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[katemcgarry]

Post Production

Post-production is probably my weakest part of the process. The feeling I got from most lectures is that my job is over at this point, and I can let everyone else get on with it. But I should have organised everyone more. We did have several setbacks, which prolonged our time in the edit; getting the picture locked took longer than expected because our director was on the west coast shooting another film, and we needed them to come back before we locked and passed it over to sound. Our colour grade had several issues; it started late because of locking late, and because it locked late meant that our cinematographer couldn’t start before they were AC on a shoot for a week and then due to several technical issues, they had to redo the grade from scratch on two separate occasions. Also, because we had sound issues on set, we did not have sound for a whole scene, and so we needed to get all three of our actors in to do ADR and find times when they were free; our sound designer was free, and the voice booth was available took some time. Furthermore, our sound designer was from outside of the course, and therefore, to get into the dubbing suite, they needed to meet with Zoe and finding a time was tricky. Thus, by the time he was approved and compounded by the fact that the edit on several levels took longer than expected, by the time we were ready to book into the dubbing suite, there was only one day it was free before the deadline. We could get a lot done in one day, but we ideally wanted two or three days to get the sound exactly where we wanted it. From what I have explained, they were issues which were out of my control which allowed the edit to run on, but I do think I dropped the ball slightly when organising people to get them to meet deadlines faster and bringing them into the rooms at SAS and which would have been helped if I had maintained weekly meeting during post-production.

[katemcgarry]

Production:

The week before the shoot was hectic, there were still a couple of things which weren't confirmed, and they didn't get sorted out until the day before we started shooting, which was stressful. But as much as it was down to the wire on a couple of the last issues, I knew that I had done my best during pre-production, and it was now time to see how it would turn out on set!

I don't have much to comment on about working on set; I mainly sat back and enjoyed watching it unfold. Of course, we had our sight hiccups, one day we had to go to Craiglockhart and get a new sound recorder, another the production designer forgot a prop and didn't realise before we were about to start shooting, so it was a mad dash to the corner shop, one day our Director almost fainted, and so while she lay down it was a collective effort to direct the cast while Lilith was away and on our first day whilst formatting the new drives our editor accidentally deleted footage on an SD card, but fortunately, all the takes on that card were duds. But in the grand scheme of things, these to be biggest issues we came across whilst shooting are so minor compared to all the other things that could have gone wrong. Honestly, the Moth! the set was a dream; everyone had fun, had no arguments, and did fantastic work. I attribute part of the shoot's success to the extensive pre-production meetings we had, all the HODs came onto set on the same page, and when executing their role, there were no arguments about differing creative visions. Additionally, we chose our crew well; the people we decided to carry out our secondary roles on set worked so well together. Everyone got on well, which meant no tensions or awkward moments; it was a joy. Having the shoot goes as smoothly as it did was exceptional and made me feel proud that all my hard work in pre-production was successful.

[katemcgarry]

Budget:

Moth! was the first fully funded film I had worked and with no previous experience handling the finances took a lot of work. Before crowdfunding, I created an estimate of how much the film would cost. I thought of every aspect of the film that would need financing, including catering, transport, actors' finances, location costs, etc. The only guideline I had for estimating was from previous films I had worked on, how much things cost when we were using our money and other research I had conducted into van hire, for example. When estimating costs, I played it safe and overbudgeted to give ourselves some wiggle room in case unexpected expenses arose. For instance, I was unaware that we would need to buy new hard drives for the project as this would better protect us from any files corrupting, but they would cost £100 each. This was a significant expense, but we could easily cover the cost with the wiggle room I accounted for. My final budget estimate for Crowdfund was £2300, and the final amount we spent was £2000. The film came under budget, and it amounted to my original estimate before I added wiggle room. For the film to come under budget and actually cost, to my initial estimation, felt amazing, considering this was my first time handling a large amount of money. With more practice, I can calculate costs more accurately and know everything a film needs so there are no oversights like the hard drives.

[katemcgarry]

Scheduling:

Creating a schedule for Moth!, which worked for everyone, was one of the film's biggest challenges. Trying to juggle 23 people's schedules to fit with the films was a struggle. The biggest headache was getting the actors on set. As a team, we decided to cast non-professional actors to foster a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere on set. We are students still learning our craft. Therefore, it might take longer than the industry standard to shoot a scene, or we might make a mistake that might seem unprofessional to professional actors, which is why we chose the non-professional route. However, doing so means that we have to battle against the actor's schedules as they have full/part-time jobs and are involved in other acting work. During pre-production, I had different schedule plans from A through to Z, all of the different outcomes of the schedule based on when each actor was free or when they might be free if they could get the time off work. It was a headache; different scheduling conflicts kept crawling out of the woodwork. It was stressful, and I panicked almost every day the week before the shoot as we still didn't have a locked-off schedule. It wasn't until two days before the shoot that the schedule was agreed upon, and I had managed to organise all the cast and crew for each of our shooting days.

Even though it was stressful and crazy as it may sound, it was fun, but this sense of enjoyment only emerged once the schedule was complete. Creating schedules takes a lot of brain power and problems solving ability. Once you have fitted each piece into place and finally found the missing piece to the puzzle you have been looking for over a week and can eventually slot it in, the sense of achievement and accomplishment you feel afterwards makes it all worth it.

