Production: Shoot Days 1-7

Shoot Day 1

For our first shoot day we were expecting to pick up the roto light and the LED lighting kits from the studio ready to film with on the Monday. Our runner George was scheduled to pick them up for us in the morning whilst everything else was being set up.  Unfortunately, another student had not returned these lights in time for our shoot. We had booked out the lighting kits with Ferg before this other student had and when we found out that they would need them for the weekend before our shoot, we was fine with collecting them on the Monday morning, as we understand that everyone needs to share and compromise. The only thing that effected us was that we had to come to the studios half unprepared for tungstens as I needed to change the risk assessment in order for us to be able to take them out.  As we had done all of our test shoots with the LEDs & Rotolight it set us behind schedule by an hour to set the lights up and ensure the shots were perfect as tungsten lighting is very different to what we had prepared for with the LEDs.  This wasn’t too much of a problem though as once we got going we still wrapped on time and even managed to obtain extra shots that we can use for the edit.  I found it was better to arrive with a different solution by booking out tungstens and working with what we had, rather than fighting for the original lighting kit. This would have wasted so much more time and would have put both our production and the other student's production to a stop, when a alternative solution was able to be found.  This is where I cannot commend George, Andreya and Jemma enough as their help with setting up the tungstens and helping to position and change the lights made the process much quicker, allowing us to get filming as soon as was possible.  

I created a schedule for the shoot which is listed below:

I made sure to make the schedule as detailed as possible to ensure everyone involved knew what was happening when and what their role would entail for each day.  

I began the day by getting the daily schedule and a notepad on a clipboard so that I was able to make notes throughout the day of what takes were best to help the edit process and to keep to time throughout. I placed all of the props out ready to be set up in the rooms we would be filming in for each individual day and made sure there were breakfast options available and ready for the cast and crew when they arrive.  

Although we fell behind schedule in the morning because of the lighting mix up, by lunch we had caught up. Over the lunch period I got Becca and Nisserin to go through the footage and listen back to the sound to ensure everything was as they wanted it to be. This was very effective as we were able to eliminate any risks of needing to redo shots or sound. 

I made notes of each take to make the editing process easier as it will save the editors time when searching for the 'good take'. 

Overall the first shoot day was a success.  From a Producer's perspective, the day ran smoothly, any issues were resolved quickly and professionally and we obtained everything we needed within the scheduled time. 

Shoot Day 2






Our second shoot day went very smoothly, and the only major problem we came across was the weather.  We were shooting our very last scene and it was raining quite hard, which meant we had to take precautions to protect the camera equipment and also keep the actors and crew warm as some needed to be in t-shirts. Once again I created shoot notes and followed the schedule I created to ensure we finished on time. 

Shoot Day 3

Shoot day three was much better for weather which was good as we were mainly outside.  For this day we had our delivery guy Bob in and we were shooting scenes 6, 7 and 8. A lot of work had gone into Bob's costume as he had managed to get the proper Royal Mail postman's outfit, that he borrowed from a friend and also a delivery tracker/digital signing device.  These features really added to our production in terms of making it believable.  The location of these scenes took a lot of setting up as we were filming in more than one place.  I made sure to co-ordinate this set up smoothly and efficiently by preparing the set with its dress and props before the cast arrived and got the crew to set up cameras in their positions to test how they want to begin shooting. As natural light plays a big part in our film, they decided to shoot Bob's section at the front door first as where the house is positioned, the best lighting for the front door is in the morning.  It was a multicam set up for this scene.  We had one camera in the living room facing Annie who was doing yoga; and another at the front door doing a shot-reverse-shot of Bob and Greg. We had a photographer in for this day as well which meant that our two busiest days were captured. Overall this shoot day went very well and everything we shot was meticulously planned out and co-ordinated well. 

Shoot Day 4

This was our easiest day of shooting as it only involved our two main cast members.  We were shooting our baking scene which is scene 11 and our defeated scene which is scene 15.  The baking scene required lots of setting up as there needed to be specific ingredients placed around the set as well as meticulous placing of the cameras and lights. As producer it was my job to make sure everyone understood what was happening and when, and that all of the crew were doing the jobs they were meant to, including keeping everything to time. 

