jlfilmprojectba3

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WORMS - BTS STILLS AND FINAL THOUGHTS

As a final post, I want to quickly summarise my general experience of the project, post critical reflection. I set out this semester with one very simple goal and that was to make a film that I am proud of. Not to be egocentric or anything of the sort, I just felt that I haven't been reaching my potential and wanted to step my game up this term. I initially felt that Imago was going to be the project to fulfil this but it wasn't to be. In hindsight I am almost glad it didn't come to fruition as it made me take a 180º turn into Worms, which was very far from a realist drama and inspired me with ambitious visuals. Cinematography is my main passion and having developed my skills last semester in OnSet Production and in secondary roles this semester I think it was best I put this into practice before next year.

I would like to extend some thanks. Firstly to Sam and Tom, without whom this film would look like dirt (not in a good, stylistic way). Their technical skill and professionalism really helped me focus on the overall setups rather than pragmatic camera nuances and I had never quite had that freedom as a DoP before. Secondly, to Ben McMorran who is an absolutely wonderful man. He read me very well and could see my nerves and insecurities and put them well at ease. I learned a lot from him, not just about the AD role and their relationship among departments but also some personal lessons in the experience of being a graduated Napier student. Finally, to the other HODs, to which I am so grateful that they were willing to give me this opportunity on short notice and to Nick, Lachy and Monica for having complete trust in my ideas. Morven also commanded the art department with such gentle control and without their incredible efforts, we wouldn't have captured the bizarre world of worms. Louie's short notice sound design was masterful, he pulled everything together and levelled it up in the process.

With my initial setbacks, I felt my goal was slipping away but the more we dived into this project the closer I felt to nailing it. Despite its flaws, this is comfortably my favourite uni project I have made from a technical level and a personal level. There is so much to learn from this project to develop my skills for next year and I am very excited to make that leap. Overall, I would say I am proud of the work I put into this project and I feel comfortable that I know where I can improve.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

COLOUR GRADE

I am not much of a colorist but I have a bit of background in photo editing so there is a fair bit of transferable skill there. We had a tight turnaround to grade Worms so I kept it to a basic workflow that I picked up from a youtube video. The idea was to Colour space transform from Camera>Davinci then from Davinci>REC709 then from REC709>Cineon and combine that CST with a film LUT to get a quickly achievable cinematic look.

That node system doesn't inherently make it look good, it actually made it look rubbish but it makes the further contrast and colour adjustments a lot easier and quicker. I'll run by some key stills RAW/graded and give my thoughts.

The LUT used for this shot makes the mids and shadows very green so I tried to make them bluer and the skin tones to be warmer for contrast. It looks a bit more saturated on the monitors so I will probably go back and tweak these opening exteriors.

A lot of the blue tones were lost in the log version so I did a lot of adjustments to bring them back. It was quite difficult to balance the saturation of pinks and blues so I masked the the table and adjusted the red tone curve to resemble the original contrast on set. I also added subtle vignetting to allow more focus on the action of the scene.

I think in hindsight with this shot I could have saturated the red/pinks a bit better, they feel much more muted by comparison to the blues in this frame. Nice contrast though. Nick and I had a disagreement on this scene's colour space in general. In their initial grade, they tried to make the blues more green and the reds more orange to shot mach better for the POV transition. I see where they were coming from but I think the harsh change in environment was part of the beauty of the story. Moving between the clinical cold industrial dining room to muggy dingy bedroom promoted the eclectic world building of the film.

The Barracks scene is probably my favourite setup in terms of lighting, however I do want to go back to the grade. I think I can push the orange tones to be more saturated and heighten the yellowness of the greens to make it feel a bit more hostile and gross. I do think boosting the overall contrast and saturation made a massive difference either way.

I wanted to make this environment feel colder so I just adjusted the overall white balance in the chromatic adaptation effects window. Maybe could have desaturated the blues a bit but the overall tone is very similar to what I wanted to achieve.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

LIGHTING PLANS - WORMS

Lighting has been a decent concern for me over the course of preproduction because I have never really lit a space like the bunker before. I feel confident about the colour palettes and I have a good idea for tone, I just need some a good amount of setup time for safety which I have sorted with AD Ben in the schedule.

