Adam Waters - Sound & Set by

Painstakingly Handwritten

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-28 17:05:52 UTC

For the Office Scene; we wanted something in the background to contextualize the meeting and also to make the set less boring. Director, Khieng Ly suggested the proverb to me in line with the film title. I did my best to make a clear and tidy piece of text, writing it over and over to ensure consistency... I'm still disappointed that I didn't make it perfect.

The Bridge

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:23:46 UTC

Depicted above is one of two bridges connected to Peel Park, photographed as my contribution to the location scouting effort.

Flower Foreground

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:25:15 UTC

As part of the location scouting process, I wanted to experiment with this dirtied shot to add some character to the scene and to demonstrate the colour palette to the camera crew and director.

My Old Enemy... Stairs!

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:27:50 UTC

Experimenting with shots; we see Kyle Heywood peeking from a tree. This shot establishes a sense of inferiority and weakness within Sally due to the elevated camera.

Maxwell Kitchen

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:32:39 UTC

We spent a while navigating the vertical maze that is the Maxwell building. Eventually we were led to this Kitchen, which suffers from limited size and a overly utilitarian look which made it incompatible with the house shots.

Maxwell Kitchen

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:35:01 UTC

Eerie Maxwell Office

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:37:14 UTC

I loved the dim lighting of this space. It was unfortunately a little cramped and in a corridor, so disruptions would be likely. Ultimately we used a classroom in the Allerton building for the office scene instead.

Eerie Maxwell Office

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:37:29 UTC

Park Approach

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:39:13 UTC

This shot was taken to demonstrate as much of the area as possible so that we had many options for shots of the actors travelling.

Maxwell Lounge Set

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-29 18:43:07 UTC

The pair of lovely folks in the doorway caught us skulking around and were kind enough to show us around the floor, they directed us to this very nice lounge set as well as another kitchen. The issue I have with this set is that it looks like a set, the bright chairs and black walls make the room look perfect for podcasts and talks, but not suitable for a casual lounge set.

Maxwell Lounge Set

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 12:55:01 UTC

Stalking Practice

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:00:47 UTC

The bushes around the flower circles were low and sparse enough that they could be used for the stalking scenes.

Preacher Positioning

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:02:59 UTC

The flower circle in the background made the scene a little warmer and more friendly, with the table and set dec, the place worked nicely in the end.

RIP Board Markers

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:09:57 UTC

The office was also used for a nightmare sequence, for that scene I simply replaced good with bad for comedic effect and so that the inconsistency is telling of the unreal scene.

I Always Feel Like...

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:13:27 UTC

When brainstorming ideas for the nightmare scene, I remembered George Orwell's 1984, and the depiction of "Big Brother", this proved a fun and effective strategy for highlighting Jeff as the villain in a comedic style.

Hard At Work

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:15:03 UTC

The final shooting day was a long one, though many scenes didn't require most of the cast, thus it seems we devolved back to primates.

Storage Wars (Not Really)

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:26:34 UTC

I think we could have handled the storage and transport situation a little better, everything worked out, though waiting for individual pieces of equipment burned valuable time on some shoots. After shooting there would be a free-for-all in which the cast and crew scattered, leaving lots of equipment for a handful of couriers. I had to take a trolley and full hands on multiple occasions, I feel for those that transported equipment to the house set and wish I wasn't ill so that I could help.

Prop List

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:30:08 UTC

I, Ocea, and Kyle, each worked to fill out this list of props and sourcing.

A Table Cloth Is A Table Cloth

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:42:26 UTC

On the eve of the final shooting day, I was contacted by Ocea, whom raised the pressing issue of sourcing the table and cloth. It seems that though we had a plan earlier on, the plan was forgotten. All was well however as I had my own table cloth, albeit a small one that only fit part of the table, and I also procured a table on my way to the set as I passed through the Adelphi building.

The Bottle

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:45:48 UTC

Early on in pre-production, I sourced a pair of white wine bottles, however Alana also apparently had plenty, my bottles were not used, however I am glad that I had them in-case a situation like the table and cloth arisen.

Zoom Settings

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:48:42 UTC

Above is the recording format. For the park scenes, wind was often an issue, thankfully the deadcat remedied it mostly and adjusting the gain between 5-6 with the mic as close as possible, kept the quality good. The office scenes used a higher gain as they had less background noise.

Powers Travel Agency

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 13:52:21 UTC

On shooting day we needed some colour in the scene so I constructed a PowerPoint presentation with multiple ideas for backgrounds. Ultimately we ripped a photo from a Borcelle's Travel poster and added our own text, narratively I think this actually fits the slimy nature of Jeff.

ADR

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 14:08:13 UTC

Recording the ADR was perhaps the easiest and most straight forward part of the production. Lily and I recorded in a study room at the Clifford Whitworth library. I enjoyed it the most as I felt that my role was more important in this scene than just holding a pole. I also had a good chance to interact more directly with the talent and to discuss the audio, which is not common on sets due to the efficiency requirements. I know good sound is paramount to a good film, though I find that the role sometimes feels under appreciated or under utilized by the crew.

Risky Business

awaters2_6 — 2024-04-30 14:12:38 UTC

To share the load of the rest of the crew, I filled out risk assessments for the above locations and roles. Cor RAs are boring.