R+P Post 20: Reflections so far/looking ahead

I think our team has worked well for the pre-production stage as we have turned up on time to meetings and organised our time efficiently to get the test shoots and rough cut completed before half term. The preparation stages for the test shoots (storyboard, animatic) have been useful for the filming process and allowed us to edit the rough cut quickly. Apart from a few cast members being unable to attend, the test shoots went well overall and we were able to notice any lighting or camera issues before the main shoot.
Some of the issues we encountered during pre-production were lighting issues in the school corridor after 4pm, and the sound of the wheels on the dolly which meant that we could not properly hear the dialogue in the shot. We have been able to minimise the sound of the dolly wheels and organise our shoot times immediately after school so that the daylight does not affect the lighting in the scene. We noted down these errors on set and afterwards in order to avoid wasting time during the main shoot.
The rehearsals have been particularly useful as we have choreographed the actors' movements to make the scene more realistic and include the conventions of a teen comedy.
So far, we have extended existing shots and included some more shots to make sure that there are no jump cuts and the whole sequence follows continuity principles. (For example, the first shot will last 6 seconds instead of 3, as we decided to take out a shot that was not needed). I'm confident that we will be able to make the appropriate changes necessary before our main shoot, provided that we continue to be organised during group meetings and study periods. This will make post-production and editing much easier after we have filmed the footage.

R+P Post 19: Our rough cut

We will upload the footage from our test shoot and using Adobe Premiere Pro, compiling the best takes into a rough cut video. The rough cut will be based on the timings of our animatic, although we plan to alter these slightly during editing, as some of the timings are not suitable in practice. For our rough cut, we will include titles, soundtrack, sound effects and dialogue to make it as similar as possible to how our final opening sequence should look. It will allow us to see if our camera and editing techniques are effective for our main shoot and able to connote the genre well. During the editing process, we must consider continuity principles and make sure that none of our shots break the 30 degree rule or the 180 degree rule.

Reflections: The rough cut was an important stage of the editing process, allowing us to try new ideas with the shots we planned to use and visualise if the sequence worked as a whole. Directors produce rough cuts to allow shots to be re-ordered, removed, shortened, or otherwise changed. Often, there are plot holes (missing shots/segments which require that new scenes be filmed) as was the case in our test shoot. We plan to film more scenes of the inside the house so that the shots in the split screen are all completely different.

For our actual opening sequence we have learnt many things that must be changed, including issues with camera framing, actors movements, background noise, and the lengths of some takes. The rough cut has enabled us to notice any mistakes in filming as well as editing. After having spoken to our teachers about the rough edit, we wrote a list of changes we would make in order to have the appropriate shots for our main shoot.

R+P Post 18: Our test shoot

Our test shoot will take place in 2 different locations (inside the house and in the school corridor) on Wednesday 4th February and Saturday 7th February. To prepare efficiently for the shoot, we will create 2 separate shoot-boards in advance (see post 13), which will help us to speed-up the filming process and work out the order of filming the shots. We also will sign the shoot organisation form to sort out the transportation of camera equipment to our house and back to school.

For the test shoot, we do not plan to include all appropriate costumes and props as we want to test the lighting and will not have the full cast available on that day. After the corridor scene test shoot, we will have a rehearsal with all of the actors in order to choreograph their movements as this scene is particularly difficult to manage. The timings of dialogue and action during this scene must be precise, so it is essential to inform the actors of how the shot is going to be filmed. As well as a test shoot for the corridor scene, we plan to film a run-through to show where the actors will be in the shot.

Reflections: A test shoot was crucial to our project as it allowed us to notice and fix any lighting errors in particular, and see if our ideas were possible in practice. The second test shoot (inside the house) required more editing techniques rather than camera techniques as we planned to include a split screen and short takes. After having filmed the test shoots, we have decided to produce one long take for the final scene as this was effective in showing the isolation of Arthur's character as he walks through the school corridor. An issue with this scene was the noise that the camera tripod made (wheels on the floor) however, this can be minimised by using speed cream on the wheels. For the other location, we plan to change a few camera angles and shoot earlier in the day (before 11am) for better lighting. Overall, both of the shoots went well apart from minimal issues that we will fix for the main shoot.