Shoot Day 5

This shoot day involved just the crew down at Tankerton Beach in Whitstable.  This shoot was more about getting some scenic establishing shots of where Young & Famous is set and we had an agenda to capture images of seagulls, the sea, and beach huts.  It was a fairly windy and cold day so it was difficult to be out right on the seafront for too long because the cold wind was so harsh.  We managed to capture everything we needed before wrapping the shoot. In order to film on the beach I had to get permission from the Kent Film Office and hold a copy of the risk assessment and public liability insurance from the university with me whilst on set in case we were questioned by any authorities. Overall this was a successful shoot. 

Shoot Day 6

Our 6th Shoot was within the Maidstone TV Studios which took place later in March compared to the previous 5 days.  This is because I needed time to collect empty alcohol bottles and also get enough extras to fill the scene.  This scene is our very first scene of Marie's party conference to celebrate her new job.  We needed to make this look believable by having the right set dress as well as the right sort of people.  As the Producer, this was my job.  I scheduled a later start time for our cast and extras to arrive compared to the February shoot because it allowed us time to get into the studio to dress it with the correct lighting, cameras and props.  This was our biggest shoot for the whole film, yet it's possibly one of our shortest scenes.  It was important that we had so much effort put into this scene to make it believable because it is the first thing the audience will see.  As it is only a short pilot for a sitcom, the audience needs to invest in the characters straight away in order to believe and emotionally connect with what is happening.  As the Producer, this was a big day for me organisation wise.  I needed to ensure I co-ordinated everything professionally and confidently to make sure nothing was missed or went wrong.  Upon arrival at the studios I gave the security guard and the receptionist a list of who would be arriving.  This had my mobile number on so that they could let me know when they arrived.  Once the extras began to turn up, I lead them to a waiting area just outside the studio doors where I got them to fill out a consent form.  The consent form explained they are working as volunteers, that all footage is property of UCA and Big Laugh's Network and how they will receive a credit in the film and a copy of the finished product.  Director Becca then took the extras through in small groups to place them in their positions on set and explained what would happen.  With the cast I ensured they had long enough for lunch before we began filming and that they were briefed on how the day would run.  Becca then placed them where they needed to be on set and blocked with them the movement. As our original crew members were mostly unavailable to help with this shoot, I had to find new camera assistants and sound assistants to be a part of this scene's filming.  I collaborated with Nisserin our DOP who gave me an idea of who she would like to help film on cameras and was able to get Josh and Troy on board.  For the sound, Jemma our original sound Assistant was able to continue helping with the project and brought along Victoria who would help her with the boom.  This shoot needed two assistants for sound because of how vast the space was in the studio.  As it was a multi camera shoot it was hard for them to get too close to the actors as they will have been seen on the different various shots from each camera.  Victoria was quite tall and therefore was able to operate the boom to reach over the cameras and into the actor's space to get clear sound.  Overall this was a successful shoot that wrapped on time and looked realistic. 

Shoot Day 7

This shoot was at Marie's house and as the Producer I chose to shoot all of the scenes that were set at this location on this one day.  there were only two scenes set here however they translate into scenes 2,3,12 & 13. This is because the same scene takes place starting in one place such as the interior of a car and finishes in another such as the driveway of Marie's house.  The weather was once again cold and damp which made filming slightly tricky.  We chose to film all of the outside scenes first where we would then be inside for the worst part of the weather.  Due to how cold it was, while cameras were being repositioned, I gave the actors regular breaks to ensure they weren't kept in the cold.  I provided them with heat bean bags and hot drinks and then went outside to check how the crew were doing.  Overall this shoot day went very well, we obtained everything we needed and the shots looked great! 

Throughout the entire filming process, as Producer I ensured that all issues were resolved quickly and professionally to enable the rest of the shoot to continue to the highest standard possible.  Nisserin, Becca and I gelled well together as a team and worked through any major problems like equipment not being available, together and we ensured there would always be a way around it.  All in all it has been an enjoyable process and I'm confident the finished result will be just how we want.