MAJOR PROJECT: Sourcing the Location/Recce

After finalising the location in the script as an office space/warehouse space, I was able to begin looking for potential shooting locations. I did some research online particularly for the warehouse location as I knew that this would be more challenging to find. I found out that to rent out a small warehouse it was very expensive and exceeded our budget, therefore that wasn't an option.

Main Office

Store Room/Warehouse Location

However, Ellen told us that her family work for an interior company in Maidstone with both a large office space and a warehouse. She had sued the location for her Directions unit and showed us some photos of some of the interiors. We decided as a group that this would be ideal as we wouldn't need to hire it. The location is also fully equipped with toilets and has a kitchen which would be useful during the shoot. We agreed to meet Ellen's mum for a short recce so that we could take photos and examine the space. As it is a working office, the only downside is that we will need to film at weekends only when the office is not in use, therefore limiting our schedule slightly. 

Store Room

The recce was incredibly useful as we were given a full tour of each room and given permission to take photos. There is a large main office which follows round to a cupboard space and some steps leading down into a store room. There is another large warehouse/garage space to the right of the entrance which is spacious and would be suitable as the warehouse location. 

MAJOR PROJECT: Costume/Wardrobe Design:Research

Security Guards

Atomic Blonde Poster

To be able to sell the characters in a production and make them believable as real people, their appearance and costumes are very important. Not only is the acting itself important but the way the character looks can help to tell the story. We'd discussed the costumes as group and decided that the 2 main characters Bobbie and Clive should be dressed in simple, plain black clothing. As they are setting up a heist at night, they would want to disguise themselves so they wouldn't be seen in the dark. Black is also a stereotypical colour used for spies in films, and as the film is a comedy, we wanted there to be some stereotypes thrown in. Their costumes should be plain with no obvious logos or brands visible. We also decided that plain outfits as opposed to elaborate costumes would highlight that they are amateurs and don't have very much money.

Hand Radio

Bobbie is a spy enthusiast and dreams of being an action heroine. Therefore, we decided that her costume should look a little more authentic, as if she has put some real effort into looking the part. The plan to steal was her idea and we want it to come across in her costume that she is really enthusiastic and excited about it.

Clive, however, has set the plan up to fail and so although he will be wearing black also, his costume should be much more relaxed than Bobbie's. We decided that he should be wearing some casual black jeans, a black t-shirt and a black hoody. We have come up with the idea that Clive will be wearing some bright, white trainers that should stand out on camera. We want this to be a subtle hint to the audience that he is not as invested in this as Bobbie is and the he is trying to deter the plan from going ahead.

Clive's White Trainers

The security guard on the other hand should look authentic. His role needs to be believable to drive the the story forward. Therefore, we have decided that a simple white shirt, black tie and smart black trousers and shoes would be most suitable with some other accessories like a hand radio and a lanyard with his personal security details on it. A torch may also work, as he will be on duty during the night and so it would be likely that he would be carrying a torch.

Overall, I think that the costume/wardrobe design for the film should be fitting to the genre of the production and the characters. Bobbie and Clive's wardrobe is relatively simple and the cast members may have some of the items required already. However, I will need to communicate with them during the audition stage to find out what I will need to get for the shoot. The security guard's costume itself is also relatively simple, and the added extras like the radio and torch we already have. We will be able to make the lanyard once we have cast the actors.

MAJOR PROJECT: My Role as Producer: Research/Development

My primary role in this project is the Producer. It is essential that I research the requirements of the role to be able to undertake the role effectively and confidently. Below I will be discussing the jobs required and the skills I will need to have to fulfil this role.

The Producer on a film production is in charge of every aspect of the production. They help to bring together the crew and cast members in an environment where the film can go ahead and be brought into production. They are accountable for the film's success and are responsible for ensuring that all elements go according to plan, from the beginning right through into production until the film is finalised.

A Producer may come up with a concept or be in charge of selecting a screenplay to take forward into production. In my case, I will be working with the Director, Josh and be taking his original concept forward, but we will be developing and writing the script together.

The Producer is also in charge of approving and finalising locations, the production schedule and organising the budget in some cases, depending on the size of the production. They may also work with the Executive Producer to raise money for the production and supervise in this department.
Once the film has gone into production, they are responsible for ensuring that there is a good level of communication amongst all contributors and help to ensure a smooth operation throughout shoot days right until the film is edited and finalised.

