1. ProductionCompany
Fluid.INCisthe name of the
productioncompanythatI have
designed.The namescomesfroma
longtime ago whenIwas wantingto
create a differentcompanyyetnever
endedupgoingaheadwithit.The
wordfluidsymbolizesamotionthatis
continuousandmovingevenunder
the pressure andstressof an external
source.The name is personal tome as
it wasa nickname that I carried
throughsecondaryschool,sothislogoisverypersonalizedandshowsoff whoIam.
ScreenPlay Final Draft
For the final draft, I cut outsome of the dialogue thatIfoundunnecessaryandalsosome scenesthatI
didn’tactuallygetroundto doing.
Finance
Filmfinance isapart of filmproductionthattakesplace duringthe developmentstage,before pre-
production,andinvolvesdeterminingthe potential value of aproposedfilm.The value isusually
predictedonrevenue suchashowmuchtheythinkthe filmwill make overacertainamountof years.
Crowdfunding–Crowdfundingisthe simplestsource of finance asitisjustpeople makingmoneyinany
wayto fundsomething.A fundraisersuchas a bootsale or sponsoredrunwouldbe classedas
crowdfunding.If there wasanyneedforme to have finance inthisshortfilm, thiswouldbe the best
option.Itis opentoanyone and I done have tohave massive productioncompanyandteamtoget it.I
can alsogo about gettingitall on myown.If I didneedit,Iwouldhave to create a budget.The budgetis
a calculationof all costs thatthe filmcouldneed.A budgetsetsaguide forhow much the I needto
make whenfundraising.Eachsectionof the filmmakingprocesswill have itsownbudgetforcingteam
leaderstostickto it.
Equipment
As myfilmwasverylowkey,itdidn’tneedmuchequipmenttomake itall work.As a base amount,I
needed acamerato film,the micso that I couldrecordsome sound,the recordingstudiosoI couldlater
do voice oversandthe software toedititall up.If it was a biggerfilm, Iwouldhave neededbettersound
equipmentandasteadycam or gimble.All the equipmentthatIneeded;Iwasable togain fromcollege.
Theyletus use the cameras andequipmentthatcame withit.There wassome more niche equipment,
but I didn’tneedthatformy film.
Resources
2. The main resourcesthatI needed,werethingslike computersandheadphonestoact as props.To get
this,I tookthe actor back to myhouse where Ihave these thingsinmyroom.I was able to getthe shots
that I neededjustfromthingsthatIownedanddidn’thave to buyanything.There wasneveranyneed
for a use of weaponinmyfilm,butif I didneedto,I wasable to get thatbuy tellingamemberof staff
and theywouldsupervise the shot.
Crew
As myfilmwassmall andlowbudget,there wasneveraneedfora crew.I was luckilyable tofilmand
record everythingbymyself andthenedititall too.The onlythingIcouldhave had helpwithwas
settinguplightinginthe shotsasI wasn’tso goodat that.If I had neededacrew,Iwouldhave beenable
to use people frommymediaclassthatwere givenatime and daythat theyneededtohelpwhoever
was filming.
Bookings
For the majorityof my film,Iwasable to filminoutside spacesandmyhouse however,forthe lastfew
shots,I neededtouse CastleField.Thisisthe collegesownrecordingstudiowhere theyhave different
roomsand studiospacesthat youcan rent out.I was able tobookone of the upstairsroomsand use it
as a bedroom.
Characters andCasting
Simon– neatlydressed,nothingtoofashionable,quite friendlybutquiet,unthreatening,OCD,keeps
himself tohimself,onlinebecomesabitlouderbutwithinreason,islonelyandonlyhasrelationships
withpeople online.
Olivia- Jeans,baggyhoodie,converse.Slightmake-upbutnothingout of the normal.Quietgirl but
carriesa happypersonaandgetson witheveryone.
For Simon,Ichose to cast my friendasthe role as he haspreviousactingexperienceandfitsthe
character perfectly.Idesignedthe characteroff of myfriend,soit seemedrighttocasthim forit.
For Olivia,Iagainchose to cast my friendasshe isa verygoodactor and alsofitthe description.Herskill
inacting made hera veryhighchoice andmade it easiertomake as I didn’thave to worryaboutto
manydirections.
