2. INTRODUCTION
Throughout my problem, I will be looking into areas of my project that I feel will challenge me during
the production of my product. I will be going through theoretical (such as gathering enough crew or cast
members) and practical problems (such as health and safety), listing things that could go wrong during
production that I need to plan ahead for such as potentially damaging equipment, weather predictions
and the health and safety of all crew and cast members on the set. As I go through this planning, I will
also be talking about the effects COVID-19 has had on my product, and the changes I have had to set in
place in order to be able to make my product this year. COVID had a big effect on my product last year
and I feel I will be able to use this to my advantage with my current product, as I now know how I should
be planning to make my product whilst also following COVID laws and regulations. Once I have looked
through and thought-out potential problems and challenges I'll have to face, I will be focusing on how I
will approach and tackle these problems, looking at multiple different options and solutions for these
problems and how I plan to make sure my production is a safe and comfortable environment for people
to work in. I will be taking everything into account, I.e. the costs of keeping people safe and the
procedures / rules I will have to put in place to enforce this.
3. MIND MAP OF POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
THEORETICAL PROBLEMS:
4. THEORETICAL
PROBLEMS
ANALYSIS
During my Theoretical problems planning, I made sure to
try and list as many potential problems as possible whilst
thinking of past experiences on the productions of older
products. Looking back at the problems I faced when
making the older products, I knew there was a high
potential that I could possibly run into similar problems
when creating this product. I looked back at my filming
experience with those older projects, as well as experience
with crew members helping me film and other things such
as how long it took me to film those projects. I made sure
to list all the problems and challenges I faced in the past to
remind myself that I may run into similar problems during
my current production and to keep me wary and alert about
these problems. I listed potential problems such as weather
conditions, dealing with the public when filming, limited
cast and crew members and health and safety during late
night filming to prepare for these problems and to talk
about how I plan on tackling them when I discuss my
solutions for the problems. I also made sure to list problems
that I knew I could prepare for. For example, if a cast or
crew member couldn't attend a shooting day, I plan to have
at least one backup member in case this problem does
occur.
5. MIND MAP OF POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
PRACTICAL & TECHNICAL PROBLEMS:
6. PRACTICAL &
TECHNICAL
PROBLEMS
ANALYSIS
For my Technical problem analysis, I made sure to mainly
focus on the problems that could occur with equipment. I
already have a vague idea of who will be helping me film
my product, so I know that the chances of equipment being
broken or damaged are low but still very possible, especially
since a lot of my product will be filmed in low light
conditions, which adds a lot of risk to both the equipment
and cast and crew members. I also looked at how the usage
of equipment would impact the health and safety of my
cast and crew. The fact that we will be dealing with large
and heavy equipment means I will have to make sure the
work environment is as safe as possible by making sure I
don’t leave potential hazards lying around during filming. I
also talked about the impact food and drink could have
when had around the equipment and made sure to list the
potential problems that could bring as I know there will
likely be food and drink on set when filming. I know I will be
working with people that might not fully understand how to
use certain equipment, which is why I listed some vague
solutions as to how I could approach this and to make sure
that the video doesn’t come out in poor or unexpected bad
quality after filming.
7. IMPACTS ON
MY PRODUCT &
PRODUCTION DUE
TO COVID-19
Due to COVID-19, Ive had to make sure my product was planned in a
way that I could make it, and at the same time make sure I was
following COVID rules and regulations. Unfortunately, because of
COVID I have had to limit my cast and crew, as well as other things
such as filming locations and social distancing with actors. Because of
these changes, I know my product will be a challenge to make,
especially with only a small amount of people helping me work on it.
During the planning and idea generation for my project, I made sure
to limit myself with my film idea. I wanted to make sure I didn’t plan
to make something that would be too difficult to film under COVID
regulations that would require a lot of people to help film, which is
why I have decided on such a short and simple concept that I know I
will be able to make under the COVID regulations. Despite having to
limit my concept, I am still happy with the idea and know I will be able
to enjoy filming it, without having overcomplicated the idea to the
point where it would be too difficult to make. Ive made sure to
confine my product so that it only requires a minimum of 3 people to
film, as well as confined filming locations to only 2 locations that will
be of great convenience for me when filming, knowing I won't need
to travel long distance in order to make my product. Overall, despite
COVID having a big impact on my product, I am still happy with my
concept and looking forward to production.