This was the first time I had to create a schedule of this scale, and there are things I need to improve on. For example, one of the main issues was I had accidentally agreed on dates with one actor without realising that it had a knock-on effect on another actor. The actor playing Anna, Torya Winters, has a family and works full time, and the beginning of the scheduling process gave me the dates she could commit to, which we agreed to. Therefore, we needed to stick to those dates and schedule the other actors' time on set around those dates, as Torya has a family to support, and the less time she would need to book off work, the better. However, during the audition process, Heidi disclosed that she could be flexible with her time, although getting time off on the weekends might be an issue. I realised that agreeing to Torya's dates would mean Heidi needed to work at least one day on the weekend. Therefore, I needed to contact Heidi asap to see if she could get the time off. This oversight meant that if Heidi couldn't get the time off, we would have one less shoot day and lose valuable time with our actors. It was a tense couple of weeks while we waited to see if Heidi could get the time, and for a long time, it looked like she wouldn't be able to, but then out of the blue, Heidi managed to get the time off! This experience has taught me that even amongst all the stress of pre-production, take the time to breathe and step back to look at the details to avoid mistakes like these or at least spot them sooner.

[katemcgarry]

Location Scouting

Finding the right location was a large part of making this film work. We needed a location which met all of the heads of department requirements. The Writer/Director wanted a space which felt authentic to the script whilst also feeling like a space which their characters would embody and a space which would allow for dynamic blocking. The director of photography wanted a space with plenty of space for camera movements and, ideally, a place which allowed them to light space from outside or a space which would afford them a lot of good natural lighting. The production designer wanted a homely location and a space that worked well for set dressing. And as the producer, I wanted to find a location which could accommodate a large crew and a lot of equipment, owners who would be willing to allow us to invade their home for a week, a place which was easily accessible for cast and crew via public transport and a place which had on-street parking for equipment loading and unloading. Finding a place which ticked all these boxes was a mammoth task, but I had a plan. 

The plan: 

I had a three-fold plan; the first step was to make a location call and post that in as many Edinburgh-based community Facebook groups as possible. The second step was to print out the location call post in as many doors as possible around different neighbourhoods around Edinburgh. Thirdly, if each of the previous steps failed, I would call letting agencies and see if they had free properties that met our requirements and were empty for us to use on our shoot dates. 

Step One:

I created a location call, which advertised what the film was about and what kind of house we were looking for. As a group, we knew that this was a massive undertaking for an owner; therefore, we wanted to use part of our budget to pay people for the use of their homes. Also, knowing that by offering money, we would as likely get more interest and included in the call that we could pay people £150 per day to use their home.

Once the call was finished, I posted it in as many Facebook groups as possible. I first posted the call in November 2022; however, I got very little interest then. Therefore I moved forward with step two. 

Step Two: 

For this step, I printed hundreds of copies of the location call to post through letter boxes. Before doing so, though, I researched which areas of Edinburgh had the properties that would suit our needs. I first looked at Merchiston, knowing the area very well from coming to campus most days. I knew the houses were large, therefore, big bedrooms, plenty of space for crew and good on-street parking. Google maps were my greatest friend during this time as I virtually walked the streets of Edinburgh to find residential areas to post calls to. From this research, I discovered that Corstophine, Leith, Portobello and Stockbridge would be some of the best areas to visit and find potential properties.

Fortunately, steps one and two provided us with many locations to scout. I posted the call again to the Facebook groups, and the second time gained more interest. And leafleting also proved successful. We received 20 offers from people opening their homes to us, but we only scouted 5. 

Double Hedges Park: 

This property came to us via the Facebook post in November, but we only managed to get a chance to see it in January. 

The property's location was good; it was right next to a bus stop and a quiet residential area with great on-street parking. The owners were great; it was owned by a guy called Dean, who uses it as a rental property, and the place would be free of tenants for our shooting dates. Dean often hires his properties to production companies to use as a set, so he knows the whole process, which was ideal. The kitchen/dinner was a nice size, and the production designer and director loved the space. However, it included a relatively large skylight causing an issue for the cinematographer.

Furthermore, the bedroom was far too small for us to shoot in. However, the owner said we could move the sofa out of the living room and dress that space as the bedroom, which we liked. Finally, the garden was small and had an astroturfed lawn which would cause a safety issue concerning the bonfire. The property was nice and suited some of our needs, but it needed to be bigger. However, a good backup if other properties fall through. 

West Castle: 

We found this property as the owner responded to the posted leaflet.

Before the scout, we knew very little about the property as the owner was worried about breaching her privacy by sharing photos of the property. But once we saw it in person, it was a lovely space. The house was big, so there was enough room for everyone's needs. The garden was everything we needed, beautiful and spacious, and it had a shed which made Lilith happy and a stone patio which made me happy, so the fire would not be on the grass. The kitchen had the proper layout we wanted. However, it had a strong farmhouse vibe. It had titles with images of chickens etc. and an arger that would put Sophia's family into a different tax bracket, but it opened out into the garden via some beautiful french doors. The bedroom in the property was amazing; it was lovely and spacious and already had a lot of the production design we had in mind already built in, including moth wallpaper, which shocked us all. Despite all that, this place still wasn't quite right, the main drawback being the owner. She was so lovely, but we thought that if we were to turn up with loads of people and equipment, she might be slightly taken aback and think twice about letting us film. 

Bonnyrigg: 

This property came to us via Facebook after reposting the call in January. 

This property was amazing. The owners gave us several options. On-site, they had a one-bedroom Airbnb, which would be free for us as we pleased and would be out of the way of the owners. Or we could use some of their rooms in their big farmhouse depending on our needs. And their garden was just stunning; it was such an ample space we could play around with. They had a long driveway for transport and room enough for cast and crew and more. The owners were really accommodating; they work in the film industry, too; they were offering us the use of some of their equipment and access to their furniture stores to help dress the location. They were keen and gave us great ideas about working with the space. There was also a park a two-minute walk down the road, which was perfect for the outdoor scene, precisely what the cinematographer had in mind. As great as the location was, it had a few snags.