Run through:

Test shoot:

R+P Post 17: Our planned costumes and props, hair and make-up

COSTUMES -

Arthur: pyjamas, t-shirt, hoodie, jeans, trainers/boots
Emos: black clothing, accessories, piercings, tattoos, black shoes
Nerds: shirt, smart trousers, glasses, cardigan, formal shoes
Chavs: tracksuits, hooped earrings, casually dressed, handbags
Hipsters: vintage clothing, glasses, tie-dye shirts, creepers, skinny jeans
Athletic group: tracksuit, baggy shirts, sweatpants, football shirts, running trainers, baseball jacket

PROPS -

• Arthur's character will be holding a map of the school in the corridor scene, that he uses to find his way to room 3. This map shows the large and confusing building in which Arthur cannot find where he is supposed to be
• The emo group will have iPods and headphones during the corridor scene. This connotes typical teenage antisocial behaviour 
• The nerds in the classroom will have a chessboard on the table, as well as science textbooks and backpacks, suggesting their preoccupation with work and studies
• As Arthur walks through the corridor, the athletic group will be throwing a blue basketball/football around
• A set of house keys that Arthur takes from his kitchen counter at the end of the morning routine scene
• An alarm clock, toothbrush, clothes, and juice carton are all used in the first part of the opening sequence, as part of Arthur's morning routine. These are stereotypical items used in morning scenes

These props were our own items, and connote stereotypes incorporated in our film (the basketball implies the typical hobbies of young, sporty teenagers) (the chessboard and textbooks are typically attributed to nerdy or studious characters).

HAIR/MAKE-UP -

Arthur: messy hair
Emos: dark straight hair, black eyeliner/eyeshadow, dark lipstick, pale skin
Nerds: tied back hair, neat, very little make-up
Chavs: gelled/tied back hair, heavy eye make-up, brightly-coloured lipstick
Hipsters: curly hair, winged eyeliner
Athletic group: short hair, no make-up

We will use this combination of costumes and props to represent social groups that would be typical in a London school. These stereotypes are well-known to the target audience (British people aged between 15-24) and would provide entertainment as the characters are familiar and recognisable. As a group, we decided to represent these particular groups as their costumes are very different to each other, therefore the social segregation within the school would be clear to the audience.
The film references for costume, props, hair and make-up would be "21 Jump Street" (the car park scene in particular), "Mean Girls" (the dining hall scene) and "Juno". Although these are examples of American films, they incorporate similar representations of certain characters based on their costume and appearance. (for example, the 'plastics' in "Mean Girls" are portrayed as girly/feminine as they wear pink, skirts and make-up). Another film reference would be "17 Again" as Mike's clothing and props in the house (basketball, books, folders) clearly portray him as a teenager. We will use a mobile phone, basketball and casual clothing to establish Arthur's character. For the corridor setting we must consider costume continuity between shots, making sure that the actors are wearing the same clothing on both shooting days. All of our costumes and props have been sourced from the school drama/PE department or the actors themselves, which will make the iconography of the opening sequence more realistic.

Photos of our cast in costume:

 Michael (as Arthur)

 Alisha (hipster)

 Seb (emo)

 Amy (girl crying)

 Seth (nerd)

Examples of British teenage behaviour and schools are shown in Wild Child:

 The girls are perceived as gossipy, competitive and initially the school is presented as an unpleasant environment, as films often include the stereotype of British people being rude or unwelcoming. The school in Wild Child is also focused on academic and sporting success to demonstrate the competitive nature of British schools.

