We then did a script read-through, which was a little challenging as some key cast members weren't able to attend, but it still allowed everyone to get initial impression of the script. We finished the day by discussing the script, and I answered any questions people had about it, as well as brainstorming how to achieve more complicated shots and concepts, such as The Stranger's death scene.

The rest of the day was spent rehearsing and discussing blocking with the camera crew. We ran through the scenes with the camera crew, who worked on things like their shot lists and camera positions while we walked through the scenes.

Over the weekend I also did some additional rehearsals and character work with Tia, who's playing Laura as well as being my Assistant Director, to help her feel more comfortable and confident for filming on Monday. I also discussed and organised the call sheet with her, making sure that she let me look over and approve it before sent it sent it off the the cast and crew.

For next time I know we all need to spend a lot less time setting everything up, every department spent too long to get ready for filming, again it was our first day so there was still a lot of apprehension from everyone, so next time I know to put stricter timings on when filming needs to begin and when everything needs to be set up by. I am also aware that a lot of time was lost due to conflicts of opinions. I wanted to make a couple of minor changes to the costumes and accessories, but every time I made these decisions it turned into a big discussion with a member of the costume department that disagreed with me. I'm aware that these discussions took up a lot of time where we could have been filming instead, unnecessary time too as by the end of these discussions my opinion still remained unchanged. I know now for the future that sometimes I just need to put my foot down and conclude the conversation swiftly, because filming needed to be prioritised, and then have time after filming to take on any discussions people would want with me. Today was slightly disappointing to me, as I did not manage to achieve all of my filming goals, but I know what I need to do to make filming run smoother.

The day was going successfully, but there was some conflict in the afternoon. A member of the costume department came in having bought some costume for the film without checking with me or letting me know before they bought it. So when I told them it wasn't needed and that they needed to communicate with me and check with me before they bought things they got quite heated. Rob and I worked together to discuss with them and diffuse the situation, but it put me on edge for the rest of the day, which made it more difficult for me to focus and perform my directorial abilities as well as I was before.

Later in the afternoon, once we'd finished with the combat, I met with the Producer and Assistant Director, and we discussed and organised the schedule for the rest of the week so we could keep the cast and crew updated. I then discussed the call sheet with the AD and got it ready for her to send off tonight.

I was hoping to get the build-up to the bite and the beginning of the fighting filmed, but we only managed to get some of the build-up filmed before we had to call it a day due to it being too cold. This was disappointing but obviously understandable, so we ended the day and I sorted the call sheet out with the AD ready to hopefully film the rest of it tomorrow.

We filmed Scene 9 first, as that was set in the day. Then, we covered the window with blankets and bin bags to block out the daylight when we filmed the other scenes that were set in the evening. Then we moved outside to film all the shots that took place outside of Laura's house. We moved through the scenes a little slower than I had hoped, but we did manage to get almost everything done; we just needed one shot of Scene 13 focused on Pat for his dialogue. We'd had a lot we needed to get done today, so I was really pleased that we'd managed to get all but one shot filmed. To achieve this we did have to either cut or combine a lot of the planned shots to optimise our time and make sure all of the essential shots were filmed.

We started with Scene 12A, then moved on to scenes 18, 20, and 21. I had a bit of an issue with actors not really taking on direction, for example not quite giving me the emotions or reactions I wanted. I think the issue was that they were tired and fed up because we had been filming all week; therefore I knew that if I pushed them and did more takes, I still wouldn't fully get what I wanted, so I decided to just move on from those shots. Similar to Monday, we managed to wrap a lot earlier than anticipated, and we were happy with the shots we managed to get today. I'm really glad that we changed all the scenes to be in the same location; as well as saving us a lot of time, I think it actually looked better than if we'd split them in the way we had originally planned.

Once we finished Scene 11, I took a very small crew of four plus a cast member, and we moved back to the Laura's house location to film the last shot of Pat we needed to complete Scene 13. As it was one shot it was very quick to get sorted, and we were done in half an hour. We only have the rest of Scene 6 to film, and we will officially be wrapped, and the production stage will be finished! I'm feeling confident and proud of all I have achieved.

There was a shot that required the actor playing Veronica to be lying on the floor, but they expressed concerns about lying on the floor. This was understandable as it had been raining, making the floor wet, so myself and my camera operator Alex took our coats off and laid them on the ground for her to lie on, as it created a barrier between the actor and the floor. We filmed another shot, but then the actor got upset about being on the floor, so we couldn't continue to film, and had to move everyone inside.

Once inside, I had to think of a solution to this quickly, as we had only had about three shots left and we needed to get the rest of this filmed today. I made the decision to just send Veronica's actor home. This meant sacrificing an important shot that was a really big part of my vision, but I'd rather cut a shot than continue to film with an upset actor. I discussed with Alex how we could film the rest of the scene without Veronica, and we came up with some ideas to work around it. Just as we were getting ready to head back out and film, the actor playing The Stranger came up to me and said the he didn't want to film anymore. This slightly frustrated me because I knew how close we were to finishing this, but I understood so I asked him what day he would be next available to film to see if I could find a solution to this. He then told me that he wasn't available at all after today; he had not made myself or the Producer aware of this so this came as quite a shock to me. I knew we wouldn't be able to end the scene in a way that made cohesive sense without him, and I knew there was only one more shot that required his character, so I explained this to him and asked if he would be willing to go out and film on more shot. He asked me what the shot entailed and once I told him he quickly agreed to go out again to film the last shot. So, the crew and our two remaining actors heading out to the park again to get these last shots filmed. The atmosphere and feeling from the cast and crew was a lot more positive compared to earlier in the evening; we got The Stranger's shot done first so he could go back inside, and then we filmed the last two shots of Pat. I feel sad that this project ended on a negative note for some people, but I'm glad that it ended on a high note for most the cast and crew.

Additionally, I arranged a meeting with the Assistant Director to discuss and map out an advanced schedule for the following week, as well as approving the call sheet for Monday, which included starting to add both a call time and a time when filming should begin, in an attempt to motivate our cast and crew to speed up the setting up process.

It's been wonderful to both watch the film come together and be a part of that process, I'm really proud of everything we've achieved and I'm happy that the editors have been able to bring it all together so well.

"To direct intelligently , you'll need:

• A knowledge and love of film language and film history.

• A strong grasp of what drama is and how to use it.

• A drive to tell stories that comes from passionately held ideas about the human condition."

(Rabiger & Hubris-Cherrier, 2013, p.20)

I have always loved film and storytelling, I've been inspired in my filming by Directors like John Hughes, who has heavily influenced my directorial style. I also have a great passion for telling stories and spreading messages. This script was so important to me because of the story it told: a story of queer love and an embrace of change, things that resonate deeply with me. I wanted to tell an uplifting story about love overcoming difficult challenges, something with a happy ending, something that I myself would like to see as a viewer. (Rabiger, M. & Hubris-Cherrier, M. 2013, p.20)

I want the world and the characters to feel alive and expressive, to feel lived in, I want a story to be told visually as well as audibly, not to a point where it is overwhelming or distracts from the action and characters, but I want to put more thought and meaning into costume and set-dec, to breathe more of a life into the characters and their world.