8. EXPERIENCE WITH PREVIOUS PRODUCTS
Looking back at working on older products has helped me plan out my problem solving for my project
this year. As I have already had 2 years of previous experience at college, I know and expect what kind
of problems I will be running into during production, which also happened to be the problems that I
have focused on in my problem-solving planning. I want to make sure that I am fully prepared for
creating my product and aware of the potential problems I could run into. Now that I have planned
and am aware of potential problems, I will be able to plan ahead and focus on solutions for these
problems to ensure my production will be a less stressful process and that if anything does go wrong, I
will have back up plans to help me. During older productions, one of the most common problems I ran
into was time. A lot of things either took too much time or I had planned to make something I couldn't
complete in the time given, which is one reason why Ive gone for a simpler film idea this year. I also
need to make sure that I plan my time appropriately and follow a strict schedule to insure I'm not
rushing anything at the end of production, as I want my product to be the highest quality it can be. I
will be making sure to focus on planning a time management schedule during my problem solving.
10. THEORETICAL SOLUTIONS – MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR PROBLEMS
Problem: Public interference when filming in public areas, outdoor parks, roads, streets etc.
Solution: When it comes to production, public interference is one of my biggest concerns for filming. Luckily, most of my film takes place during the night,
so I will be filming at late hours (specifically 1-3 am) where we are unlikely to get any interference from the public and are able to avoid distractions when
filming.
Problem: Problems with weather changes or unexpected weather.
Solution: To avoid weather ruining shooting days, I will make sure to plan specific scenes (outdoor scenes) on a series of different days spread across my
production instead of filming all outdoor scenes in one night, just in case the weather were to change we would have another time to reschedule.
Problem: Filming in the dark, low light and potential health and safety hazards.
Solution: Filming at night will be difficult due to low light, however I plan to bring my photography lights for shooting a scene in case it is too dark or if
there isn't enough light to film. I will also be planning that the area in which we film is safe and there are no possible safety hazards that could put cast &
crew at risk.
Problem: Transportation, getting cast and crew members to and from set.
Solution: Luckily, all the people I currently have working on my product live very close by and are easily accessible for most parts of the day. However, if I
do hire extra people to help work on my product that done live close, I will be able to come and pick them up on shooting days as well as bring them back.
Problem: Unprovided food & services for cast and crew members.
Solution: During filming, I plan on bringing food as well as drinks as I know there is a potential we will be filming for long periods of time. Luckily, the
filming locations I have chosen are also close to home, so bathroom and other breaks won't be a problem during my production.
11. PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS – MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR PROBLEMS
Problem: Problem with equipment / not working as planned during filming.
Solution: Before going out to film, I will be making sure that every piece of equipment I will be using is tested and made sure that it is set to the right
settings depending on what conditions were filming under to make sure I don’t slow down production time.
Problem: Usage of food and water around equipment could cause damage or accidents.
Solution: I want to make sure my work environment is a safe environment for everyone to work in. In order to prevent food and water accidents I will be
designating time for food breaks and I will also be making sure that food and drinks are consumed away from all the equipment to avoid this problem.
Problem: Losing files or finding corrupt files after production (during editing).
Solution: I am very wary that corrupt files or the loss of files is very possible and would like to ensure this doesn’t happen. To do this I will be keeping all of
my important files in a safe location on my personal USB, as well as making sure to make separate duplicates of files in case something goes wrong with one.
Problem: Crew unable or uneducated on how to use specific equipment.
Solution: Before filming, I will be giving a quick and simple rundown to my crew on how to use certain equipment in case they have questions or do not
know, but from my current knowledge, the people I have helping have had experience in the past so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem during filming.
Problem: Health and safety with equipment.
Solution: To ensure my workplace is a safe environment for everyone, I will be running through some safety rules and regulations with my cast and crew to
ensure they know how to use / treat the equipment to avoid any injuries or breaking any equipment.
