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Cinematography
Dance Video
Director of Photography
Experimental Film
Innovation and Interference
Lighting
Research
Year 2
A lot of running around University
Dance Video - Pre Production
I was at a point where the idea for my project was complete, and I had to start the actual work on it. Like I've said multiple times already in previous post, I knew that finding a location was going to be my biggest problem - as my shoot required quite a specific set of needs. (Water outlet, electricity, a way for the water to run off, and enough space to make the set.) With this complication I also had to make a massive risk assessment to make sure that the electricity didn't touch the water, the dancer didn't get ill or cold, etc. I knew that the pre production that was ahead of me would be extensive, and difficult.
I sent out multiple emails to places I thought might be able to host my shoot, including public pools, car washes, and fire stations. I also emailed Surrey County Council and Surrey Film Office for help, and in case I needed additional permits. Sadly none of these hailed fruitful as they were either too expensive, or not able to host at all. So for now I still didn't have a location although I still had to keep working on the rest of my production pack. I kept emailing similar places, and I also kept this one area in mind outside my house in the back of my mind as a backup, should I not be able to find anything.
I carried on planning my shoot, and my production by setting the 4th - 6th of April as my potential shoot days. This way I would be able to finish my production before Easter, and get a head start on editing, as I would not have that much time before hand in after Easter break was over. I also started looking into my budget and what I would need to aquire for the shoot around this time, and I ordered different materials such as a hose, sprinkler, and cloth for the set. At the same time as I was working on this I also had regular meetings with my dancer. I was very lucky to find a dancer fairly quickly, as I posted on the students facebook page and got a reply within the hour. Gabby Ellison, which is her name, is an aquaintance of me, and I really think this was benefical to the project as we could very comfortably explore and shape the chereography together. Within our two first meeting we had the routine finished, and we had agreed upon how the dance would transform throughout the video. She showed great enthusiasm for the project, and loved the idea behind the narrative, as well as the message I was trying to send. We also stayed in touch outside of meetings by sending each other videos of different dances as to contribute any inspiration we could find. I tried my best to keep her updates on any dates that changed during pre production, as well as how the set would look, and how we would take care of her safety. This was my first time directing a dancer, and I was at first very insecure about what to do, but I figured that she probably felt insecure too, so I therefore decided that she would never dance alone during practice, except when looking over the final routine. I always did the moves with her, and we warmed up and stretched together as well. I think this made the whole practice feel less strict, and more fun.
I tried uploading the video we took of the finished routine after our second meeting, but for some reason neither blogger or youtube was able to upload it even though it is a .mov file. Anyway, here are two screenshots I took of the video. During our third meeting we went on to work with water, and how the water would change her movement, but I don't have any visuals of that.
I also discussed costume with Gabby, and what we thought would fit the film. We both agreed that we wanted it to be inspired by marital arts and yoga, as well as still being flexible enough to move comfortably in.
I was also working on the rest of my production pack even though my location had still not be procured. In the synopsis and treatment I pretty much just summed up what I have written in my previous blog post about the project. In cast and crew I made sure that I would have enough people on location to help with filming, lighting, and taking care of the dancer.
For equipment I kept it fairly simple. I wanted the GH4 so that I could shoot in 50fps to properly catch the water, and film better at night. The lighting was very basic as well, as I wanted all the attention to be on the dancer. I also made sure that I already had sandbags so that the lights would be secure. I also chose to have a slider for my shoot, as I wanted to explore shots with only slight panning, this was just so that I would have more options to choose from during the edit.
The Location Drama
It was now a week before the shoot, and I had given up on finding a location. I therefore decided to go with my backup although it wasn't the best at all. I did my risk assessment accordingly, and hoped that it would be enough. I went to my final tutorial with Rosie, and she immidietly says the she doesn't think she would be comfortable with me filming there, as there were certain aspects of it that were unsure, and could be unsafe. We start brainstroming where I could shoot, and if I possibly could shoot on campus, as this would make it safer, and easier to transport equipment. She makes a couple of calls and we discover that there is one spot that matches all my requirements. This started my most efficient, stressful, and productive week of my entire life. If I were ever to film on campus with electricity and water I would need to be signed off by Health and Saftey, the Campus Location Manager, and my Course Leader. This included having a risk assessment of massive proportions, a set that has been constructed safely, ladder training, and First Aid perosonell on site in case something goes wrong. I had multiple meeting with Julia Critcher about the set and how I would make sure it was safe in every way possible. I had multiple meetings with Tipu and Emma from Healthy and Safety to make sure that all my materials, equipment, and risk assessment would be safe for actors and crew. And I had countless meeting with Rosie to update her on how I was doing. I kept updating and adding to my risk assessment to make sure that everyone was fit, and in the end everyone signed off on it and I was ready to go.
This was the biggest production I had ever done, and it was my first time producing, so everything took its time, but I think I did an alright job in the end, and I am very happy with how I pulled together and managed to pull it off.
-TJ
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