#TheShoot

[peerbear]

Saint Catherines THE SHOOT

The shoot for Saint Catherines was a very heartwarming experience.

We started out checking the equipment at Craglockhart Kit Stores where I colour-coded every character's lavalier microphone so that I could quickly and easily differentiate between transmitters and receivers on set and also know immediately whose was whose and thus where to connect it on my MixPre 10 on which I gave each character a channel each. The boom was 1, Phoebe 2, Harry 3, Jo 4 and Sara 5. The colour choices were Phoebe blue, Harry red, Jo yellow and Sara green. I also in a previous session where I had booked out the MixPre 10 to go over settings, learned how to use the WingMan App's reports (using a Youtube video), which is a log of the notes you make on each take on set, which is super helpful for post-production. This was the first time I used the MixPre 10 on set with so many channels and the first time I recorded a 4 people simultaneous setup.

We had also been introduced to the Tenacle Sync which syncs the timecode for camera and sound and saves time in the edit. I took it upon myself to set this up every day and coordinate with camera because they had so many other things to worry about. We had had a brief previous session going over how to use it and I messed up because I had put a cable in the wrong port of the MixPre I did not realise this until the last day, so the tentacles were synced but the MixPre was not receiving the timecode, but the camera was. So we only had the last day synced automatically, which took away time from our editor, Alyssa, but she had factored this into her edit window anyway. I still felt guilty and this was a massive learning curve for me. It will never happen again!

Here is a photo from the session of how it should have been and I forgot to double-check the photo, rookie mistake:

Back to Craiglockhart Campus, after checking all of the equipment, Katie, Eva and I helped Orla load up a van with the equipment and once we had done this she drove off to Saint Catherines. I then drove myself and some of our crew (Katie, Eva, Alex and Sophie, our continuity supervisor) to Saint Catherines.

From here I won't go entirely in chronological order because so many things happened, so I will just give some key highlights and summaries of what happened. Every day we would shoot from about 9 to 5 and in the evenings we would relax and play werewolf which became a proper daily ritual.

Before the shoot, I had been quite nervous about being in charge of sound mixing and recording because I usually find this very hard and run into many issues. After all, there are always issues when recording sound that in some instances are out of your control. But on the shoot, I fell in love with sound recording and found myself getting into the groove and getting more and more comfortable with it. Something I have to say is that when I listen back to my recordings and see photos of me on set I hear and see how serious I am! I think this will be my nerves coming out and me wanting to do my best, it must be the German in me or something because I am never so to the point and sharp. With the expressions, I am not as worried because I know I have a bit of a resting bitch face.

As we were recording both inside and outside I found the struggles for these were very different. Inside the mics were more sensitive in the smaller space and the lighting setups created lots of whirring sounds. Outside cars were extremely loud as we were situated right next to a main road, something I had been aware of on the location recce, but it had seemed like a much quieter road at the time. There was also a construction site where someone was building a house, but somehow this did not interfere with dialogue too much.

Something I learned about dialogue was to do with recording overlapping dialogue. When so many people are on set it is very hard to avoid having actors not interrupt each other during takes. Usually, they will and this will be what is used in the final picture edit because it is a natural performance and what is required of them but in sound, this means the different character's dialogue are not separable from each other which means it is less manipulatable and hard to get rid of. Usually, dialogue is separated into each character but when there are interruptions this is harder. However, overall my dialogue was mostly very clear and I had fewer problems with it than I expected. While on set I was most nervous about scenes 8 and 11, which are the confrontation scene and the support and reconciliation with a friend scene. These are arguably the two most important scenes of the film. Sadly when I got to the sound design I found these were the hardest to work on and contained the most affected dialogue due to loud wind, waves, and traffic.

On this project I learned a lot about micing up the cast, I looked into it and found that placing the mic between the dip in their chest proved to provide the best and smoothest audio. For women, this dip is in between their breasts and I found this was a very new situation for me to navigate. I was told by friends that on their sets women had to lav themselves up, but the actresses had no idea how to do this and I did not find it fair to ask this of them, nor did I want to risk having bad dialogue. But we were lucky, who knew being gay can pay off in the workplace. I would lav up the actresses while my boom op George would lav up the only actor. I would navigate this by ensuring actresses felt comfortable and most of this involved them moving the microphone through their clothes themselves and even holding it in place in the necessary dip. My main point of contact was applying the mic to their chest with medical tape that I had procured before the shoot. What I also had to take into consideration was costume. Different costumes required different lav positioning and these also required different housings made out of tape, something that I learned from Tom in the test shoot and then adapted to fit my own needs. These housings lessened contact between the lav and the costume. Laving up the actresses would get quicker each day and we quickly found our rhythm and a way to make this work for each of them. From the second day after having a noisy necklace on our lead I would speak to costume and as much as possible ask for changes if they were detrimental to sound. This of course did not always happen, but I found solutions along the way.

