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RESHOOTS AND ADR

Reshoots this week has been great! I feel as though everyone needed that easter break. Everyone who was needed came and the shoot went swiftly. In terms of sound, we do have a lot of traffic and there isn't much to be done with that. We will be doing ADR and I am quite scared.

Today we had our ADR induction and I decided to record the whole thing on my phone. I have never done ADR and it looked so complicated. I got the gist of it and also when doing ADR for The film Immortalis Somnum, George, who was doing sound, gave me some tips. ADR is on Thursday and Friday however I will be fasting. As we are no in the mint of Ramadan, I did speak to the director about leaving at 8:35pm so I am able to open my fast. Him and the producer was very understanding. The room is booked out from 6pm-11pm both days. I did, after the induction, have a play around with Petru on the software.

before shoot day, I created a spreadsheet with the timecode for every scene that will be needing ADR.

Thursday ARD
ADR went well! it went better then I thought. We were suppose to start at 6pm but on the first ADR day ran an hour behind. we were just trying to figure everything out but the cast were extremely patient and it went well! Petru ran the software and I set up the mikes and showed each character there scene while they waited so that they could practice their lines.  Having created a timecode before hand helped so much!

FRIDAY ADR
Today I was the first one here. The director had a gig to go to and the producer was coming back from work. Producer had let me know before hand. I was given more scenes to time code just an hour before recoding time and it did throw me off a little. Everything ran smoothly today and was set up much quicker then last time. We did have some issues with talk back but we just asked one of the sound guys who came in and helped us.

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FINAL COPY TO USE LAST THING I HEARD  - Sheet1

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This week has been filled with ups and downs. We have had many night shoots and I haven't been wrapping up enough. There were also issues with some of the crew. Lucy who does hair and make up, hasn't turned up to most of the shoots and when she is here, she complains and sits around. I do find this very unprofessional but also understand that she could be dealing with a lot of stress. I feel as though it is the directors job to make sure she is physically okay but I have heard the director speak bad about her. This is completely different from the first film I worked on and do think he should approach the situation in a professional manner. The shoots this week have gone well. Besides it being freezing, we managed to get great sound!

Petru and I have been classing a lot today. when on set, he was holding the boom and it was getting In the way of one of the actors. she had to bend down when coming onto set. (CAFE SCENE) I did however tell him to switch sides but he decided to argue with me. the producer then stepped in and told him that what I was saying was crucial. He then switched sides and the actor could freely walk on. Besides today, Petru has been great to work with. He is very helpful and inputs his ideas. I think today everyone was just tired.

I have been watching some very interesting youtube videos on sound which I found to be very helpful. Today we had an email about using mobile phones. Although I am only using my phone to note down sound and make sure we got want we wanted, I am not using it for any other purpose. I did learn my lesson from the first film. I will start to bring a paper copy to avoid looking on to my phone to be more professional

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POST-

For the first day on James film, we all read through the script. I went through the script too but looking at sounds and how/what we could record with.

My role for this project is sound. I have done sound before but I did insist on getting inducted again so that it could refresh my knowledge on using the sounding equipment. But, while in todays lesson, I just started to watch youtube videos instead on the H6.

I am feeling quite confident and nervous about my role as the sounds is really important. My aim is to make sure the sound is clear and makes sense. I want the detail to be there for example the car scene. before we see the car, I thought it would be a good idea to get the recording of the car and while the shot is on the actors, they could have the sound of the car in the background and then we see the car in front.

Second day

I booked out the H6 and Zoom kit to test out sounds and sensitivity. I then had two people talk casually and worked on positioning the boom. I did the over head position while swinging the boom slightly left to right to whoever was speaking. although I'm doing the mixer and Petru is on sound, I thought this would give me a chance to hear what sounds good and where. Petru was poorly today, I tested it out so I could inform him with what I have learnt.

I then went to two of our locations to check sound and bring up any issues we could have on the day. I went outside the SU and then in one of the rooms we will be filming in. I wrote down some notes but overall the sound should be fine. For outside I need to bring the wind protecter as it was quite windy today and if the weather is like this on shoot day, we have something that could help.

