project - Recce

I think the recce was useful to all involved, fully allowing us to visualise the script, pre deciding exactly where the action will be filmed. The director brought a checklist ticking off the separate locations required, for example the wall scene, hugging the tree, the cliff etc. What we also noticed was that whilst at the top off the cliff we had a great view it was extremely windy which was quite a concern in terms of recording sound and the other impracticalities it entails. So we also thought of instead using a decrepit ruin of a building as the cliff top, as it still had a good 5 meter drop, whilst a more survivable drop it was a lot more sheltered. The walls were all quite tall and barbed wired but we did find a section next to a style that would also work.

Drama Project - lighting set ups research

For this project I decided to look up several lighting setups, both for photography and film as they all produce similar effects;

Short lighting

(Author; Tim Solley http://www.flickr.com/photos/captainquin/917445774/)
Short lighting creates a soft shadowed effect only partially lighting the face, whilst in photography this makes for a fairly attractive shot due to the softness dulling down the ugly features, however, in film this may create a shifty character lurking in the shadows, nonetheless, you can use this setup to differing effects, as with the image above is fairly dark and shifty filmic characteristics, but you could have a lit background completely transforming the setup giving the character soft attractive lighting without the mysteriousness of emerging from the shadows, blending into the background.

Broad lighting;
This is a very similar setup instead lighting a greater area of the face with the character looking away from the light source rather then into it. Again you can alter the effect, it can be subtle, looking like an ordinary lit face or you can exaggerate the shadows on the opposite side of the  face.

Rembrandt;

Rembrandt lighting refers back to a revolutionary traditionalist Dutch painter from the 1600's, his new style of painting intentionally placed shadow onto the centre of the face, if we imagine broad is one side of the face lit and short is the opposite, with rembrandt light is on both sides of the face as it spills onto the opposite side but without loosing the shadows, creating a very dramatic effect that creates great depth that emphasises the texture. It is this technique that I want to utilise within the tenseist moments of the film.

These lighting techniques whilst applicable to film lighting are designed for photography, using some of these setups the character would have to have quite controlled movement so as not to ruin the effect.

In studio based film the standard lighting setup is three point lighting, which more or less guarantees a good outcome, giving the face shape, texture, depth and distinguishing the character from the background. 

 
All lighting setups are open to experimentation however, getting out lights and seeing what effects you can create is the best way.

Drama Project - floor plan

In the interior location I decided it would be useful to set out a floor plan beforehand, as there would be several different lighting and camera set-ups to consider, which could become confusing on the day. This allows me to get a bird's eye view of the scene beforehand, working out the positioning of camera and lighting arrangements. Making the shoot a much more efficient process.  the 2 main lighting set-ups included lighting for the female character and the male character,  we used there three point lighting with key, fill, and back light, as well as a backdrop light, giving the characters depth whilst distinguishing them from the background,. The Red lights in the floorplan is the setup for creating the rembrantesque lighting, forming a central menacing shadow. The green lights in the floor plan are for when the male character leaves, only using a kino as only the characters back and doorway needed lighting, though on the day I think we put a side light up to give the character a bit more depth.

drama project - influence/research

 The blue shot of the females face reminded me of Guillermo Del Torro's  pans Labyrinth, with the opening shot of the girl  lying on her side, face flooded with blue light. The sound  played an important role in building the tension, as we have long takes travelling through the 3-D  model world created by Del torro.  the blue light is effective in creating coldness and it holds a certain visual aesthetic. I think transforming from a normal light to this blue by under exposing shot and then flooding it with blue light,  would look really effective in showing the life draining out of the character.  Del Toro also used rembrandtesq lighting to good effect adding to the darkness, the coldness, and sense of fear  and isolation.

drama project - conditions

 We met up with the actors  whom seemed motivated and up for the job. There was quite a height difference so I use this time to  take composition into consideration. It had been raining all week but they still seemed up to shooting in the rain which surprised me. The weather forecast for Sunday which was the original day we were going shoot said heavy rain, I warned the producer of this  whom at first thought that it would still be okay, however unsurprisingly she changed mind opting  to shoot if on the Saturday at the exterior location, is shooting inside on the  wetter day. As  cameraman it was a concern of mine  that the light would be strong enough to fit a visual aesthetic, however the director thought this would add a good mood to the piece, and we didn't really have any choice.  we had planned to recce the peak location in the morning before picking up directors in the afternoon as they were any available from 2 PM.

drama project – Shot list

 from the script I created the basic shot list, ensuring that we got every shot required on the day of the shoot.

