Studio Production: Locations:Recce + Props/Costume

For the Mockumentary Trailer VTs we decided to film at Cheyenne's student house in Maidstone, as the living room was a  suitable sized area of space for filming and there was a small corner to dress with posters and shrine-type props. We wanted the room to look cluttered with DVDs and film related memorabilia. The walls would also be covered with posters. The inspiration came from some of the fictional characters we found such as 'Max' from Spiderman who had similar attributes to our character Norman and we felt like his bedroom should look similar.

In terms of the room, Cheyenne and Saskia cleared the space and put out things on the desk to make it look like a working desk. They put objects such as old plates and printed cut outs with scissors to give it a cluttered appearance. On the day we all brought other props such as DVDs which we filled a shelf with on the back wall. I also brought in some objects for the box including some long stripy socks, of which he throws out when he is looking for the camera in the mockumentary. Other set design included the posters that we printed out of some very well known films such as Superman and Twilight. Darren who plays Norman sent us some selfies that we used to stick onto the posters to give them a personal touch for the character and give the set more detail.
For Darren's costume, he said that he had a Superman t-shirt from a charity shop that he could wear. To complete his costume, he wore braces and some smart trousers and glasses. To avoid any copyright issues with the Superman t-shirt, we used chalk to draw a huge black 'N' on top which stands for his superhero character 'Nor-man'!

For the last VT - the trivia, the host will be wearing relatively smart clothing as we want it to look clean and professional. In terms of the location, we will be filming at the studios to have access to the studio floor and the gallery. We felt that this was the most suitable location as the back drop would have more context to what was being said than an every day setting such as a public environment.

Studio Production: Call Sheet

I have included the call sheet for the afternoon of the shoot with Norman. This is specifically for the Trailer so I could map out the schedule and have all of the contacts I needed to hand. Having a call sheet is essential before carrying out a shoot as you need to be able to contact all of the crew and contributors before the production time starts. I have also included timings and the location.

Studio Production: Shoot Day: Mockumentary + Trailer

On this day we filmed two of the VTs, the mockumentary and the trailer featuring the character Norman. We chose Darren to play Norman as a few of us had worked with him before and felt like he would be good for the role. The entire VT Team were crewing on the shoot as we wanted every role to be covered to ensure everything ran smoothly. The crew arrived at the location at around 9am to set up before Darren arrived. The overall set up was successful and we managed to begin shooting ready for the call time. We had scheduled to film the mockumentary before lunch and the trailer after, with a scheduled hour for lunch for the crew and cast.

Darren took to the role well and knew his lines prior to filming which meant that the takes ran pretty smoothly and we were able to get through the script within good time. We decided to go through the script in the order it was written as it made sense for continuity and this would ensure that everything was covered. In reflection, it took us some time to get into the swing of filming, as we were all finding our feet with our roles and how the Director wanted it to be carried out. In terms of the directing, Saskia was in charge of this VT and was making the executive decisions. However, we tried a few different approaches and did a few extra shots to get the best coverage overall. It had been scripted as a one take style which means that the mockumentary won't have any cutaways and will just be what is shot then and there. This was decided to give the film a more raw quality and to reflect the real and every day life of Norman. It was difficult to film in the space that we had because we were predominately just in one room, which meant that space for camera equipment was very limited. However, we overcame this by clearing everything that wasn't needed for the shoot out into the kitchen and placing the majority of the shrine type objects and whiteboard in the corner space of the room, as shown above. This worked as it meant that it wasn't in the way of the character but still added a good backdrop for the scene. As well as assisting Saskia throughout the shoot for this VT, I also operated the sound when Sammi needed to be in the shot. Sammi played the role of Norman's mum in the mockumentary which meant that her role as sound needed to be covered for this section. I think it's good that we all had opportunities to do other roles when it was needed as it gave me a more varied experience and made it more diverse. 

After lunch we filmed the trailer for Norman's film. This features in the show as a round set up so provides something for the audience whilst this is taking place. As the main director of this VT, I wanted it to be quite short and snappy, therefore I filmed plenty of options for the montage section so that it would look fast paced but still look dynamic. It was difficult to approach the trailer because it had to be shot as if Norman was making it which I found challenging. I decided to just keep the sequences quite simple with only a few shots for each one so it didn't over complicate it, especially with a limited time frame. I imagine the montage to be very fast paced to keep the tempo up throughout and maintain an energy to it. In terms of the other sections, we had the crew cameo for the rest of the cast. This was relatively successful as we all knew each other which meant that the interactions came across as natural. However, the crew not being actors meant that the process wasn't as smooth as it had been in the morning shoot. I followed my shot list carefully, ensuring I had covered all of the shots I'd intended for, whilst taking ideas from Cheyenne and Saskia as part of a team to ensure we had the best coverage possible. For Norman to be able to travel to each of the other characters, we filmed him running up the street, both with a static camera and a tracking shot to give the editors some options. I think that this section will be a good opportunity to emphasise on the low budget, home made quality that I was after for this VT. 