Third day

Today me and petru did some sound on test shoot to know where we can get the best sound. I found that the mike wasn't clear and so we swopped it with another one from equipment store and this made us re check every equipment before taking itWe also had a meeting with the director about sound music. I then emailed a few composers on behalf of James telling them about our film and if they would be happy to help. I then sent some information about the film. I have never sent emails or went out to find composers before so it was a good experience. I heard back and sadly most of them were busy with deadline. I was really understandable and thanked them anyways.

Fourth day

We went to the cafe today for a test shoot. Pertu and I decided to get some Wild tracks so we can hear them back and see what we need to work on. On the actual shoot day, the cafe will be closed. I then thought it would be nice to get the recording of the cafe being open so that the editor can play around with it. I imagined the editor to use it in the background to give the illusion of a open cafe. We got wild tacks of the cafe, in both rooms, and upstairs in the flat, we also go the door sound and chairs for back up.

We came back to university and now I am say with set/props to see where I can possibly hide sound just to give me more options o how I can use sound.

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Today scenes went really well. Wearing the same costume day to day made me feel quite dirty but it gave me a chance to live the life of my character and imagine how she feels about wearing the same outfit everyday. Then it got me thinking that I don't care how I look anymore. at first, I did. Since
Fin has been asleep, I feel like there is no-one I need to impress.

We shot the next scene from last week and it felt quite weird. I had to be in the same mindset as last week. I found it quite hard but I overcame it by reading over my notes.

The power of presence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9jjhGq8pMM

Being present in every scene is crucial. When you're not present, you are not in the moment. I went through the whole script and looked at all the scenes I am in and in the ones where I don't have any lines. I wrote down what I would be thinking and feeling.

In the camp fire scene, to help me get in character, I used emotional memory. In that scene we are talking about helping Fin. my mind was on Fin and how much I missed him. Could this help him? or will I regret it. This means so much to my character and I choose a situation that had happened in my life help me with how I felt then and what was going through my mind at the time. It really helped and I really felt the feeling and thoughts throughout all the takes.  The takes today ran smoothly and I would just look back at my lines and my remember my actions and what my intentions are for the scene.

Nightmare scene day:

The nightmare scene day went smoothly because we had rehearsed it last week  with lights and sound. We did have many takes due to it all being in one take.

I had another issue with costume today. I was told last week at the rehearsals that Caitlyn had my night gown and that she was still looking for night clothes for me. So I had thought she had it all under control. But, this morning, 10 minutes before the shoot, she had messaged me to bring some shorts and a night top in. I couldn't go back home. I should have brought some in just in case the clothes provided didn't fit so that I had a back up. Next time I know better!! but we overcame it as I had my sports bra on on leggings so I put the night gown over and pulled up my leggings. It all worked out at the end and I learnt my lesson! overall, today production was calm and time was spend well.

So, recently I chose to not use any electronics (one hour a day to write logbook and check emails) and even chose not to communicate with people (excluding family and people on video project). At first it was so hard. I kept reaching out for my mobile or laptop but then had to remind myself. I then started to feel lonely and really bored. But, it helped with my character. It would give the characters a chance to actually get to know one another and gain that trust. Taylor does feel lonely, especially with Finn asleep. She gets through her days by speaking to the group and sometimes playing on Caseys gameboy when she's asleep, to pass time.

ENTERING FINNS NIGHTMARE:

Filming another nightmare scene was fun! but there were a few things I stupidly didn't add in. This morning we were given new lines which threw me off. I managed to learn them but at one take, I had to re start as I messed up on my lines. It was horrible! Not properly knowing your lines and only learning them last minute gave me much more to think about while acting. I managed to get through it but just need a bit more time so that I could really feel the words. As the takes went on, I did feel the progression of the scene and I even experimented. The director was fine with it. Another thing I had forgotten to do was analyze my clothing, my hair and my surroundings. At the beginning of the scene, Taylor "wakes up" in Fins nightmare. I did look around to see what is around me but I could have done much more with that. I could have looked at my clothing as its completely different and my hair. I also could have done much more with my movement.