Shot list

Wood sequence

Shot	Description
1	LMS car in the background enter woods
2	CU tracking back of the girl’s feet
3	CU tracking back of the girl’s clothes, shot sweeps up from the ‘skirt’ area to her chest.
4	CU of the girl’s face, tracking back
5	CU of the man’s shoes
6	CU of the man’s clothes, sweeping up
7	CU of the man’s face
8	MS to start, then LS of the walking up into the hills
9	MS of the girl being jovial
10	CU of the girl’s soft hands contrasting with the cold hard arm of the man.
11	LS of the ‘love action’
12	CUs of the girls hair flowing, behind her head
13	Steadicam love
14	Ms Mans sholders

The wall

1	MS As the girl skips off-screen
2	man slows up in MS and he looks upon the girl in a ‘grave’ fashion
3	Ls Shot of a wall covering the bottom half of the screen The girl skips up to it and climbs over. The man is revealed and looks surprised
4	Girl (looks back in CU) Look!
5	Man looks on (CU) distressed
6	Girl picks up wild food ms
7	Cu “look” holding up food
8	(MCU) come back! Get back over here!
9	Ots The girl saunters back and gets back over the wall
10	She joins the man in a MS low angle, both of them facing each other, she tip toes up to him and takes a bite of the food.
11	girl pushes herself a tree and mimics its branches in LSPOV of the man as a wall of black on the side of the shot.
12	CU of the brooding mans face.

The cliffe

1	ELS of the landscape from the top of the hill. The shot is held for some time. The girl enters and stands MLS in centre.
2	girl looks puzzled CU
3	LS on the floor looking towards the edge of the cliff, the girl and man struggle, he throws her off and lingers looking down at her.
4	CU colour change shot
5	Several LS: the man drags the girl back towards the entrance to the hills

The house;

1	MS at a dinner table, the dead woman is sat upright on chair.
2	MS the man comes in with dinner
3	CU of Asian looking food placed on table
4	The man begins to eat and 2 sets of the 3 CU’s similar to the ones in the peaks except this time it shows the girls chest and the back of the man’s head.
5	The girl does nothing CU
6	Ignorant bitch! Slaps her (CU)
7	The girl slumps to one side (MS)
8	Tracking shot up to the girls face, her teary eyes are open looking right at the camera. LS to CU

drama project – directors script

Opening shots of the countryside, stressing the beauty of the countryside. (Long Shots)

A woman and man arrive in the countryside, from a car (LMS car in the background), to go on a walk. The girl is dressed basically, almost peasant-esque. She has a flower in her hair. She is wearing leather sandels.

CU tracking back of the girl’s feet

CU tracking back of the girl’s clothes, shot sweeps up from the ‘skirt’ area to her chest.

CU of the girl’s face, tracking back

The man is dressed smartly, modernly but also boringly.

CU of the man’s shoes

CU of the man’s clothes, sweeping up

CU of the man’s face

They walk up into the hills.

MS to start, then LS of the walking up into the hills

 The girl seems jovial while the man walks plainly.

MS of the girl being jovial

 The woman wraps her arms around the man and seems quite in love with him. CU of the girl’s soft hands contrasting with the cold hard arm of the man.

LS of the ‘love action’

CUs of the girls hair flowing, behind her head, steadicam, punctuate the sequence. A similar shot of the man’s shoulders feature.

MS As the girl skips off-screen the man slows up in MS and he looks upon the girl in a ‘grave’ fashion. Music sounds to denote this.

Shot of a wall covering the bottom half of the screen. The girl skips up to it and climbs over. The man is revealed and looks surprised

Man

Hey! What are you doing?!

Girl (looks back in CU)

Look!

Man looks on (CU) on distressed

The girl goes and picks a wild food

Girl

Look!

She holds up the food and it is framed in CU

Man

(MCU) come back! Get back over here!

The girl saunters back and gets back over the wall

She joins the man in a MS low angle, both of them facing each other, she tip toes up to him and takes a bite of the food.

Man

What if you got caught?

Girl

Doing what?

Man

That’s private property! It was illegal to be there  and even more so to pick that

Girl

Don’t worry about it, I’m sure the farmer wouldn’t of, besides it is wild, it’s not like he was growing it!

The man looks at her, half annoyed, half distressed

Man

Come on

The girl breathes out a light laugh leaves the screen in the direction they were travelling. The man looks upon her in that grave fashion as before. The minor music chimes again

The girl pushes herself a tree and mimics its branches in LSPOV of the man as a wall of black on the side of the shot.