Sanctum is the main interior space for day one. We will also be shooting in the tunnel but I largely want to use the lights already installed. I just want to add an orange gelled 600D at the end of the tunnel for some colour contrast between the fluorescent light of the tunnel and the warm toned "light at the end of the tunnel". The aim for the sanctum is to keep the room very dark and have a sort of "spotlight" on the desk with a practical lamp. I want this setup to be very lowkey, chiaroscuro but will bring the Forza 300 and bounce it for some fill. I believe we are using the same space for the kitchen scene so I will just switch to using only blue light to achieve a cold, clinical feel.

For Day Two, we will be shooting the Barracks scene. I was watching a live gig recording a few months ago where the artists use orange and green lights and I really liked this combination of colours, (not because of the Irish Tricolour). I don't want a rich green but I think a sickly yellowy green tint combined with a warm light will make the space feel very humid and uneasy. To do this I want to use the tube lights already in the space, maybe with some extra fill light from the Amaran. For the warm tones, a practical lamp mixed with the 60Bs depending on the frame and then a Forza with a double layered orange gel to shine through the bars and cast a shadow - acting as a big room light from the corridor outside the barracks. Kind of similar to this exercise I did last term (just with more saturation and executed much better):

Day 3 is probably the trickiest setup. I want to make the bunker scene to feel like a much colder environment sue to its large metallic nature so I will use a blue fill. Then from floor one I want to use a contrasting pink tone to make the scene a sort of binary tacky "Gender reveal" party. Me and lachy spoke about the washing pink colours that appear in The Color of Space, this use of pink is loosely inspired by that. We also have a very long tracking shot going from a CU to a EWS. At the end we decided to tilt up to the balcony to reveal the Jarl and his right hand man patrolling the corridors. For this, we will clamp a dedo to the wooden fencing to cast a harsh shadow and light the front of the characters.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

TEST SHOTS - POVs

So as we have been refining the shot list, Lachy sent over a version which had a "plate POV shot". At first I was very confused, but the more I thought about this the more I considered what that could actually look like. What he meant was to just place the camera with the plate of food in the foreground but I started to devise a way to make this more immersive. I unscrewed a glass shelf we had from the table that holds our TV set and set it up above two chairs. I then got some red food dye, banana and a wide angle phone camera and produced this:

This is not a very refined shot but I think this could really fit the scene. The beauty of Nick's script is that it is very abnormal and I want the cinematography choice to reflect that. The POV from under the rig, before we parted the food made almost made it feel like we were underneath skin. It also kind of looked like a brain which is really apt foreshadowing for the final Brainworm scene.

This shot was then paired with a bucket POV but after trialling the plate shot I had a much better idea of how it would work. I went to the shops and got a bucket, an old sheet of perspex from a picture frame and some sealant to make a prototype which turned out like this:

Very flattering, I know. I think connecting the first dinner scene and the first barracks scene as a transition would be really effective in conveying the comedic change in tone and greatly accentuate the gross visceral atmosphere.

We need to be careful to ensure that when our actor throws up into the bucket that it is carefully sealed to not damage the lens so I have rigorously tested the second model with water to ensure no leaking. As well as this we have to keep in mind that there will be reflections so I will keep trialling with lights to work this issue out.

Fun stuff!

[jlfilmprojectba3]

THE RECOIL - 1st AC

I did a short stint on the last day of The Recoil, filling in for Tom as first AC. This time I actually got to pull some focus! We didn't have the nucleus that day but I used the monitor and normal follow focus. I hope I can get some more AC roles in future because I really enjoy it. Quite a satisfying role when you do it right. For this shoot I helped build the camera for the day, focus pulled and helped with equipment moving. Didn't catch any of the fight scenes sadly but I can't wait to see.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

WORMS RECCE AND UPDATES

Big developments. Monica has managed to secure Barton Bunker as our location. This will hopefully make my job a lot easier and I can start setting my ideas with this location in mind.