Firstly, the bedroom we had access to was tiny; although the bottom floor space allowed the cinematographer to light from outside, there was little room for anything else. Also, they seemed apprehensive when we mentioned hanging stuff on the walls. Scenondally, the production designer didn't like the look and feel of the kitchen space. For her, it felt too modern and not homely enough; it felt like a staged space. Finally, the biggest drawback was Bonnyrigg… it's a pain to get to! We loved this location a lot, and for a while, we did consider shooting until the next property I am about to tell you about became available. 

Hatton Place: 

This also came to us via Facebook. 

This place was perfect. The location was massive enough room for two film crew, honestly! We had three options for a bedroom we could shoot in, but the one on the top floor was perfect. The room's construction felt very teenage, and the production designer was excited to work with the space. The cinematographer also loved the space and the lighting opportunities it allowed, and it was large enough for the cinematographer and the director and their requirements. The location had an open floor plan dining room and kitchen, but the space was top and tailed by large, almost floor-to-ceiling windows, which all the natural light the cinematographer wanted, as well under cabinet lighting in the kitchen, which the DoP was excited to utilise. The kitchen and dining areas were a large space to move about and try dynamic setups and blocking. And the kitchen leads straight into the garden providing an amazing geographic and continuity point. The garden was spacious and included a shed which meant Lilith could write what she had planned in the script, and it came with its own firepit and a stone patio, so there were no issues regarding fire safety and lighting the lawn on fire.

Furthermore, there was a large room on the ground floor we would have the freedom to use a kit room and mess hall and a large upstairs room we could use a green room. The location was very central, many transport links available, and many cast and crew could walk to the set. The house had a drive and an on-street parking spot. And best of all, the owners were chill. They were a couple in early retirement who was out most of the day and said they would give us keys to go as and when we liked. When viewing the property, we went hard on the spiel about a large crew and a lot of time using the home and invading personal space, but they were pleased about the prospect. The house was big enough that they had the whole middle floor to themselves; we had the top floor as we pleased and the bottom floor when needed. 

The location scout was a great success, and I had found the perfect location, which met everyone's requirements by some miracle! 

[katemcgarry]

Casting Process

We knew that finding the right cast for this film would be vital. Towards the end of last term, we put out a casting call looking for actors.

We got a fantastic response from the call and had some excellent talent send in self-tapes. Rather than conducting in-person auditions immediately, we decided to request self-tapes to give us a better first indication of which actors would be suitable for the role and avoid people unnecessarily needing to travel. The self-tapes were received in mid-December; therefore, we jumped straight into in-person auditions when we returned after the Christmas holidays. We knew which actors would be suitable for the role from the self-tapes. But one of the keys to the film would be finding a pair of actors who performed well together and could convince an audience that they had been friends from a young age. Therefore, the in-person auditions were a chemistry test; we invited several of the best actors for each role to come in and audition together. (We only decided to conduct an in-person audition with actors who auditioned for Sophia and Caitlin. We only received one self-tape for Anna, but Torya was perfect for the part.)

This was the first time Lilith and I had conducted in-person auditions, but the day went well. We set up a green room for the actors, which gave them space to rehearse with each other before auditioning if they wanted to, and a table full of food and drink. Once all the actors arrived, we left them alone to get to know each other before calling them up, which we thought would be beneficial so they weren’t acting with complete strangers. This proved helpful; all the girls were laughing and chatting, creating a friendly environment for the auditions. In the audition space, we set up a camera to tape the auditions to refer back to when deciding who to cast and to show Brontë and Robyn, who weren’t present at the auditions.

The top priority for the auditions was to see which pair of actors worked best with each other, but it was also essential to know how the actors took direction and to see their range. Being the director, Lilith took the lead on this. At first, we just got the actors to do a read-through, then we got them to act the scene out with props and blocking and then asked them to run through the scene a couple of times, but with each try, Lilith would give them a new piece of direction. This was helpful; it showed us which actors were good or bad at implementing a piece of direction into their performance and how well they reacted to being asked to change their performance. Overall the auditions were a great success, and we found our Sophia and Caitlin. The result was surprising as we preferred other actors for the roles going into the auditions. However, Eilidh and Heidi embodied each of the characters. They acted well with each other even as they were leaving the audition room; they congratulated each other on their performance and high-fived.

Once we had our cast, it was time for rehearsals!

We had a relatively short period between the start of term and the first shoot day, but we did manage to squeeze in two rehearsals. The first was with just Eilidh and Heidi, and the second with all three actors. The rehearsals went well; it gave us time to work with the actors, see their process, and work out blocking. Once we finally got all three actors in a room together, it confirmed that we had made the right choice because they all got on amazingly, which was a relief. We discovered that Torya and Eilidh had worked together before, which helped their performance because they were already so comfortable together. It was a long process, but we had our perfect cast all prepped and ready to start filming.

[katemcgarry]

Production Meeting 5:

This meeting started by discussing the script. The script is in a good place structurally; however, it needs to be shorter. Therefore, we talked about areas where we thought dialogue could be tightened up and stuff we could cut. Since the last script meeting, the updated script has been shown to several lectures we individually spoke to, and we brought their feedback into the conversation. Overall this was a good conversation. Lilith made loads of notes and is looking forward to implementing them.

