The primary purpose of my role during pre-production was to monitor the progress of each department and inform the producers if there were any issues, setbacks or required updates e.g. budget requests.

“The production coordinator […] interfaces with each department head and assists them with all their needs” (Honthaner, 2010)

There was a lot of teams that needed to be tracked so me and Megan (production coordinator) divided them equally so that the workload was evenly weighted. The logical split was to base it off our second role, meaning that I would take the 'technical' departments: lighting, camera, sound and location managers.

To undergo this task we created a google form (Image 1). To avoid any teams answering more than once or confusion, I decided that we should have nominated spokespeople whenever communication is required by us in this circumstance or the producers in general. The form asked about where they were up to in pre-production, is there any help they need from us or another area and if applicable, what is their approximate budget.

We kept the producers in the know about the progress tracker and asked if there was anything in particular they needed to know; the budget. Hence it's mention on the form and was treated with urgency. At the time, there were a few forms circulating on the teams channel, and after a few days of checking responses, I realised that it hadn't been filled out by several departments so I chased it up (Image 2), leading to adequate response being passed on to the producers (Image 3).

Other responsibilities of the role were to support the producers with their workload.

“The production manager oversees everything the production coordinator does […] as the PM and PC develop a relationship of trust, the Coordinator can be given room to initiate more duties unsupervised” (Patz, 2010)​

They delegated the task of getting the actor consent forms signed. There are six actors so again, me and Megan split them up, with me taking: Matt, Mei and Natasha.

This required a chase up email for one, but as I received them they were emailed straight to Florrie.

Lighting is a component to filmmaking that I have always found interesting and wanted to begin my journey in understanding it as early as possible so that it could be used effectively in 'Cloths of Heaven'.

I suggested an induction with myself and Leah (lighting supervisor) to gain that understanding, however it was not offered by the equipment store. Lara suggested meeting with the technical faculty Jason and/or Ryan instead. Therefore, I spoke to the Camera operators/Directors of photography to arrange a time where the whole cinematography team could meet with Jason.

This was extremely informative and helpful; I learnt various tips and considerations when it comes to lighting for filmmaking. These included: always looking lighting through a lens before determining effectiveness, the use of shadows especially on an actor's face and how fill lights, diffusers and flags can soften these for scenes that are less dramatic in nature.

In terms of lighting for this project, we wanted naturalistic lighting but 'Jason' would have an orange light cast behind him to create a glow. Me and Leah knew that he needed something to communicate his ethereal presence, but it shouldn't be cold or haunting as he is 'Phoebe's' comfort; hence the warmth in lighting.

My research also consisted of a couple of YouTube tutorials: '5 Techniques I Wish I Learned Sooner' and 'Top 10 Lighting Mistakes Beginners Make'. As well as readers like 'Lighting for TV and Film'. All of these tools helped in building my knowledge at successful and meaningful light.

In the third week, we finalised the equipment we wanted to use for the project. Opting for:

• 2x Rayzr

  These lights offer versatility in temperature and colour, the barn doors aid directing the light or bouncing it off the wall.

• 2x C-stand

• 3x Aputure

  These are helpful for any highlighting or fill required for the shoot, as well as also offering different modes, colours, temperature and intensity.

• 2x Reflector kit

  The diffuser inside the kit will help create a softer light cast onto the actors faces, especially 'Jason', who should appear without fault.

This selection covered both interior and exterior filming locations.

In the final week of pre-production, I booked out and the equipment as well as a rehearsal room so that me and Leah could familiarise ourselves with it before filming and be happy with our choices. We had both used aputures before so they were not booked out.

The Rayzr lights were simple to use, we experimented with each setting and feature such as CCT, HSI and effects (Image 4). CCT would be our most used setting (Image 5) for both key and fill light with the ability of emulating golden sunlight with a lower temperature. HSI on the other hand (Image 6), would be perfect for creating the orange light outlining 'Jason'.

The reflector kits are something I have never used before, but had seen in previous practical classes during the course. I experimented with each purpose of the kit: golden, silver, black, white and a diffuser inside. The equipment store had told us that they did not have any flags which could act as diffusers so it was great to discover that the inside of the reflector could achieve this.

Me and Leah split the risk assessments between us.

We needed one for Peel Park, Chapman, Lytham and the Podiatry clinic. I completed the latter two.

Each department had to fill out risk assessments for each location and their respective equipment.