Going into the recce, I wanted to cross reference my stills with our storyboarding and potential influences. With the stills I took, I wanted to start composing potential shot ideas and think about how best to light each space. The script has a lot of variation in its locations so we have a lot to work through.

A very obvious correlation here but it the main tunnel into the building is very reminiscent of Kubrick's 2001, or most other spaceship movies for that matter. The isolating feeling of these leading line locations would perfectly suit the scene before Ethan enters the Jarl's Office. I know it isn't in the script but the way this tunnel descends could be a very nice way to allude to his final "descent into madness", using levels to accentuate this. As Lachy noted, it also kind of looks like the segments of a worm - I think this location is a must.

This room is the biggest in the location. It has good access to sockets and is incredibly atmospheric. From a production design point of view, it seems perfect for the dining hall - lots of space and looks like the antagonist has just booked a completely run down nightmare. This place is three stories underground which kind of reminded me of Parasite, who uses stairs and levels to visually show how the characters are moving up/down the class system. For the case of worms, I think this can be used to again, reinforce their descent into madness.

I think the plan for this room is to turn it into the Cadet's dorm room. It really reminded me of the grungy industrial basement in Fight Club. Using some sort of sickly green or yellow fill lighting could really make this space feel like a parallel to the cadet's persistent vomiting. I will also bring up to Lachy the idea of using frame within a frame with the window bars. Maybe a touch cliche but it really made the room feel even more like it was an entrapping prison cell - apt for the bedroom which is meant to be the antithesis of discomfort.

This was the main exterior space. There is loads of room to cover however there is a goat farm right beside it. I think the owner, Rob said we could use it but we do not have any wranglers so I'm not sure if we will use it. There are other options available, this space is just the most ideal.

Another thing to note from the recce is the interior flooring which is almost entirely smooth concrete. This was good as it means we can use the dolly wheels instead of tracks for the track ins-outs.

There is a lot to rearrange with the film as this space provides a lot more ambitious opportunities than a community hall or the like would.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

MARSDEN ROCK - GAFFER/2nd AC

My other secondary role was on Marsden Rock as a Gaffer. I was 2nd AC and BTS Stills on the exterior shoot as we had a skeleton crew. Despite only playing a small part, this shoot was very useful for me and really appreciated the opportunity to shoot out-with Edinburgh. I love the Newcastle coastlines too, another place I have thought about shooting before.

For the first two days we shot down in South Shields, I got the train over without the main crew as I had a job interview in the morning. The aim was to get there at around 3 to get started with shooting but we had equipment issues which delayed us til 5. Luckily, the HODs had scheduled the shoot so that we could get it all on the second day, the first shoot was a nice bit of extra time, which we still managed to use efficiently. We got some solid coverage and then went back to the BnB for an early night. Saif reckoned the camera team could have been a bit faster so Tom and I spent a bit of time discussing how we could be a bit faster, granted day 1 was a bit of a rush in general.

On day two we had a fair bit of the morning off. The HODs arrived early to set out the day's plan after which, we fuelled up and got moving to set. This second day went very smoothly especially compared to the setbacks from the day before. I had passed over BTS to Monica to ensure there were no distractions and we carefully whizzed through the shotlist. Tom was very impressive, his technical abilities felt flawless mixed with Lola's great planning. Once again I returned to the silver screen as cigarette boy. As much as this wasn't improving my camera skills, it was genuinely quite useful to see Ella's direction first hand. Now, I'm not saying it was a crazy difficult role of DiCaprio like precision but even down to the extras, Ella and Lola's vision and attention to detail was very thoughtful.

