What did you do?

Today we once again had a free screening, this time of the film 1917. This film was truly spectacular, it is set during World War I, two British soldiers receive an order, that they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow comrades, including one of the soldiers own brother. This film is directed by Sam Mendes (who also directed Skyfall) and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture.

We then had a presentation, led by Yen Yao which enlightened me to further opportunities after this BFI qualification. She went into detail about runners, including what they do and what they need to acquire this job (e.g a driver’s license being the most important one). Yen Yao was also involved with the latest James Bond film, and even had some BFI Alumni members with her, who worked as runners in the different fields of film making (e.g. camera work, editing…).

After this we then had a session with ben Wilkinson, who leads the Spirit of Independence Film Festival, which this year is being held at the Abbeydale Road Picture House, Sheffield. Our own films are being shown in this festival so thanks Ben!

He generally informed us about what his festival is and represents, which is independent indie films, both British and foreign films. He then proceeded to show us films that had previously been shown at his festivals, all of which I enjoyed and thought were expertly done. One from Australia was even shot all on an iPhone, which I wouldn’t even have realised unless he had not mentioned it.

What have you learnt?

That if you are trying to make it by creating short films, then they should only be of a short length, and that you should enter them into as many festivals and opportunities as possible, so that you can get your name and films out there for a larger audience to see. I also learnt that you do not need t largest budget to make a good quality film, even if you film it on a phone camera, the quality in current day will be decent enough, or for at least a first copy.

How have you worked well in a group?

Today I believe that the group of us worked well as we engaged and enjoyed the film, as well as the presentations later in the day. Asking questions and enjoying the films shown to us and saying engaged throughout.

What do you need to develop?

I have realised that for any future film that I make, they need to have a unique and rarely seen or brand new plot/theme as through doing this, the festival managers and production companies will be more intrigued with my film, as it’ll be something new and interesting to them. Also I’d need to make sure that my films aren’t too long as if it is a shorter short film, then it is more likely to get a slot in festivals.

What did you do?

Today we had a free screening of Jojo rabbit, and I really thought that it was a great film! Jojo is a lonely German boy who discovers that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his imaginary friend (Adolf Hitler) Jojo must confront his blind nationalism as World War II continues to rage on. This film is excellently directed by Taika Waititi as it executes dark and light humour as well as drama effectively.

After this screening, Amy O’Hara who is the talent executive from Film Hub North gave us a talk on financing short-films. This talk included many examples of short films, at varied lengths, black & white and even animation. All of these films had been funded by BFI, and it further gave me an insight into hoe funding works, and more of the crucial role that producers have in the development and execution of films.

What have you learnt?

I have learnt why companies like BFI fund short films, as I didn’t fully understand it before, as to me it only made sense to fund feature length films. This is done, because it helps new and fresh talent get into the business of film making, by giving them a boost in funding, leading to being acknowledged and being known more widely.

How have you worked well with others?

Today didn’t really give chance for us to work together, as half of the day was spent in a screening of Jojo Rabbit, however for the second part of the day, I did voice some questions that I had about the funding process, and what makes a good short film, being that it is something new, not been done before, so it is unique.

What do you need to develop?

I discovered that in my group, we (especially the director and editor) need to work closely together to make sure that our message fully gets across through the edit, and to truly get across the director visions for the film.

What did you do?

Today was the shoot day, which included only 7 hours to record all of the content for our Short film, ‘The Most Beautiful Thing In The world’.

Script…..

The day consisted of a rushed schedule, including getting our locations prepped for filming, setting up equipment (e.g. Camera, Boom mic, Radio mics, tripod), getting the actors ready with memorised lines, and then actually shooting the film!

This week was solely centred around the Director and Cinematographer (Me!). I found this to be a tough and exhausting day as I was constantly working non-stop, whether it was setting up equipment, finding interesting angles, actually filming or running around to different locations. No matter what I was doing, I was constantly on my feet, and this was a sharp reminder to how much hard work this field of job can be.

