Major Project - Script Draft 8

Condemned Script Draft 8

The eighth draft would act as the final draft of the script before we begin shooting. It turned out that there were not too many changes to make with this script, at least not as many as I had expected. A number of the changes made to this draft were fairly minimal with the exception of a couple of major changes, most notably the final scene. As this script would be sent just a week before the shoot, it helps that there are not too many changes. Here are the changes made to the script.

The first of these changes was particularly small and that came in scene 5, the interview scene with Nick. I changed the lifting key to a tap reseating tool. When looking through the tools in the house I found saw the tap reseating tool and felt it was perfectly ideal for our film and would make far more sense than a lifting key. This is not a change that affects the film in any significant way, however.

The next change was also a small one and would not come until scene 13 when David visits Stephen. One thing I learned in my role as a script writer is that if any dialogue can be cut without affecting the story, do it, as film is a show not tell form of storytelling. I had removed the word bit from Stephens line "Bit like old Marvin, do you remember him?" to help the pacing and flow of the film. As small and insignificant as it may seem, every tiny change helps in some way.

Scene 15 in the park saw yet another wording change. Stephens line was changed from "prick" to "lazy sod" when describing Nick's character. The word prick had already been used and it felt necessary to change this description to keep some form of variety in dialogue.

I cut a large chunk of dialogue from scene 17 as it did not feel necessary to the story in a major way and felt too similar to the dialogue mentioned in the previous scene. This also helps speed up the pace of the film.

Dialogue cut from Scene 17 (left) and where it is missing from in the latest draft (right)

Dialogue from the phone call scene (18) was cut to speed up the pace as well as to trim the fat. Nick no longer says "you're fired" as he had already said "don't bother showing up to work tomorrow" earlier on. There is no need to repeat himself. Davids line was also cut shorter as he did not need to ask "did Stephen say?".

While I have talked about speeding up the pace and trimming the fat a few times already. However, in scene 21, I decided to swap out one word of dialogue. Stephen initially describes David as being ignorant, but it felt more heartfelt for him to just straight up call him a cunt. In full the line now reads "What you said to me yesterday about not remembering anything showed me just how much of a cunt you still are!"

The final change, and easily the biggest, was the change made to the end of the film in scene 25. This had been one aspect of the film I had struggled to get right in the script, but after a discussion of ideas with Simon, it was decided that I would give the film a more sinister twist ending. Instead of having flashbacks of the past event, David instead observes a photograph of Stephen and Susan (his wife) together, implying that he had known all along about their affair.

Major Project - Crew

Crew

An essential part of the role as producer is to ensure that the production has a crew working under it. While the production already has itself a producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and director, it still needs more crew to help manage with the sound as well as to allow Josh, Troy and I to focus on our own roles. I asked around the first and second year students if anyone would be interested while Josh and Troy continued to work on the shot list and compositions.

With the small budget that we will be working from, look for contributors externally was not an option I wanted to consider unless I wanted to expand on the budget. Having worked on third year student productions twice, I understand that it is encouraged for third year productions to introduce other student to the major project.

Before making a decision on who I would contact, I had to make considerations for our budget. How much would we be willing to pay and how many people would we require? Here are the positions we wanted to fill for our production:

• Sound
• Camera Assistant
• Production Assistant
• Make Up
• Photographer

As for payment, it felt sufficient that, as this was to be an experience for them, only travel costs would be covered.

Crew Roles

Camera Assistant - Gavin Roberts

Gavin was always an early contender for any one of these roles as he had shown interest in our film in the first term. While we had not settled on a role for him at that point, we did ask if he would consider working with us on our production to which he obliged.

We had initially decided that he should take up the role as our location sound but changed our decision and made him Troys camera assistant. The two had worked together on the studio production and worked well. Gavin was also happy to oblige in supplying us with a couple pieces of lighting equipment that he owned as well as a clapper.

Sound - Jack Whitely

I have spoken to Jack a few times in the past and felt he would have a good working chemistry with myself and the rest of the crew. Like Gavin, Jack had also shown some interest about our film so it only felt right to ask his availability. Obviously the sound plays a huge part in the film as it's half of the audiences experience so it was important Jack knew how to use the equipment, which he did.

