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Production Assistant.

Props and set dresser.

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Before touching on production and the weeks prior I believe it to be important to discuss my ideas about my roles and previous experience before the process truly began.

Throughout university I have collected skills both with technology (camera/lights) and with paperwork through my producer roles, so already I felt comfortable with being a production assistant as I also went in with the mindset of throwing myself in to every situation to help and learn.

I have set dressed and sourced props before but on a very minute level and not as a main role, it's a role I am unfamiliar with but confident I can excel in as I must find ways to tell and expand the story through design.

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I have created Teams chats for our production roles, this is important to discuss and brainstorm ideas as well as keeping on top of everything in order to ensure we can have the best production possible.

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I have printed out an original copy of the script and began to annotate it for props and set dressing.

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I have created a prop/budget breakdown list.This can both help our producers so they are up to date with budget expenditure but also help my fellow Props crew as it is clear what is needed and also from the colour coding we can see what is needed for each specific scene. Additionally this has helped in the previous few days as we can now find alternatives and cheaper pricing than those that I have listed initially.This breakdown has been sent into the general chat and we have had ideas floated around from various departments.

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To help me stay on top of both roles I have kept a constant log on my powerpoint.Here is an example of myself trying to brainstorm what could be possible for specific scenes.

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An initial hurdle that I have came up against is brainstorming sets without any concrete locations.I believe a strength of mine on this project is liaising with other departments and this has been no clearer than with my close work with the locations department.Lola and Lily have both tried to provide me with ideas and possible locations, so at this moment in time with us still being weeks away from production I am thinking about props that are non-negotiable for the film for example :The Goldfish.

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Today after lesson I traveled with a few others to the music room in New Adelphi. Sound wise and looks wise the room was perfect and with the use of lighting and some dingy props which will be provided we can create a stage that matches the Community Center from the script. Week later: This location can not be secured.

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Polaroid photos of J.C and Lena add history, backstory and a real world feel to the film, the idea that there was a life before the cameras began rolling.

Colour Scheme of orange and blue ( a mesh of Goldfish colours and the ocean, discuss with lighting on how to achieve this look on set)

Multiple Goldfish bowls scattered around, lending to the idea of obsession and also showing her longstanding relationship with J.C as he has been through many fishbowls.

Location confirmed and supplied by Lily, will be visiting on Thursday to understand better what can be done with it.

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The day prior I had traveled to the filming location with a small crew of us. I mapped out many of the props for the room and organised accordingly, after my roles had been achieved I helped Tom create a floor plan for lighting, again insuring that filming could move a smooth as possible.

Filming day one was an absolute joy, my basket filled with props and clothes was left over night and as soon as I arrived we began adding additional touches to the set. My idea of Polaroid photos for Lena and J.C came to fruition as Josie was able to provide a camera that printed out immediately,we decided to hang these photos with string, pegs and pins near the main wall, this was a wall that was in near all shots which was important to us as this was one of the props we were most happy with, it helped add to the relationship of Lena and J.C and helped with building a world outside of the narrative we see.Another idea I had came up with was that of a "to do list", which would constantly read "feed J.C" and very subtly it would reference attending the class Lena would later attend, this would be crossed out in reference to her reluctance to attend such class.

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After initial screen tests it was apparent the Goldfish I had originally sourced simply weren't realistic enough.The film is called "The Goldfish", if you don't have a good one you don't have a film.We had spoke on different options in the weeks prior and our preferred choice was a slightly pricier robotic Goldfish, but again in the screen tests we found another problem, that of the robotics being visible on camera.After a slight panic we found a great solution which was practical, cheap and resonated great on camera.We added orange nail paint to the Goldfish, covering in multiple layers so it wouldn't come off in the water or when going up against the stones in the fishbowl (which was a on the day idea, stones found in Lily's garden), the results were fantastic and so important for us to get right.

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Continuity is proving to be the most challenging role.Firstly looking at myself on day one, I made the initial mistake of when helping lighting I accidentally kicked the basketball, the fright however did make me super aware for the rest of the shoot about how easy it is to forget or gloss over continuity.

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Currently in the process of communicating with our AD'S to get a sense of the time period of this piece.The information so far is current day,so I will begin to plan props for around this time period.

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I strongly believe that our props and sets should tell the story visually and build the world around the characters.In our early weeks Vedad stated the film will be driven by performance, so with that our job is to add subtle nuances and designs to the set that upon watching the film, whenever a frame is paused there a fresh,new details the audience can discover and learn.This will also be important in the apartment and lake scenes as there is a lack of exposition.

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Today I was invited to a smaller meeting with director, AD's and location.During this meeting I found that I not only voiced information and ideas regarding my roles but also the ideas and queries from the whole crew.Additionally I applied myself to problem solving scenarios such as scheduling issues we were having.We also learnt about the possibility of future/updated scripts coming along which meant we as an department must stay on top of this for new props or locations.

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With The role of working on the continuity worksheets, it became clear that I must also have a close working relationship with the editors as they will be following my log-sheets during the editing process.I had a one to one relationship with the camera operators for this film,I worked with Renzo closely on the shot list and when the time came I printed off multiple copies to then have handy on set.Additionally, as spoken on previously we had held test shots which was vital for my pairing role as prop designer.

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I was on set for every shot during day one but not just for continuity, I found myself hurling into other roles to help others and make the process smoother.An example of this was that Tom had came to me with the idea on the day of adding gel filters to the lamps to again set a more orange tone, subsequently I went looking around for all the tools we needed to make this possible.Soon after the job was done and the set was practically ready.An annoyance that continually occurred was that of people disregarding continuity, this mainly came down to time restraints, Josie was very concerned about this but even I voiced that we may have to take a back seat on strenuous continuity as the filming time was almost up and we were slightly behind on the shooting schedule, however this was a great insight on the cutbacks and issues that you can face on set.There was a stage were I voiced we must prioritise footage as no footage means no film.