In rehearsals last week, I felt myself forcing the feelings and my voice wasn't natural. I had struggled with sounding 'Natural' in that past. I got out the 'An actors prepares' and 'The complete Stanislavski ToolKit' to refresh my knowledge. I also booked out Patsy Rodenburg book on voice and watched the youtube video about first, second and third person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub27yeXKUTY&t=58s

Patsy believes that every great actor is in second circle. I sometimes find myself in first circle. which is to me.

LAST SHOOT:

Today was our last shoot day. We reshot the last week scene and it went way better than last week. While acting, I felt and really connected with Taylor and I bounced of Max (James) really well.

Overall, having the role of an actor for our video project has taught me what is expected of me and what is not. I would always make sure I am on time for shoots and that I know my lines inside and out. I would also help with equipment. Making sure lines are learnt and knowing what I want out of each scene just makes it much easier when on set. Hot seating and character development is important that I would have thought.

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Shooting week 1

Our first shoot day went well as I would have expected! I didnt  expect it to feel that “easy”. It was easier as I had prepped and learnt my lines before hand so when i got on set, I could just start the scene. Thats made me realise that as an actor, being prepared and ready and knowing lines makes the shoot run smoothly.  So we filmed at the Robert powell and because we had already test shooted, everything ran smoothly. Daisy and I had already rehearsed before going on set, but i did start to feel myself capital A acting! So i decided to take 2 minutes while the camera setted up and changed shots and become my character and remind myself of the feelings and thoughts at this very moment.

One thing that I did need to think about was continueity! Even the smallest thing like my hair. When i turned up, my hair was wet, and I can not always have my hair looking wet for the scenes ahead. This made me realise for my next shoot to not wash it before hand. Plus, today I was doing more character development and was thinking, if i really wanted to get into my character, why not live the life of my character (to some extent). For the next couple of shoots, im going to try and avoid my phone for he whole day and only use it for an hour a day and also not fully wash my hair but wash it as I would while living in a  Apocolaypse. Overall, the first shoot taught me a lot and im ready for the next one ahead!

For the photo frame picture, I decided personally to have my hair back and down as I wanted a different look and felt as though costume wasn’t really experimenting with my character. Plus I felt more “Mumsy” plus it shows how it could have been taken place in the future. Creates that mystery!

Shoot day 2

We shot the recoding of the cream slap today which was fun!
So today i had to use a camcorder but film as though i was holding it. Tasha recorded it and I held the lense to make it look as though i was actually recording it. It did go well and the video turned out great! When we reheased it before shooting it, it just looked staged. I didnt get why I couldnt actually hold it while Tasha, who is on camera, pressed record. I felt as though it would have looked more realistic. So instead I asked if i could wobble the camera and add in some extra bits as I would do in real life. I showed the cream to the camera, licked it and also at the end I decided to pop some on Fyns nose, just to show that fun, loving and crazy relationship they have plus I wanted the audience to see the bond and chemistry. Brent who plays Fin and myself are not as close in real life. I do wish to get closer during the next couple of days so that we can both feel comfortable and that it will show on screen. But overall, it was a great shoot and Fin reacted to whatever I did (giving him a heads up before hand).

- while filming, Backdrop fell but i managed to stay in character while holding it up!

Even though I am acting in this film, I still help with put away lighing and set. Last shoot I got to live the life on an actor by coming on set when I needed to but then leaving as soon as I was finished but for the rest of the shoots including today, helping set/put away set and equipment just helps everyone else!

Having a rehearsal shoot for Fyns nightmare scene really gave me a chance to be in the moment. It gave me the time to experiment and play around with body language and lines. Also, gives me the chance to see what works and what doesnt. Being on set really does help bring the scene to life and it makes me feel comfortable as then I know my surroundings and where my stuff are. To help costume, I brought in baby nappies, baby clothes, bottles and bibs to help with design the set to give the feeling as though we do have a baby.