After wrapping the Newcastle shoot, Lola and I moved on to talk about how we would light the interior scenes. The main room was meant to be a sort of tacky 2000s family party, so she felt like practicals would be key. Fairylights and fake candles to give the scene more depth, practical lamps and a small glimpse of natural window light was the general idea. Lola wanted to use some multicoloured christmas lights, which looked good but they unfortunately didn't work very well. We also ended up using some dedolights to make a small ray fake daylight coming from the kitchen. In the upstairs scene we used the Forza 300 to act as an overhead light and then used the natural window light as a backlight to separate the protagonist from the background. I have attached Lola's reference images below, I think it was a close depiction of that sort of aesthetic.

Overall I think this was another very strong project that was very ambitious, especially in their choice to shoot so far away from home. This was another project where I was gaffer for a predominantly exterior shoot with great days for shooting weatherwise. That being said, I think I could have done a bit more preparation for the interior scenes so I could be a bit more efficient and have had some better suggestions on how to approach each lighting setup. That being said, I did come onto this project a little later on. At the end of the day, the scenery showed up so well on camera and I think the team captured this heartfelt story with a lot of care.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY - 1st AC

I was very excited to have a wee part on this project as I had been following Isaac's process from the initial idea to being on set. I wanted to DOP the film at the start of semester but went with Imago instead so I signed on as an AC. It was really cool to see how much Isaac and Guenole had put into nailing the visual aesthetics of the film. However, because of the unique docu-style handheld filmmaking - Guenole was predominantly using autofocus so I didn't get the opportunity to get a proper focus pulling set up arranged.

On day one (which was also Paddy's day), we shot the first major tracking shot of the film and the opening sequence. The flat we were shooting at had very limited space so it was a bit of a challenge to warm up and get a good workflow. Luckily because the whole film is shot handheld we could change and reset shots fairly easily. The tracking shot had been test shot extensively but for the final version, Guenole wanted to change some of the lighting setups. We ended up having to reshoot this as it was decided that the original setup worked better. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I also returned to my acting roots, performing as a CID officer. This was a fun segment as I had to run up the stairs, wait for endboard call and come back down to slate. Not the most traditional setup but it did the job and boosted my Strava portfolio.

Day Two, we shot the first half of exteriors. Main aim for that day was to ensure that batteries were kept charged to avoid having to run back to base. We had plenty Vlocks which was nice. Also setting up camera and taking over for G to be able to rest his arm, which he mostly just insisted on soldiering on.

For Day Three, we had our trickiest setup as we were filming in the busy Bainfield tunnel. Managing the crowds was not an easy feat but the production team managed to pull it off. A lot of patience and endboards on this day, waiting for the opportunity for a free shot and getting it as quickly and efficiently as possible. An admirable effort from the crew and cast.

I wasn't present for most of the final day but we just returned to the first tracking shot to make sure it was covered correctly as it was a key sequence for the film.

All in all I felt this was a very impressive shoot from the HODs. I can't claim I had a massive influence on the film but did my best to ensure camera team were operating as efficiently as possible. Very excited to see the final edit and sound design, I thought the rushes looked very cinematic.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

WORMS - INITIAL MEETING

Me and Lachy had our first worms meeting, mainly just to touch base and catchup with what I have missed so far. He had already done some storyboarding but there isn't much detail of movement, more so just what shot sizes he thinks each shot should be. We ran through his ideas and I think there is so much room for expressive lighting and camera movement in this project. We also went over some of his influences, the likes of Mandy, the Substance and the Color out of Space.

I have a lot of ideas brewing so having a solid foundation from Lachlan has been very useful.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

EXERCISE TWO

So initially we had planned to make a test shoot for Imago but I was a bit dejected and wanted to push away from it for now. Instead we made "Maybe Gunn" a comedy about a crazed Jamie Gunn fan who imitates his lifestyle until they eventually cross paths with conflict.

This was a short notice shoot and we got it all filmed and edited in about 4-5 hours. Sort of went in with a rough idea of structure and then came up with shots on the move. Not to big myself up but my favourite shot was the frame through the mouth hole shot, which I managed to get a lens flare through on the first take.