Below I will be discussing the required skills for the role of Producer, which I will need to have in order for the film to go ahead into production.

Creative Ideas/Vision:
Although it is is the Director who will be driving the creative vision forward, it is important that he Producer has input in this department also. I shall be voicing my creative ideas when writing and adapting the script all the way through to the final edit.

Analytical: 
Being analytical is an essential skill for this role. This will involve me looking at the content through pre-prouduction all the way through to post-production, to offer my advice and viewpoints for creative improvements.

Understand Creative Processes:
It is important that as the Producer, I understand the creative processes of filmmaking. I will need to work with the crew members with more technical roles and offer them advice or help them to troubleshoot problems to achieve the best results. During production, I will still be overseeing the technical roles and although I will not have an active input, I will be giving my feedback to ensure that production is successful. I will also be working carefully with the Director throughout to ensure he hasn't missed any important shots in the shot-list right the way through to the edit where I will be assisting the editor with the creative decisions to finalise the film.

Be Motivating: One of the key roles of the Producer is to bring all of the crew and contributors together. To be able to do this, I will need to communicate efficiently with everyone and motivate them to ensure that each and every person feels confident in their roles and are just as passionate about making the film as I am.

I have found researching the requirements of the role useful in ensuring that I know what the role will require from me. I am passionate about being the Producer on this production and feel confident that I will be able to apply myself to the appropriate skills required.

MAJOR PROJECT: Production Manager: Research/Development

As well as the role of Producer, I will be undertaking the role of the Production Manager also. This role will be crucial to coordinate everything prior to and including on the shoot days. It is essential that I communicate effectively with all of the contributors to ensure that the shoot can go ahead.

What is a Production Manager?

The Production Manager is in charge of all of the practicalities of the production, managing the budget and the contributors in particular. During the Pre-Production stage, the Production Manager would work largely with the Producer and the Director to create a provisional schedule for the upcoming production. Below I have evidenced the production schedule/timetable that I devised during the first week to keep all crew members informed of smaller deadlines for each stage of production. I colour coded it so that each of us had a certain colour for their own deadlines and responsibilities and the colour orange represented events that affected all 3 of us. The Production Manager will then devise the budget and assesses what needs to be purchased or arranged for the production. My predicted budget will be written up on Excel so that I can calculate all expenses and keep track of everything in one document.

Major Project Timetable

From my research, I found out that a specific role for the Production Manager is to organise all of the recruitment for contributors. They organise pay/expenses and conditions of employment. They also liaise with local authorities regarding filming permits and sign for location releases. It is very important that as a production manager, I am keeping on top of all the contracts and pay expenses on time to ensure that production can go ahead. I will be in charge of all of the emailing prior to filming, which I will communicate with my team to ensure that they are informed of the finer details.

I will also be available to deal with any queries or problems that any of the cast or crew members have and will need to troubleshoot these effectively. Therefore, if a contributor pulls out of production, I will need to work quickly and efficiently to find an alternative. I will also be in charge of any purchases required, including food on shoot days, props, costumes, set dressing etc. Without these, the production will not be able to progress. 

Health and safety is a vital job of being a production manager. I will need to take photographic evidence of any potential hazards prior to and during production to be able to assess how safe the environment is for contributors. With any production, contributors will expect there to be certain regulations and risk assessments completed to ensure their safety, which I will need to be considering at all times. 

Lastly, from my research I found out that the Production Manager is in charge of wrapping the shoot. This included ensuring that all locations are signed off and expenses paid. 

Before, I can begin undertaking any of the tasks listed above, I will need to ensure that I have all of the following skills. 

Communication: A production manager is in control of all of the communication with cast and contributors. Therefore, it will be essential that my communication is effective and professional so that everyone knows what they should be doing. It will also be vital to communicate effectively with the Director so I can put his ideas and vision into production. 

Problem Solving: I will need to be willing to tackle any problems or queries that arise during production and act accordingly to solve them. This will require me to be organised and rational in my decision making. 

Organisation: Organisation will be a key skill for this role as I will need to be keeping track of all of my documentation and arrangements throughout. The budget in particular will need to be updated regularly on Excel so that I can assess how much we have left. 

To conclude, I am confident with the research I have undertaken into the role of being the production manager on this project. I understand all of the requirements and think that I will be able to use my skill set to complete tasks to schedule and communicate effectively with all contributors and my team. I will also need to be analytical when communicating with the Director and offer my feedback to ensure that I can bring these ideas forward into production. 

