filming journal - director

8/7/2019 Filming Journal - Director

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Filming Journal by Olutobi Odeleye - Director

Day 1 21st February AM

On day one before we started filming we had minor delays due to the change of

weather so we had to set the filming forward to a later time at approximately 1 hourlater, otherwise it would had interfered with the concepts of our filming. Then after

that we went back to the set location, and then we got out all the necessary

equipments needed for our filming and followed the risk assessments in order to

prevent any casualties towards the cast crew and other members of the public.

Before we started then filming, As the director it was my duty to get the actress

(Emma Worby) ready in the right position, and try to follow the shots used for the

storyboard, although because the location was very intriguing, new ideas where

developed e.g. the Bird eye view shot was used to follow the actress, which the

result would give the idea that she is being watched which worked really well.

Emma Worby the main character was portrayed as the protagonists I thought of abrief idea to shoot her coming from a work building where a low angle shot was used

to trace her as she starts running, this was suggested because the audience could

perhaps not follow it clearly in terms of where she is coming from, however I

decided to not let the audience know where shes coming from and to show just the

protagonists running straight into the subway, which adds to the curiosity and

tension we hope to create in order to represent and convent our thriller genre.

Trying to link the subway to the next scene (The Park) was very challenging but

hopefully it should work well. Then we also tired different point of view shots (POV)

which was in our story board, however it wasnt the same positions we had. I also

told the camera person to add breathing whilst she ran with the camera down thetunnel just so we decide to add this to the sequence in the editing suite.

We had many other barriers to our filming on Day 1, because we used a subway

tunnel, different people was walking past which would had broken the continuity

rule, so we had to keep stopping which wasted time. The weather was really harsh

on this day, which made filming hard, but overall we made good use of the day. The

sounds we picked up was from the subway were ambient noises such as the buses

going past, the harsh wind, which in told the editor to make good use of for the

overall sequence. I also showed our actress Emma Worby to work on her facial

expressions as someone who looks defencelessly , which was our concept of

tricking the audience, she had different runs at it , but overall it came togetherbrilliantly. Also we did not visit the location previously, to plan ahead of how we

wanted to shoot the scenes, so that also took our time. However for the next day we

will visit the next location and decide what shots to use and what the actress to need

to do for the entire scene.



Day 2 1st March PM

On day two we went to the next location to film our park scene, we had a choice to

use a jump cut for the overall results between the subway and the park scene linking

them both together as we thought we was shooting things in the right order but

when we got to Raphaels park the subway tunnel scene did not link with the parkscene. Me and Laura was aware of another location at Harold wood

Which was a Crooked looking bridge which would go perfectly well for our

sequence, hence we decided to use it. The editor was made aware that she would

need to put the bridge scene first as it linked with the subway scene.

On arriving at Raphaels park the weather was cruel, as it started to rain, however

we decided to shoot Exterior extreme shot and long shot angles. Also the actress was

very corporative, when I would direct her in terms of the types of facial expressions

to make, and also for the long shot we had to shoot it from far, so she was running

for a very lengthy time, and we had to repeat the same running scene three to four

times because either she was carrying the bag the wrong way round, or something

else like sounds was interfering with the continuity of the filming. We filmed at the

park location very quickly because the weather continuously changed. Hence we had

decided to come back another day, to shoot the close ups and to implement the

shots on our storyboard.

Day 3 6th March PM

We went to our third location, which was the bridge scene. This location was how I

imagined as it was very alluring. My plan for this location was different to our

sequence analysis I wanted to have the protagonists (Emma Worby) running pass the

bridge and as she is , an unknown actor portrayed as a stranger almost who runs herover which would create a gratifying tension, then the character would come out

and ask if she was okay, and she would had shrugged him off by saying get off me ,

this was the scene where a diegetic dialogue was intended, however flaws arose

with the actor who was unreliable and was unable to attend on t his day as we was

short of time, we decided to scrap the idea and just go with something simple.

