Due to resnet being down last week and some personal issues with my computer i was unable to post this blog until today.
Tuesday 25th March
The first day of our filming took place on Tuesday last week. Using the equipment that me and friend had picked up yesterday morning, i set up the canon xl1 up with the tripod and used the mini dv tapes that i brought from tesco's that same morning. I removed my 300 poster off my wall because i believed it would have been a distraction in the background when filming the mum "Sandra". While i was setting up the equipment Jake Warren another member in our group, was getting a lift to the train station and back to pick up our Mother character "Sandra". When they arrived at the uni i had set up the location and the equipment, then after a quick brief over on the script and dicussing what mood of voice we wanted from "Sandra", we continued to do a few close up takes of her saying her lines until we were satisfied with what we had. Then also using the same audio equipment we had used in our documentary we then also had "Sandra" repeat her lines into the microphone, so that our audio was at its best quality. After this Jake payed the actor and then took her back the train station, while i continued by putting a new tape in the camera and then put a t-shirt over the camera, i let the tape play all the way through and also did the same with another, so we weren't going to have any last minute dramas with the tapes after filming. Later Jake returned from the train station and we went over to his room to prepare for tomorrows filming. First started by making fake blood using washing up liquid and abit of red food dye. We then putt a few rip holes in the sept-dads shirt and smeared some of the fake blood onto it, we then continued to do the same thing with the jacket as well. We then put the shirt inside the jacket and put them on a hangar to hang dry in the bathroom. All we had to do then was sort out the outfits of the twins. We boiled a bit of water and put it in a big oven dish with a few tea bags so that we could stain the jumper and the vest for both twins, we then continued to burn a few cigarette holes in boths of them as well. We then continued to rip a few holes in both trousers, but later on one twin wore jeans instead because they went with the jumper better. We then proceeded to hang both of them as well so they could dry out for tomorrow. Then just before the first night ended due to our male actor not arriving for some apparent reason, we used one a jake's flat mates who suited the place best and continued to take a few photos of him pretending to be staggering everywhere, as these images were going to be projected behind the twins in tomorrows filming, also Jake and Matt make a few words and phrases up on a slide show that would also appear behind the twins in tomorrows filming. Due to Matt not feeling to well in the morning, he was unable set off from home until lunchtime and arrived at the uni later in the day.
Wednesday 26th March
With another early morning start upon us me and Jake gathered all the equipment together while Matt was finalising the slideshow that was going to be projected today in our film. He then arrived with his car, we loaded up what we could and then let him drive round to the library to our location, while me and Jake walked across with the rest of the equipment that was unable to fit in the car. Then in the little time we had before Matt and Jake had to go and meet the twins actors at the train station we set up our location. I then continued to finish setting up the location while they went to collect the actors. Shortly after they arrived they quickly got changed into their outfits, and then proceeded to film the whole scene in one go using the two tapes i had allowed to run all the way through yesterday, after the twins had read through the script a few times and felt comfortable with what they had to do. Jake was behind one camera that was filming the twins on the right, and Matt was behind the other camera that was filming the twins which was positioned next to Jake in the middle of the room. I was in control of stoping and starting the different words and phrases on the slideshow with the spacebar, on the computer that was projecting these words and phrases onto the wall behind the twins. After filming it all the way through a few times and we were satisfied with what we had, we then continued filming by doing a few close ups shots and mid shots. Then after we were satisfied with all the filming that we had done in our location in the library, we then proceeded to the bench outside of the library to film our end scene. We did a few takes of one of the twins reading the letter and then leaving the bench from different angles and different shots like long shot, close-ups and a POV shot over his shoulder looking at the letter. We then proceeded to my house to film the last scene from our film which is where one of the twins walks through my hallway and out my frontdoor. Now that we had everything filmed we then went to asda to use the cash machine to pay the actors before they returned home.
Kyle Corfield - JMKProductions