Screenshots of Rushes

Post-Shoot Thoughts: Day Three

On our final day we were set up and ready to shoot our Earth scene. We had constructed the sand pit the night before only to realise that 150kg of sand was barely enough. I took action and reserved an additional 75kg of sand from Argos. We picked up the additional sand bags an hour before the shoot and it completed the look of our set. Needless to say the guys hated carrying 30kg's worth of sand each, first thing in the morning! 

We had first aid kids and eye baths on set, as we anticipated sand getting into our dancers eyes. Fortunately we had no issues with this at all. 

One thing that did go wrong was our slider rig. The connecting screw that attached the camera to the rig kept breaking off which set us back by an hour. Despite my impatient nature for the "boys and their toys" the guys actually got really amazing shots.

It was at this point I realised that (for the first time in my life) my expectations for a group project were exceeded. When reviewing the rushes I was extremely proud of Al, Callam and Jacob. None of this would have been possible without them.

Post-Shoot Thoughts: Day Two

On the second day of shooting Al decided that Callam and I were to switch roles. This meant he was the acting cinematographer whilst I took care of the production, crew and cast's needs. This change in responsibility was far more productive as I felt more in control of my role, rather than being uncertain of the shots I was capturing with the EX3. 

Throughout the shoot of the second day I was on constant watch for spilling water. I would be mopping up whenever necessary to minimise the electrocution hazard that water posed. Too make sure the dancer was comfortable I would be on constant watch for her needs - whether it was to provide her with a towel or a kettle of hot water to heat up the pool. Alongside all these responsibilities I would be logging our shots and loading the clapperboard. 

The shoot ended successfully. Cleaning up was made easier with the water vacuum we borrowed from UCA's workshop studios. In retrospect our dancer had said that she had the most fun shooting with water! Water must certainly be therapeutic as the crew also really enjoyed shooting with water. It certainly juxtaposes the high levels of stress we were faced with the day before.

Post-Shoot Thoughts: Day One

As prepared as we tried to be, nothing could have predicted Jacob's admittance into the hospital on our first morning. This meant we would have to adapt as a group and perform the roles of cinematographer whilst Jacob was gone. Al took on responsibility for lighting, camera/technical settings and directing. Callam acted as our runner, gaffer, clapper and was responsible for logging shots. I took on the responsibility of framing the cinematography and taking care of our dancer. 

Initially I thought I could step up to perform as cinematographer however the end of the day showed that the pressure was too much for me. I was very frantic about sticking to the schedule as we had to film two elements in the same day. As stressful as it was, we got all the shots we wanted for Fire and the essential shots for Air. Jacob did show up towards the end of the shoot (against doctor's orders). Whilst on set we would consult him for his opinion on lighting and framing.

What I learnt from the first day of shooting was to be versatile and to know your limits. It was after this day I realised it was best if I didn't continue as substitute cinematographer. It was surpassing my capabilities when combined with the responsibilities of producing. On the plus side, Al taught me how to use Sony EX3 in under a minute which I found pretty impressive. 

Production Schedule

Description	Time	Date	Cast/Crew	Room
Unloading Equipment	09:00-10:00	17th March 2014	Crew	Garage & KN Singh
Pick Up Equipment	09:00-10:00	17th March 2014	Crew	Equipment Hire
Clean Studio	09:00-10:00	17th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Set Up Studio for Fire Scene	10:00-11:30	17th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Brunch Break	11:30-12:00	17th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Dancer Arrives, hair/make up, and warms up.	12:00 – 12:45	17th March 2014	Dancer	KN Singh
Sound, Camera & Lights Test/Set Up	12:00-12:45	17th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Fire	12:45-13:45	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Break	13:45-14:00	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Fire Choreography	14:00-15:00	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Lunch	15:00-16:00 (Dancer) 15:00-15:30 (Crew)	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Set Up for Air Scene (Deconstruct Fire Scene)	15:30-16:00	17th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Sound, Camera & Lights Test/Set Up – Dancer Warm Up	16:00-16:45	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Air	16:45-17:45	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Break	17:45-18:00	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Air	18:00-19:00	17th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Pack & Lock Up	19:00-20:00	17th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh

Description	Time	Date	Cast/Crew	Room
Prepare Studio Floor	09:00-09:15	18th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Tape Down Bin Bags & Lay Down Tarpaulin for Water Set	09:15-09:45	18th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Fill Up with Water	09:45-10:30	18th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Breakfast Break	10:30-11:00	18th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Dancer arrives, hair/make up, and warms up.	11:00-11:45	18th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Sound, Camera & Lights Test/Set Up	11:00-11:45	18th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Water	11:45-12:45	18th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Break	12:45-13:00	18th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Water	13:00-14:00	18th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Lunch	14:00-15:00	18th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Warm Up	15:00-15:45	18th March 2014	Dancer	KN Singh
Shooting for Water (Back Up)	15:45-16:45	18th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Pack Up Equipment	16:45-17:15	18th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Remove Water	17:15 -18:15	18th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Lay Down Tarpaulin & Sand	18:15 – 18:45	18th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh

Description	Time	Date	Cast/Crew	Room
Set Up	09:30-10:00	19th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Dancer arrives, hair/make up, and warms up.	10:00-11:00	19th March 2014	Dancer	KN Singh
Sound, Camera & Lights Test/Set Up	10:00-11:00	19th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Earth	11:00-12:00	19th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Break	12:00-12:15	19th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Earth	12:15-13:15	19th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Lunch	13:15-14:15	19th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Warm Up & Set Up	14:15-14:30	19th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Shooting for Earth (Back Up)	14:30-15:30	19th March 2014	Dancer & Crew	KN Singh
Pack Up Equipment	15:30-16:00	19th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Clean Up	15:30-17:00	19th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh
Extra Time: Back Up Air	17:00 – 20:00	19th March 2014	Crew	KN Singh