I realise now that we didn't stick to one location but I feel that the movement was necessary to the final reveal. The audience wait in anticipation to see where exactly 'here' is. Their assumption that this man is imitating Gunn is then flipped on its head as Gunn himself removes the mask to reveal that it was actually a doppelganger all along, putting on a mask of himself. Our main inspiration was Persona (1966) by Ingmar Bergman and his use of obscured visual masks and self reflexive narrative complexities.

It isn't our magnum opus but it was a lot of fun to film and got us back into a good headspace to create something a bit more focussed down the line.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

ADELINE - LIGHTING ASSISTANT

From working on Guttin’ Quines, I got to speak with the director, Duncan, who is also keen to enter the industry in the cinematography department. His secondary project was on Adeline as a gaffer, and he asked if I could come on for the week as a Lighting Assistant.  Unfortunately, I could not do most of the shoot due to work commitments, but I did come along for the final day. The creative ambition for this project was also very admirable. The final scene was an interesting setup involving 2 600Ds, 2 1200Ds, special sffects, massive sheets of thin plastic and aluminium foil and strangely, a spinning kaleidoscope (bicycle wheel with multicoloured gels attached). Most of the first and second year uni films tend to focus on the basics from a lighting standpoint. Adeline had a very clear element of experimentalism, particularly in the lighting department, which I felt was a step above what I had experienced -  a good benchmark for what we should strive for.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

IMAGO NO-GO - BACK TO DRAWING BOARD

Suppose it wasn't to be. Pretty gutted as I felt the pitching and writing sessions were going well. Hurts that I let our team down but maybe best that I stick to what I know for now and progress my screenwriting behind the scenes. We were told that the issues were not able to be fixed before the shooting window which is a shame because we were picking up speed in test shooting to show what we could do. I personally don't agree with this sentiment but at the end of the day, rejection is a part of writing.

Been offered by the Worms team to come on as a DoP which would be amazing given I had kind of put all my eggs in one basket with Imago. It is a polar opposite film but I'm glad I can potentially get some time to improve my cinematography for final year.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER - Ryan Kernaghan ISC / Kneecap by Tom Williams

Kneecap was my favourite release of 2024 and I was enamoured by the cinematography, Kernaghan's work was perfect in capturing this frenetic chaotic story. In talking about blurring the lines between fact and fictions, Kernaghan explains how that is the sort of driving force that makes the film as crazy as it is. The acknowledgement of this feeds very well into his work.

I really resonated with the discussion about how Kernaghan upheld this Trainspotting type of energy that departed from direct influence but 'reemerges' in new ideas . (Despite that one bridge shot which I imagine is a direct reference).

I also never realised they went back to the Belfast Telegraph building to shoot the concert scene, not sure how I didn't pick up on that. When I first went into the Telegraph building I turned to my mate and said "I want to shoot a film here". Guess they beat me to it. Excellent choice really, wide open space and a really unique industrial rave aesthetic. Also love how they stayed true to the band's origins, gutted I never made that gig.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER MAGAZINE - Hollywood Babylon by Jay Holben

On flicking through the provided AC magazines on moodle this one jumped out as Chazelle is one of my favourite contemporary directors and Sandgren's work is divine. More than that their collaborations has resulted in only visual greatness (particularly, for me, in LaLaLand).

I am aware of Babylon's frequent criticisms but I personally really enjoyed the film on first watch and more to the point I thought the cinematography was stellar. The descriptions of the establishing shot in the hotel was really interesting. The size of the venue making them lead to a spydercam shot - which was killer - then transitioning with the whip pan. A good example of how limitations force often more creative outcomes. Also appreciated how the team was split with Slininger operating a B Cam while the main action was being covered - shows the crazy time efficiency needed at the top level.

Thought this was a lovely quote about the benefit of oners. I feel that some films stray from long takes as they worry about lingering too long or pushing runtime but when it is done right it is incredibly satisfying.

“It felt beautiful and emotionally intimate to not cut, and to just stay with him in that moment on a oner” - Sandgren

The fact they avoided using sound stages was really interesting and I think that it was definitely the correct choice to use the natural settings in LA.