12. PROBLEM
SOLVING
ANALYSIS /
SUMMARY
After planning out my problems and producing solutions, I
am a lot more confident with my production. One thing most
of my previous projects lacked was problem solving, so I fully
believe this planning will work in my favour when it's time to
film my product. For my solutions, I decided to look at
problems that I thought were the most prominent and
important. I was able to do this due to my work and
experience on previous products. With 2 years of experience,
I know which problems are likely to come up the most often
and which problems will be the most challenging to work
around. I didn’t want to try and plan solutions for every little
problem that may or may not occur, but I wanted to make
sure I had some good solutions and preparation down for big
and more serious problems that might occur, more
specifically problems that would impact my final product. I
knew because of experience that I would run into similar
problems which is also one reason why Ive tried to not plan
my project too unrealistically and overly complicated this
year, especially due to COVID. With most of my problems
solving now planned out, I am now far more confident with
the production process and am looking forward to it, as I
know it will be a less stressful process to know about
potential problems and have solutions to be ready for them.
14. EXPERIMENT 1 'STAINED HANDS' - COLOUR, SOUND & VIDEO
Video – Stained Hands
Colour Palette
Before Colour
First Experiment
Date Created – 01/02/21
Duration: 0.43
Focus – Colour, Sound & Video
15. EXPERIMENT 1 'STAINED HANDS' - COLOUR, SOUND & VIDEO
For my first experiment, I wanted to focus on creating something very atmospheric, both visually and in
sound design. I chose to do this as I would like to portray my final product in a similar tone, and really
rely on beautiful looking visuals as well as good captivating sound design.
For this experiment, I decided to try out a 'club bathroom' theme with the fluorescent neon lighting as
well as the sound of muffled music playing in the background. I felt this was a good opportunity to learn
more about mixing sounds. During the video there are a mixture of sounds to be heard along with the
background music. I wanted to give these sounds such as the tap water & door closing effects a very
realistic feel, and I wanted to make sure they blended perfectly with the background music.
I felt I had a lot of creative control with the colours for this experiment. As my setting was supposed to
replicate a club bathroom, I felt like any colour would be appropriate to use. I played around with the
colour wheel a lot, trying to see which colours would work best for the setting and theme. Originally, I
had given the video a red tinted look but upon rendering I felt that it just didn’t look right, as well as the
fact that the video lost a lot of quality, so I went back and landed on a deep purple look which I am now
happy with, as I feel that it really helps in setting the tone of the video and doesn’t feel too jarring or
unrealistic.
16. EXPERIMENT 1 – ATMOSPHERE & EMOTION
Throughout my research I looked and talked about how emotion is conveyed through
lighting, colour and tone, which was one thing I wanted to experiment with in this video.
Lighting: When deciding what kind of lighting I wanted for this experiment I decided
on a single source that would provide the light for the whole scene. I wanted the
video to have this dark yet bright vibrant tone to it. The light we used managed to
subtly fill most of the room, giving it a soft tone and overall, quite a neon glow which
I was very happy with. I used the heavy darks mixed with the subtle lights to highlight
suspense as well as illuding to the fact that something bad was going on in the video.
The darkness surrounding the face of the subject with very little illuminated only
added to this feeling of negativity and suspense. The overhead lighting covering the
subject's eyes have gave a dehumanising effect and gave the video an overall more
sinister look which was what I was going for.
Colour: I went through a few different colour designs for this video but ultimately
landed on a deep purple look. I think the purple gave the scene a rather warming
tone which juxtaposes how the subject is acting as well as how the scene is lit. Given
that the scene was supposed to replicate a club bathroom, I felt that purple was an
appropriate colour to use as these settings usually have different and more abstract
colour tones. This partnered with the background music makes the video feel a lot
more natural and doesn’t make audience members question why the lighting is
purple, as they are able to relate to these locations and understand why the lighting
is an unusual / more abstract colour.
17. EXPERIMENT 1 'STAINED
HANDS' - COLOUR,
SOUND & VIDEO
Discussing the thoughts
and process behind the
experiment.