When we had this meeting, it was a week before the pitch. Therefore, I directed the group to the pitch slides I had made and told them what they needed to include, according to Moodle. We scheduled a date for a meeting again to go over what everyone has contributed to the pitch. This meeting would take place several days before the pitch to make alterations. Then we agree to meet an hour or two before the pitch to practice.

Next, we put dates in place for when the test shoot edit would be finished and when we would get together and shoot the piece to the camera for the video campaign.

Overall, this meeting went well, and we set a lot of deadlines and goals for ourselves to keep us all on track!

[katemcgarry]

Test Shoot:

Aim: Our aim with the test shoot wasn't to have a polished finished product. But to allow the crew to make mistakes in a non-intensive environment whilst also getting the opportunity to mess around with what we wanted stylistically. I wanted the test shoot to be an experience that could be learned from; we make mistakes, so we don't do the same when it really counts.

What went well - Teamwork, communication and adaptability: One of the strengths of the shoot was the way we worked as a team. We decided to work with a very paired-down crew. As a team, we didn't want to bring in a full scale. a) Because the location we were using was small and b) this was an opportunity to see what worked and by not being so formal with on-set workflow allowed the crew to feel less under pressure to perform at their best—this on-set ethos allowed for unrestricted creativity. Therefore, as well as producing, I stepped in as the first assistant director, Brontë stepped in as sound recordist, and brought in a second year as the assistant camera. The test shoot was two days long, and we had 20 shots. This is a lot to cover in two days, and I knew we would ultimately cut some of these shots out. But we worked well as a team to communicate what we thought would need to be cut to save time whilst also bearing in mind the edit. This was a collective conversation which was massively helpful. Despite all working on the same project and having similar creative intentions through personal perspectives, we each have a different take on any given situation; therefore, keeping the conversation collaborative is essential in spotting errors in our thinking. Furthermore, issues with equipment cause issues with the schedule. Firstly, the batteries that came with the monitor were neither charged nor came with a charger. Therefore, we could not use the monitor for the start of the shoot. Additionally, halfway through the first shoot day, the on-and-off switch for the Tascam broke. Therefore, we suddenly didn't have any sound equipment. And so we adapted. I emailed ben throughout the shoot enquiring about batteries, and when the sound equipment broke, I decided to go to Craiglockhart and get our equipment sorted. However, we got together as a group and planned how to use our time effectively whilst the production was shut down. Brontë and I went and sorted the kit, and Robyn and Lilith sorted out future shots in the schedule so we could move more quickly when we resumed. It's hard to describe how it felt working so cohesively, but it felt excellent, and I am excited to do the same on the final shoot.

What could be improved: Preproduction - The preproduction for the shoot was rushed a) because we wanted to get the shoot done early to give all more time for the dissertation, and b) this had a knock-on effect on the script, which wasn't completed until a week before the shoot. Therefore, a lot of the preproduction was done in isolation. For example, Robyn did the storyboard and shot list under her own steam and shared them on our group chat which got the director's approval. However, with more time, I would have liked to have the director and cinematographer sit down together several times and put these documents together. But we will have a few months to have these conversations for the final film.

Location Scouting - During early conversations about production when of the major stylistic choices we wanted for Sophia's bedroom was for it to have purple walls. Lilith mentioned that her flatmate had a large bedroom with purple walls, which we had permission to use for the test shoot. However, the extent of the scouting process was just images Lilith could grab real quick. Lilith's description and the photos made the room look bigger than it was, which had a knock-on effect on the equipment. Robyn booked out several different wattage Fresnels; however, due to the size of the room, they were too strong, and we had to rely on practical lights for the scene. Which we made do with but not ideal. A large part of the issue was time constraints and not finding the time to see the location in person; this will not be an issue for the final film, but something which would have benefitted the test shoot.

Overall the test shoot went well, it may not be the most incredible thing we make at Napier, but that was not our intention. The test has just made me more excited to get to the final thing because I love the team we have for this film and think we can make something great!

[katemcgarry]

Seminar 6 Films:

This seminar was about character relations and flaws. Something which is relevant to our film Moth!. For the conflict in Moth to be nuanced and convincing, both the mother and Sophia must be flawed, so they are not arguing for the argument's sake, and the dialogue in the argument needs to punch with every line. A film in this seminar which I found most striking was Whale Valley.

Whale Valley: Whale Valley has 18 lines of dialogue for a 15-minute run time; therefore, the silence in the film speaks volumes. Despite such an economical use of dialogue, you never yearn for exposition; the film has very clear narrative lines. Whale Valley is moody and steeped in the landscape, and its economical use of dialogue makes sense for its nordic noir aesthetic. And although Moth! and Whale Valley are both character pieces, this approach wouldn't work in a teen drama. However, there is an important lesson here. Currently, the script is very dialogue-heavy, which is not a bad thing; Lilith writes such witty dialogue, and it's great. However, much of the dialogue repeatedly says the same thing, and it loses impact. Therefore, Whale Valley is a good film to look at in terms of dialogue and how to carefully consider how we use it.

[katemcgarry]

3rd producing seminar:

We first discussed the next pitch we have on the 7th of November.

One of the first things that must be included in the pitch is the script or script treatment. Laura explained that, currently, none of the groups are likely to have a completed script to present; therefore, she told us what a script treatment should look like. Basically, it is a beat sheet turned into pros, and the main thing we want to convey in it is the tone and the pace of the film. The script treatment is used as a sales tool; Laura explained in the industry that, writers are commissioned to treatments and then commissioned to scripts.