Healthand Safety
Whenfilming,peoplehave manythingsontheirminds,thingscangetrushed,andriskscan increase.
Evensimple thingscanbecome dangerousbecausethisisnotan ordinarysituation.Of course,all of life
presentshazards,butif someone isaskedtorundowna hill repeatedlytogetthe scene right,for
example,the riskof themtrippingandfallingontheirface isincreasedwitheachtime theydothis.If the
hill ispavementratherthangrassthe risk of seriousinjuryisincreased.
It can completelyslowdownthe whole filmmakingprocessbutsomethinggoingwrongcancompletely
stopit. There isno doubtthat filmingindiverse environmentscomeswithitsfairshare of potential
hazards.Conductingriskassessmentsbeforeproductionbeginsiscrucial.Whetherwe’re operating
3. aroundheavymachineryornear dangerousanimals,we considereveryfeasibleriskandplanforit.This
ensuresthatthe shootruns smoothly,withoutanythingunfortunatehappening.
As I wasonlyworkingincollege andmyhouse whenfilming,there wasminimalriskthatcouldhappen.
There were some shotstakenona road in whichthe necessarycationwasused.If I didneedto
communicate the healthandsafetytomycast andcrew,I could:have routine safetychecksof the areas
we are using,sendemailsaboutthe areasorhave a prepmeetingbeforeeverydaystarts.
ProductionSchedule/Call sheets
The productionschedule isa projectplan of how the productionbudget will be spentoveragiven
timescale,foreveryphase of abusinessproject.The schedulingprocessstartswiththe script,whichis
analyzedandbrokendown,scene byscene,ontoasequence of breakdownsheets,eachof which
recordsthe resourcesrequiredtoexecute the scene.Fromthe breakdownsheetsthe Production
Manager compilesaproductionboard whichisusedas the basisfora shootingscheduleforeverydayof
the shoot.
The dailycall sheetisa filmmakingtermforthe schedule craftedbythe assistantdirector,usingthe
director'sshotlist.It isissuedtothe cast and crew of a filmproduction toinformthemof where and
whentheyshouldreportfora particulardayof filming.The productionschedule islistedbycall time,
the time whenpeople are expectedtostartworkon a filmset.Call sheetsinclude otheruseful
informationsuchascontact information(e.g.phone numbersof crew membersandothercontacts),the
schedule forthe day,which scenesandscriptpagesare beingshot,andthe addressof the shoot
location.Call sheetsalsohave informationabout casttransportationarrangements,parkinginstructions
and safetynotes.Call sheetsmayalsoprovide logistical informationregardingthe location.Itiscommon
to findsuchitemsas weatherinformation,sunrise/sunsettimes,local hospitals,restaurants,and
hardware storesoncall sheets.
As the I wasonlyfilmingforaday and itwas onlywithtwopeople,there wasneveranyneedof a
physical scheduleorcall sheet.Iwasable to contact both actors priorto the day and arrangedwhere
theyneededtomeetme andat what time.Forthe secondhalf of the day, I wasin a studiowhichIhad
booked.There wasa simple time slotlistonthe wall whichtoldme where togo andhow longI had.
There were neveranyproblemswiththismethodhoweverIfeltthatitcouldhave.Asit wasquite
unstructured,Ihad to make sure people knew whattheywere doingmore thanonce.Igave myself alot
of time leewaywhenplanningwhichmeantthatif someonewaslate orinthe wrongplace,itdidn’t
messup the whole day.
Lighting
Three-pointlightingisusedtolighta subjectfromthree differentlightsourcesandangles.Thisisdone
inorder to manipulate shadows,create contrast,andboostthe overall qualityof the footage thatis
captured.The three lightsources:
o Keylight:Thisisyour mainlightsource.Shine yourkeylightdirectlyonasubjectfrom
the front rightor frontleft.
o Fill light:The fill lightisasofterlightusedtofill inthe restof yoursubjectsface.Position
thislightonthe opposite side of asubjecttocreate balance andcontrast withthe key
light.
4. o Back lightor Rimlight:Positionthislighthighabove orslightlybehindthe subjectto
create a shine onthe topor backof theirhair.Thislightalsoseparatesthe subjectfrom
the backgroundto provide asense of depth.
