Production diary

21/11/2018


Today I worked with the director and planned and completed some paperwork before we start filming later this week. I organised a shooting schedule so the team is able to follow it and so I am alert on where I need to setup camera equipment for filming. Also, the shooting schedule lets me know the location, props and who the actors are so I can visualise what camera work is needed. Also, the rest of the team completed some paperwork such as call sheets, props list and also costume breakdown which is of course important for the actors. Ultimately, I read over the shot list and made sure the shooting schedule is correct and is ready for use when needed. We also planned shot lists and storyboard to help us with our ideas and help us film.


23/11/2018


Without Laura we temporarily got another member and it was Thomas. Me, Anya and Thomas went to Dannielas house on Friday to film parts of our Christmas ad. We met up in Stockton high street and walked to her house. When we got to the house we forgot the camera and we were unable to get a camera from anywhere, so we had to use Thomas's phone camera as it was the best quality and the quality of the camera actually wasn't that bad. So Anya was the director and explained to Bradley, Sophia and Danniela what to do and where to stand. She explained to everyone the props involved and what to do with them. I was the camera operator so using Thomas's phone I filmed many shots of the cast. Shots included over the shoulder, close up, medium shot and wide shot. I filmed many shots as it is good to have more shots than to have less shots. The kids weren't distracting and listened when needed in order to film. They were calm, reactive and most importantly focused on set. I think every shot was taken first time as there wasn't any problems when it came to the acting. Thomas was a backup but actually came in use because we had to use his phone as the camera. We took a few shots of Danniela, Bradley and Sophia. However, moving forward there is still filming to do which includes Imogen who plays the teen girl in the Christmas ad. I think we are planning to film on the weekend but a day is yet to be confirmed.










As part as my role as the camera operator I have done more than just film. As we developed ideas it was also my duty to complete some paperwork. For me this included, shooting schedule so we know what day to film and what location etc. Also, a shot list was created so we are organised and we know the order of the shots and so we know what shots we need to take. A storyboard was also created so we are able to illustrate the actors and what props would be surrounding the actors. Also, this helps us understand what the actors will be doing in the shot and what they would be doing in the next shot. We have also completed call sheets together which included timings, location and which actors are involved. Also, we completed paperwork such as risk assessments which is really important especially when we are working with kids. Laura completed risk assessments as she is the location manager, she took assessments of Dannielas house. The main risk was electric sockets and sharp objects as small kids can hurt themselves when they are acting or performing. We filmed safely by making sure the kids weren't next to dangerous objects and made them aware of it.


29/11/2018


Since Friday we have not filmed any part of our Christmas advert. Since then I have focused more on my theory in terms of my assignment. I have successfully completed my comparison of 2 adverts which will also really help our Christmas ad. This is because I have researched and studied the ads and I now know a deeper meaning behind the ads such as the music, emotion, characters look and different camera angles used which is important for me as I am the camera operator for my team. I have also completed different parts of the assignment such as writing about technical skills and what skills we could implement into our advertisement. Overall, theory has been the main priority this week as there is a lot to do and a lot of words to write. Filming will continue in the coming days as we need to get all of our shots and then edit to finalise the production. Lewis has also joined the team as Laura is on holiday, Lewis is the 1st assistant director and is also the editor for our production. The ads that I analysed was BusterTheBoxer and Sainsbury 1914 ad. I analysed BusterTheBoxer because its a John Lewis advert and we are mimicking the John Lewis style. From my analysis I now know what type of music is used and what shots are taken etc. I analysed the Sainsbury 1914 ad because its totally different to BusterTheBoxer. This is because the story behind it is totally different and is emotional in a different way. Also, the scene, characters and also the product advertised is totally different compared to BusterTheBoxer advertisement. Ultimately, great progress has been made in the theory side of the assignment. Filming, editing, theory all must be completed by Monday 17th December.


2/12/2018


On Sunday Me and Lewis went to Anya's house as we used her younger sister as part of the advert. She is called Imogen and is 14 years old. However, this time we remembered to bring a camera and also a tripod was used for steadiness. The scene involved Imogen lying on the bed with her teddy bear. She is filmed enjoying the bear and is really happy as she is playing with it. Anya was directing the scene, I was working the camera and Lewis helped me set up the tripod and place the camera on it.


3/12/2018


Today, I experiments with the Sony camera. I learnt the zoom in and out button and how to use it because it is important for our advertisement as we need to zoom in to the photo and zoom out.  We used a tripod to practice the zoom in from a high angle above the shoulder. Zooming in and out was really simple and also I learn how to change the lens to make a blur if it is needed when the camera is zoomed into the photo. Lewis also editing some footage that we already have and we trimmed down some clips to make them shorter and also sped up some clips as we had no choice. Overall, I worked on practical skills with the camera and tripod.


11/12/2018
There is not long left until the deadline of our Christmas advert so a lot of work is being done to be completed at the deadline. Since the 3rd of December a lot has happened. A few days ago Me, Lewis an Adam went to Preston park to film for our Greggs advert. The Greggs advert was to help us improve our skills in directing and filming. These skills of course help when it comes to our Christmas assignment. My directing skills have improved because my Greggs advert turned out how it wanted and Adam was the actor and listened to me. Also, the most important thing to me is that my camera operating skills have improved as I filmed Lewis' Greggs advert. I used a tripod as part of the equipment to film his Greggs advert. I feel a lot more comfortable using the camera as I had more time to practice with it. This helps me a lot as it means my improved skills can go towards my Christmas advert and assignment. Completing the Greggs advert means I have checked off that I have directed a little project this year and also filmed. As of today I have been completing the theory part of my assignment as there is a lot to write. I successfully now completed task 1 and also 2 of the assignment. I typed over 500 words talking about research tools and method. Task 3 is completed as pre production is completed. Task 4 which is the evaluation is also almost completed and I have typed over 900 words. I am unable as of today to complete the evaluation as the Christmas advert isn't fully finished. I need audience feedback but in order for feedback the advert has to be fully edited. We need a few shots to complete the advert and then I will be able to get audience feedback to complete task 4 which is the evaluation.
13/12/2018
Today we filmed our photo book scene which was basically Danniela opening the photo book  and me zooming in to the photo and zooming out. It turned out it was a disaster because the quality was really bad and it was out of focus. Without a tripod I had to film free hand and it was shaky which made the quality really bad. There was no cannon cameras available so I had to use a DSLR which wasn't ideal. Ultimately, in the edit the footage looked really bad so we are hoping to now film on Tuesday when everyone is available. The deadline is Tuesday so we will have to get everything completed on Tuesday including audience feedback for the evaluation.


17/12/2018
Today is the deadline and we have filmed the last part of our advert which are the photo book scenes. The advert is edited and everything on the blog. Also, all the paperwork is completed including all the tasks such as comparing adverts and research and development.  All paperwork is in a folder and ready to be given in. All of my assignment work is on the blog ready to be reviewed and graded. Me, Anya, Lewis and Laura filmed the photo book scene together in the room as it was our last scene of our advert. Our advert is now uploaded on our blogs and is also uploaded on YouTube. Our advert assignment is completed!