Pre- Production || Castles In The Air.

Pre-Production

 For my short project I devised a small plan and rough idea to stick to, this would enable me to build my work and better it every week. My initial idea was a scientist that discovers the formula but just imagines it. I really liked this idea so I therefore built it up and created a backstory to the character and the plot itself. I did this by thinking of questions like 'why would he imagine' 'how would it look like' 'what would be a key feature' etc. So once I had built the idea to the current one, that being a scientist finds the correct formula ( what the audience is persuaded to think) then jolts up in bed and the whole film was a dream.

   I decided to make the scientist dream because this would enable me to build him as a character. For example his boss makes him work over time, leading to loss of sleep and hallucinations, as well as making reality dreams and visa versa. As I am only creating a short film I planned to shoot the sequence, showing a few shots of the scientist at work, with breaks in between, showing the clock ticking and the boss's voice to be heard. These would then be made in to key elements of my film as the ticking of the clock becomes gradually louder, enabling me to link the character for an environment of an office/lab, to a bedroom.

Mind Map For My Project.

    In addition to this, some would question whether the character wakes up and imagines the entire scenario (wake up and attends usual 9-5 job) or on the contrary that he wakes up and is under such a severe amount of pressure from his genuine job as a scientist and the world is in what could be described as 'turmoil'. There were a lot of questions to consider whilst creating pre production tasks, not only the story line needed to be created and thought about, things such as locations and style were also planned. After I had completed my treatment for my film, I went on to produce a story board in which entailed specifics for each individual shots as well as visual representations of these ideas I had. Extra details that were included in the story board were things such as shot types. I had made an individual list of shot types that I would use so I later went on to develop and expand that list, thus showing the separate shots I would use for each new part.

Plan For Shooting

 Once I had the basics down and had added a script to my pre production projects I was able to create a recce and risk assessment table. It's important to do a recce for a film as this is the main part. In order for the film to have the right feel it needs to be aesthetically fitting to the script, this can take many locations to find the right one. Personally as we were creating very short, individual films I decided to keep it simple and shoot inside a house. Although a lab would have been more fitting to the script I decided to do the shots I needed in two locations. Upon reviewing this I now wish I had gone that extra mile and shot in the lab. I have this opinion because although filming in a kitchen was not wrong, it wasn't the style I was aiming for, regardless it did work out successful and I was able to shoot in my chosen place without any issue or hassle. Next time I create a project I will use more aesthetically fitting venues and locations, as this can really bring a film to life ( as well as props etc).

   With the recce I had produces I briefly touched upon an possible issues or problems that may arise, however this was then discussed in more detail with the Risk Assessment I created. My risk assessment included hazards, assessment and resolution, making it a simple 'guide' for my film and those acting in it.

   The more creative part I produced when doing pre production work was the mood board, this consisted of multiple images layered on each other to give an overall feel and style to the film. In addition to this I also compared and contrasted 3 directorial styles before any shooting had taken place. By doing this it allowed me to look at other people's work and vision and see how it compared to mine, influencing my work further. Doing this secondary research opened my mind and made me realise that the environment I film in isn't necessary the key element to a film, which was good for me as I knew I wouldn't be able to find the exact locations and actors within the given time frame, along with permission to film in certain locations and record audio etc etc.

Audio Planning

In regards to audio and filming I will use the built in camera mic, along with the additional microphone for the camera. I will also separately use an audio recorder to record extra sounds I will dub in when editing, for example a clock ticking, the sound of the bed sheets moving etc. These can be found on my Audio List. I decided to not use a boom mic when filming because my film isn't based upon dialogue and I therefore made the decision to not use a boom mic. In my opinion the sound the mic will capture, plus the additional audio I will capture as well as downloaded will be more than adequate. 

  Furthermore I also decided against using a boom mic and any other additional audio recording equipment as I will not come across the issue of sound interference some may come across when filming in external locations (wind etc). All of my film is based inside and therefore I do not need to think of the weather and how it could interfere with my audio, this is my justification for using the basic recording equipment in regards to audio. 

  In addition to these point I will also need to download some footage and audio to use in my edit, there is no issue downloading the necessary files, I will just need to be cautious with copyright. Other than this I believe I have made the correct choice of audio and recording, if I were to film in external locations I would use a boom mic and look into wind resistors if necessary.