The next thing needing to be included in the pitch is each head of department's outline of stylistic approach and citing relevant influences. Laura explained that this is hard to do as producers; however, we should discuss our approach as creative producers, our approach to casting and locations. Laura gave a tip to other heads of departments and remarked that we should make sure any references HoDs make are important and relevant.

We can add additional info as producers to the pitch, including budgets, schedules and locations. By the time of the pitch, none of these elements of the film will be in a coherent form. Therefore, Laura advised that we have broad finance plans instead of budgets, which will include approximate costs. We won't have a schedule as none of us will have finished scripts to break down. And we can give vague location ideas.

Whilst on the subject of budgets Laura gave some advice about how to save money, especially regarding catering. She suggested that we do the catering ourselves as our go-to small cafes, which would cater the film for about a hundred quid.

This meeting was nice and relaxed, nothing too major, just a quick update on progress.

[katemcgarry]

2nd, 3rd and 4th Production Meetings: 

2nd: 

Our second production meeting was straight after our pitch, and it was mainly to show the group the work I had started to put together for the crowdfunding campaign. 

After our last producing class, Laura mentioned it would be a good idea to do the crowd funder before the end of term, so I got to work (More detail in the crowdfunding post). Firstly, I showed the team what I had mocked up for the advertising material. This was an extension of the art I made up from the pitch, just a much better version but still had a similar aesthetic. Before making this, there was no discussion about Sophia wearing a denim jacket, but the group liked the concept. And introducing a denim jacket with patches into the costume design would be no problem.

Next moved on to the crowdfunding campaign video. I researched other campaigns on Indiegogo and looked at their approach for the campaign video. The included: 

Pieces to camera by different HoDs 

A piece to camera, aided by visuals from reference films 

A trailer 

A short clip from the film with a piece to camera and cutaways showing the creative team working together. 

After viewing each video with the group, we decided that the short clip from the film with a piece to camera and cutaways, which show the creative team working together, would be the way to move forward. Our campaign video will include a segment from our test shoot, followed by short creative statements from HoDs consisting of cutaways of the cast working together. 

Next, I discussed what we would offer to those donating to the project (More detail in the crowdfunding post). This went down well; Brontë suggested that one of the gifts should include patches to tie in the theme of the promo material. And Lilith mentioned that another campaign she saw had raffle tickets with donations which could be a good idea. 

And finally, we discussed when we would shoot the test shoot. We decided to shoot on the 26th and 27th of October; we will shoot a short scene which Lilith will write to capture the film's whole tone. As this better suits the crowdfunding campaign. And we just rounded the meeting off by creating deadlines for the next meeting. 

3rd: 

This meeting started nice and easily; the crew caught everyone up on what they had been doing since the last meeting and ensured they were on track for the test shoot. 

Then we discussed the characters in the film, in particular, Sophia and Catilin. On a whiteboard, we sketch out each character, their favourite films and music, what they would have in their bedroom, the clothes they would wear, certain character traits etc. 

As we discussed the character more in-depth and got beyond certain surface-level traits, I began asking more nuanced questions:

Morning or night person?

Are they the kind of person whose phone is always on ten per cent, or do they always keep charged? 

Do they make their bed every morning?

Are they the kind of person who has a pile of dirty dishes in their room? 

Do they wear converse, vans, Nike or something else?

All these questions may sound silly, but the more we talked, the more the character solidified in the group's heads. As we went along, we added reference images to character mood boards on Pinterest. However, as we were looking at different reference images, we were allowing all these images to pull us off course. But Brontë did a great job of getting us back on track. She exclaimed are these reference images accurate to the character in the script, or were we getting carried away by an aesthetic, which we might have done. But by the end of the meeting, we all felt like we knew the character. Which I think can only benefit the film as everyone is more on the same page regarding the film's aesthetic considerations.  

4th:

This meeting took place two days before the test shoot and was a chance for the team to go over everything before it was too late!

We went over storyboards, scripts, production design and who was bringing what to dress the set and the actors and shooting schedule. 

After we went over everything, we felt good; we thought we had prepared adequately. All that was left to do was put it to the test and see how it goes! 

[katemcgarry]

The first pitch:

This first pitch was summative to present our idea to the class in its current form. Whilst using it to convince other class members to jump on board and inform tutors about the project's current state to help inform the green lighting process. From discussions in class, we knew the pitch needed to be around five minutes in length. Through conversation with Laura McBride in the producing seminar, she advised us that conveying story should be our top priority whilst also explaining the three why's: Why me, Why now and Why exciting?

Preparation: For the pitch, I created the presentation slides in which the writer and cinematographer would insert their talking points. Because we are so short on time, I wanted to create slides that would capture the film's tone and aesthetic, enhancing the sentiments of the stylistic talking points. Which I hope I achieved:

Due to the short run time, I didn't include any talking points specifically about my role, apart from introducing myself as the producer for the film and highlighting the crew position we are still hoping to fill. Therefore, I left my talking points for the main pitch in a few weeks.

In the run-up to the pitch, we had several production meetings, where we spoke about the pitch, what should be included and for anyone to ask questions about it. And on the Sunday before the pitch, we got together to rehearse. The rehearsal went well; Brontë, our editor who would not be pitching with us, acted as our audience and was an excellent sounding board to point out issues with delivery or info we were missing. The pitch took a little over five minutes during rehearsal, so we had a promising outlook for the following day.