Shoot day 3

A new scene was added and we had a day to work on them. They are short scenes. Having a scene put in after working on the whole script does give me that chance to experience what would happen in the real world. Today, I wasnt quite confident on my lines but we didnt end up having time to do the scene so it was rescheduled.

Costume department from shoot day one hasnt been the best. Understandably, they have a lot to do but on the day on the first shoot, beforehand I had told her what costumes I have got and the ones I don't. I did give my imput on what I thought my character would be wearing and she did take that on. On the day of my first shoot, half way to the shoot I get a text informing me that Caitlyn (costume) doesnt have my outfit. I was very annoyed as before hand i had asked her and she said shes got it. I ended up going back home and picking out my own costume and thinking about what Taylor would wear but staying with the colour scheme Caitlyn had for my character. I ended up being on time but I did wish she could have told me the night before. Plus, the watch scenes wont make sense as they don’t have a watch for me and I havnt’t got one myself.

For the dressing room scene, I am quite worried about the whip pan and how it would look in edit. I didnt feel as though I gave my best performance as we all just said our lines without anyone filling in. I did struggle and to help me I did suggest someone stands where i should be looking so my eye line is clear. Plus, although the shots were close ups, on the wide shot,  I am angled differently and there were people beside me.

Tonight I went through my character bio and lines. Im starting to get deeper into character and starting to see her differently and also the way I say lines now, feels deeper and more meaningful the more I rehearsed. We still dont have call sheets yet!

Shoot day 4

Today we filmed at Hemsley house and it was beautiful! I recently sprained my foot and was about 2 minutes late as my foot was really painful to walk on. It was pouring down with rain and I was soaked! So I had to dry up before the scene while they set up the shots. Today was the emotional scene and I really enjoyed it. I felt the emotions come and the thoughts and feelings were there (farewell scene) everything just came naturally and even thoughts that I didnt have in rehearsals. When saying goodbye to each character, I found myself reacting as my character has different bonds with each character. For example with Harper, I didn’t want to show her I was upset or that I’m not sure if I will make it back. However, with Max, I subconsciously gave him a look to say “I’ll miss you, this might be the end”

With my sprained foot, I looked back on the footage and you can tell that I’m limping so I thought of bringing it in as part of my character. My character hurt her foot a couple months before the apocalypse and it still hasn’t gotten better. There is noone that can check it as there are no doctors. Taylor walks around with a limp.

As this shot today it the first time the audience sees Taylor, I did want them to see her as this leader figure but in the scene I’m really emotional. I did wish I could have gone for another take as the last one was where I could actually feel every emotions and i felt the next one would have been amazing. Next time I will learn to be able to switch one the feelings and try nail every take. Also, this made me feel closer to Fin, just telling him how I’m feeling and me caring for him and just wanting him in every scene.

Shoot 5
Last week James (Max) and I had gone over the scene but not put any action to it. Today we did. It did throw me off my lines a bit as bringing actions to it threw me off my lines but after a couple of rehearses, it was okay. I did feel that the connection wasn’t there and the fact that we now have to re shoot is amazing! The weather was awful and we were both shivering in the scene and wet (continuity). Just so I didn’t freeze to death, i asked the director if i could come out as im putting my coat on and have my coat in the previous scenes that we havn’t filmed yet and she agreed! I was so thankful! Today for me was a reheasal, even though it was suppose to be a take, it now gives me time to reflect and work on the chemistry and atmosphere. This scene, I am concerned about him.

books I have read:

An actors Prepares -
The vocal arts workbook and video
Patsy rodenburg - the second circle

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First day:

First meeting of video project went really well. Today we read through the whole of the scrips as a group. Reading it out really gave me a vision of how the play is going to be set out as well as the feel of the characters personality. The character I will be playing is called Taylor. I have not yet developed my character or worked on her background just yet.

Second day:

Name: hello, my name is Taylor Zaeim.