Production Assistant - Saskia Tatt

Saskia is currently living with Josh and Troy which meant it only depended on whether she was available for the shoots as travel would not be an issue here. Thankfully Saskia was available as her shoot was a couple weeks after our own. As she has her own production to work on, I do not wish for her to feel as though she has to abandon her own work to help out on ours. Luckily this is not a major issue as 3 of the shoot days were at the house any way.

Make-Up - Hannah Quinn (and Saskia Tatt)

As make-up and photography were not a part of our course, I realised I may have to look externally if I am to find anyone to fill these roles. I had worked with Hannah before on the Double Exposure shoot where she was a make-up artist and decided to give her a message on Facebook asking if she was available that week. Thankfully she agreed to take part and I would only have to pay travel expenses, however she was unavailable for one of those days, the Tuesday. Saskia agreed to fill in for that day. The make-up was fairly simple with some touch ups throughout the day to keep it consistent.

Photographer - Harvey Flux

This was the hardest role to fill. I had contacted the photography course without success and nobody I knew was available to help out on our shoot. I didn't want to pay any major fees to bring in somebody externally but it looked like the only available option. We had considered allowing Troy to take some pictures as he had done photography as a hobby in the past but this would only distract him from his own role and therefore slow down the shoot.

Our course leader Simon had suggested that we use first year student Harvey for our film, informing us that he has a keen interest in photography. I had contacted Harvey and he had no issue in helping us out on our film.

Major Project - Production Meeting and Paperwork

Production Meeting

Last term I decided on securing a production meeting with the actors and use it as a chance to discuss any outlying issues or concerns they or we might have. It was also an opportunity for the actors to meet one another for the first time (although Basil and Clive had in fact met previously on another shoot). This would be a crucial point in the unit for myself as it would confirm everything we needed to know going into the shoot week and it is vital that everyone knows where they stand the moment they step onto the set of our film.

Having attended a production meeting with the Double Exposure crew last year, I used that as a potential reference point for our own production meeting as well as conducting research of my own as to how a production meeting and rehearsal should go down.

The production meeting was held on the 30th January 2018. Below is the email I sent out the day before to remind them of what we will be covering.

Hi All,

Hope everyone has had a nice weekend and is looking forward to tomorrows meeting! In this email, I will shed some light as to what will be discussed in tomorrows meeting and where it will take us leading to the shoot.

The meeting will begin at 10:15 but if everyone can arrive just before 10 that would be great! Reception will have your names and will call me to let me know that you have arrived, alternatively you can call me (07580551487) and I will come down and collect you.

From 10:15 to 12:00 we will be going through;

• The script
• The characters
• The tone and style of the film
• Location details
• Budgeting
• Shooting schedule

As well as giving you the opportunity to ask any questions and voice any opinions you may have about the film and/or script.

We will then have a lunch break until 12:45. You can bring your own food if you’d like, however there is a cafeteria at the studios and we are more than happy to pay for your lunch as agreed.

Finally, from 12:45 to 14:30 we will rehearse some of the scenes together to get a look at your chemistry together as well as with Josh, the director. This will also give me an idea of what the dialogue sounds like in action as opposed to on paper. This will allow for a much more detailed edit for the script as the last draft had some very minor changes.

I have left an hours clearance at the end in case we run over the guide times but I can’t see that happening. Hopefully it shouldn’t drag on and should instead be fairly relaxed.

I’m sure you all have the address for the studios already but just in case: Vinters Park/New Cut Rd, Maidstone ME14 5NZ

If have any questions about tomorrow, please let me know.

Look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow!

Sam

The meeting with our actors went according to plan and I managed to get plenty of details out of them in regards to availability, food, the script, etc. Here's how it all went down (times may not be entirely accurate):

10:00 - I had asked the actors if they could arrive just before 10:00 to ensure that nobody is late, while Josh, Troy and I arrived about an hour earlier to ensure that we could get everything we needed to get sorted organised, such as paper work. Once everyone had arrived, we just sat and spoke for a few minutes just to get everybody acquainted. Fortunately, we had met all the cast in person once before so we were fairly relaxed in speaking to them, and, as mentioned previously, Basil and Clive had met once before on a previous shoot they did together. This made getting everybody acquainted that much easier.