Lightingcan affecta moodand isoftenchangeddependingonwhatthe genre is. Most comediesare
shotvery'high key'meaningeverythingisexposedandnotmanyshadowsare visible.Horrorfilmsare
mostlyshot'lowkey'meaningnotmuch isexposedandthe scene ismostlyshadowstocreate mystery
for the viewer.
Sound design
All of my filmusesvoiceroverorseparatelyrecordedaudio.Fortwolarge sectionsof the film, itisjust
voice oversdescribingpeopleorfeelingsmeaning,Icanfocusmore on makingthe audiosoundas bestit
can rather thanmakingit soundrealistic.ItalsomeantthatI didn’thave toworry aboutany background
noise thatI may have recordedasI couldjust silence the actual clips.
I decidedfromthe offsetthatIwantedto make an emotional film.Afterfilmingandgatheringall of the
necessaryaudioandvisuals,Idecidedthatsaddermusicfit.Forthe firstsectionof the filmthe musicis
downbeatbut alsoquite quietandlight.Simonisdescribinghimself inquite apositivewayandmaking
it soundlike he hasa happylife howeverusingthe saddermusicmakesitseemthere isahidden
message orthat it isn'tquite the truth.For the secondsection,Iuseda much more powerful songover
the top of a veryheartfeltspeechaboutnotbeing happy.The speechonitsownis movinghoweverthe
use of the dramaticsoundtrackjustgivesitthe extrapunch.
Copyright clearances
Copyrightclearance quite simplymeansthatyouhave permission,ideallywritten,fromthe copyright
holdertouse the resource.FortunatelyIgainedall of mymusicoff of a website calledFreeSound.Thisis
where people uploadtheirownmusicandsoundsforotherpeople touse forfree.
Communication
Luckilythe cast wassmall enoughtonot needtohave a massmeeting.I alsoknow the cast personally
too whichmeantthatI couldset upa groupchat on social mediatocommunicate.Iinformedthem
whentheywere neededandwhatI neededtodo.Lateron, I thensentthemthe scriptsand gotthemto
personallyrecordthe voice overs.Usingthe groupchatwas veryuseful asitmeantI couldsenda quick
message wheneverIneededto,andtheycouldalsoask questions.
ProductionDay
Overall,the actual productiondaywasa success.At the start of the dayI had to getinto college,pickup
the equipmentandSimon,thentake thatall onthe train andget to mine andback to college before
lunch.The days leadinguptothisI feltthatI had not leftmyself enoughtime todothishowever,it
turnedoutit was the perfectamountof time.Iwas thenable tofilmwithMaddyat lunchtime andthen
do all the final shotsafterthat.It workedoutto be a smooth-runningdayandnothingreallywent
wrong.
Titles
5. ‘A title sequence isthe methodbywhichfilmspresenttheirtitle.It typicallyincludesthe textof the
openingcreditsandhelpstoestablishthe settingandgenre of the film.’
For my shortfilm,there wasneveranyvital importance of includingatitle sequence.Idecidedtoasit
addedto the firstfewscenesandpossiblyhelpedthe audience understandthe genre of the film.Iused
a serif fontformy title asI see serif fontsasbeingmore seriousandmyfilmissad, soI feltitfit.The use
of the colorwhite meantthatit wasn’treallyafocusof the film.Usinga coloror bolderfontwouldhave
meantthat itwouldbe more part of the filmandI didn’twantthat. I alsofeltthatI didn’tjustwantthe
title topop inand out,so I addedan animationthatmeantitflowedout.The animationisquite gentle
and softwhichagainhelpssetthe scene of whatthe movie will be like.
Credits
‘Closingcreditsorendcreditsare a listof the cast and crew of a particularmotionpicture,television
program,or videogame.Where openingcredits appearatthe beginningof awork,closingcredits
appearclose to, or at the veryendof a work.A full setof creditscan include the castand crew,but also
productionsponsors,distributioncompanies,worksof musiclicensedorwrittenforthe work,various
legal disclaimers,suchas copyrightandmore.’
My final creditsincludemytwoactorsand myself.There wasn’t anycrew involvedinmakingmyfilm
and I wasthe onlyone editingandfilming.Ionlyusedtwoactorsso there wasn’tanyneedforlong
drawnout creditslike youmightsee inlargerfilms.