As we had already completed majority of the risk assessments, the only thing left in order to complete this was to send them to Khieng. However, locations were changing throughout the Easter break which required addition forms to be created.

These being Allerton building and the student union kitchen.

I completed these and submitted them via teams.

Due to the Easter bank holiday weekend, the latest equipment could be picked up for production was Thursday 18th April.

Neither me or Leah were available to pick up the equipment, so instead, I asked Matt Jones to create the booking and pick it up as he is Director of Photography and it offered accessibility to the equipment due to us living together.

There was a document on teams with all the equipment needed across the required departments, I ensured that lighting was up to date at the time of Matt booking it, as well as talking with him.

I also asked Matt to check that there were no issues with equipment which could cause setbacks on the first day of production.

The only preparation that came for production coordinator during this period was to make sure that I had everything ready for production.

This meant the printing of continuity log sheets.

The technical run was scheduled on the bank holiday, which proved to cause an issue with finding somewhere to hold it. We were planning to use Allerton but it was closed so opted for Freya and Ella's house to make the most of having everyone and all the equipment together.

Lighting was set up mainly for the purpose of exploring the extent of colour in the film, specifically the orange, golden glow wanted for 'Jason' (Image 1 & 2).

This is also where Matt introduced me to two apps which would be beneficial for production: Sidus Link and Hollyview.

Sidus Link allowed me to control the HSI and CCT of the apurture lights through bluetooth (Image 3). This would be useful for any examples of the aputures being stuck somewhere inaccessible for me to manually alter.

Hollyview would show me the camera monitor feed, allowing me to ensure lights are not in frame as well as the effectiveness of them.

Aputure. (2022, 29 Aug). 5 Techniques I Wish I Learned Sooner | BetterFilmmaking Tips. [Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0JgO8RaLOY&t=57s​

Full Time Filmmakers. (2022, 18 Oct). Top 10 Lighting Mistakes Beginners Make.[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu_pjAyW-xM&t=1s

Honthaner, E. L. (2010). The Complete Film Production Handbook. Routledge.

Patz, D. S. (2010). Film production management 101: management and coordination in a digital age. Michael Wiese Productions.​

The corridor already provided a lot of light from the above head lighting fixtures, however they did cast unattractive shadows for what is a turning point in the film. This meant that we had to try control and manage the environment.

Scene 12 had Natasha stood next to a big window which offered potential for natural sun light. However, we put a rayzr on the other side of the glass as to mimic the sun.

I was really happy with how this turned out for the scene and the method of mirroring the sunlight with our lights was a valuable insight that I considered at several other points in the project.

Scene 17 was in the same location but further down the corridor and introduced tracking shots. Due to the narrow corridor with the tracks it was impractical to use the rayzrs to keep Natasha well lit.

Me and Leah watched the rehearsal shot via Hollyview and I identified that there were a couple of moments where the ceiling lights put her into shadow. We really wanted to ensure this moment was warm and hopeful, so we needed a solution.

The aputures were perfect as fill lights as well as being an ideal size for the space we had to work with. Matt stuck them on the magnetic fixtures on the ceiling at the points of most prominent downcast shadow. I then used sidus link to alter the intensity until I was happy with the final look of the shot.

This technique was also used for the other shots in the scene where 'Phoebe' is speaking to 'Lisa'.

The 'continuity crew' were also tasked with completing these sheets to ensure full coverage of shots and any notes.

I decided that I would complete the continuity for audio as it worked better for me also being hands on with lighting between and during shots. Identifying that the editors would benefit from the audio file names being noted down with the respective scene, shot and take.

Day 2 was similar to the first day as we were in a corridor flooded with natural light. Although, the glass is frosted and thick so was only really effective during sunny intervals.

Therefore, we set up both rayzr panels to balance out any shadows cast on the actors face which were unattractive on camera. I was cautious not to remove too much depth to the face so used the barn doors to direct the light as well as tilting them down to 45°. The final look was one that I was pleased with.

For a close up reaction shot of Natasha, I screen recorded the effect of our lighting, with it beginning with lights on and then off. It was easy to feel as though we had not achieved much in terms of lighting due to it being naturalistic so seeing the striking difference was extremely beneficial. I continued to look at the shot before and after sparking.

Scene 5 was also the first scene we filmed which involved 'Jason'. We referred to the pictures we had taken of the HSI we rehearsed at the tech run to create the golden/orange outline on the character. One was a more intense orange whilst one was a yellow. It did come with challenges though.

