https://mega.nz/file/42thkZ4L#QV3TwsCr9gDo5IH79Y9hXoH8pvzSQ2_i9CUPl7vAT74
Process Workbook
14th Jan 2025 First Class and Introduction to assignment
This class collaborated with BA acting students performing in films produced. Initially the whole class watched 3 short films as a large group, discussing to assess and critically analyse concepts. This was done to generate interest and ideas, facilitating the creative process (BBC Maestro, 2023). Each individual was asked to come up with an idea for an interesting short film of 5-10 minutes in length.
16th Jan 2025
The class was split into groups of 2 film students and 5 acting students, and discussion of ideas and concepts allowed for a creative process in the formulation of this plan (BBC Maestro, 2023). This was a productive session leading to numerous ideas for exciting projects.
Altogether 4 ideas were suggested with 2 of these being clearly beyond the scope of this project and requiring further input or Tools unavailable to University students.
The 2 remaining ideas were:
1- The Ghost of Alwyn - In this short mockumentary type film we follow the story of three ghost hunters and a completely clueless youtuber on a mission to uncover undeniable data and evidence on the Ghost of Alwyn, haunted by dreams of becoming a famous actor.
Ghost story with an investigator, a non-believer, a vlogger and a film crew investigate a haunted derelict care home. This idea was put forward and is achievable with the group and available equipment making it a viable option for this assignment. However with multiple complex characters this production may centre on individual performances rather than the impact of the film as a whole.
2- MASK - Horror movie - Society conforms to specific rules and laws following instructions to the letter for fear of punishment. Everyone must wear a mask to conceal and devalue self-identity and personality. Two individuals break free from this and begin to experience freedom, but this does not go down well with other conformists who terrorise the individuals.
The Ghost of Alwyn and Mask are the 2 ideas that the group will use for planning and brainstorming as these are achievable in the timeframe.
18th Jan 2025
Group work expanding viable ideas. Initial ideas for storyboard, characters and themes for each story. This session was interesting and helped to clarify the idea and concept of each of these films.
20th Jan 2025
Location scouting -An important phase in film production (Toxigon, 2023).
Today we visited Dinefwr as filming location and began turning ideas into a script, and wrote an outline of scenes that we wanted to film. A storyboard was produced from this meeting.
23rd Jan 2025
Pitch presentation and get feedback from peers (Standard Story Company, 2024).
The individuals giving feedback found the Ghost of Alwyn idea to be less exciting, already done in various formats over many years and so less interesting.
Voting for which production should go ahead resulted in Mask being the clear winner, with some people finding it to be an interesting concept with scope for development for an interesting production. Once chosen, the group was able to expand further on the initial concept.
Concept art was generated using Dall-E AI image generation (see Figure 1.)
24th Jan 2025
The concept for this film decided through further discussion with the group.
"A dystopian future where groups of people live and conform together following strict guidelines set by an authoritative voice played through speakers in every household. The setting of this film is a large mansion where numerous individuals live. To ensure non individuality all of society must wear masks to conceal their identity.
Early on in the film a non conformist is removed forcibly from the house whilst others look on without intervention. This individual becomes branded with "undesirable" written over their face mask, before returning to the house after clear punishment and return to a conformed state.
Two individuals in this group watch closely these developments and formulate a plan for escape".
To meet requirements a singular mask was given to the set designers to be different from all the other masks, this mask had "undesirable" written over it and was aged with blemishes and scratches and an "anarchy " logo.
26th Jan 2025
Expanded further on the general idea, making group decisions to limit scenes for production effficiency (Marcini, 2023). Discussions decided that these scenes may have confused the primary story, and removal may refine the film, making it more impactful. This decision was made to leave viewers with a more sinister feeling where they need to fill in the blanks and think actively about the intricacies of this imaginary scenario.
Finished the draught script ready to pitch to class, and undertake market research
28th - 31st Jan 2025
Choreography of scenes, also known as blocking (Finchley, 2023), initial scene setting and concept scenes.
1st Feb -2nd Feb 2025
Production of storyboards as a group to save time money and resources (Filmbaker, 2023). 2 scenes were undertaken for each individual, further refined into a storyboard of 11 scenes.
1st Feb 2025
Choreography of scenes
Location scouting - online search for possible filming locations and group decision.
Chosen: Dinefwr is a Jacobean mansion (National Trust, 2024) that fitted the group idea of this dystopian edgy and creepy setting.
3rd Feb 2025
Work on refining script multiple times with feedback from class (Hollywood Script Shop, 2025).
4th Feb 2025
Today we visited Dinefwr mansion for a private tour, told areas and items we could use as scenes and props. We were advised that window shutters could be used to improve cinematic integrity and lighting for filmmaking allowing us to control the scenes more effectively for the desired outcomes.
Set designers returned mask.
7th Feb 2025
Additional choreography for set movement of actors to ensure smooth filming and clear understanding of where people should be to streamline the filming process. The costume selection was undertaken by Liv following the groups vision.
13-14TH Febuary 2025
FILMING
Split into two groups but second group of actors utilised for maximum impact of video.
Day 1 - recorded half of the film concentrating on interior scenes from Dinefwr, Newton House.
