Directing | Research

Through our lectures, we are given a variety of information about skills that we need to help us in our projects. For this unit we have been learning and discussing the skill of directing and what a good director is. In addition to this information I have decided to do some more research into directing and here is what I have found:

When an audience is watching a film they tend to go through steps without really knowing it.

1. They pay attention to the screen.
2. They perceive what is being shown and they identify what things are.
3. They then read the signs as characters are performing actions and they follow the story while starting to identify with the characters that they like.
4. They start to make connections to the meanings.
5. They guess what will happen next and where the story is possibly leading.
6. They then start to worry about the characters and the outcome, adjusting their predictions according to the new information given.
7. And then finally, at the end of the film, they feel emotional closure through surprise and the fact that it ended the way they thought but not in the way they expect.

One of the key things to take from this discovery is that once the audience starts to connect the pieces of the story together, they start to feel emotions towards the story and mainly the characters.

When you watch a movie, you have to watch it twice before you really understand it and can analyse it. This is due to the audience getting "lost in the story". You mentally can't pay attention to the construction of the film because you're involved with the journey of the story.

The most important thing about making a film is it must be abut something big, important and significant. It doesn't have to be a big story but it should evolve through big issues such as family, fatherhood, motherhood, honor, friendship, punishment, prejudice, wealth and poverty, freedom and roughly first world problems. The story must answer the big questions in life. Once you have your story you have to show your audience what is at stake. Don't tell them, show them. We remember things better when we see them or even when we're emotionally involved.
The characters drive the story must have to make a big, sometimes life threatening, decisions. The audience follows the characters emotionally through the ups and downs of the plot.
Drama involves exaggeration. Tell stories about characters we care about going through intensely challenging experiences that we can live through. The audience wants to know what will happen to them.
Storyboards are the most important step and should be created before you start filming and editing.

Shot List | Drama Production Notes

After I visualised the video through a storyboard I decided to create a shot list. This was done to make the process of finding out what shots need to be taken easier and less stressful. With this list the camera operator can look through and know how many shots are going to be taken, what the size of each of them are and what is happening in all of them.
The shot list at the top  is the first scene which is the longest one out of both of them, and the one at the bottom is the second scene which uses a lot less shots due to the duration of it.
Having a shot list helped in my first project as well as in my self portrait video, so I knew that using one within this project would be useful and less stressful when it came to filming and editing.

 

Storyboard | Drama Development

When I started thinking about what I wanted my drama video to look like, I decided to draw a storyboard to help visualise it. Some of the shots in the storyboard are the same, due to the cuts being added in, but this was done to help during the editing stage of the video.

To start the video I am going to pan across all of the characters faces, and then pan down to the box in front of them. I have chosen to do this to set the scene and create a personal tone within the scene which will be carried throughout the whole video. I have chosen a mixture of long shots and mid shots to have in my video in order to show the 4 friends with the box and to be able to show all of their expressions at once. I have also decided to do a couple of over the shoulder shots of two of my characters in order to get at least three in one shot. These shots are used quite a few times in the video to get their friendship across and make their relationship with each other clear.

More than half way through the video, the characters sit down and begin to discuss what they have just been given. I have made sure to use some of the same shots, but they will have to be adjusted slightly so we can see the characters clearly. In this section of the scene I have added a lot more close-ups to show the emotion of all the characters.

For the second scene I have decided to keep the shots quite simple while also having some panning shots and a few close-ups to really show the emotion and tense movements of the character.

 

When it comes to filming this video I will be organised and I will know what order I am going to film each shot because I will have this with me. I feel very confident that the shooting will go well, and everything will turn out the way they are planned.

Set Up Design | Drama Production Notes

When it comes to setting up my scenes I have drawn out a sketch of what I am planning on doing.

The first scene is set inside which means we will get natural lighting from the window. However, I will still be using the light rigs as the natural lighting will most likely create back lighting and I want to light up the actresses faces. To make the light from the light rigs more natural I will use ND filters on both lights to dull the brightness down and create more of a natural look. In hindsight the camera will be placed in a variety of different places and positions, however I have drawn three of the positions it will be placed in to get a feel for the scene and what my overall vision is.

 

 

The second scene is set outside which means we will use natural lighting as our main source. I am planning on not using the lighting rigs outside, as I don't want too much light, however if it is quite dark on the day of filming, I will experiment and see what it would look like with one. In hindsight the camera will be placed in a variety of different places and positions, however I have drawn five of the positions it will be placed in to get a feel for the scene and what my overall vision is. I will have the actress inside the summer house as we film from outside and sometimes inside. We may need to use a lighting rig in those shots depending on how dark it is.

