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Production Diary - Study of Sound

As last time didn't go so well, I've been looking into sound recording and how I could improve it next time.

This video was one of the helpful things that helped me understand more about how sound works and is recorded and is well worth a watch.

As part of the BFI film academy course I've been doing, I attended a lecture on sound recording which was also very informative. Here are a couple pages of notes I drew up. As you can tell by the noughts and crosses, three hours with no toilet break was a little too long!

Sound quality can make or break a short film so it's important to get it right.

Rushes Log

Rushes Log

I find logging the takes really beneficial when it comes to editing - a text description of which shots are effective and the best means choosing footage is much easier.

Shooting review

I should have made a silent movie.

Having arranged a date for my cast and booked the equipment I thought I would need, we made our way to our set straight after school.

While I wasn't expecting to have everything shot in this session, I had planned to bank a few key shots, meaning I could begin editing a bare bones version of my video and work out what cutaways (or B-roll footage) I needed to pick up the second time.

Unfortunately, despite bringing a shot-gun microphone, the sound quality meant the majority of my footage is unusable. It picked up a lot of the ambient sound (chatter, the noises from behind the counter ect) but that was at the expense of the actor's dialogue. You can even hear myself calling 'action' better than the actors talking.

Last Saturday as part of the BFI film academy, I worked as the sound recorder on a separate short film shoot which involved me taking the microphone into my hand, put on the headphones and listen intently for any discrepancies in the audio quality. For the majority of this shoot it meant me lying on the floor trying to stay out of frame. It's looking likely that I'm going to need someone to take this role for the reshoot, perhaps using a boom mic which will mean another addition to the crew.

However, it wasn't all bad - if I were to look at this shoot as a trial or a camera rehersal, it means that next time should be more efficient.

Dapper.



Raw Footage

Twenty minutes worth of unedited raw footage. I recommend you don't watch with headphones.

Actor Styling - Graham

What the characters wear can often be as important as the actor or the script in terms of creating a character. As the structure of my script takes place over three days, I wanted to develop a few different outfits for Graham that were consistent and representative of his character.

Day One?

This outfit is very simple, using a jacket with a tie, shirt and trousers. The simple design is representative of the character - with the top button done up on his shirt and a very subdued colour scheme while not being completely bland.

Day Two?

Here you can see my conscious decision to introduce colour to the character's outfit, with a red-ish cardigan and a red tie. In order to differentiate the outfit between the days, I've changed the jacket. I do like the appearance of this outfit, but I think I'd want to change the shirt.

Day Three

Blue! This is one of the bigger changes in costume, introducing a new shirt, new tie and a jumper as well as a return to the jacket from day one. The unbuttoned top of his shirt is a nice reference to his new optimistic outlook - not needing to be so uppity and refined. Out of all of them this is my favourite of his appearances due to the colour and overall appearance.

Actor Release form

This actor release form serves as a contractual agreement to allow my useage of the actor's image in the short and related materials as well as their commitment to reshoots.

Shooting coming!

Production is moving rapidly now, with a initial shooting date of the 17th of Novemeber. While I'd have liked to have shot it a month or so earlier, the reality of coordinating actors, equipment and the location meant I had to be flexible. In order to make sure the shoot is as efficient as possible, I've drawn up a shot list and a storyboard which will hopefully means I have a reference of what to shoot.

 On the admin side, I'm getting my actors to sign a model release form, so they can allow my useage of their image and everything I shoot as well as a commitment to make an effort for reshoots. There is a similar one for the location that I'll need to get the manager of the coffee shop to sign - essentially my promising not to knock any doors down.

I'm having my lead actor over on Wednesday to play dress-up. While we both have an idea of what we want the character to wear and look like, this costume planning will help us be specific and give me as director an understanding of what colours I will be working with. I've done a lot of exploration of colour imagery, something I'll go into more detail after the shoot.