25/02/19:

On the first day of pre-production, we all got acquainted with each other and let everyone know what our roles were so we knew who to talk to if we had any issues to discuss. The cast received their own copy of the finished script and we had a read through so the cast could understand the plot and start to learn more about their characters. With my character – ‘Protester’ – I discussed with the producer what was to be expected from my character’s short cameo. The Producer explained to me that it was vital my portrayal brought a high level of energy in order to set the benchmark quite early and to help throw the audience straight into the film. From hearing this, I started thinking about how I could deliver my lines for this important opener.

26/02/19:

Today the cast spent the day writing up our character bios and also taking part in the exercise known as ‘Hot-Seating’ which helped me make further progress in developing my character’s personality. When writing up my bio, I knew about the ‘basics’ to say about my character (e.g. occupation, family, social status, education), however once we got to the ‘Hot-Seating’, the Director asked questions of my character that I hadn’t even considered, such as, speech characteristics and mannerisms. This convinced me that I needed to put more thought into my character bio so that I would know how my character would speak and react to what is going on around them. I feel this was a productive session today as I was able to work closely with the Director and Script Writer, who were very helpful in explaining to me how they wanted their character idea to be brought to the screen.

27/02/19:

We started off the day with the cast doing our first rehearsal with the Director and Writer. The main purpose of this was so that we could start blocking some of the scenes. It was important we started exploring ways on how to perform in each scene and how we could make an impact with our characters. As we were temporarily missing one of the actors, I offered to step in and play their part in the rehearsal so it would benefit the other performers with how they’d interact with said character and also help keep the energy levels up. Once we got through most of the scenes, the cast were taken to a separate room with the Writer and Director who led us through some exercises that would help towards our interactions with each other’s characters. We started with ‘Hot-Seating’ again, having done more work with our character bios. We then tried an exercise used by the famous acting group, ‘Frantic Assembly’, called ‘Three Universes’ where the cast would be on each side of the room and slowly walk past the other characters that were walking towards them, the Director would then say “Freeze” and ask our characters how we were reacting to each other and why – thus building our character’s relationships with each other and also understanding why we were reacting in certain ways.

28/02/19:

We started technical rehearsals today and worked closely with the production crew as we had to rehearse with lighting, sound equipment and various camera angles. The purpose of this was not just so that the actors and camera operators would be prepared for the filming week, but also to prepare the Editor. The rehearsals weren’t just about the blocking, but they were also being filmed so the Editor would have a rough idea of how the Director and Producer would want the final shots to be mixed. After I had rehearsed my scene, I was excused by the Director to go and continue my character development and also learn my lines so that I could be off script.

01/02/19:

We carried on the technical rehearsal and filmed the remaining scenes that we didn’t get around to yesterday as the camera crew required alternate equipment that was unavailable on Thursday. They needed plenty of time for those scenes as they needed to have lots of practice with filming the camera angles. As I was not needed for those scenes, I continued learning my lines and developing my character further. I had a look at the possible costume ideas for my character and thought about what I could supply and what I would have to find from elsewhere. We finished the day with a wrap-up meeting about the filming schedule for next week and discussed what locations people needed to get to and how long we had certain locations to film at. As I was not needed to act for my scene until later into next week, I informed the Director and Producer that I was willing to offer some of my spare time to help out on set with handling equipment and assisting others.

04/03/19:

I started the week by continuing to learn my lines to make sure I was off script ahead of the shoot date for my scene. It was a little difficult as some of the lines were a bit repetitive and sounded similar, however I powered through to make sure I’d be ready. Once I had learned my lines, I thought about what tempo and rhythm to deliver my lines with, how much projection I’d use and how enunciated my words would be

05/03/19:

As I wasn’t required on set, I chose to independently prepare myself for my scene later in the week by watching many videos of public protests. I watched videos of protest groups so that I could have some ideas to discuss with the Director when it came to orchestrating the extras about. I also observed how the protest leaders were able to rally the groups and see how they behaved and what actions they did. I noticed that the protest leaders were confident speakers and engaged with their fellow supporters really well. I made note to remember these traits as I felt it would make my performance stronger.

06/03/19:

Today I joined the crew for the shoot and volunteered to help out where I could. I was asked to stand in with preparing the clapper board for some of the shoots which was when our group supervisor happened to be checking in on us to see how we were getting on. Shortly after the Producer took me aside to discuss with me an offer. As I wasn’t required much for the shooting period, I was offered the role of 1^st Assistant Director to take on the side so that I could contribute more towards the shoots. Due to this happening already during the filming period, I was given fewer responsibilities than expected as most of the roles were either, being done by the Director and Producer (e.g. Assessing the script and preparing a daily call sheet), or would’ve been carried out during pre-production (such as; helping prepare the shooting schedule and holding discussions with the Locations Manager for possible locations). I chose to accept the offer as I didn’t want my infrequent appearances to be viewed as a lack of focus on the project by others and also because I wanted to help out more.