I had an inform consent from the people around there to film, and we made sure we

stopped filming when there were passers by. There were also too many noise picked

up from the sounds of cars driving pass so time was wasted yet again. My initial plan

for this location is that the scene from the subway will transit to the bridge scene,

and I intended to make this scene shown very briefly as a location where she passesfairly quickly to her actual destination. However we played around with different

points where she could run from to Raphaels park. So we could later on pick the

point was that would work well. An interesting High angle was shot which was

agreed to be used for our sequence, where the protagonists would be perceived as

to be very small which connotates inferiority weak etc. We also got a worm eye view

of her face to show her facial expressions, because if most of our filming throughout

the sequence was a long shot medium shot of her running, it would not captivate the

audience attention as much as we intended hence this was a good shot.



The next day would be back to the park location where we would film, close up and

extreme close up Exterior and Interior shots, we have already visited Raphaels park

on the second day, hence I have already planned what the actress need to do for

that scene which would save more time.

Day 4 9th March PM

On day four, the weather allowed us to work effectively; hopefully it is of benefit for

our overall piece of film. We set up our equipments ready for use. As the first time

we visited Raphaels park, we shot extreme long shots, from distance in transition

from the bridge scene to the Park. I told the actress (Em ma Worby) to just start from

the slope that leads to her destination; this is where we decided to make good use of

extreme close up shots. I had to remind the actress her positioning the way she

carried her bag to not break the continuity rule.

My initial plan was to use distinctive heightened circumstances to create tension,which was her nearly getting run over and her falling down. So we decided to shoot

were she falls at this location, which was even better because where she was

running to was a slope, so it would preferably make sense to have her fall at that

point. For this scene a stuntman would had been a better choice, however we did

not have one so in order to prevent the actress injuring herself , we laid Jackets on

the floor where she would l and from a medium shot of her. I instructed her to run

slow but act as if she hurt herself by having her legs flying out in the air, with this

technique she could fall gently so the falling is not brutal causing casualties. When

we went further to shoot the close up I told her to show that she is been badly hurt

and has sprayed her ankle and take her time whilst she tries to get up, this lowers

the heightened effect for a reason, because throughout the sequence we have seen

her just running so it could be perceived a s the protagonists is at peace and perhaps

gotten away from what she was running from. Then also when she gets up, I

instructed the actress to limp so as it links with her falling and the fact that she has

probably escaped.

We had slight problems at this location where the first time we visited the Raphaels

park, the building we intended to use which was the park public toilet, had an

entrance door we wanted to use as to show her going inside. But today the door to

the females toilet was locked and we did not find anyone who could open it for us.

Hence we decided to use the Males toilet door with permission from the public

cleaners we saw at the park they were very supportive. So I had to think of a

spontaneous idea, which was that the protagonists woul d try to open the locked

door with the keys, but fails then she goes round the corner, where we spotted a

caged toilet window, and she tries to enter through there but fails, then she goes

round still limping, then this is now where the audience will start to change there

opinions who she was imposed to be. Then when she goes to the second door, I told

her to try different approaches into opening the door, whether a kick with her foot

or just push it open. Then she tried both and was successful however we h ave to

decide which one to use at the editing suite.



This was the last footage we would have of Emma Worby, the next day would be to

shoot the final scene with Aaron the Antagonists where the real essence of the

sequence starts to unveil.

Day 5 15 th March PM

Day 5 our last day of filming, our Actor (Aaron) informed us he was unable to attend

todays shooting. However we already planned ahead of this circumstances we had a

reserved actor (Robin) who is now playing our Antagonists.

On our previous location, as the actor was not there on the day, we shot Emma

scene as she pushes the door opened, as if there was someone in the room. To link

this two together with today filming, we already decided to use a blue screen and

create an artificial environment for the background.

The cast crew team had different roles to play and not just one role allocated, for

example I was the make up artists who made an artificial bruising on the antagonists

face, and also tied the cloth to his face, and tapes to his ha nds. I instructed him to

just look straight at camera, as if he was looking at the protagonists, in the editing

suite a shot reverse shot would be used.

The overall results would be brilliant, and come out just how we wanted it.

Acknowledgements to the crew and the Actor and Actress they worked extremely

well.

filming journal - director

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