10:15 - Before beginning the meeting, I wanted to let everybody know why we were here, what we will be doing throughout the day, what we want to know and if there might be anything they would like from us. Having made my introduction, we decided to have a read through of the script without the acting. This included the action lines. While I have read the script to myself, I wanted to hear everything coming from the actors themselves, all together. This session was particularly useful as it allowed myself to get to grips with what the script really sounds like and meant that I could make a great deal of changes ready for the shoot. Josh and I would conduct this part of the meeting with some input from Troy.

11:00 - The next point of conversation was the tone of the film. While the actors would not be involved in the cinematography or the editing for the film, it was important that they could get to grips with what kind of setting the characters will be placed in and where their possible inspirations may come from. Troy conducted this segment with some input from myself and Josh.

11:30 - Before heading off to lunch, I wanted to collect some information from the actors in regards to payment plans, what food they would like, travel as well as general availability in case of a rescheduled shoot or a reshoot. It was also an opportunity for the actors to ask us some questions. Again, this would be in regards to payment as well as availability for the most part.

12:00 - Lunch would be paid for by Josh, Troy and I and would be supplied by the Maidstone TV Studios cafeteria. This does not just act as a break from the meeting, but also acts as an opportunity to get to know one another even further and if need be to ask more questions about the film or even the rest of the day.

12:45 - While the script read through helped out with understanding the way the script reads, the rehearsal went even further in presenting how well the script actually performed. This would add to the necessary changes for the final draft of the script as well as give us a sense of the actors chemistry. It was also an opportunity for Josh to gain some experience working with the actors before the first day of the shoot.

15:00 - I had initially planned on having the actors sign any necessary paperwork just before lunch, however I felt it made more sense to do this after we had completed everything else as by then, all of the information we/they needed would become clear.

The production meeting went very well with some very positive feedback from the cast, all of which said that they had never done a production meeting for a short film and felt that it really helped in their understanding of the film. It was also a pleasant touch for everyone to have the chance of meeting one another and everybody got along perfectly.

Paperwork

I decided using the UCA templates for most of the paperwork as it enabled me to spend more time working on other aspects of the film and made gathering information so much easier. Much of these forms required the UCA logo anyway, especially the Risk Assessment. However, I did opt on creating my own template for the Call Sheet. The one I created, I feel, is easier to follow than the call sheet template presented on MyUCA. Below are examples of the forms used in our production.

Artist Contract and Contributor Consent Form - The artist contract would be signed on the day of the production meeting by the actors while the consent forms would be signed by the locations and/or contributors where necessary. This allows me to keep track of my permissions and allows for proof of consent where necessary.

Call sheets - As mentioned, I opted on using my own call sheet for this production. It means I will always know where everything is (as call sheets can often be cluttered) and allows for ease of use. I have included all the necessary details, such as:

• The call times for both cast and crew
• Weather
• Contact details
• What scenes will be covered
• Production requirements (costumes, makeup, etc.)
• Health and Safety
• Location details (with map)

Risk Assessments - As for the risk assessments, the UCA template is a necessity if we want our risk assessment signed and approved.

Major Project - Script Draft 7

Condemned Script Draft 7

The seventh draft follows up to the final draft of the previous unit and will act as a starting point in my assessment of the Major Project unit. This draft will also act a template for the eighth draft, the final draft before shoot week. As mentioned in a post from the last unit, changes will be kept fairly minimal, I had planned on making the major changes (if necessary) after our production meeting involving our actors in the final draft. This way the cast and crew will be fully aware of what big changes will be made.

The first of these changes was a small detail in scene 5 where I have decided to have David's character sat down and Nick's character standing over him. This decision made sense as I wanted to convey a power struggle between the two characters which would be difficult to do if both characters were standing as Basil (playing David) is taller than Anthony (Nick). To keep the power on Nicks side, I removed the detail about him pulling a chair into the space to sit and decided to keep him standing. The wording was also changed in areas to keep the script tight and easy to follow.