I was absolutely blessed with Orla, I feel we worked really well together and she always left space for sound. This was something we had spoken about previously and I had requested extra room for not only time for room tone but also wildtrack sound takes of actions and sometimes even dialogue, especially where there had been interruptions previously. This meant I had many options in the design for when things had gone wrong in the actual takes. As Orla is a sound person as well as a director this is something she pushed for so I got nearly every sound recorded in the space where we shot it. They would call wrap for camera and then me, George and the actors would record whatever was on my sound shopping list for that scene. Every afternoon after shooting George and I would go over what we were shooting the next day to make sure we had everything on the shopping list that was needed. Overall I was super happy with clear dialogue and production sound. I know the actors had also never taken part in wildtracks before and I am aware I was in a very lucky position and I am very thankful for it, I think it really paid off in the sound design edit.

I felt we worked incredibly well as a team and built some close working relationships and friendships. Everyone put in so much and without each and every person we would not have been able to make the film that we made. Katie and her camera department were incredible, I have described them as a well-oiled machine and they were just that. Also working with Katie has been a creative experience that I really enjoyed because I feel we connected really well and worked hard together. Having Eva on set was such a relief, she is so near and dear to my heart and it was nice to see her excel and be such a strong support for the camera team. She was also a big support for me as sets can be stressful and having her presence around meant I had something and someone from home and it was nice to also work on a grad film together. George as my boom op was my saviour coming on board very last minute and being an incredible boom op, he has his own separate post coming up. One day as a treat I let him sound record because I was going to do on set folley footsteps to the water's edge to replicate Phoebe's steps towards the water. He again excelled. Orla was an incredible director and made an incredible space for everyone on set, she looked after all of us so well and kept us on the right path. We all felt we were in safe hands and we definitely were. The cast was really well picked and as the days went on they fell deeper into their characters and we all very quickly believed who they were. The whole crew was great to work with and helped provide a positive atmosphere on set.

My one issue on set was the bathroom and shower issues that we had, but this was unavoidable as we were so many people and our lodgings were not used to this. As an IBS girlie, I had multiple evenings and mornings where I would run to the car drive from the lodge to the caravan carefully to then barge in and use the toilet. Cold showers were not an issue as this is something I do regularly. I was a bit cheeky and had these every day as I am unbearable to be around when I am unshowered so it was best for everyone that I broke this rule. Or at least that's what I am telling myself, but I know I get insufferably grumpy when I feel unclean.

I did find I had to manage my stress and my resting bitch face, but with time both eased and by the end I felt completely in my element as if this was something I had been doing for a long time.

So at the end of the shoot, I found myself as a happy sound girl, as we say, I fell in love with sound recording and felt comfortable and in my element. We all made it back to Edinburgh in one piece and so did our equipment, which myself Orla and the camera department helped unload.

Here are some shots and even a little video from all of our days on set, as you can see we had a blast:

[secretparadiseshop]

A man and his Nature Shot! :) #natureloversgallery #natureshot #natureartist #naturewalks #newenglandlife #secretparadiseart #naturephoto #naturedecor #theshoot (at Somerset Historic Village) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ceh1EvtsjEB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[rebeleden]

FUGLY EVIL TIM SCOTT IS A SLIGHTLY SMARTER CLONE OF HERSCHEL WALKER

STOP BLACK VANILLA ISIS

[beastpr]

Wonderful piece by @silent_radio on the ethos behind the brand new single by @thekeysmusic |'This Side Of Luv' is Out Friday @LibertinoRecs #Musicnews #KEYS #single #ThisSideOfLuv #NP #SilentRadio #Press #Libertino #Lock #TheShoot #4track #Recording #Home #Lockdown #Recording #Studio #Free #Hiss #Backgroundnoise #Production (at Manchester, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CClYT-GgaD7/?igshid=mg27rv39ezsm

[beardedobservationhideout]

So does Eddie asking Buck if what they do is worth it in the 5x14 promo relate to the sniper who shot him targeting fire fighters because they saved someone who later hurt people?? AKA Buck and Eddie discuss the shooting???