Overall, I would say that the day was relatively successful and we managed to get plenty of coverage within the time frame we had for it. Darren made the process very simple as he was prepared, he was also very easy to direct which made the day run smoothly. I would say that some areas for improvement would be with communication and team work as there were elements that could've been handled more professionally. 

Studio Production: VT Contributors/Actor Choice

For the Mockumentary and Trailer VTs, we needed to find an actor for the role of Norman. Norman is a character who was written by the Producer - Josh. He is a friend of the Host and is a wannabe actor. Josh has described him as useless and a failure when it comes to acting. He is middle-aged and lives with his mum.
It was the job of the VT team to develop the character and come up with ideas for the physical appearance of the character and to find a suitable actor for the role. We brainstormed ideas and decided that we wanted him to look very geeky. His costume would include glasses and greasy hair. He will also wear braces and high waisted trousers to complete his look. To find a suitable actor to play the role of Norman, we advertised on Casting Call Pro, which is a website for sourcing contributors. We had a few options that we contacted but many of those interested dropped out as we were getting closer to the shoot date. Some of them were keen to work on the show but were put off by the fact that it was a student production which put extra pressure on us to find someone very quickly for the role. One of the applicants was Darren Hammock, who I have worked with as our presenter for the Documentary unit. Laura and I recommended him as our experience working with him was very easy going and pleasant. He seemed keen on playing the role as he had worked with us before and is happy to take part in student productions. We have sent him the scripts for the VTs and he is happy to take part.

For the last VT, we will be working with the host of the show - George Sesay. We felt that this was the best choice as we will be using the studio set and gallery space for this VT, which will give more context and make more sense with the rest of the show. Josh and the Assistant Producer - Sam sourced George for the show, so we just had to send him the script for this VT and email him about costume requirements.

Studio Production: VT Trailer Shot List - Revised/Final Version

For the trailer VT, I have revised my first draft of the shot list after seeing the completed script. I had used the ideas from my concept for it and the ideas for the scenes to write a shot list. There have just been some small changes. There is now a new scene featuring a couple in bed who get interrupted by Norman who throws the DVD which will be entitled 'Fifty Shades of Norm'. It will be a challenge to include all three scenes within the time frame so I intend to film all of them and then choose a minimum of two, depending which ones are the most successful. I will be using both my shot list and the original script on the day of filming to ensure that I have them both to refer to. I think that the shot list will be good to have as a guide but on the day I will probably get a wider coverage of shots to ensure that there are plenty of edit options. 

Professional Practice: Placement (Renegade)

For the professional practice unit, we had the option to either complete a work placement or a commission project which we will have to feedback from and write a report about. This will be taking place alongside the Studio Production unit and will be graded. I decided that I wanted to do a work placement as I haven't had much industry experience and wanted to spend some time in a working environment. I felt like the commission option was a little too like what we have done for the other units on the course and so felt like the placement would be a better learning experience for me. I looked at the options that Laura showed us and was interested in Renegade and Twenty Twenty, both are production companies with offices based in London. I also researched other placements and found a work placement for the BBC, however they were advertising for April, May and June which wouldn't have been suitable timing for this unit. I have however, applied to do a work placement with them in my own time for extra experience.
I applied for Renegade and initially was told that there wasn't anything coming up soon that would be beneficial for me or the company to work from. Since then, they contacted me again with a couple of weeks experience starting from the 6th March. I won't be taking myself out of uni for the entire two weeks as I was unable to miss the sessions with Del and other meetings with Helen and Louis.

Studio Production: Shot List - Norman's Trailer

For the Trailer VT which will be featuring the character Norman as his alter ego and super hero - 'Nor-man', I have written a shot list. The script isn't yet complete for this trailer so based on the concept that I came up with for this VT and the discussions we have been having as a group, I have written out an outline for each sequence, including several shot types. For the opening montage, I wanted these to all be close ups as I feel like this won't give away too much before the big reveal at the end which will be a tilt up to show Norman with his costume on.
The other sequences featuring cameos from the crew were relatively simple to map out. I wanted to include a few extreme close ups of the DVDs so that there is emphasis on these as they will be individually labelled to reflect the cast. Between each section there will be a very short transition of Norman running. I have mapped out a few options such as as him running past the camera and a tracking shot, showing his facial expressions.
Once the script is finalised I will be able to add scenes or take some away so that we can get good coverage on the day of filming.