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This phase was useful as each of us could collaborate in person to plan based on the script and with additional requests from the director. During this period I also had the chance to produce test pieces for the Blood and Ash props.

My research was mostly practical, however I wouldn't have thought to use cat litter if I hadn't found this video https://youtu.be/Eh8zxDdFGSM?si=G6e3xB9xjQbUjKoF

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These were essential to refer back to as we neared production. We were forced to make some decisions during production as locations changed and we did not have a chance to location scout.

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This was the second batch, I microwaved the flour first to sterilise it. The prototype batch turned green, thankfully I had enough to make a second, more refined batch.

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An unfortunate side effect of using flour and food colouring is the clumping. Drying and crushing helps, but without better equipment cannot eliminate the issue, thus clumps are removed during the shoot.

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Total incineration would create more, though I weighed the practicality and cost; a carrier-bag full would suffice. I also had the impression from the script that this wasn't 100% naturalistic, the small ash pile could provide comic relief to a stressful scene. If an audience can suspend disbelief in the supernatural, they'd best believe the Stranger was on a very effective weight-loss routine!

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I had a slight surplus at the time of batch-1 creation, I tested how it appeared on skin and was happy with the results. It also tastes fine, though sickly sweet. The latter batches used golden syrup rather than glucose as it is cheaper and comes in greater volume.

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I purchased Amazon Prime for quick delivery. The clock fit better with the "vibe" than more expensive Tesco counterparts. The knives don't look like steak or butter knives, though were safer for the fight scene.

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This was far better to work with than the ash, though proved expensive as I had to produce two more batches during the production phase as something contaminated this one at our second location, and the second batch was dropped during our second-to-last shoot. Thankfully this one was not drank and I disposed of it after it's first appearance as well as checking for future contaminants, however found that whatever it was, must have originated at the location.

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When buying props there were some hiccups in communication, where I would check with base via WhatsApp if my choices fit the director's vision, however this meant standing around in shops for extended periods often waiting for responses. Taking initiative was discouraged and ultimately led to me purchasing items pre-emptively to later receive a message to not get that particular item. This was frustrating, but acceptable as I kept the items which were unused. Additionally I recognise that I accepted a slightly stressful undertaking when interviewed for my role, as I was asked to "go overboard with props", when told our £50 budget during pre-production, I knew I would have to foot occasional bills, though again this is acceptable, I have kept some items.

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Though the role was split between props and set decoration, we found ourselves disregarding that split as each step required all hands on deck. I was given the role of "props master" however I found that the role devolved into shop runner somewhere along the line as I was given more and more requests to handle the purchasing and delivery of items not related to my role. This was not really discussed before or during production, though I wish it were more officially asked as on some occasions the requests were treated as favours and not treated professionally.

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Thankfully the café provided most of the props and set decoration. I was given some additional Halloween decoration, however the set was already cramped and well decorated, we didn't want to clutter it. The set changed between our shooting dates and thus we had to be wary of the continuity also.

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A little monochrome, the warm lights fixed that

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Though the set itself had some major limitations in the form of a giant TV in every room, we worked around it. Much of the budget went to the house sets, though thankfully many people helped by bringing their own decorations.

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The fake blood was the most needed prop for the park, though I secured it as best I could within a bottle and two sandwich bags, I couldn't account for human error when others handled the prop. When placing the blood back in my bag it leaked. I'll bring a better container next time.

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This place was a patience tester. The set was tiny and setup was slowed by too many cooks. The cramping brought tensions up along with quite long shoots. I had little knowledge of this place prior to arrival as it was a last-minute location swap. Like with V's house, thankfully our crew provided parts of the decoration. Our director was disappointed when I provided such a small quantity of ash, this was frustrating to hear, though we silently acknowledged that we mustn't waste time on thinking "what if" when instead we can make the best of what we have.

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As we did not location scout, I had to trust that the soundscapes would be useable. Thankfully they were, though in future I would like to ensure with the location manager that we don't have interruptions from neighbours.

I booked out and practiced with my equipment and found it easy to work with, except when I found most laptops only have 1 headphone jack, my own included. I briefly searched online for an adapter cable that would be compatible and found the Rode SC 11 splitter, which was perfect.

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The splitter made this far easier once Audition recognised both sources

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I hadn't used the Rode Wireless Go mics or the H8 before, however have used the H6, which is nearly identical. The H8 features a pre-record which records a few seconds before the button is pressed, this is useful when the camera operator calls rolling before me, and allowed efficient takes. The H8 is also fool proof in that it doesn't require phantom power and thus eliminates the risk of forgetting to turn it on or off. The Go's were very interesting to use and I hope to use them again, they are incredibly compact and yet have excellent quality and versatility. The only pitfall I found was that to use two, I had to purchase a splitter cable.

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Thanks to the mezzanine floor I was able to utilise the boom pole more efficiently without as much strain as I could lay the pole and myself on the ground upstairs, bracing it under my body and leaving a free hand for easy access to the Zoom H8 recorder. There was a convenient gap between two glass pane railings, which further supported aiming the pole, and repositioning was as simple as twisting the pole slightly.

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I enjoyed operating the sound equipment for the film, though being present for every shoot was tiring, and having an additional operator would be useful in-case I fell ill (particularly considering the park shoots) at-least it meant the sound was consistent as I remembered which settings I used each shoot (Generally gain 6-7 though as the shoot went on and we used more close shots with more background noise I would use it at around 4-5)

Though this role is somewhat basic, I am proud of it and I am happy that I was able to use different holding techniques and work around the sets effectively.

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This photo is deceptive, there was far less space than there appears to be. 

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Using the boom was slightly more difficult here due to the tighter set, I had to collapse the pole down for some shots and hold the shotgun grip, this was at least less taxing due to having less leverage. For some wide shots I had to be creative when getting as close to the talent as possible without boom in shot, the best example of this was when I had to crouch down between the camera and table, being careful to avoid the boom passing the height of the table as that was the edge of shot.

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The park shoots were the hardest. The weather conditions were rough and the shoots were long. Though I wore gloves initially, I found they reduced my dexterity and risked missing the record button on the zoom as well as blocking the touchscreen when listening back. For some shots I had to extend the boom far and hold it over shoulder for stability, occasionally asking our lighting operator to assist. The weather was also a major risk to equipment and between shots I would power down and hide the zoom within my coat. The park also hosted some of the most major disruptions due to runners, kids, the fair, wind and rain. I had to turn the gain down very low to mitigate the background, and thankfully I recorded a few clean ambient tracks to fill cuts. When not shooting I also recorded some foley for bushes rustling, twigs snapping and the cross jingling. The hardest shots were surely the tracking shots as I had to move at a stable consistent speed as quietly as possible while keeping the mic below the camera's view and sometimes without a spotter, though admittedly traversal was easier without spotters as the talent would vary their speed more than the spotters could keep up with and this led to stepping on toes.

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This set was spacious enough for reasonable manoeuvring, however unfortunately the living room was the neighbours' means of entering and exiting their home, which spelled occasional disruptions. Thankfully the shotgun mic can be pointed away from disturbances, leaving all but the loudest of noise in the dead.