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Lily and I went over the framing and movement of the opening shots, so I was better informed on how to dress the set so that it was impact-full but also safe for her to do her movement, there were specific props such as posters we had created that we wanted to be visible as it would be beneficial for the story.

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Originally I had found a website to customise cards for us all, however in a fantastic and cost saving way Josie managed to create them herself, I showed her in the script where and what they needed, the results were brilliant.

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Jason, a few days before filming, inquired if we can source the specific lamp shades shown.We did easily but the set up proved to be more challenging.We had to attach string to the shade and then tie them to the ceiling by moving the roof pads slightly, but again we managed it.

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Lily lives near all locations,she said she is more than happy for me to leave my props case in hers and each day she can bring it along.This means on Day one I must bring all props needed for the shoot.

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I have to keep Sam up to date with budget expenditure not only for my purchases but all purchases across my department.

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During pre-production it became apparent that the Community Center was the brunt of the script, so we began to plan immediately. I initially spoke to actors on props they'd like that were not in the script that would help them get into character ,Holly stated that for Marla she would like specific crystals that would represent points in the therapy.When speaking to Abigail we discussed that the confetti could be a party popper, not only for comedic effect but also to add a spark to the scene and her character.Josie and I created posters and flyers advertising area issues and promoting the therapy event.Although many of these things may not jump out at the viewer, they proved to help the actors immerse themselves and are cool details for frame by frame analysis.

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As of right now the Community Center is scheduled to be a two day shoot, so I must take photos and note down the placement of many items in order to keep up continuity.

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I have thoroughly enjoyed Video Project.I had received two roles I had very little experience with but now at the end of the process I not only feel comfortable with both roles but also I feel completely relaxed on film set with a large crew.

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I have worked closely with editors on the final days of this process.Phone call conversations have taken place as well myself and Josie providing the log sheets, the only day I could not provide was the Lakeside shoot, due to not being on the call sheet.The only issues log sheet wise has been that due to Community Center time constraints we ended up merging many shots as well as using a two camera set up, so at times some of the logs became confusing but after a read-through with the editors everything became much more clear for them.

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I fun idea from Izzy was for the missing sock to be Goldfish themed,again linking to Lena's obsessive nature.I have found and purchased the socks at a very low price.

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I took the rehearsal days as time for me to go around to the different departments and have more in depth discussions on what the coming days will bring.Sitting down with Lily proved fruitful, we created a floor plan and discussed logistics on where we would store equipment, have a makeup room and importantly for myself, how we would go about dressing the set.Through images Lily provided it became clear that the house already had many colours and props that fit into my concept for the set, as well as the house already having a analogue phone which had proved a pain to source at a low price, we are now getting it for free.

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A video I watched early on in pre-production.The video showcases the importance of set dressing and how a bare set can become visually unappealing, and this is the problem I face with the community center, I don't want to overcrowd it as it is a run down, dingy place but I can't have it be bear and boring either.The video discusses the partnership with lighting, which is something I must have through this process.

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When dressing the set and selecting the props I need to think WHY?, why does the character have this? Why are they surrounded by this?.In the case of Lena she has an obsession towards J.C, as the story develops we consider the idea that J.C has became some sort of excuse or coping mechanism for her, so her room should reflect that.We have a mesh of Goldfish orange and ocean blues in her apartment, perhaps the sock may be a little on the nose but that remains to be seen.The Goldfish has it's own little world inside it with stones and fish food, she cares for that more than family messages.The room needs to be a mess and the most looked after thing should be the fishbowl,again we are showing the audience the priorities Lena has set.

Why have we given Marla cheap crystals? We can see by what Marla is surrounded by that she is not in the high end of her profession, she has knock off crystals that look like they have never been touched but she has them because that makes her a true therapist in her mind.

Why did we give Abigail a party popper? Her character is all about distraction and the party popper will provide the loudest one in that room, like in the script people will focus on that and not her embarrassing scenario, perhaps in this room where she is surrounded by others with different habits, this is where she feels comfortable enough to let loose a party popper?

Why are Elliott's stickers run down? A lot of the stickers he has had for a long time and only in scenarios like this can he find the right place for them, like the Fishbowl being "SAFE".

Why is the Community Center so lacking in warmth and furniture? This can represent the niche and unfunded club that they have decided to set up, these are the people who society have forgot about or labeled as outcasts so they must reside in a place no-one would like to be .Additionally it provides a great contrast to Marla's suit as she tries to retain the idea that she is a high end therapist.

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Not only am I keeping up continuity for the set but I must ensure costume is as similar as possible throughout the shoots, for example challenges arise with the character of Elliott, I am working with the costume department to make certain all labels are the same and in the same place.

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I believe a strength I have shown throughout this process is my organisation.I have successfully created multiple prop breakdowns (due to multiple scripts), I have gone through all departments to see if any props would be available to us from within which again allows us to spend budget on necessities.I never arrived on set and found that our departments were missing something, whether that be correct documents or props.I provided other departments with their paperwork, for example I always had multiple copies of the shot list.

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What can I do better on my next project?:

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What can I do better on my next project?:

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Immediately on my next project I will be better due to being more well versed in my roles.My research into my purchases could have been slightly better, for example the original Goldfish were simply not good enough and that perhaps could have been avoided.Timings could also be improved as upon reflection a lot of our final props were sourced a week or even days before scheduled shootings, it may be beneficial to have everything nailed down a lot earlier.