# data[].attributes.body
The role i took on for this film was actor and the character i played was Olive. I started off the first week going through the script and each scene containing Olive and analysing the character in each scene. Although there wasn’t that much time to really build and develop the characters I still researched into shows and characters containing homeless characters, as its heavily implied Olive was living on the streets before the great fatigue, such as Coronation Street. Olive is shown as quite street and assertive, mainly due to her experiences living rough. She formed a separate connection with each of the survivors but in particular Harper. It is also implied through the film that Olive suffered significant loss in her life in regards to how she copes with Finns situation. The characters look, chosen by Caitlin, was simple and, due to the fact the character would’ve been hiding out in an abandoned theatre for months and had previously been living rough, wouldn’t have make-up on. The clothing was also dull and scruffy, with worn black jeans, a grey t shirt and a red flannel. During pre-production week, with CJ and Nathan, myself and the rest of the cast went to a separate room in New Adelphi to start working more on our characterisation with the help of improv exercises. One of these included hot seating the characters.

The first scene I filmed as Olive was on Monday 4th March at the Robert Powell Theatre. This also happened to be what I perceive as the characters most integral scene as it gives the audience a real insight of the relationship between Olive and Harper and also opens up somewhat about Olive’s past life. In this scene we start to see a vulnerability in Olive as oppose to how she was previously shown (laid back and acts quite tough natured). I rehearsed a while through with Stacey to really let myself experiment with the scene and the dialogue before recording to make the scene as authentic as possible. In the finished film the scene comes together exceptionally well and alongside the background score paints quite a solemn mood as Harper and Olive open up to each other about their past before the great fatigue.

The next filming day was Wednesday 6th March and we returned to the Robert Powell Theatre. The scene scheduled to be filmed today was the dressing room scene in which a specific whip pan camera technique was to be used and also the characters individual video logs. In this scene, the characters are all arguing in the dressing room due to Casey bringing a stranger back to the theatre without consulting the rest of the group. In this scene whilst developing my character, I felt that Olive would be a lot more defensive and really shows her ‘tough’ side when next to this stranger. I thought this due to the idea that the character would be wary of strangers from her days on the streets. We had a lot of time to really understand the integrity of this scene so we could portray the tense atmosphere in the scene whilst also giving and air of mystery that comes across with the strategic use of the whip pan between the characters. For Olive, this scene mainly focussed on her body language during the scene as she has one line, how her body reacts when next to this random stranger.

The last filming day for me was Monday 11th March. 3 separate scenes were filmed for today, 2 of which included Olive. The first I filmed as Olive was the scene in which all the characters are fully introduced in the theatre stage in which Max accuses them of stealing his cigarettes. This is the first time we see Olive on screen and from that one scene it is clear she has quite a tough persona as shown when in, in response to Max taunting her, she nonchalantly sticks her finger up at him. In the finished film, the cut together of the scenes shows the stage and characters from all angles and in a way opens the audience up to the world of the survivors. The first shot follows the camera out of the side onto the stage and it pans over the characters at the table then follows my character as she walks to the edge of the stage then up to Max when he enters. This technique gives the audience a feeling like they are also stepping into this world of the great fatigue. The next scene we did that day was the scene in which the characters sit around the stage on somewhat of a semi-circle whilst Morgan explains about his ‘trick’ to help Finn. This is the last scene that contains Olive as she walks off halfway through when the thought of what is currently happening and what happened to Finn became too much. This was really due to my character being absent for the next scene as it had to be changed for that filming day, I was absent due to illness. This scene is quite powerful nonetheless as it gives an implication of more of Olives past life and the people she may have lost throughout life, either on the streets or beforehand. After watching myself back in the finished film I am overall very satisfied with my performance especially within the little time we had to develop the characters and also characterise them within the scenes.

Overall, I believe the film was edited and filmed exceptionally well and the characters and scenes were each as animated as each other. The character really came across in such as short space of time and really proves its integrity to the story and the film as a whole. I am very pleased with this seen as it’s the last production I will partake in at university and the film really managed in properly getting the script on its feet. I believe the finished film in the end came together perfectly and that it is in my opinion some of my best character work critically.

# data[].attributes.body
Monday 11th March - Today was my last day of filming my remaining scenes. The filming took place all day in the Robert Powell Theatre. The call time for myself, Irium, James and Stacey was 9:45. The first scene we shot was the scene on the stage between Olive, Max, Harper and Taylor in which Max accuses someone of stealing their cigarettes. That particular scene was one of the longer ones as it was needed to be re-shot in many different angles, including close ups and the use of 2 different cameras for the different shots. The different takes included close ups of me and James, over the shoulder shots, a close up of James kicking the mug across the stage and the opening shot in which the camera follows mine and Irium's characters as they walk on stage to take their positions for the scene as in the script. The next scene we shot from 13:00 was the 'campfire' scene between all the characters apart from Finn (Brent). This scene, like the last one, included a lot of takes due to the various shots required when filming including 2 shots, over the shoulder shots and close ups as well as following shots. Due to my absence the previous Thursday, the scene was partially re written at the very end to include my character walking away from the scene to tie in to the next scene in which my character does not appear as again the scene had to be briefly re done to leave out my character. The last scene i ever shot for this film was the video logs, which were actually added to the script during pre production week. These were relatively fast and only required 2 separate shots for them, a shot using a camcorder and the proper camera.