The Pitch: What went well: On the day, the pitch went well. We needed to aim for five minutes, and we did six minutes thirty, which was a good time. Lilith's explanation of the plot and characters was good; it gave the audience a good idea of the film. Although a little long, the script is still in development, so the summary will be more defined as the script is further along in development. Robyn's discussion of cinematographic elements was excellent and concise and did well to highlight the production design elements to help invite a designer onto the project. Overall, it went, and it was nice that some class members commented on how well we did. What could be improved for the pitch presentation: For the next pitch, the thing which needs improving the most is our delivery. The next is more in-depth with only a slightly longer run time; therefore, before the pitch, we need to rehearse to ensure our timings are reasonable and our delivery is succinct.

[katemcgarry]

Films from seminars 4 & 5

Seminar 3: 

The focus in seminar 3 was on character-motivated actions, narrative and story ambiguity and the passage of time. 

None of the films presented in seminar three directly correlated to our film Moth!. All the films had aspects of subversion and surrealism, which are not techniques being implemented into Moth! as it is a realistic piece. 

However, that being said, the Toyko film had a point of interest. 

Tokyo - Blocking within an argument:

One of the central scenes in Moth! is an argument between Sophia, our protagonist, and her mum. During the argument, the mum is busy doing household chores, and she is in and out of different rooms while trying to converse with her daughter. What was interesting in Toyko was how the camera work and blocking added to the argument's impact. Firstly, we understand that the male character in Toyko is imaginative and full of ideas. And whilst the couple is arguing, the boyfriend gets distracted by trying to deflect the argument into one of his stories. As he does so, he wanders off. However, the camera sticks to the girlfriend, highlighting her isolation within the argument.

Additionally, as the couple argue, they are walking down the street. A thick white line is on the road, and the couple stands on either side. And the couple doesn't stand on the same side until the dialogue cues them. Therefore, the dialogue is well-considered, and blocking enhances the flow of the argument. Both these instances are subtle, but they provide a strong visual impact. Considered dialogue and blocking is something which I hope we can implement in Moth! 

Seminar 4: 

The focus of seminar 4 was films which involved ambitious narrative structures and modes of address. 

Again Moth! has a realist approach; therefore, none of these films was particularly relevant to our practices. However, As I Am used voiceover, which Moth! also does.

As I Am: 

As I Am is a poetic piece about Chris Dean, his life experience and those of the people that live in his neighbourhood. Dean's poetic voiceover accompanies the imagery of the neighbourhood. The voiceover is intimate and thought-provoking, but over a run time of thirteen and a half minutes, the voiceover becomes laboured with metaphors. Including, "One mans trash is another man's treasure" and "Friends turn to foe and family turn to people you just don't know. The streets are cold even int he summer". The voiceover in Moth! is intimate and sentimental, and although the film doesn't have the run time or the same extensive use of voice, it could become twee and off-putting if we are not careful.

[katemcgarry]

Script Development Meeting 1:

After we had confirmed Robyn and Brontë were on board as cinematographer and editor respectfully, I organised a script development meeting. Although some people may deem it unnecessary to bring all the HODs in for early development meetings, I think it will benefit the film in the long run. Firstly, everyone is enthusiastic about working on the film because it was the story that captured their attention; therefore, it is crucial to see the direction the script is heading and to give their two pence. Secondly, the story attracted everyone, and we all have ideas that could help develop the script further. Therefore the rest of the crew become good sounding boards for Lilith. Creative thought is best nurtured in a collaborative environment, but it is essential to maintain the ideology all ideas are good ideas, but it is ultimately Lilith's decision whether she chooses to implement a specific narrative element or not. These meetings are to give food for thought, and Lilith will go away and work on the script; we are not doing her job for her. Thirdly, discussing the script in this collaborative way maintains consistent creative thought, which will filter down into each department's work, meaning all work products will be on the same page regarding character and narrative. 

Before the meeting, I did have some reservations; despite all the pros, it did have some cons. Even though I organised this meeting with the best intentions possible, a time for collaborative creative discussion, Lilith, on the other head, could feel put under the gun. For example, we could be bombarding her with questions about character intent and narrative, which she isn't prepared to answer and feels pressure to give answers she doesn't have. However, even though those fears came to fruition at the start of the meeting, once we got into the flow of things and Lilith became more comfortable just saying what was on her mind and embracing the conversation, we got into a stride and made great progress. 

Going into the meeting, the things in the script which needed ironing out were: 

Argument with Mum:

In the first draft, there is a massive argument between Sophia and her mum, but this conflict is never resolved.

Burning of the note and the significance of pulling it out of the fire:

With the note, Lilith wants to say that even though it is from a situation that ended badly, it was the product of a happy time and that we don't need to destroy it to heal and grow. Whilst also burning stuff is a very teen drama trope. However, in my opinion, this metaphor is buried deep in subtext, which a ten-minute run time does not allow enough time to explore. Therefore, to make sense narratively, this idea needs to be simplified to work. Also, technically it doesn't work; paper burns in a matter of seconds; realistically, Sophia wouldn't have enough time to pull the note out of the fire before it was gone. 

These were the two main issues that needed working through in the meeting, although other minor structural issues were brought up in conversation and ultimately solved. For example, as Sophia and Catilin walk into a park before seeing their ex-boyfriend, they talk about abortion rights. Although I can understand why this dialogue is included, to give the impression that a conversation is being interrupted and the sight of the ex more surprising, the topic of conversation seems odd and not in keeping with the film's tone. 