For example, it was difficult to cast the hue on Matt when there was an intense natural light and we could not move the lights closer to him as it was a wide lens tracking shot. We constantly referred to the monitor transmission to ensure that we were as close to him as we could be as well as comparing it to without the light.

In the image listed here, the glow is apparent but due to any ISO changes or filters added I still informed the colour grader, Callum, that if he could accentuate it to do so. I went with the understanding that if the colour is there, in post production it can be controlled rather than it not being there at all.

Once again, I completed the audio continuity sheets for this day of shooting.

This was one of the more challenging days for me. The natural light was irregular and everything recorded at the the start of the day has a beautiful sunlight glow on the actors which was lost by lunchtime.

When we had the sunlight, we only needed a fill light from a rayzr to soften the contrast on their faces as well as a reflector to add a glowing backlight to create depth.

However, when we started to lose the light intensity from the sun, I set up a rayzr where the sun had been at the beginning of the shoot to maintain the continuity between shots. This was useful but still lacked the effect we started with. In hindsight, I should have voiced concern for relying on the natural light so heavily especially when they are sat so close to the window but it is certainly a challenge I have learned from.

Me and Leah decided when they were setting up the close up of 'Phoebe's' ring that we should emphasise it as it is a symbol of everything she is experiencing. Leah took charge of using an aputure to make the stone in it sparkle more on camera. This idea was maintained for each close up of the ring.

'Jason' was also featured in this scene which required both rayzr lights. Khieng had explained that for this scene he should appear further away from 'Phoebe' and wanted us to try a blue and yellow contrast for the backlight. We did try this for one of the takes but me and Leah didn't like the sudden change in the image we wanted to establish. Therefore, we did another take with just the orange and yellow glow but with a lower intensity to still maintain the director's vision of their being distance between the characters. I was happier with this version as visible in the images listed.

As both rayzr lights were used for 'Jason', I used an aputure as a fill light for Natasha. I opted for a warm temperature with medium intensity just to give her skin some warmth in the split diopter. It is only slight, but I am glad that I did this.

At this point in the project, I realised that it was complicated to maintain efficient and legible continuity sheets as well as carry out lighting. I did the audio sheets still, but found myself asking for sound or the producer to fill them out at several points.

This was our first day filming outside. We heavily relied on the reflectors for these scenes, but the weather was not cooperating.

We knew that 'Athena' should be lit well and differently due to her mysterious and whimsical nature. So we opted for the golden reflectors when the sky was clear and it was incredily effecive. This was our first experience actually filming with the use of reflectors so it took some understanding. I learnt that first I had to find the sun and stand where it will be able to bounce and reach the subject. Then, I'd find the reflection on the floor so I could see it and track it as I moved it to where I wanted it to be cast. The first images shown are examples of the effect we created.

Once again, we lost sunlight about half way through the shoot. We were still able to use the reflectors for slight fill but we needed the rayzr lights too. As we were filming in the gazebo it created some shade which did allow for the lights to cast more.

Khieng wasn't happy with the background in the 'Athena' close up as the set dressing looked less appealing without the sunlight. So I set up an orange light facing the cloth behind her head. This added not only a warmth but also depth to the shot. Then we used the reflector add a glow back onto El.

For the close up of 'Phoebe' we used a warm light to highlight the side of her face, positioned where the sun had previously been.

The final shots were close ups of the table and the cards. By this point the reflectors were void, but the table looked dull on camera. I decided to set up the rayzr lights set to CCT. One was warm, the other white. The white was set up as the key light casting down onto the table and I used the warmth from the other to maintain the glow we had established for this environment at the start of the day.

This was one day I was really excited for as it offered a lot of potential for well-lit and glowing shots from the sunset and reflectors. However, the day was overcast by a thick sheet of cloud as shown. This meant that we would really struggle in controlling and counter acting the lighting conditions.

​“Documentaries, independent films, and low-budget productions are often shot using only available light” (Ferncase, 2013)​

There was a brief moment of clear sun during an extreme close up of 'Phoebe's' eyes. This is when we used the reflectors to mimic a sunlight glow; Leah used gold for this and I used silver to fill and soften the shadows. By the time I went to compare the before and after, we had already lost a level of intensity so the effect was extremely slight. Although, her face does appear smoother with less shadow around the eyes.

As there wasn't much to do for lighting other than hoping for and period of clear sky, I was able to complete the log sheets.