Only a couple of small changes were made to scene 6; minimal pay was changed to minimal wage and don't let me down was changed to don't be fucking late. The changing of words in the latter of the two changes was to further enable Nicks character. It makes more sense to curse at David as opposed to keeping his calm with everything. I wanted to convey the sense that Nick doesn't really like David and that David cannot trust Nick.

The next change comes in scene 8, another small change. sink and boiler was changed to hot water. A more vague description made more sense to both Nick and Stephens characters.

Scene 10 saw a handful of changes. "Boiler needs replacing" felt far too formal for Nicks character. I instead opted to change this to "Boiler's fucked". Nick would be far more blunt about the situation and would much rather David figure the issue out himself rather than informing him of the situation. The wording was changed in Stephens line to maintain a better tempo in the film and Nicks line about the tea see's him dismiss David's cup as opposed to asking him. These changes also affected other areas of the scene which required some shuffling about. For instance David now asks for tea AFTER Nick leaves the room.

A layout change was made to scene 13 with little change to the dialogue itself. Just makes for a better read and again, adds tempo to the story.

The scene in the park (14) saw a couple of changes to the dialogue but the scene itself remains the same. David instead asks when Stephen was diagnosed as opposed to "How long you had it?" The question makes more sense as Stephen can't possibly know when he actually got cancer, only when he was diagnosed. The wording in Stephens next line also changes slightly for better pacing. 

No major changes were made to the bench scene (15) but there were some slight wording changes as it reads more naturally. The pacing is more or less the same.

The word bar was dropped from Stephens line in scene 17 about a fight that happened years ago as it reads a lot better. Only a couple of wording and spelling errors were changed from this scene.

The dialogue in scene 18 was fairly minimal anyway but there was one change that I wanted to make from this scene. In the last draft, David says his line after Nick finishes speaking on the phone. I have opted to have David say this while Nick is speaking. This is presented in two separate dialogue columns side-by-side.

Scene 21 saw a few changes in dialogue. The first of which was the wording of Davids opening line. "My boss" was changed to "Nick" being one, and the other being "Did you tell him?" This line is far more to the point than "Do you know anything about this?" which feels to formal for a confrontation. Stephens next line saw some wording changes for a better read.

The final scene, while only one change was made, it was a significant one as it decides what we will be leaving the audience with. I initially had the ending as a deja vu of the opening scene but have now changed it to leaving him lying on the bed as flashing images of the past begin to haunt him. The ending was easily the most difficult to land and has seen a couple of changes since my first few drafts.

Major Project - Research into Budget

Research into Budget

The budget for this film was discussed well in advance of this term as it was something that we were all looking to contributing to. It's important to factor in that this budget will be supplied by ourselves and not the course so discussing how much we were willing to put in was absolutely essential that we knew how much we were each willing to pay. In order to secure some of the locations, the fee had to be paid last term. We all agreed on a rough number of £500 each as a starting point and worked from there.

Now that I had a rough figure to work from (£1500 total thus far), I decided to look into how much we would need to spend as well as what we would need to spend it on. There are a number of ways to go about working out a budget, these are the ways in which I went about it:

Reading the script - Reading through the script and taking notes is one way I went about gathering items and locations. Having written the script myself, I knew where to look and what to look for, but even still, it helps to look through again and again to make sure I have everything I need. Josh and Troy also read through the script and made their own notes as to what we may need. We collaborated our lists and looked into how much everything will cost. This covers the costs of all the listed costumes, props and locations.

Cost of contributors - Payment of actors had already been agreed at £60 per actor per day as well as a small percentage of their travel costs. Having arranged how much I will pay each of them for travel, I could get a solid grasp of how much we will have spent over the course of the shoot. Any other contributors, such as production assistants, will be paid in travel costs alone. Again, the locations have already been covered.

