Post-Production Schedule

I have created a post-production schedule, which I will share with the rest of the group to ensure that everything is completed on time.

Production Stills

As the producer I thought it was important to take production photos to show how well we worked together as a team. Below is a group of photos that I took on location during the shoots on both days. 

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

Reflection - Day Two Shooting

Today was the second and final day of our shoot for our short drama film. Just like yesterday, today's shoot went really well as the actors were once again very professional and we only had a couple of minor issues.

Once again, one of the issues we had was that some of the members of the group could not make the shoot today. This was due to problems with public transport as it is a Sunday. However, the two members that couldn't make it were both the editors of the project, therefore it was not necessary for them to be there anyway as their job is in post-production.

Another problem we encountered was that one of the actresses was late due to a rehearsal she had that morning had over run. This was not a problem as we used the spare time to film close ups with the other actress we had that day. This did, however, mean that we ended up finishing shooting an hour later than we had expected. This was not a problem as we had allowed time for this when organising the transport after we had finished shooting.

One other minor problem we came across was that the actress playing 'Grandma' had problems remembering some of her lines. Although this could have caused major issues, we overcame this by using the blocking technique we had learnt in our Production Skills seminars. This allowed us to film the whole scene multiple times form different angles, meaning that we can cut each take wherever the actress had trouble delivering her lines.

After today's shoot I was once again very impressed with how professional everyone on set was. This was very important to help make the shoot as efficient as possible.

Reflection - Day One Shooting

Today was the first day of our shoot for our final project. I think it went very well as we had minimal problems on location, and we came up with solutions to any issues we had.

We managed to keep to our schedule and not over run and we also managed to get everything filmed that day that we wanted to get before the second day of shooting. Also the actresses were very professional and were happy to do anything that we asked them to, which was very helpful seeing as we were on a tight schedule.

One of the first problems we had was that not all of our group could attend the shoot due to an emergency. However, this was not much of a problem as the person who could not be there was an editor so it was not imperative that they were present for the shoot.

Another issue that arose was that the battery on the camera ran out as we were filming, which obviously was a major problem as we did not have any spares and without the camera we could not go ahead with the shoot. To overcome this issue we put the camera battery on charge as we were setting up the rest of the equipment for the next scene. We also allowed the actors to go through their script and practice the scene whilst the battery was on charge. To make sure that this does not happen on the next shoot, we will put the battery on charge during the break we have scheduled. In hindsight, it would have been wise to get another battery before we started shooting, however due to the fact that the camera we were using was not from stores, we had no way to get another battery.

Overall I was very happy with how the first shoot went today and I was really impressed with how professional both the actors and crew behaved on shoot. This allowed us to complete the shoot on time and with very few minor problems.

Artist/Contributor Release Forms and Locations Permissions

As the producer I had to make sure that all of the actors signed Contributor Release Forms so that we could legally use them in our film. We also had to get a Location Agreement Form filled out so that we had the right to film at the location. Below are scanned images of these forms:

Sound List

Here is a list of all the sounds that the sound recordist, Jake, is planning to get on set this weekend.

- Dialogue ON SET / FOLEY IF NOT POSSIBLE: - 'La vie en rose' song, all versions - Door slamming - Footsteps - Kitchen sounds; oven opening/closing, mixing ingredients, etc - Tea pouring - Drinking and eating noises

Shot List

To make sure that we got all of the shots we needed, Tyler wrote up a shot list before the day of the shoot. This will allow the cinematographer to know what he has to shoot on location.

 

Equipment List

Here is a list of equipment that we need to collect on Friday for our shoot this weekend.

Call Sheets

As well as having a Production Schedule, I have decided to create Call Sheets so that each member of the group has all the important information about the shoot, i.e. crew contacts, local hospital & police contacts and the schedule for the day.

Production Schedule

To ensure that everyone knows what they're doing when it comes to shooting the film, I have created a production schedule, which I will send to the other members of the crew.

Change in Location and Script

We came across a lot of problems when looking for a supermarket location to film the final scene of our film. Below is a copy of the message I sent to various different supermarkets.

To whom it may concern, 

I am a film student at Sheffield Hallam University. I am currently producing a short, five-minute Drama piece as part of my course. Our final scene is to be set at a supermarket and our director is adamant that Sainsbury's is the store we need, as he feels it epitomises the lifestyle of the characters in the film - in particular Helen, the main character's mother. The ideals of good living, health and family associated with Sainsbury's would really help to build this image for the family in our film and we would love to shoot at Sainsbury's The Moor in Sheffield.

We have contacted many individuals, including store manager Vince Newburn, and have finally been pointed in this direction. We thought we would take this opportunity to share some information about the project in the hopes that you will be on-board and allow us to use Sainsbury's The Moor as a location in our film.