The custom lens building section of this article was also wild to me. Attention to detail doesn't even cover how precise this whole operation seems to be. The details seem endless but they kind of leave no stone unturned at the same time.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

SCREENWRITING SESSION - MEGAN

Had my first screenwriting session today and it was very useful. Below are my notes, hopefully they are coherent enough.

These are the basic notes specific to my film. The main criticism from Megan was to narrow down the main theme, for me that would be family dynamics and the sub-themes of alcoholism and mental health. I think the subtle nature of the script can get across all these complex themes in a way that is respectful to the gravity of the topics but also engages the audience to think about how the film relates their own families and life experiences. Another comment was on Cian's passiveness, he needs to make more clear decisions. I think I need to better tow the line between his initial laid back nature and his eventual change in thoughts, to make it clear why this change occurs.

From the general class feedback, I gathered that we should be adding a new action line for each shot to better pace the script for a page a minute. Redrafting to make the ideas less layered and complicated will also serve to make sure the film is more concise but also very focused - crucial for short filmmaking. Make the films more streamlined and make the protagonists more active/decisive.

Criticisms aside I felt both the class and Megan found the idea quite promising which was very reassuring and I learned a lot about how to continue the writing process. I will keep pushing with my character bios and redraft a new script.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

IMAGO PITCH MEETING

We had a meeting about pitch organisation and further exercises. For exercise two we want to get kit booked to start trialling the dream sequence as it is the most experimental and important scene to the success of the film. I have started on my notes for the pitch and Saif reckons they are far too long so I will discuss with him where he thinks I can cut down.

We also got a follow up on Judy's Sizzle reel which completely exceeded my expectations. I loved the pacing and the use of music to transition in tone. She managed to pick the exact song I had in mind from the playlist which made me very very confident that we are on the same page, it perfectly suited my early ideas and pushed them a step further. Makes me excited to keep up this kind of momentum! Ball is rolling.

From here I am going to review all the HOD statements to make sure they have covered all details and they are consistent between departments.

[jlfilmprojectba3]

EXERCISE ONE - SILHOUETTE

The main objective of this project was to experiment with silhouette and to get an idea for how Tom and I will shoot in a domestic environment to make it look visually interesting but naturalistic. We also wanted to see how the pacing of the scene would play out. Unfortunately we struggled to get any kit store gear so we were working with only practicals and a small box light. As well as this we did not get a full sound design but it isn't particularly relevant for this visual exercise.

One of the questions I had was whether we should shoot the early scenes in a handheld docu-style or a more cinematic static or dolly approach. In the end I quite enjoyed the blending of the two (we obviously didnt have a dolly though). The static wides give a sense of mundanity and the boredom of the character but as we push in closer, the handheld style feels much more intimate and the movements of the character have so much more weight.

The colour space of this test footage isn't what we are going for but the idea of mixing the warm tones of the house with the colder natural overcast light will be the idea. Less yellow practicals, more orange tones and a more exaggerated blue tinted dusk. I think the colour contrast will add more visual depth. As well as this as the audience move from the homely unassuming warm environment to the more melancholic exterior, as Cian lifts his mother home we can use the colour temperature to reinforce the emotional tone of the scenes.

I quite liked the anonymity of the silhouettes and I think we are considering keeping some silhouettes. We don't want to make his emotions completely ambiguous but we can conceal and reveal them carefully to draw intrigue into the emotional mind of Cian.

In terms of editing, this cut is way too long. I also think the way this scene opens isn't very compelling. Perhaps starting with Cian moving through the space with shoulder rig CU would create more intrigue. Better yet, introducing the close ups of his neck would set the motif of the focus on the anatomy of his heavy breathing once the anxiety attack scene comes around. In future I want to experiment with jump cutting to achieve a similar style to the likes of Andrea Arnold or Chloe Zhao who cut between handheld movements to condense time.

The shadow shot was improvised but kind of a good reminder that lighting will be incremental in creating a visually interesting space. It is so easy to make a flat setting look rubbish but framing and creative lighting can make a shed tonne of difference.