# data[].attributes.body
Monday 4th March - Today was the first proper filming day, we filmed all day at the Robert Powell Theatre at the Allerton Building (9:45 - 16:30) The scenes filmed today were, Scene 3 - Casey and Taylor in the wings of the theatre before Casey goes back to their house, Scene 7 - Max and Harper in which Max hears something outside and is barricading the entrance to the theatre and Scene 11 - Olive and Harper talk about their thoughts and feelings in the seats of the theatre. Due to the only scene i'm in for today being filmed last, my call time today wasn't until 2:45 with my Hair and Make-up/Wardrobe call time being at 2:30. 3 specific shots were needed for this particular scene i was in, an overall shot of both characters in the theatre seats as shot from the stage, and close ups from either side of the characters as they sit together on the seats.

Tuesday 5th March - N/A, Day Off

Wednesday 6th March - We returned to the Robert Powell Theatre in order to further film a few scenes. The first scheduled scene to shoot was the scene in which all the characters (except Finn) are arguing in the dressing room (the backstage dressing room in the Robert Powell Theatre was used as the setting) Today was one of the most strenuous days, mainly due to the amount of time each shot took considering the types of shots needed for this particular scene. The technique used for this scene was a whip round of all the characters in a circle when they have their argument , hence why it took longer than usual to film, due to each character needing individual camera time for their lines as well in order to get each characters close up. We ran from 13:00 to about 17:30.

We were scheduled to film another scene in the theatre in which the characters record their individual video logs, however, due to timing issues, we were unable to get round to filming those scenes

Thursday 7th March - N/A, Illness
Friday 8th March - N/A, Day Off

# data[].attributes.body
Olive

# data[].attributes.body
Monday 25th February - First whole cast and crew meeting on Floor 7. As a group we first did a whole read through of the script including making a note of possible props and costumes needed as well as potential filming locations (i.e The Robert Powell Theatre) We discussed together the various themes and creative aspects included in the film.

The cast started looking at the character development and the motivations of the characters first off. Today was the first day of individual character study for the film.

Tuesday 26th February - N/A due to illness

Wednesday 27th February - Today was only a half today (9am - 1pm) for the cast. We started off on floor 7 for an initial cast and crew meeting to see which points in our roles all of us are at and to see what else still needs to be arranged before filming commences the next Monday.

After that the cast (Me, Daisy, Brent, Irium, Will, Stacey and James) went to floor 5 with Nathan and CJ to work on some more character development including work shopping the characters to further there characteristics creatively. Parts of the work shop including frantic assembly with our characters and hot seating them, as well as acting out 'video logs' as if we were our characters. Being able to use various techniques to invision our characters really helped me further the development of the character of Olive.

Thursday 28th February - First tech run lasting all day (excluding 3 scenes) All day today we did a tech run of all but 3 scenes using all the equipment and testing out the shots and lighting e.c.t that is considered being used for filming each scene when we film properly next week. We tested out shots with various cameras including for example the black magic camera, as well as different lighting schemes and techniques.

Today felt like the most productive day so far as we managed to get most of the script off its feet to get an idea of how it would look visually and what creative decisions could be made when getting the shots and setting up each scene when actually filming the scenes on location the following week.

Friday 29th February - Tech run of the remaining scenes and a whole group meeting to discuss the film going forward into filming on location next week.

Today we just tested out the last 3 scenes of the film to get an idea creatively of how they could be done next week. We started off 9:30 -1, for me 12 as i had my Viva) then a long break due to Showcase then 1- 3 lunch then we returned for a complete briefing ready for next week.

The meeting was important to help understand and get a complete understanding for everyone of where we're filming next week, what scenes, the equipment needed and cast and crew members for each day as well as a complete picture of all locations acquired and props and costume ready for production week starting Monday.

Character Study - Olive

Name: Olive Garden
Age: 23
Occupation: Homeless
Sex: F
Sexual Preference: Bisexual
Hometown: Durham
Current Location: Manchester

Bio: Olive was an only child who was born in Durham and moved to Manchester when she was 9 with her Mother and Step-Father. When she came out to her parents when she was 16 she was thrown out the house and became homeless. Due to living on the streets she built up quite a tough persona, not letting her emotions show in front of everyone and keeping that appearance up in front of the rest of group, sometimes letting it slip a a bit around some characters (i.e Harper) She knows first hand what it feels like to have no one care about you or have anyone like that in your life so she tries to reassure people and comfort them selflessly when necessary. She is mainly like that due to her experiences. She was the first one to find refuge in the theatre due to her rapt fascination with it as she spent much of her time in the streets in front and around the theatre dreaming of what it would be like to live in a place like that.