The film is called 'The Secret Ingredient'. It focuses on Libby, a shy and quirky thirteen year old who has grown distant from her mother following the death of her grandma. She also has difficulty fitting in at her new school. Buying ingredients from Sainsbury's to make her grandmother's 'secret recipe' cookies, Libby takes a bite of the baked goods and falls into a dream-like state in which she visits her grandma. Her grandma comforts Libby and urges her to make things right with her mum. Some time later, Libby and her mother are shown shopping together in Sainsbury's, and it is clear that they are making steps to repair their strong mother-daughter relationship. We also learn that Libby has made friends at school. We then see Libby buying more ingredients so that she can 'visit' her grandmother once more.

We feel that Sainsbury's is the perfect setting for this positive change to take place in and would be greatly appreciative of the opportunity to use the store as a location. We hope to film on Sunday 13th April and are flexible with timing - we are more than willing to schedule the shoot to a time most convenient for you, should we receive this opportunity. As a token of our gratitude, we would not only portray Sainsbury's in a positive light throughout the film, but also include thanks to the store in the credits. There is also potential for the film to be entered into non-profit festivals, which would help to expose this image further.

We hope that this request is well received by your press office and we are excited by the possibility of potentially shooting at your store. 

Thank you for your time,

Lauren Griggs (Producer)

Sheffield Hallam University 

E-Mail: lauren.griggs@hotmail.co.uk

Mobile: 07720 542863

After sending this email to various supermarkets I recieved replies from them, however they all said similar things and they all said that it would not be possible. Below is a screenshot of one of the emails I received from one of the supermarkets.

After all of the supermarkets we contacted had said that we would not be able to film in them, we decided that it would be easier for us and the actors if we could just change the last scene in the script so that it took place in the house rather than in a supermarket. When re-writing it, Tyler, the director, tried to keep the dialogue mostly the same so that it would be easier for the actors to remember. Below is a copy of the new version of the final scene.

Actors - Helen

After we secured the first two actresses we wanted to get our third actress on board so that we could start focusing on other aspects of the project. After once again emailing and phoning many different acting companies and amateur dramatics groups, we were getting no luck in finding an actress to play the role of 'Helen'.

However, Jess had got in contact with us again and said that she knew someone who would be suitable for the role. We then followed this up and got in contact with her. The actresses' name is Sarah Wynne and she is the Stage Manager and actress at Chesterfield Studios.

After a brief phone call I then sent her an email with all of the information she would need and a copy of the script before we started shooting next weekend.

Actors - Grandma

Getting the actress to play 'Grandma Dot' was very difficult as all of the amateur dramatic societies that we contacted had not got back in touch with us and there was only a week left until we had planned to shoot.

However, I got in contact with a woman named Grace Stead through one of our tutors, as she runs a over 50's drama project.

After then speaking to a number of different people I then managed to secure an actress for the role of 'Grandma'. Her name is Brenda Bell and she is very enthusiastic about taking part in this film. As she doesn't have an email address I will be sending her a copy of the script via post and will keep her up to date with everything via telephone.

************************************************** EDIT **************************************************

Unfortunately on the Wednesday before the shoot, I received a call from Brenda saying that she was unwell and so would therefore not be able to take part in our film. Luckily I managed to get into contact with another actress who was willing to play the role of 'Grandma'.

The new actresses name is Mary Newey and she is very excited to take part in our film. However, she is only available to film on the Sunday, meaning that we will be filming Chelsea and Sarah's scenes on Saturday 12th April and Mary and Chelsea's scene on Sunday 13th. Below is a picture of the actress.

Actors - Libby

After discussing with Jess about a possible actress to play Libby, me and Tyler went to go meet her tonight at her acting class with Jess.

The actress' name is Chelsea Sherridan and is 14 years old, she has mid length brown hair and is medium height. After meeting her we asked her to act out the scenes she was in from the script, we then decided that she is perfect for the role as she is exactly what Tyler, the director, had in mind for the role of Libby.

After we went through the script and we decided that we wanted to feature her in our film, we discussed the details with her. This included telling her the schedule that we had planned for the two days we were shooting and also found out what clothes size she was so that me and Tyler could get her the right size costume. We also just had a general chat with her so that she felt comfortable with us. Also to make her feel less nervous on set, we decided that Jess would also come along to the shoot so that she can help give Chelsea any support she might need as she will obviously be slightly nervous before shooting seeing as this is her first film.

After meeting her and going through all the details, we feel very confident that she will be able to fulfill the role of Libby with ease as she displayed her excellent acting skills when going through the script. It is very important for us to make her feel comfortable on set so that she can perform the role to the best of her abilities.

SCRIPT - Final Draft