MAJOR PROJECT: Writing the Script/Development: Draft 2

After Josh came up with an initial idea for the project, he wrote a very first script with a beginning, middle and end that we could work from and take from there. Josh and I will be writing the script together, with some input from Ellen also as a Co-Writer. I took the first draft home and in my own time read it and highlighted anything that I questioned or thought needed to be changed. From the first draft of the script, we all had a screenwriting session using the TV in one of the production rooms to devise the second draft of the script which I have attached below. Using my notes, I voiced what I thought needed to be worked on and we have since altered it. There were several slap stick jokes in there that I felt were too silly and thought that we could be more clever with the overall humour in the script. Simon will be reading each version of the script as it progresses, so that he can voice some of his ideas and suggest changes to make. Having assistance with the script can help during moments of writer's block, which can be challenging. Although, I think that the script will need plenty of development in the next couple of weeks, I am feeling confident about the story structure and characters thus far.

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MAJOR PROJECT: Initial Concept & Development

For the Major Project, I will be working as the Producer alongside Josh who will Direct and Ellen who will be the Cinematographer. However, we will be writing the script together. I was keen to make a 10 minute fictional film as opposed to a Documentary or 'As-live' show as I find cinematic films interesting to watch and have enjoyed making them thus far on the course.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

We have decided as a group that a Comedy-Drama film would be exciting to write and film and that it should feature only a few characters that the audience will be able to connect with in the small time frame. Over Christmas, Josh came up with the concept of a comedy heist or a 'stick up'. He pitched the idea to Ellen and I, it would include two characters only - two guys who would go on a heist.
We would set it up at the beginning so that the audience wouldn't know what to expect from the heist and then the plan would be foiled and they'd end up stealing the wrong thing, whilst delivering a comedic punchline. The temporary name for the script is 'The Stick Up' whilst we are still brainstorming but this is subject to change once we have developed the story further. To add to the comedic value of the film we know that we want one of the two men to be comedic in a silly way i.e he's always forgetting things and being generally stupid which would lead to their plan being sabotaged or ruined.

At the moment, we are all happy with the initial concept we have and will be working together to establish a structure of events so that we can start writing the script and developing the characters a little more. I think that the character development in any fictional film is really important as you want the audience to connect with them and root for them. I think that it will be important for the characters to be protagonists even though they are potentially committing crime.
My initial thoughts are that I think if the script has plenty of funny moments and well written characters, then it should be very punchy and exciting for audiences.

MAJOR PROJECT: Unit Overview & Roles

For the final terms of the 3rd Year at UCA, I have chosen to undertake the roles of Producer/Writer in a stand alone project. The team I will be working with are Josh Jones - who will be writing and directing and Ellen Carter who will be Director of Photography. All three of us undertook the Professional Pre-Production option for the first term which meant that we were unable to take those projects forward into production. Therefore we have decided to team up and create a new and original short film entitled 'Bobbie and Clive', which will be have a duration of 10 minutes. I wanted to complete two different projects for the 3rd Year to get a more varied experience for my final year, choosing to work alone for Pre-Production and then as part of a team for the Major Project. In terms of my role as a Producer, I have had some previous experience multi-skilling as a Producer/Director on all individual projects. A Producer is responsible for all elements of a film's production. It is essential that they bring together the entire production team including the crew and cast members, to ensure success for the final film throughout all stages of production including pre production, right through to post production and beyond.

In terms of the other roles, Josh will be directing and co-writing. However, the concept and vision for the production is his. It will be his job to take the script and bring it to life!

The options underlined in the briefing with Simon include:

- Pre-Production Continuation Option
- New Project Option
- Long Form Writing Option

Students who produced a Professional Pre-production package, or students who no longer wish to take their Major Pre-Production Project any further, now have the option to produce a new project. This will need to be conceived, written, shot and edited within the time period and so it is understood that the projects will not be as 'big' as the Pre-Production option projects. 

- These productions should be HIGHLY produced and completed
- All elements need to be VERY detailed
- Collaboration or multi-skilling may be required
- Post-Production period should be very detailed

These were the requirements for this option as highlighted in the briefing. I think that the team I will be working with will be great, as we are all passionate about our individual roles and input to the project. The first stage will be to write the script to a very detailed and edited standard before planning how it will be filmed. In the meantime, I will not only be co-writing with Josh but beginning to organise the contributors.