Feedback - One thing we greatly overlooked when discussing our spendings and budget with Simon, our course leader, was food. In order to keep our contributors and actors happy, we must supply them with good quality, hot food. Snacks such as crisps and sandwiches will not be sufficient over the span of a day, let alone a week if we want to keep everyone happy. Fast food will not be sufficient either. While we could get away with doing it on one occasion, it is best to avoid it entirely and stick to home cooked or well prepared dishes. To ensure that neither of us are distracted from our responsibilities, the food must be prepared either by someone externally or a production assistant/runner. THIS SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED!!!

While set design had been considered (see reading the script for details), it had been advised that we do not underproduce our set design. Simple things that are not listed in the script, such as a newspaper, or a pot of tea bags, are easy to overlook but can make the biggest difference in the appearance of our film.

Prior experience - Having worked on two third year projects beforehand (Grit in my first year, Double Exposure in my second), I had an idea on what to expect. The food, while simple, was to a good standard and there was plenty of thought as to what the actors might like/not like to eat. Everyone was considered. Weeks in advance of the shoot, I was asked by Wesley, the producer for Double Exposure, what food I like, if I have any allergies, etc.

One very costly, yet unexpected expense was the cost of batteries. Wesley had explained that he had some money put by in case something went wrong or required more thought on the day of shooting. This was clever as there was no way we could have predicted how many batteries the sound would use alone. So many packs were bought over the course of the week. This was something I wanted to look out for.

Major Project - My Role: Producer and Screenwriter

My Role

As discussed in a previous post, we have all decided to continue with our chosen roles. Mine of which being the producer and the screenwriter for the film.

My Role as Producer

For the earlier stages of the term, I will be continuing with my duties in ensuring that everything I have planned for the film goes ahead. This will involve, but is not limited to:

• Communicating with the actors regularly
• Talking with the locations, ensuring everything is still okay
• Organising production meetings with cast and crew
• Ensuring that crew are up to speed on what their duties are

To ensure that each of these tasks are carried out appropriately, there are a number of skills and traits I must use or indeed learn:

• A creative vision
• Problem solving
• Communication skills
• Organisation skills
• Self-motivating as well as motivating others
• Negotiation skills

These are all skills that apply to the pre-production phase alone, and though some may bleed over into the production as well as post-production phase, I must ensure that I am able to appropriately use these skills to help carry forward the production.

It's easy to think that the producers take a back seat during the filming stage of the production, this is indeed not the case. While it will be the director that takes the drivers seat on set, it will be up to me as the producer to ensure that everyone is satisfied and that the cast and crew are making the most out of what they have. I will be there every day to ensure that the production is going smoothly and offer creative suggestions where possible.

What makes my role as the producer particularly vital is the fact that I am there every step of the journey, supervising and ensuring everything is working as it should be, from pre-production through to post-production.

During the final stages of the production, it will be my job to overlook the edit, organise edit screenings, find a music composer (if not done already) and, if necessary, organise reshoots.

My Role as Screenwriter

Having produced 6 drafts of the script already, I felt as though I was in a comfortable position leading into the production phase. Leading up to shoot week, it is important that I frequently update my scripts based on the feedback and suggestions offered by our course leader as well as the cast and crew. My role as the producer will assist me in doing so as I will be able to organise feedback sessions with the crew. By doing this, I can get a better gage as to what the script will sound like and how it will play out. This allows me to write the best possible script for the film.

A relatively small role in comparison to producing, cinematography or directing, my role as the screenwriter will certainly take a bit of a backseat in the latter stages of the production. This does not mean, however, that it ends once filming begins. As a screenwriter, I feel that I have a right to express my creative suggestions with reference to the script should my ideas conflict with the directors. I should also understand that while I am entitled to my own opinion and can express this to the director, I must also allow the director to express his own vision as he sees it.

Major Project - Introduction to the Unit

Introduction to the Unit

Having spent the last few months working on the pre-production unit, I have decided to continue work on the 'Condemned' short film production. The developments made in the first term (as well as the Christmas break), I feel, have been sufficient enough to continue working on this production. The actors we brought in were still more than satisfied with playing their roles in the film and the locations we had arranged with were still available for shooting.