We wrote out the structure on a big whiteboard to work through these issues. As we did, we knew that the most vital elements in the first script were opening and closing voiceovers; the scenes in the middle needed work. We had lengthy discussions about what we wanted to say with the script and how that was being conveyed through the characters. And after a while, we ended up with this:

The issues discussed above we resolved with one narrative change. Lilith decided that in the end, the note should be burned and to reconcile the conflict with the mum, the mum will help Sophia burn the note after a first failed attempt. Sophia is spurred on by her friend to burn the note, but it goes wrong, and the mum catches their attempt. But by catching Sophia in the act, the mum finally recognises her daughter's feelings and ultimately helps her process her daughter's break up. 

Although I think Lilith initially felt quite put on the spot by all our questions, she expressed how helpful the session was in the end. And I look forward to the next draft of the script. 

[katemcgarry]

Producing Seminar 2:

Our second meeting with Laura was beneficial. First, I spoke about where the script was in development, and I discussed Lilith's and my first script development meeting; in this meeting, the main thing we discussed was the mother-daughter relationship. I explained how I questioned Lilith about our protagonist, Sophia, the mother's unusual reaction to her daughter's feelings, and how the mother dismissed them. I asked why this was because I thought it odd how the mother would not be synthetic, as surely she had been through the same instance when she was younger. After Lilith told me the mother reacts like this because she has recently divorced her husband of ten-plus years and her daughter is acting like her break up with her high school boyfriend of six months is the end of the world; the mother doesn't really have the emotional bandwidth to deal with her daughter dramatic reaction. From our first conversation, Laura was pleasantly surprised at how far the script had come and offered some advice. She mentioned being skilful with the revelation of the marriage break up and revealing this information via Sophia's pov. In doing so, don't front load the beginning of the script with exposition about the character's life to contextualise the subsequent events. She also mentioned that considering Lilith is writing and directing; I should allow her to get carried away with how she imagines the film will work visually and to focus on the script until it is in a more finished state.

Next, we had a conversation about crowdfunding. Laura argued that launching our crowdfunding campaigns in December would be an excellent idea. Despite not shooting until February or March, launching in December would be better. 1) because people are broke in January, and you are more likely to persuade people to give to you in December when they are already willing to part with their money and 2) it takes six weeks to get the money you raised from funding sites such as IndieGoGo and therefore need to give yourself time to get the money. Additionally, she offered that it would be a good idea if the producers were to coordinate the dates on which we each publish our campaigns. People are more likely to part with their money when theta re being asked for it at different intervals; £ 40 at once to donate to several campaigns seems a lot, but if that money is spread across several weeks, it seems more reasonable. Furthermore, Laura noted that the most money raised by any campaign is usually generated in the first three days after the campaign goes live. Therefore, she argued that we each should have a social media lead-up to the campaign going live to generate the most amount of money possible. She also mentioned that people give to projects mostly because they like the people who are a part of the project, not necessarily because of the story. Therefore we need to promote ourselves in the right way.

Finally, Laura offered some advice about the upcoming formative pitches. Because these first pitches were mainly about crewing the film and the basic premise, Laura said to focus the pitch on the story. Also, use the three why's: Why me, Why now and Why someone would want to be a part of the project. Using these will help sell the film to those in the class not yet assigned to a project. She also suggested that each member of the project pitching should introduce themselves: who they are, what their role is, why they chose this project, and what they bring to the role.

All of Laura's advice in this second seminar was really helpful, escaping the crowd funning aspect as I had not realised this was something I should be thinking about doing this term. And I have gained a more focused approach to work in the coming weeks.

[katemcgarry]

Producing Seminar No. 1 & First Production Meeting: 

Producing Seminar No. 1:

Our first meeting with Laura McBride was insightful. We each spoke to Laura about the current state of our project, and she offered advice about how we could move forward with the project within our capacity as producers. 

I explained to Laura that Lilith wants to make a semi-autobiographical film which depicts teenage love more realistically. In particular, she wants to explore the response teenagers have to their first heartbreak, which is melodramatic; however, Lilith intends to portray how it really feels to be that teenager, and at the time, it really does feel like the world is falling apart. 

At the time of this conversation, Lilith had written a detailed outline and had a very rough first draft. Laura discussed how it was necessary in these early stages to stick to an outline because once things are put into a formal script, it becomes harder to unpick the issues and solve them. Therefore, she strongly advises that I get Lilith to go back to outline and really flesh out the narrative threads. 

Additionally, the script's first draft was laden with exposition, which I flagged to Laura as an issue. She mused that many first-time writers are scared that audiences won't understand them, so they tend to do more telling than showing. Laura said that when she comes across this issue, she gets her writers to write the film only in action. She explained that by removing the ability for writers to use dialogue, they find more nuanced ways to present their story and this exercise elevates most scripts.  

Furthermore, after mentioning the autobiographical element of the script, Laura offered some advice. Autobiographical stories are deeply personal to the writer; however, sometimes, they don't produce the same feelings within the audience. Therefore, Laura encourages me to work with Lilith to find a universality to the script to engage audiences. Laura also mentioned how in the story's arc, the protagonist needs to get what she needs rather than what she wants and to create a complete protagonist in a story like this, they need to be quite flawed. 

Laura offered up some really great advice which I relayed to Lilith in our first production meeting. 

First production Meeting: 

During this first meeting, myself and Lilith met as a production team for the first time. Before this, Lilith had brought me on board the project and shared specific writing material she had been working on, but this was the first time we sat down together. The first port of call was to discuss who else was interested in joining the project. At this time, Lilith had been in conversation with Robyn Thomson, who wanted to come on board as cinematographer. During the first class this term, Robyn explained how she wanted to make a film with a similar cinematographic style to Ghost, quite romantic imagery, which is something Lilith also wants for Moth; therefore, this is a good match, and we brought Robyn on board. 