Scheduling | Drama Production Notes

I am planning on filming both scenes on Monday 8th  due to actor availability. However, due to one of the scenes being quite short I am confident we will get both scenes filmed in a good amount of time.

The first thing I want to do on Monday is get the camera set up and ready for when the actors arrive. I also want to get the lights set up and in the right places. I will need to use other people to stand in and act as the characters so I can get the frame right and get the lights on the right level. Once this is done, I will make sure the sound works and sounds like it should. I will also format the card of the camera, white balance and adjust the aperture to make it look natural.




Once the actresses have all arrived, I will make sure they are settled and have them do a few run-throughs so they get used to each other and they are confident with what they are saying. Before they do a run-through I will tell them my vision and give them instructions on what I want them to do while performing their lines. As they rehearse with each other I will over look it as well as make sure the camera is adjusted right for their heights and the lights are ready.




Once everyone is ready to shoot, and all the equipment is where I want it to be, we will start to shoot. I am planning on starting off shooting at a Long Shot, and we will shoot the whole scene in this shoot. This is so I can use different parts of the footage when editing, and I don't have to go back to the same shot later on in the filming process. I am going to do this with shots such as a Mid Shot, Over the Shoulder shots and low angle shots. The close-ups will be filmed separately once all the other shots are filmed and I will order it in terms of the hardest ones to film last.

There's a split in the scene where the characters go to sit down after standing up. When it comes to this part in the script we will take a 5 minute break where the actresses can rest and catch up on lines and the crew can adjust the camera level. Once the whole scene is filmed we will wrap three of the actresses, and stop for lunch with the actress who will be needed for the last scene.


After lunch we will go outside and film the last scene which shouldn't take very long. We will set up the camera in the correct position as I tell the actress my vision for this scene and give her time to rehearse. We will rehearse this scene before filming to make sure the actress knows what she is doing. Once it is rehearsed we will start to film each shot and make our way down the garden in order to film the whole scene. When this scene is finished filming we will wrap the shoot, and when the actress has left myself and the crew will look through the footage on the camera to make sure everything looks good.

Casting | Drama Development

When it came to finding actors to be involved in my project I went to Casting Call Pro and posted a job advertisement for the four characters I need. In the details and requirements I made sure to mention what episodes I have taken the scenes from, and what the task of the project actually is. I then said what I needed and what type of actresses would be useful for the project, will also mentioning the location and dates of the filming. 

I then wrote four individual descriptions of each character, including their appearance, personality and clothing choices. I also made sure to mention what scenes I will need them in as I am filming more than one.

Once people starting applying for the jobs I made a decision on who I wanted based on their appearance but also based on their first impression and characteristic. I watched through the showreels and looked through their CV's to see what they had previously done and made my decision.

For Aria I have picked an actress called Grace Felton.

For Spencer I have picked an actress called Jennifer Matthews.

 

For Emily I have picked an actress called Jade Coles.

  

 

For Hanna I have picked an actress called Nadine Turk.

 

 

All are experienced in filming for student films and also being in front of a camera. I am very confident that these actresses will work well with their roles and also work well together. I look forward to working with them and seeing how they deliver their role. 



Location | Drama Research

The original scene is set in a living room/kitchen and I am planning on filming mine in a living room. The living room am I planning on filming in has to big windows which will allow the natural light come through into the scene. Natural lighting is key in the scene so this is an advantage for my video. The layout of the sofa and the table works well with the structure of the scene, and there is enough space for the camera and lights to be placed due to the size of the room. The room is very well decorated and has pictures and lamps and other home décor items which help make create a family friendly tone as well as following the script nicely. This location will be used for the first scene in my video.

                                                             Long Shot                                              Mid Shot

                                                         OTS of Emily                                       OTS of Hanna

                                                                    Low Angle from the corner of the table

The second scene is originally set in a car but I have decided to set it outside in a garden. I have made this decision because I wanted to keep the family friendly tone in both scenes, but also I felt I had a lot more space to work with outside than I would in a car. I will be using natural lighting as we are outside and if it changes throughout each shot, I will edit the colours and brightness in the editing process. The garden I am planning on filming in is very long and quite large. A summer house is located towards the end of the garden and I think it will give me a lot of space to experiment with different long shots. This location will be used for the second scene in my video.

                                         Long Shot from top of the garden                           Mid Shot

                                                              Mid Shot                       Long Shot from bottom of the garden

 

                                                                     Full Body Shot of the summer house