[nahuelstyle]

#thelight #theshoot #theroll https://www.instagram.com/p/By16stNIK6-/?igshid=1m6sm7vftjh1b

[imagesbyelvon]

Shooter locations

#CreativeSoul

Photographer in photo MEEEEEE

Follow me on IG @elvonimages

[aa-grand]

Prod. By @paparatziking 🎥 #theshooter . . . #aagrand #newmusic #music #musica #musically #rap #hiphop #reggae #rapradar #wshh #hotnewhiphop #hot97 #hiphopartist #independentartist #independentlabel #distrokid #unsignedartist #artist #spotify #distrokid (at Worcester, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/B14xBxknxkm/?igshid=b32olkg4938f

[choochland]

Had an awesome conversation with Matt Day on his podcast The Shoot. We had a great conversation about photography, old cameras, street portraits and our passion for this medium. Link in bio. It's up now. Thank you so much @mattdayphoto It was an honor. Photo by @jolenelupo @penumbrafoundation ❤❤❤ http://apple.co/2jXPEDq #mattday #theshoot #theshootwithmattday

[peerbear]

Where Currents Meet THE SHOOT

The much-awaited Where Currents Meet shoot was upon us and even though I had a week and a half between shoots it barely felt like enough time to gather myself, my thoughts and everything I knew I needed to bring together what Bethany wanted in the film. I was much more nervous going into this project because I feel less confident in camera than I feel in sound. I don't know what it is but my imposter syndrome strikes me with this every time. I think part of it could be the organisation aspect and getting to a point where I can see a shot in my head can take a lot of time to immerse myself into.

The shoot started off at Craiglockhart kit stores as usual where I went through equipment and organised it by department. Sadly I only skimmed it and there were some major issues I missed, this was in part due to being in a bit of a rush as I hoped to stick to the planned schedule of the day. Alex arrived after a previous engagement and helped me load up the car. I was very impressed by how he packed the car. Usually, I like to do this by myself but this time it was a pleasure having someone else who appreciated packing a car nicely too. We headed off and made our way to Broughty Ferry.

The next couple of days of shooting had to shift around quite a bit due to the weather. We were so dependent on ensuring that our ocean shoot day would be in the best possible conditions.

On the first day it was pouring so we filmed the bedroom scene (scene 7), which was our only indoor scene. This was quite the disaster because all of the dedolights were broken with frayed snapped cables. This was something I had missed in my quick scan of the equipment so instead of a three-point lighting set-up with a bounce fill, I had to use just two lights to do it, one of which was Tom's mini LED. At the time I was convinced we needed to reshoot it up until the last day, when I realised I had to let it go because it would not have been a logical thing to do. I was really happy because we redid the overhead shot that we had done in the test shoot and this time it made the cut.

That evening Tim and I, my 1st AC for a big part of the shoot fashioned a waterproof camera housing for the camera. It was more of a splash-proof housing but it ensured that I could keep the camera completely dry throughout the shoot. Only on the last day I filmed without it and this was a clear day on the beach where we only shot scenes outside of the water. Sadly I don't have any photos of us constructing the housing but this can be seen in detail in the photos above where I write about the fourth day.

On the second day first, we shot the scene in the woods (scene 5) where Iris trips. This went pretty smoothly and just about how we wanted it. The only thing was that it was raining so the camera housing stayed on. This meant the camera was safe and we could shoot regardless, but the reflections of the Polly Bag were difficult to see through at first. Later on that day, we filmed the bus stop scene (scene 3) and the pavement scene (scene 4). Both had different factors that were issues for us. For the bus stop scene, we had to make sure no one else was at the bus stop so we would have to wait and shoot around the bus schedule and the timings of people waiting at the bus stop. This worked out in the end. For the pavement scene, our main issue was continuity and lighting, the sun kept changing whether it was out or not. When it was out I embraced the flares as I knew Bethany would like and this ended up making it into the final edit. I was a little worried about continuity here but there was nothing we could do as the sun was going down quickly.

The third day was the big day. Here we shot our water scenes. For the first half of the day, we shot the opening scene (scene 1) where Iris is on her board in the water and Kallie is on the shore. This was really hard to shoot because we were running against the time of the tides, even though I believe this had been factored into our schedule we had to move set after every shot and it just wasn't attainable. We tried our best but Iris ended up being even more in the shallows than we had planned, which was good for camera and sound would not have made it further into the water. We tried to make this work for us as best we could and I don't think it is clear in the final film just how shallow we were. For the second half of the day, we had the second half of the final scene (scene 8) which is where Kallie and Iris are in the water. We had to shoot this very quickly because one of our actresses was very cold and was clearly reaching her limit but not admitting to it so we decided to call it a day even though we had a whole other scene in the water that we were going to shoot. Sadly the final scene that we did shoot did not make it into the final edit because the others felt the actress looked too cold in that shot to the extent that it took away from the scene.

