I was very much looking forward to this unit after two factual programming units previously. I find dramatic pieces more interesting to write for and film and so was excited about this one. The brief itself was to adapt a piece of literary material - in this case a poem and transform it into film. From the list of poems we were given, I chose 'Building a Second Home as it Sinks into the Sea' by Antosh Wojcik. This poem stood out to me because the imagery was so graphic and unusual. I was also drawn to his choice of location - the beach. I had a few brainstorms about how to approach it and realised I was thinking about it in a very 2D sense. In order to make sense of the poem, I decided to write a narrative for it, interpreting it in my own way. This allowed me to make it my own and give me the room to be as creative as possible.
I based the poem around two sisters - one of which is struggling to come to terms with an ended relationship. However, the ex boyfriend, described as a mannequin in the poem is still lingering around and haunting her and her thoughts. I had intended to show this through him ignoring her as a method of rejection to show that he wasn't loving towards her in the relationship. Once the process of filming had begun, ways of showing this took many forms. I had written into the script that the main character - Millie wakes up from a dream to find him sleeping next to her, however, he is unresponsive to her cries. Later in a flashback, she goes to grab his hand and he pulls it away. Filming these scenes were tricky but I wanted them to look quite abstract and symbolic.
In terms of the pre-production, finding actors proved difficult. In the end I had the option to have an actress for Imogen's part and Ida and Troy along side them. However, I decided as I was having two members from UCA - Ida and Troy to be in the film, it would make sense to ask someone else from the class to be the third actor as I thought they would feel more confident with people they know. This was a good decision I feel as they were all very willing and conveyed the actions very well. I decided to steer away from a beach location even though the poem is set there. I decided that I could create the same imagery using the Riverside in Maidstone - which turned out to be very quiet and remote, perfect for filming.
In the end, I filmed on two occasions after my rough cut viewing. I decided that it was necessary in order to get enough coverage for the scene and am very pleased I decided to do so. The shoots themselves were very easy and straightforward, as the material wasn't too challenging to achieve.
I would say that the editing was the most challenging aspect of this unit. I changed the arrangement of the scenes quite a few times to try and achieve a good balance between ensuring the narrative of the piece came across whilst trying to not be too literal with the imagery and keep a montage element to it. In reflection, I am happy with the result and think it reflects my vision for the film, even with a few tweaks to the layout and my original interpretation.
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