(The reason I have choose that second name for my character is because Taylor is a natural leader. She doesn’t know it and doesn’t believe in herself but in fact, everyone sees her as a leader. Zaeim means leader in Arabic)

Age: 21, my birthday is on 21st March, making me an Aries :)

Ethnicity: I am Muslim and was born here in the UK. My mums from India and my dad is Pakistani. We are a very westernised\ modern family and my parents are very open minded.

Relationship: well, on a family holiday, I was passing this town when me and my family stopped at this restaurant to get some food. That’s where I met the love of my life, Fynn. He is the most sweetest and most caring person I have ever met. We were dating for about 5 years until we were old enough and financially ready to move in together. Things were great!!! Until the sleep thing happened.

Family: Before the apocalypse, I lived with my mum and little brother and sister. My dad passed away when I was 14 which had a huge effect on my mum and my life. I had to grow up and take care of my mum and siblings. I have to learn how to cook, clean and look after my two younger siblings. But you know what, I would do anything just to go back to that time, just to see their faces again.

Habits: well, I don’t really have any, except depending on Fyn, can I call that a habits?
Secrets: A couple of months before the apocalypse, I had a miscarriage. it was the most heartbreaking time of my life. I have always wanted my own family, just having someone who needs me. I've always wondered what that would feel like. Fyn doesn't want a baby just yet. Every time I mention it, he gets all tense but I just thing he's scared of having responsibilities. I know maybe in the future he will be ready. I hope. I never told Fyn, I couldn't. I was scared he might leave or I don't know. my head was all over the place at the time. but I knew one thing, I couldn't never bring myself to tell him.
Do you go to the gym: Ermmm I have been...
Favourite food: To be honest I love everything Fin makes, except MUSHROOOMSSSS but I pretend to like it just to make him happy.
foods you don't like: Mushrooms
one thing you would change about your body: I wish I was more thinner, you know? smaller waist and a bit a junk in the trunk, if you get me haha.
do you go visit your mum and siblings much: Yess! I love my family so much and I do miss them all the time.
Best friend: As sad as it sounds, I like to keep myself to myself, less drama.
Ever broke a bone: NEVER!
Most addicted app on your phone: Instagram and Snapchat!
How many hours a day do you browse on your phone: Ermm I am actually not always on my phone a lot. When I was younger, 16-19, I was an addict but now, I don't have the time. I would say at least 2.5hours a day. I mostly use It to stay connected to my family.
Are you more social online or face to face: Both really. face to face more.
Can you drive: hahahahahah. No! I feel as though if I did learn how to drive then I would just become lazy. plus driving lessons and having a car is so expensive now. I would rather my moeny go onto something that's more worth it in my mind. Plus, I like getting the bus or walking to places. I am a massive nature freak!!

I feel like all this is really helping to build up my character and her personality too!

Family tree: There is my mum and dad.
My mum has 1 brother and two sisters.
Her two sisters have two children. (my cousins)

My dad has 1 brother.
He has two kids, one boy who is ,10  and one girl, 5.

Character Bio

Taylor Zaeim was born on 21st March 1996. She was born in Manchester England. Her mother, Jasmine, 40 years old, works as media influencer around the world. Her dad, Kaiser, who passed with cancer when Taylor was 14 years of age, worked in development. Taylor didn't speak to her mums or dads family much. she would see her mums side every so often and only ever met her dads side once. her Grandparents from her mum side had passed away. Her grandad from her dad side also passed away in the middle of having a heart surgery.
Taylor went to Temple primary school and had many friends. Her primary school best friend was called Alina. They slowly departed before high school where she met loads of other new people. Taylors favourite subjects where English and drama. She was a very imaginative student and loved writing poems and stories until she started college where she then did English. Her first part time job was at a dessert place called 'delicious desserts' but then quite to help her mum at home who was struggling from depression. Taylor grew up in a neighbourhood full of different religions and a caring community. she also travelled a lot with her family while going up. On one of her holidays, she met Fyn. she started speaking to him and they ended up falling in love. When she was 19 she moved in with him. Her mum was in a much better place. She started to work in a local cafe while Fin worked as a Chef. She would go visit her mum and siblings as much as she could. A couple of months of living together, Taylor became pregnant and when she had found out she was already two months gone. She sadly suffered a miscarriage a few days later. She never told Finn. She did tell her mum who she made promise not to tell anyone. Her mum was her best friend Her and Fan started to depart. when the apocalypse started, Taylor injured her ankle and now walks with a small limp.