Research was limited regarding electrical outlets, meaning adaptation to environment was required. This limited the ease of filming placing restrictions on camera angles and use of the interior space effectively. To overcome this we needed to rely on battery powered lights for lighting certain scenes. On multiple occassions these lights ran their battery down meaning the group needed to plan time effectively using the breaks in filming to be prepared for subsequent scenes.
https://bombreport.com/from-studio-to-set-the-journey-of-film-production-logistics/
The time limit for filming interior shots was 9:30am-4:30pm, requiring planning and efficiency to record all planned scenes effectively. Locations for filming were grouped together to minimise traffic through the property and to increase time efficiency for filming.
https://filmlifestyle.com/how-to-plan-a-film-shoot/
Staff were friendly and helpful sourcing equipment for crew and making the whole process more manageable. The location worked well as there was access to shutters meaning professional lighting could be setup easily with minimal uncontrollable lighting. This meant that even though filming took place over numerous hours the feel of the scenes together is coherent with no major differences in contrast or direction of lighting, making for a more professional finish.
The scenes recorded were effective and professional. the group worked well together and were supportive, resulting in professional raw footage ready for further processing.
Day 2
The other half of the scenes were recorded, we were joined by Kieron Self the director of The Girls of Dinefwr, and another student involved in this project. With previous experience of filming at this location it was beneficial to talk through plans and scene outlines with these members to ensure the group was getting the best out of their time at Dinefwr. This second day involved more external filming, more elaborate scenes central to the storyline.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26229986/
With a successful first day and supportive environment at Dinefwr, and the more complex storytelling scenes to film, this day seemed easier, with most members happy to be involved and good results from the raw footage. Minor problems with lighting and battery limitations again slowed the day down but clear planning and set out guide for the day helped to achieve
File numbers for the footage was recorded to ensure ease of transfer and editing with appropriate sound recording ensuring the scenes could be associated with appropriate script and audio recordings. This should make the final edit easier without requiring multiple file management to group together video and audio files.
The scenes recorded on this day were effective resulting in professional raw footage.
What could have been improved
Access to lighting in all areas of the interior would have improved cinematography, allowing the video director to make complete use of the location.
Limited timescales meant that setup times for each scene needed to be short and efficient. This time limit also limited the scope of filming to ensure all scenes were gathered. With more time, a more creative feedback process may have allowed the group to adapt scenes to the environment and lighting conditions, resulting in the final product being of higher quality.
The director managed the team well, recording scenes to a strict time schedule meaning that all scenes incorporated into the film were completed with excess footage for post-production trimming. I believe that recording all the necessary pieces for a 10minute film in 2days on location was a good achievement by all people involved. Extra crew who had limited knowledge and information about the project were all professional and helpful to allow this project to run smoothly
https://filmustage.com/blog/the-importance-of-a-well-planned-shooting-schedule-in-film-production/
The problems that arose during filming highlight the importance of having additional kit and cables that may mitigate for any lost time through this process, allowing the filming crew to move past small technical issues. The lack of lighting may negatively affect the final film and if undertaken again I would always overestimate the number of lights required to ensure that scenes can be lit to achieve the best results.
https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/71269-fix-it-in-post-part-1-fix-it-on-purpose/
References
National Trust (2024) Visiting Newton House at Dinefwr. Available at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/dinefwr/visiting-newton-house-at-dinefwr (Accessed: 7 February 2025).
Standard Story Co. (2024) How to give good feedback on a film. Available at: https://standardstoryco.com/how-to-give-good-feedback-on-a-film/#:~:text=Good%20feedback%20is%20constructive%2C%20and,stronger%20version%20of%20the%20film (Accessed: 28 February 2025).
BBC Maestro (2023) 'How to come up with a movie idea', BBC Maestro, 28 April. Available at: https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/coming-up-with-a-movie-idea (Accessed: 7 March 2025).
Toxigon (2023) 'The Importance of Location Scouting for Your Film', Toxigon, 10 February. Available at: https://toxigon.com/the-importance-of-location-scouting-for-your-film (Accessed: 7 March 2025).
Marcini, J. (2023) 'The Importance of Teamwork in Film', jmarcinifilm, 3 March. Available at: https://jmarcini8.wixsite.com/jmarcinifilm/the-importance-of-teamwork-in-film- (Accessed: 7 March 2025).
Finchley (2023) 'Behind the Scenes: A Day in a Professional Filming Studio', Finchley, 15 February. Available at: https://www.finchley.co.uk/finchley-learning/behind-the-scenes-a-day-in-a-professional-filming-studio (Accessed: 7 March 2025).
FilmBaker (2023) 'The Importance of Storyboarding', FilmBaker, 25 January. Available at: https://www.filmbaker.com/blog/the-importance-of-storyboarding (Accessed: 7 March 2025).
Hollywood Script Shop (2025) 'The Ultimate Guide to Screenplay Drafts (2025 Update): Understanding Every Step of the Writing Process', Hollywood Script Shop, 1 March. Available at: https://hollywoodscriptshop.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-screenplay-drafts-2025-update-understanding-every-step-of-the-writing-process/ (Accessed: 7 March 2025).