18. EXPERIMENT II – LIGHTING SET-UP
Outdoor Light Experiment
- Outdoor setting, dim natural light and one light
source
Camera Settings
ISO – 1600 to 2000
Aperture – F3.5
Focus Mode – Continuous Auto Focus
Shutter Speed – 1/200
Camera Quality – 4K Resolution
Photography Light Experiment
- Multiple strong light sources, movable /
modifiable light
Camera Settings
ISO – 600 to 800
Aperture – F3.5
Focus Mode – Continuous Auto Focus
Shutter Speed – 1/200
Camera Quality – 4K Resolution
19. EXPERIMENT II – LIGHTING SET-UP
For my lighting experiment, I wanted to test natural outdoor night lighting partnered with
one source of synthetic light as I knew that most of the outdoor locations I wanted to film in
would have only one or two light sources. The outcome of the experiment was what I
expected, a grainy and overall, quite unpleasant and unpolished image due to the lack of
light. The reason I chose to try out this experiment was to see how well the image quality
would hold up with only one main light source, but now after finishing the experiment I
know that in order to get a crisp and clear looking image I will have to resort to using
multiple light sources which is where the second part of my experiment comes into play. For
the second half of my experiment, I set up two photography lights in a pitch-black room
and tested their quality to see how well they would hold up and improve low light scenes.
Overall, the lights work incredibly well and are strong enough to fill up a lot of unwanted
darkness in scenes. When filming my product, I plan on using these lights during outdoor
night scenes as I know they will help me create a much nicer and more clearer looking
image rather than having a dim grainy image. The lights will have to be hooked up to an
extension cord when filming however which will make scenes a little more difficult and time
consuming to film but will overall have a far better outcome on the visual quality of my
product. One of my goals for this project was to make sure my product was as
professionally looking as possible and I believe these lights will help me achieve this when
filming and give me a lot more creative control.
20. EXPERIMENT III – PHOTOSHOP / POSTER EXPERIMENT
Halloween (2018) - Movie Poster Concept & Experiment
Experiment Focus: Photoshop & Digital
Art
Experiment Purpose: To experiment
with abstract design styles and
layout | Retro styled 80s movie
poster look.
Reason For Experiment: During the
production of my project, I plan to make
a poster in a similar abstract and retro
style and wanted to test out a design for
a poster with this experiment.
21. EXPERIMENT III – PHOTOSHOP / POSTER EXPERIMENT
For my project I plan on making two movie posters
partnered with my video product and thought I could
utilise my experiments to try out a style I would like to
apply to at least one of my posters during production.
During this experiment, I knew I wanted to try out an
abstract and eye-catching art style that would also
remain minimalistic so that the poster would look simple
yet still effective. During my research, I discussed how
minimalistic poster designs appeal to me and that I would
like to reflect minimalism into my work, which is what I
have tried to do with this experiment. While
my production work may not apply the exact art style I
have used in my experiment, it will most definitely be
similar in minimalism, as well as the retro style and eye-
catching colours as well as visuals.
Rather than writing about the process of the poster, I
thought it would be better to convey the process through
talking about it so I have created a video discussing
the thoughts and process behind this experiment and
how it will link to my final product.
Process of the
experiment:
22. PRODUCTION EXPERIMENTS ANALYSIS / EVALUATION
I am very happy with how all my experiments turned out. I believe they are going to help me greatly during
the production of my project. Ive been able to experiment with so many different styles and techniques
that I will be able to apply to my product such as lighting, editing and sound design. Overall, I feel that all
my experiments serve a purpose and don’t feel needless in any way. With my poster experiment I was able
to play around with different art styles and produce a good concept for my production work. The poster
experiment can work as a reference for me, much like the content of my research and I will be able to apply
all the skills and techniques I have learnt through this experiment onto my final product. My first
experiment / video experiment I feel will be the most important and benifitial towards my product, as that
is where I have taken all my researched items such as colour in film, camerawork, lighting etc and applied
them into a single experiment video. My experiments have given me more ptracice on a lot of important
aspects of filmmaking which I know will work to my advantage during production. My experiments also
gave me an insight into the things that will work and things that might not work when filming, for example
relying on one light source can work but only depending on the location. During my experiments I found
that relying on one light source in a large outdoor area isnt very benifitial and can lead to the video being
too dark, grainy and low quality which is why I will be applying extra light sources when filming outdoors,
however when shooting in a small contained area / room one light source can provide enough light to film
a scene. Overall, I am very happy with my experiments and I feel more prepared for production now I have
had time to experiment with many different things that are important towards making my product as good
and professional as possible.