Third:

Today went really well. So, the director and script writer sat all the characters down and played some character development games with us which helped me a lot. We did some character hot seating. When Brent went up, he plays Fyn, I made sure to listen to any answers he says about himself and Taylor so I can back it up when it’s my turn and expand. This really helps with developing the relationship and also bringing it more to life and that’s exactly what happened. We also got the chance to live out the day in our character and be our character. Working on the way they would deal with things in certain situations and how they would walk. From that I learnt a ton about my character. Things I didn’t even think about like, how does my character keep up with her hygine? Does she still take care of herself? Whats her surrounding like? What is her day to day routine? All these questions started making me think more deeply into the world that she is now in.

Fourth: Diary Entry during the apocolypse

Dear diary,

So, today Casey brought home this stranger. We don't know who he is or if we can even trust him. The reason his is still here is because he says he can help Fyn. Diary, I will do anything to see him again. He is the only family I have left. I miss my parents and siblings so much, so just seeing him and hearing his voice again will make everything seem normal again. Well, normal as can be. But he is the only connection I have left to the times where my life was perfect. Diary, I'm am so tired. Besides Fyn, I'm tired of giving everyone else hope when really, I feel like just giving up myself. This stranger who says he can help Fyn, Im scared. Couple of days before Fyn fell asleep, he seemed quite different with me. I felt as though he didn't love me anymore. I was watching a video of him and I before. The laughter and smiles, the love. It was all so clear but now, its as if its all gone and I am so scared Diary. What if that man does help me and I get to see Fyn. What if he starts to hate me ? What if all this time he was just trying to get away from me because he had enough of me? What if he really doesn't want me. I've got all these thoughts going through my head and I'm terrified, but all I want is him. Anyways, I'm going to try get some sleep, I don't think I will ever get use to this life.

Goodnight, Taylor x

Learning lines for me were quite easy. I went over them until I was comfortable and then while walking or on the bus, I would say my lines until they became natural and  with emotions. Today, my lines had reason and feelings behind them

Fifth: A day in the life of Taylor

Woke up.
Checked on Fyn.
Stared up at the ceiling. Closed my eyes and started making up scenories in my head of everything going back to how it was before the apocalypse
Brushed my teeth and wiped under armpits, behind ears and neck.
Couldn't shower this morning as Harper was taking her time in the shower.
Went to sit with everyone else. Had a go on Casey game.
Max came to speak to me about leaving this place.
Ate some cold beans. Urgh, I miss chicken and home cooked food.
Got wet paper tower and refreshed Fyn up. Sat besides him and cuddled him while wishing so hard for him to just wake up. Ended up falling asleep.
Max woke me up.
Stayed alert in case something happens or someone comes. I'm tired of it.
had a heart to heart conversation with Olive on how she likes it here.

Pre production week has been well organised and the time has been used well. I got to work on my character, develop relationships and think/live in the life of Taylor and explore her life while before the apocalypse and after. I learn something new about her everyday. The acting methods that I have used are Stanislavsky and Strasberg.

'MAGIC IF' - I used this to imagine myself in her shoes and what she would be feeling while in the apocalypse.
'RELAXATION' - helped me to destress and relax the tension in my body to allow myself to bring Taylor through.
'EMOTIONAL MEMORY'-  I used this to help me with the 'loss' of Fyn and also her family and friends. Using my past memories of losing someone and remembering the pain and hurt I felt. I will be using these methods to help me understand and feel Taylors emotions and thoughts