R+P Post 16: Casting

The cast required for our opening sequence is around 10-20 people. In order to communicate regularly with our actors (to remind them of rehearsals and shoot times), we created a Facebook group and Whatsapp group chat. To inform the actors more formally of the times and dates they will be needed, we will send out letters to each cast member. The letters will state the importance of the actors' commitment to the project and that they should notify us if there will be any issues. This is useful as it demonstrates that our project is of high importance and that we rely on the commitment of our cast.

Our cast list consists of a mix of males and females of different ethnicities, as we want to represent the multicultural society of Britain. As it is difficult to find a high number of reliable actors, Gift and I have decided to be a part of the production as characters in the background of the corridor scene. The film reference for our casting would be "21 Jump Street" as the car park scene clearly conveys the different social groups in a school through their appearance and costume.

We decided to organise an audition process to cast the actors, and made our decisions based on their suitability/similarity to the characters, appearance, and availability on the shooting days. This was useful as we wanted our characters to be realistic, and some potential actors did not fit the criteria.

Cast list:
Michael Gargaro (as Arthur)
Willem Troost
Alisha Shah
Amy Bauco
Seb Curtis
Will Curtin
Shayam Utting
Seth Hoskins
Okkor Habibi
Najid Rehman
Monica Aghadiuno
Luke Eves
Bonttu Tesfa
Gift Emesi
Ela Yokes

Our cast photos:

R+P Post 15: Our planned filming location and set design

Location 1: ENGLISH CORRIDOR (The Latymer School, Haselbury Road, Edmonton, N9)

We have chosen this setting as it will require little adaptation (it realistically connotes a high school environment) and would be effective for a long take (lasting approximately 40-50 seconds). This setting is suitable for the tracking scene along the corridor as there are several classrooms for the characters to be entering and leaving and there are no major lighting issues (there are no visible windows). Also, because it is a narrow space, the school can appear more crowded despite there being a limited number of actors.

This video shows the features of a typical school corridor with posters, bulletin boards, lockers etc.

Location 2: HOUSE - BEDROOM, BATHROOM, KITCHEN, HALLWAY (Chingford)

The first half of our opening sequence shows the morning routine of Arthur, so we decided it would be appropriate to design the set to fit the conventions of a typical boy's room. We will re-design the room slightly and add props such as a basketball, clothes, etc. The influences for our second location are Evan's room in "Superbad" and Josh's room in "Big". In typical comedy films, the inside of the house is usually shown as modest or untidy to establish character and make the scene appear more realistic. We also chose this room as it is suitable for filming and big enough for camera equipment/lighting. Below is an example of how we will design our set, and a map of the actual room.

This example of a messy bedroom is taken from Google Images

Our set intends to resemble a family home, similar to the Scavo's house in "Desperate Housewives:

R+P Post 14: Our Production Schedule (shoot and edit)

SHOOT SCHEDULE -

Test shoots:
Wednesday 4th February 4:30pm - 6:30pm (for location 1: corridor)
Saturday 7th February 10:30am - 3pm (for location 2: inside house)

Actors rehearsals:
Thursday 12th February 4pm - 5pm (for location 1: corridor)

Main shoots:
Saturday 21st February 9am - 2pm (for location 2: inside house)
Thursday 26th February 4pm - 6:30pm (for location 1: corridor)

Back-up shoots:

We chose these dates for filming as the school corridor is only available after 4pm on certain days, and we agreed on the weekend shoots according to the availability of our actors.

EDIT SCHEDULE -

We have not arranged a formal editing schedule for our rough cut, as we each plan to contribute to the editing during our lunchtimes, free periods and group meetings (refer to R+P Post 1).

Reflections: The animatic has helped us to edit the test shoots with the correct timings and titles. The rough cut was produced more quickly as we had made a storyboard, animatic and shoot-board prior to filming.
For our main shoot however, we have organised a schedule so that the editing of the sequence can be completed quickly and efficiently during group meetings and after school.