On the fourth day, we shot our scene at the river and then at the bridge (parts one and two of scene 6). The river scene went pretty well, although, after three days of handheld, I was beginning to feel it so I struggled a bit with this scene as there was a segment where the actresses sit down and I tried to track this movement down. Otherwise, this scene went smoothly. We then shot the bridge scene which again went relatively smoothly even though it had a pretty complex choreography. When we were making the storyboard, Bethany and I had planned this through precisely so we knew what we were doing and Bethany knew exactly what she wanted. This went well and we managed to finish early that day.

On the final day, I removed the plastic protection, it was a bit frazzled and the forecast was no rain and little wind so the equipment was safe that day of course we were extra careful and I still had my protective lens filter on the lenses. That day we shot scene 2 which we had had to rewrite over the previous two days because we did not want to put that one actress in the water again. Instead, we made it look as if she was coming out of the water so we would spray her between takes. Again she got quite cold so we did not go on for very long, but we got everything we needed. I was happy with my shots here. Then we moved onto the first half of the final scene (scene 8) and I think I got my favourite shots of the whole film here. We had to filter the sunlight on their faces but I feel this worked really well in the end.

I have to say my camera team was super helpful and without them I would not have managed to do it. Tim was very meticulous and this was really helpful at times to get things correct. Tom was also really helpful, especially with his LED that saved the bedroom scene's indoor lighting set-up. Cal was my star and my rock in the camera department, he made me feel at ease and calmed me down with his presence when I was stressed. He was always helpful and had something positive to say, I'm so glad to have had this experience with him as we never worked together until now.

Here are some photos from when we wrapped:

Overall I felt the shoot went well and we got some good material. It was a big learning curve for me because I did not find it easy navigating some things amongst some additional crew and others, but I have learned to be more resilient and firm when it needs to happen for the benefit of my group members as well as myself. I'm also proud because I remember this time around in my third year I was considering repeating a year and feeling like I would never DOP again, and this year I have done it on a grad film that I feel suits me very well.

[biancamodelchic]

Blessing the camera with our beauty😍 #Repost @andophotography256 ・・・ #biancamodelchic & @vvsdymonchanel At #SinSaturdays @MirzaHookahAtl Powered by: #MirzaHookahLounge w/ @TurnUpWithDjFlux @VvsDymon & @IAmSirBlack #AndoArt #Photo #Fotography #Photography #Portrait #MyWorldThruMyLens #AwesomeSauce #EveryThingATL @I_Am_CountUp #vvsDymonChanel #theShooter: 📸: #AndoDaPhotographer #Andodaman @Andodaman @AndoPhotography256 #AndoPhotography256™ "We Capture Those Moments That Create Lasting Memories" (at MIRZA Hookah Lounge) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFokliMlE7f/?igshid=msu4fzy4lyrr

[atelierdetroupe]

#leweekend #montehellman #theshooting

[smokestacks313]

😞😭 when you gotta work at 5am and your shit still getting work on. With a drive back to the crib 🤦🏿‍♂️ I just want lil baby to dependable we at 600 already trying to get it right. Fuck! #theshooter #hot #hiphop #newmusic #Molifornication #detroit #hiphopindie #underground #unsignedhype #fans #rap #R2R #musicmanager #musicindustry #dopeartist #checkitout #Road2RichesEntertainment #road2richesent #smokestacks #newlabel #independentartist #grinding #loved #party #bash #celebration #movement #detroit #worldwide https://www.instagram.com/p/CCpYSdWF4dH/?igshid=1ce2yq4ovw24h

[hustlehill]

@james_lett_iii_the_actor @vicmensa @chancethemensa @___king__louie___ @famousdex @trippieredd @bigsean @seanjarrettmedia #shooterjl3 #theshooter #@#jl3 #streetshoe #blackmanhoodmatters #blackouttuesday #blacklivesmatter #blackoutday2020 #black #bestoftheday #sport @augustalsina #augustalsina #jadapinkettsmith #chicagobulls (at Hustle Hill Clothing) https://www.instagram.com/p/CClXJtxp3_S/?igshid=kyum3ekkmbat

[kencollects]

From the 1996 NBA's 50 Greatest Players of All-Time:  Sam Jones. #KenCollects #NBA50GreatestPlayers #NBA50GreatestAutos #NBA #SamJones #Jones #TheShooter #cardcollector #cardcollectors #NBAcardcollector #autograph #autographs #autographed #autographcollection #autographcollector #auto #signed #signature #signedcard https://www.instagram.com/p/B8_T5ojJJ0P/?igshid=er41dnzukcs5

[dwick93]

Now she wanna’ come wit’ me, wanna’ have fun wit’ me, big boy teddy bear’, bi**hes be lovin’ me. #MCM #MyOwnMCM #🧸🧸🧸🧸 #TheShooter #ExplorePage #DoubleTapThis https://www.instagram.com/p/B7kBKVUHvuj/?igshid=qha81yo2nrm