What have you learnt?

No amount of planning can fully prepare you for the shoot day as you cannot control any small issues, or in our case, having the locations available at the right time, to suit the schedule so instead we filmed slightly out of order.

How have you worked with others?

I believe that today was the most important as without teamwork the whole thing would have fallen apart. \We each had a highly important role to take on to ensure that our film was a success, and I think we all managed the pressure and jobs given extremely well, as well as bonding throughout the process.

What do you need to develop?

Effectiveness and time management. Although we completed the film within the time limit, I think that if we had set up as soon as we entered the space, as well as chatting about the next step, then we would have been even more ahead.

Our film, ‘The Most Beautiful Thing In The World’…

What did you do?

This session covered editing, led by Daren Eagles (who was also in charge of the cinematography master class). This began with a introduction to the more theoretical side of editing, during this we were shown a few videos that explained the crucial role that editing has in films and techniques that are commonly used.

After this introduction, we were split into pairs, to edit together a series of different shots and to try and tell a story from the material available. In this part of the day, we were developing our practical skills of editing led by Jim Wraith, an editor. This resulted in every pair coming up with something different, and that all portrayed a slightly different plot or series of events. This was done through using Adobe Premier Pro.

What have you learnt?

I have learnt how to import and export video footage, and how to then transport it onto Premier to then follow through with editing. I have truly widened my knowledge of editing and just how tricky it can be. Especially when cutting between shots and trying to get the audio to line up correctly within the chronological order of the scripted lines.

How have you worked with other?

I interacted well with the instructors, Daren Eagles and Jim Wraith, as I voiced any questions that I had when it came to using the software. I also worked well in a pair when it came to using premiere and we helped each other throughout the process. Although this week was more difficult to interact as we were glued to the screens of the computers for a majority of the day.

What do you need to develop?

A way to clearly get across, the lucid dream to the audience. We have decided that a great way to do this would, be by experimenting with the colour effects, to portray a more monotone aesthetic before the wacky character is introduced. Then switch to bright vivid colour, to show that it isn’t real, before then switching back to the boring effect, to show that this dream-like state only lasts for a small amount of time.

What did you do?

This week consisted of a master class with the director, Richard Heap, who directed the film Runaways which we watched. This film is still under post-production as Heap is in the process of finding ways to exhibit this film.

The Runaways, is a film that speaks about the issues that three children face after their home life is turned upside down and the children and family’s donkeys escape across the backbone of Northern England, confronting both the harsh landscapes and what it means to be siblings. This could be seen as a throwback to classic children’s adventure films but with a modern aesthetic.

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi4150312729?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_1

“An amazing film and a captivating story. Filled with grit and warmth. Beautifully shot and the scenery is stunning. It’s definitely a one to watch!” IMDB Review

The first thing we did after watching this film was discuss it with the people around us, before then voicing any questions we had about it to the Director, whilst he informed us of his experience in his first ever feature length film. This included the highs and lows with the production element, as well as with the cast and long process in which he had to deal with in the short amount of time that was available.

After this enlightening group session in directing, we were then split back into our groups to discuss and further generate ideas for the script. I found that my group was majorly in need of, as we had only previously summarised what we wanted to include for the plot of our short film.

What have you learnt?

I have further developed my knowledge of the pre-production/ production/ post-production elements of films. As well as learning from Richard Heap, the process of working with child actors and the requirements they have and restrictions there are when working with them, for example in the boat scene, Rhys Connah who played Ben could not have his head below the water, so when you are filming a scene where his character goes overboard I’m sure you can imagine how difficult this was to do without breaching the restrictions.

How have you worked with others?

During discussions involving The Runaways, as well as regarding our actual films. This included Asking questions to Richard Heap, the director, and voicing our own opinions of his film within the group of us.

What do you need to develop?

Our script for the short film certainly needs some development and more depth to the story arc. We also need to further develop a general plan for the short film, e.g. characters, costume, location…