07/03/19:

Today we were on location at Hanley House all day and this was my first day as a 1^st Assistant Director. I was on clapperboard duty and worked close with the Director and the person that was taking notes of the scenes for continuity. There were no obstacles that affected us with getting all the shots we wanted however we had to make sure that we got everything done during the time we had. It was a successful shoot and we were pleased with the effort we put in.

08/03/19:

My scene was filmed at the Old Adelphi cark park in the morning and we had some students and crew members stand in as extras. We made sure that any brand logos visible were covered up and that everyone had suitable clothing for the scene. The participation by the extras was great and we were able to get all the shots done within the allocated time limit. In hindsight, I feel the energy levels of the scene were great and that we will achieve the impact we intended. For the afternoon shoot, we were on the roof, filming the scene with ‘Taylor’ and ‘Max’ and I was filling my duty as Assistant Director. The weather conditions were an issue as it was raining which meant we had to make sure the camera and lights were protected. I helped out with continuity by taking notes of each shot and stating whether it was suitable enough for the edit or not. However due to our actors’ costumes showing the water marks, it may make the editing difficult with continuity issues and we are considering arranging a new date to re shoot when the weather is hopefully better.

11/03/19:

As all my scenes were already filmed, I continued fulfilling my role as 1^st Assistant Director. For today, we were in the Robert Powell theatre filming the scenes that featured the majority of the characters. I took charge of the clapper board and worked close with the Director and Continuity Logger, relaying information back and forth such as which shots were best to use in the edit and also keeping track of time for the crew as we had to make the most out of the filming space available. The shoot was quite challenging as we were filming many alternate shots for the ‘campfire’ scene, mostly two shots and we had to make sure all the props were positioned correctly, all logos were hidden and that there was no equipment reflecting off any objects that would be picked up on camera.

12/03/19:

Today we shot on the streets of Salford for our exterior scene where Morgan and Casey first meet. Equipment-wise there was not any problems, aside from the camera jolting a little when on the dolly and making sure all equipment was being protected from the rain. The weather was a concern as we had to shoot through heavy rain and cold wind which made the shoot become a little tedious for the crew as we struggled to keep warm. However, we fought through it and managed to get all the shots we needed. For the afternoon, we set up a studio to look like a bedroom for the ‘nightmare’ scene, a makeshift bed was prepared for the cast and we had many props set about to help dress the scene. The scene was somewhat difficult as it was being filmed handheld and the Camera Operator had to keep her balance whilst standing on the foot of the bed and also carefully manoeuvre around the set lighting. We also had minor issues with the audio quality and with some shadows being caught in the camera frame but we worked around those issues and we completed the day’s filming with plenty time to spare to strip the set and pack the equipment away.

13/03/19:

For our penultimate day of shooting, we headed to MediaCity to film the news studio scene. We used a news studio in the university building but filmed with our camera as if we tried to use the cameras there, it would be difficult to convert the quality of the footage. The scene was quite simple to shoot and we got all the shots we wanted with no problems. For the afternoon, we headed back to the Robert Powell Theatre to film the finale scene of the film. The scene was quite complex as we were shooting with only stage spotlights and members of the crew had to re-position the curtains of the wings to cover up the lights from the emergency exit signs above the backstage doors. I feel the scene was more of a challenge for the actors than the camera crew as they had to choreograph their movements accordingly to match the timings of when each light came on. I maintained the role of using the clapper board, along with alerting the Director and crew regularly with how much time we had left on the set. Towards the end of the shoot, we were in a slight race against time as we were running down to the last 20 minutes and still had to get the last 2 shots done. We worked well under the pressure and made sure that every shot we got would be good enough to be considered for the final edit. We managed to complete the shoot with just enough time to promptly pack everything away and get out of the theatre.

 

14/03/19:

For our final day of filming, I continued my responsibility of 1^st Assistant Director. For the morning shoot, I took charge of preparing the clapper board and helping with setting up the equipment. The shoot went smoothly and we got the shots in plenty of time. For the afternoon shoot, we were re-shooting on the roof of the New Adelphi building and I carried on with my role on set. I prepared the clapper board, helped with setting up the equipment, passed on the Director’s instructions to the cast and also made notes for the logging of scenes in order to help the editor with knowing which takes were good enough for the final edit. The wind became a bit of an issue, as did the regular trains as the audio got a little difficult to get done perfectly but we kept carrying on and managed to get what we wanted. That is the conclusion of the film schedule, the experience was a lot of fun and now we look ahead to when the final edit will be done and the film can be screened.