FMP week 7

1. WEEKLY REFLECTION 7
This week I began the filming of my series. I decided on only filming on the Monday this week, as
opposed to my planned three-day filming weeks in future. This was due to the day being, for all
intents and purposes, ‘A practice shoot.’ To test the chemistry between actors, the speed with which
we could get through scenes, the quality of the visuals and the sound etc. As well as the fact that
Olivia Maiden; the actress playing one of the central main characters, Skye, is not available until the
start of next week. So to begin with, we started rehearsing lines in the studio, taping some of the
rehearsals for posterity, and securing some pictures for the poster shots. Present was myself (Playing
Joshua Jordan.) Donna Kitching (Playing Dr. Elizabeth Baker.) Cassie Fonth (Playing Jessica White.)
Frazer Hardwick (Playing Riley Matthews) and India Harrison (Playing River Matthews.) After the
poster shots and auditions for the early scenes were completed, we made our way to the set booked
in York College to serve as Elizabeth’s office. We had a slight setback in terms of how long we had to
film in the room, due to the amount of York College related posters and paperwork around the room.
We had to ensure it was all obscured or removed from the view of the camera once we started
shooting. Sound was another issue we discovered. Finding a suitable place to put the microphone
during the shoots to avoid it being seen by the camera was difficult. We initially placed it under the
table, but a later check of the audio revealed a slight muffled quality. Which may necessitate use of
the in-camera microphone for certain scenes where the boom microphone is unable to capture usable
audio. Going forward it seems that audio will be among the bigger issues in the production as a
whole. I will need to stay aware of this. Early scenes in the office set were a success. And each actor
solidified the costume of his or her character for the future. Each actor has taken note of what they
must wear for each shoot. Continuity errors regarding clothing will be avoided this way. Once the
shoot in the office had finished. We moved to the set I had scouted for the twins camp, in a tunnel
near York College. The aesthetic proved nice enough for the twins camp, but the dark lighting, echoing
sound and constant stream of pedestrians proved troublesome for our takes. I might therefore
consider finding a new set for the twins camp. All in all, the shoot proved productive though. And set
a good standard for the amount I’d like to film on a daily basis in future. The planning of the project is
now coming into it’s final stages. But I’d like to start looking some more specific inspirations. Like
other opening credits to shows, posters, soundtracks etc.