There was no audio besides foley and ambient noise so I noted those tracks down before completing the sheet for camera shots.

I took Mei's sheets with me so that I could get them to the editor together and as soon as possible.

The Podiatry clinic offered challenges, considerations as well as some of my favourite moments in the project.

This is one of the only scenes where we see Jason alive but the moment in his life where he realises the severity of his diagnosis. This meant we had to consider how we would light him in contrast to the images of him as a hope and comfort.

We had light coming through the window which was intensified by a panel light, directed on both Matt and Natasha. However, I decided that 'Jason' should have a shadow on the left side of his face with no fill light. The key light was casted down at 45° to create the contrast on Matt. This is one of the most dramatic but certainly most emotional moment in Cloths of Heaven and I wanted to communicate that through our lighting choices.

The main challenge of this location was the size. It was already a small space but with the crew, cast, camera and boom mic it was incredibly tight for our lights. There were several moments of shuffling everything round to keep them out of frame whilst also trying to light the areas we wanted to. I found that setting the light up and switching it on then leaving the room was the best way to reduce risk.

Potentially my favourite lighting design was in scene 2 with the tracking shot of 'Jason' and 'Phoebe'. I hadn't really planned anything for this moment and was waiting to see what I had to work with. The corridor was a series of rooms and I recalled the effectiveness of the light through the glass on day 1. It took a lot of moving, comparing and change in CCT- "it is possible to learn about lighting this way, and achieve great pictures” (Millerson, 1991). I found that putting a light in the room behind where Matt would lean would create a nice outline, almost silhouette, with one in front to allow his emotion to still be seen. I am really proud of this; I had not planned it and it reinforced to me that the research and previous days had already began to develop my understanding and creative perspective on lighting for film.

This was simple in terms of lighting as we had more space and only had to consider lighting one corner of the room.

We used CCT mode to carry on the bright 'sunlight' we established for scene 12 on day 1 and also had to consider that this lighting would need to be replicated on day 8 for the scenes which follow in this location.

I started the continuity sheets for audio at the Podiatry clinic before passing on to Callum as there was not enough space for me in the room.

When we swapped location, I picked them back up again before passing them over after checking everything was filled out correctly.

This day at Peel Park was clear sky all day which was perfect for us and finally an opportunity to use the reflectors.

Scene 6 was mainly wide shots of 'Athena' giving a reading so I lit El with my reflector whilst Leah lit the back of Niamh's hair/ side of her face. The light on El was really complimentary to the costume jewellery and what we had established on day 4 of filming.

For this scene, the actors were sat in the shade of the tree. Me and Leah decided to stand at opposite sides of the tree so we could have both of them well lit. I had gold on Mei's face and hair which was really effective as shown in the screenshots from Hollyview. Whilst Leah had silver to fill any shadow on Aoife's face.

For close up reaction shots, I was able to light them with just my reflector, I found that sitting down and moving further away from the actors gave the best soft lighting as well as making it less intense for the actors' eyes.

Scenes 14 and 16 were all about simulating what we had created for scene 13 and were straight forward in achieving this.

Scene 15 involved 'Jason' so we needed to create that orange outline again, but this time they were both in a lot of shadow as they were stood with the window behind them. So we had to troubleshoot as both our rayzrs would need to be used for the glow.

We decided that by leaving the more saturated orange as the backlight and using the yellow as more of a fill light still had the 'Jason' effect on screen as well as balancing out the shadow. This moment is also one of the most intimate of the 'Phoebe' and ghost 'Jason' so the glow on Natasha didn't feel out of place.

I was able to complete more of the audio log sheets on this day, with only needing cover for a few takes.

We had a lot less light coming through the glass than when we originally shot this scene. So we thought it could be worth trying to recreate it with a rayzr shining through the glass. However, it didn't work so instead we just lit Natasha with a key light inside as well as a fill which would become more intense as the camera tracks forwards.

This is something that Leah did on the first shoot day, we thought it would be representative of 'Jason's' glow as she stares for longer, getting more intense.

For the reshoot, I completed this. Starting at 30% dim, increasing to 80% at intervals of 5%. I had my phone with the monitor feed propped on the c-stand so I could track when the light needs to stop increasing and when to begin.

Millerson, G. (1991). Lighting for TV and Film. Routledge.

Ferncase, R. (1995). Film and Video Lighting Terms and Concepts. Routledge.