After discussing the crew, we then spoke about the script. I talked to Lilith about the advice Laura gave in the producing class, which Lilith gladly took on board. I also talked to Lilith about certain story elements and characters, trying to encourage creative conversation about the script. After this conversation, Lilith spoke about how as we advance, she wants to explore the relationship Sophia (the protagonist) has with her ex and how it broke down and by the following production meeting, she will have more answers to the questions we discussed.

[katemcgarry]

Seminar 1 & 2 Films

Submarine: 

Submarine is an award-winning short film by Mounia Akl. The film centres around a woman named Hala who, amidst the 2015 Lebanon Garbage crisis, is refusing to leave. 

The opening sequence in this film is an excellent demonstration of several filmmaking disciplines working together. As the camera pans around Hala’s home, it is clear from the production design this is the home of a person who is artistic and sentimental. The living room is covered in keepsakes, family photos, film and music posters; the place is warm and inviting. Due to the immersiveness of the production design, the slow pan at the beginning feels warranted as it gives the audience time to take a look at Hala’s home. The warmth built in these opening few shots is disrupted as her window buckles under the pressure of the mounting rubbish, and the harsh light of reality streams through her broken window. Cinematography and production design work together to create a striking image and establish the journey the character must go on. 

After this moment is where the film gets on to some uneasy ground. In terms of whether the 20-minute run of the film is warranted, I think it is. The filmmaker might indulge a little bit in the Cinemagic vistas of the landscapes, but I think cutting the runtime down would affect the passing and effect of what the filmmaker is ultimately trying to achieve. What I think doesn’t work are some of the story elements. Hala is somewhat passive, and I didn’t really believe in the romantic narrative or why she felt so strongly that she had to stay. I could pick up from context clues that perhaps she wants to stay to be close to her late father as her home town is her last connection to him. However, this is not clearly stated, and I think, overall, the narrative is a bit too unambiguous. I read a review by Vladan Petković, who argued that the film felt like a preview of something much bigger. They had quite a strong opinion about filmmakers using short films in this way as the format should be self-contained; they shouldn’t be used as a trailer for a feature. I have to agree with why I think the film is the way it is. Mounia Akl is giving her audience a taste of the theme and character she wants to explore in more detail and leaves you with more questions than answers to gain momentum toward a more significant project. 

Hail Mary Country: 

This 2018 short film, directed by Tannaz Hazemi, is about an American football-loving family held at gunpoint by an unsuspecting house guest. 

This is an interesting film and one which divided opinion among the class. For me, the film didn't work. From the get-go, the film felt as though it wanted to play with conventions and, at every opportunity, play with audience expectations. Whether it's the women who are obsessed with a football whilst the men are in the kitchen or having the male figures objectified whilst washing the car or the tv being the point of tension rather than the loss of a daughter. It felt too much, and after a strong first act, characters and plot points fell to the way side. For example, we are introduced to Darla as the protagonist; however, once she has stolen the car, the narrative shifts to the conflict between Nora and Irene. Therefore, the story doesn't sustain through its 18-minute run time and feels like a film of two halves.

However, the film does work in terms of production design and sound. In the opening shots of the family, we understand their passion for American football. Their living room is adorned with memorabilia; one of the daughters is taking bets, the dad is baking a celebration cake, and the family are watching old games before the big match at five. We also immediately understand the class dynamics of the family; it is clear that this family is a stereotypical working-class southern American family through the way they dress, mannerisms and family dynamics. Additionally, the sound design is used expertly, especially to explain the character's backstory. For example, whilst Darla is washing the car, we hear race car sounds; this, combined with the finishing flag necklace she wears, leads the audience to deduce that previously Darla has raced cars. Therefore, these filmic elements motivate Darla to steal the car without the need for unnecessary exposition. 

This film works on serval fronts, including production design and sound, but I think the main issue with this film is the writing. There is no clear protagonist, and for me, the quirky tension about the tv doesn't work and loses focus. 

Strange Men:

Strange Men is a 2013 short by Andrew Fitzgerald about a penniless young drifter who decides to travel back home. But on her journey, she encounters several strange men, including one who claims to be her father. 

The film's first half works well to comment on the pevertated male gaze as Abby travels through America. The editing and camera work together to capture the solo female travel experience. Whilst traving, women tend to be more warry of those who occupy the world around them to be prepared to protect themselves against strange men. This sentiment is particularly well communicated in the train sation scene. As Abby is waiting, her eyes constantly scan her surroundings, and the camera lingers on those passing, surveying for potential threats. The editing reienforces this setiment as people are continually crisscrossing across the frame to represent this heightened state of awareness. 

However, the film begins to lose itself with the introduction of Abby's father, Tim. Their conversation is overly long, rambling and inconsequential. Through this conversation, I think the filmmakers were trying to show Tim trying to find common ground with Abby to bond. The way Tim goes about it is unsettling; whether this was the filmmaker's intention to maintain this perveted male guess I am unsure of, but the writing of this scene is not strong enough to carry through any sentiment effectively enough. 

Overall: 

I  liked all the films across seminars 1 and 2. However, in terms of my filmmaking, this term, the production design in Submarine was particularly significant. In Moth Lilith's film, a lot of the action will occur in the protagonist's bedroom. And similarly to Hala's apartment at the beginning of the Submarine, we want our protagonist Sophia's bedroom to be equally representative of her personality, to have a richness to the production design to give the space depth.