CU of the brooding mans face.

Cut to, ELS of the landscape from the top of the hill. The shot is held for some time.

The girl enters and stands MLS in centre.

Voice over: Man

You shouldn’t of gone over that wall you know (girl looks puzzled CU) that’s somebody else property, but you don’t care for that do you, you just think everything’s yours don’t you, ‘this is mine!’ well its not!

Girl:

What? I don…

Man:

Listen to me you naïve, you racist, homophobe, where have you been, this is a new world ok, you’ve got to look around and accept others and embrace new cultures, you stupid, you have to diversify, staying in your shell wont help you!

The man violently grasps the girl

Girl

NO!

LS on the floor looking towards the edge of the cliff, the girl and man struggle, he throws her off and lingers looking down at her.

CU colour change shot

Several LS: the man drags the girl back towards the entrance to the hills

Location 2: Man’s house.

MS at a dinner table, the dead woman is sat upright on chair.

MS the man comes in with dinner

CU of Asian looking food

The man places the food on the table

Man

There you are

The man’s house is fashionable but boring

The man sits down is framed by his ‘cultural’ paintings

The man seems to murmur a conversation between the girl and himself

The man begins to eat and 2 sets of the 3 CU’s similar to the ones in the peaks except this time it shows the girls chest and the back of the man’s head.

The girl does nothing CU

Man

Ignorant bitch!

Slaps her (CU)

The girl slumps to one side (MS)

Man:

Your emptying

The man gets up and walks out the room

 a

Tracking shot up to the girls face, her teary eyes are open looking right at the camera. LS to CU

Drama project - Director meets Camera

The director and I met to discuss plans for the shoot this weekend with regards to the camerawork.  he wanted all of the shots to be shot on tripod and to be  locked off. He came up with several ideas and I gave my suggestions. For example I came up with the idea of bouncing   gold light  off a reflector, only onto the female characters face giving her the lovey-dovey glow, he bounced off this came up with the idea of reflecting a cold night the silver or white reflector on to the man's face, in the wood sequences.  I also input ideas such as the light transforming the girls face after she fell from the cliff, dipping her into blue light. He also came up with some  arty shots that focus on specific points on the body which was then replicated on the other character.  below is a rough storyboard of the particular  shots he wanted, which  I used to plan for the weekend.  We also decided it would be worth going on a recce beforehand as Ben hadn't seen the location.  One of my main concerns g was the section script required the girl picking some fruit from  a bush or tree.  As I  couldn't think of any fruit trees within the area. 

Drama Project - rough treatment

Ben the Director came up with a great Idea, unfortunately we decided it was too ambitious for the time frame and locations required, including farm land and a supermarket, it also seemed more of 20-30 minute  idea, for it to work successfully. So I quickly wrote this rough treatment whilst we had our team meeting.

Following a man who takes his new girlfriend on a second date, he takes her on a journey to his favourite place. Walking up through the woods the art direction suggests of a happy couple in love, a flower in her hair, pretty shots, but the man has symbols of danger or warning, with yellow and black. As he draws her into the woods she turns, looking back at the car, unsure whether she still feels safe. Nonetheless, she places her trust and continues the climb up the hill.

They reach the peak of the hill to a look out point, where you can see for miles around, a timeless landscape, taking her breath away. The man then starts a short monologue, possibly commenting on modern society, changing things from a romantic excursion into something more sinister, a struggle breaks out, but he soon over powers her, throwing her off the cliff. He looks down on her body sprawled on the rock, lacking emotion his face is content. A close up on her face transitions from normal light to a cold blue, as a small trail of blood drips from her ear. (see opening to pans labyrinth)

He then drags her back to his home, but continues the relationship, as if nothing happened. At the table they have a conversation, as things heat up he slaps her, and she slumps to the side. He rights her up, but blood starts dripping, onto the floor, "your leaking dear" he states placing paper under her chair. The door knocks and we see fear enter his eyes for the first time, as his highly controlled world is threatened, he drags her into the off shot kitchen, then goes to answer the door. Mean while the female character awakes but cannot move, tears and emotion fills her face but she cannot shout for help.   

I really wanted Ben as Director to take this simple idea and transform it making it his own, as it has to be the Directors vision in my view, therefore I gave him full freedom to change the idea and tried to distance myself from it's ownership. I have to say Ben turned out to be a strong character with specific ideas and it was interesting watching the decisions he made as on many occasions they were different to what I would have done.