For this unit, my roles as screenwriter and producer will not change, though my role as screenwriter will take a bit of a backseat in the latter stages of this unit. My role as the sound editor on the other hand will be prioritised more heavily in these latter stages and my role as producer will shift focus as we enter the production and post-production phases.

It was agreed by myself, Josh and Troy that we would continue to work on the film heading into the new term as we felt we had progressed far enough to create the film without any major concerns, as aforementioned. Their roles as Director and Director of Photography respectively will not change.

Understanding our roles

In order to do my job, I must also gain an understanding of the roles of those I am working with as this will enable myself to better prepare for what is to come over the course of this production. Below are the people I will be working alongside, with a description of what their role involves going into the production phase:

Josh Bayly - Director (and sequence editor)

As I mentioned earlier, our group has not changed since the first term. Going into this term, however, our agreed roles will take on different challenges. For Josh, this will be putting his vision of my screenplay into action. During the shoot week, Josh will see himself in the drivers seat and the creative force of the production and will be challenged with putting all his preparation into action.

As a director, his role does not finish at the production stage. As we will all play our own part in the editing stage, it made sense that it would be the director that takes control of the sequence editing. While a director in the industry is unlikely to take on editing as well as their own role, it is expected of them to contribute to applying their vision to edit and ensuring it is carried out appropriately.

Using creative skillset as a guide, I explored the different ways in which a director can be responsible for the films final outcome:

"Directors are responsible for creatively translating the film's written script into actual images and sounds on the screen."

This point is relatively straight forward and is something that I already knew going into my research into the role. However, it is vital that Josh understands the importance of creativity when expressing his vision through film.

"During pre-production, Directors make crucial decisions, such as selecting the right cast, crew and locations for the film. They then direct rehearsals and the performances of the actors once the film is in production."

Having already served the first point in securing our cast, it is vital that Josh is able to direct a rehearsal before as well as during the shoot. The first rehearsal will be used to gain an understanding of the actors chemistry together as well as being able to read facial expressions and emotions.

"During post production, Directors work closely with Editors through the many technical processes of editing, to reach the final cut or version of the film."

I mentioned this point earlier about how directors carry their role forward into the post-production phase. As Josh will also carry the role as sequence editor, this should not be an issue.

"At all stages, Directors are responsible for motivating the team to produce the best possible results. Directors must also always be aware of the constraints of the film's budget and schedule and manage the expectations of the film's financiers."

To ensure that this happens, Josh will be working very closely with both myself and Troy to ensure that we are all just as passionate about his vision as he is. I will be on hand to ensure that he does not ask too much of the film in terms of budget. As we will be budgeting the film ourselves, however, this should not be a major issue.

Troy Smith - Director of Photography (and colour/grading editor)

With a clear understanding on how to use a camera to a high standard of finish, Troy has stuck with his chosen role as our Director of Photography (I will refer to the role as DoP from here onwards). Weeks of shot composition planning, colouring and test shoots will finally be taken into action this term for Troy; another thing he will be able to work on is his efficiency in setting up and taking down equipment. While it is Josh's vision that Troy will be working from, it will be his lighting, shot choice and decision making (in regards to camera) that will play a vital role in what the audience will see in the final film.

Again, his role does not finish at the production phase, partly due to the fact that he will also be playing a role in the edit itself. Using the creative skillset website once again, I researched into the key roles of being a DoP:

"During post production, DoPs attend the digital grading of the film."

This is the point I was just making. A DoP must ensure that their camera work is being utilised to the best of its ability and this carries forward into the grading. It is for this reason that we felt it was up to Troy to grade and colour the edit as a part of his role. This isn't uncommon on smaller productions such as ours.

"On smaller films, DoPs often also operate the camera during the shoot. At the end of each shooting day, DoPs prepare for the following day's work and check that all special requirements (cranes, Steadicams, remote heads, long or wide lenses, etc.) have been ordered. They also usually view the rushes (raw footage) with the Director."

For our production, Troys role as the DoP coincides with the role as camera operator. Troy will be working closely with myself (as well as the director) in ensuring that he has all of the equipment he will require on this shoot.

http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/758_director
http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/759_director_of_photography