Author: Will Pattenden

Bournemouth’s 48 Hour Film Contest

Bournemouth’s 48 Hour Film Contest

On the 17th November 2017 Aimee, Sarah, and I competed in the Bournemouth ‘Shooting From the Hip’ 48 hour film contest. It was an awesome experience for me as this was my first ever 48 hour film challenge (Aimee and Sarah had already competed in the previous year’s event). As such, there was loads of new things for me to learn and figure out over the weekend.

Context.

I missed out on competing in last year’s Shooting From the Hip due to other commitments but set myself the goal of at least taking part in one 48 hour competition while studying in Bournemouth. With news of Shooting From the Hip’s return, I asked my friends if they would like to form a group with me – to which they responded they were already going to partake and had a full group. Heckling ensued with me stating I would form my own group with better people and beat them in the contest. Little did I know this would actually be the greatest decision I would make.

I teamed up with Sarah Martineau and Aimee Webb, two students on my course and in my class. At the time, our friendship was new and starting out, but it was through working on the 48 hour film challenge that our friendship cemented itself and we got to know each other on a higher level.

Pre-Pre-Production.

Like everyone else, we were to go into the competition blind, not knowing our film’s title, prop, characters, story, or anything else related to the actual production. But there were things we could work on before the event to help in advance like roles, equipment, locations, and sleeping arrangements. Unlike other groups who booked out tonnes of kit from uni, our group were fortunate that Aimee and I already had a full arsenal of filmmaking equipment. No need to lug around or store unnecessary pelicases of gear, just decided between the two of us what we wanted and who’s we’ll use.

Arrival.

When we arrived at the bar, we mingled with the other contestants – mostly uni students, with some families and Bournemouth folk filling the gaps. Naturally we hazed our friends and got heckled in return on who would win, but ultimately had a good time with a chill drink and talked with people taking part – wishing them well in the process.

Title and Prop Envelope
When all the groups had signed in and were present at the bar, the envelopes containing the titles of the films and the props to be used were announced. The title for our film was Fist Mouth and the prop we had to use (in any way we wanted) was a pair of black rubber gloves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screening Day

I want to rock and roll all night…

I want to rock and roll all night…

… And film everyday!

After completing my three week internship for the Chalke Valley History Festival, I still needed one more week of media related work to finish my overall placement. Those three weeks were pretty intense, so I was after something easygoing this time around, and luckily I found just that! Advertised on the placement noticeboard was a one week internship with Rock Recruitment and to film nominations for their upcoming award ceremony. This sounded like the perfect opportunity for me – it was in Bournemouth so no need for me to travel extensively, it would require me to use my own equipment so no problem there, and it would only last a week! I applied to the post and sent off links to videos I thought would be similar to the work I would be doing with them and within no time at all I was working for Rock.

The original advert for the Rock placement:

“We are looking for a keen and experienced videographer to help us with one of our biggest projects of the year The Rock Star Awards. An awards show celebrating talented young people aged 16-26 around Dorset and Hampshire. As part of the awards process we hold judging days at the sponsors offices where nominated young people come along and take part in an interview panel so they can be whittled down to just three from five.

We need someone to help us film five of these interview panel days on the dates below:

• August 1st – Bournemouth University
• August 2nd – Bournemouth University
• August 3rd – Greendale Construction
• August 4th – Streetwise HR
• August 7th – Breeze VW

You will be briefed on what you need to do specifically from Justin Smith who is the owner of Orbital Bournemouth a local graphic designer and creative agency. After filming on these five days you will have the opportunity to edit these videos with Justin, so you will see the full circle of project.”

I had my interview on the 13th of July and it was the scariest but nicest interview I have ever had. How? When I arrived at Orbital to meet Fleur and Justin, who would be conducting the interview, I was told to play a game of pool whilst I wait. I suck at pool and rarely play it. And to play a game in front of my prospective employers as they finished up work is quite nerve racking. In fact, I sneakily messaged my friends who were still on their placement the predicament I was in and this was their response…

I didn’t pot a single ball.

The actual job that I would be doing would be filming the nominees for each category of the Rock Star Award over the one week period. These films would be simple one minute interviews of the candidates saying why and how they are worthy for the award. Such a simple task too, that all I would need to do is compose a nice shot, lock it off, and make sure the audio is clear. I showed Fleur and Justin the videos I had made for European Maritime Day and they said they’d be exactly the same as that (but making sure this time that the audio was clean). The interview ended and Justin and I got to know each other by nerding out over kit.

Day 1

The first set of nomination videos were for the Company Star Award and held at Street Wise HR.

I didn’t know what the location would be like, nor did I know how quite I was going to film these interviews, so I travelled heavy and took with me most of my filmmaking equipment so I would be ready for any outcome. We were given a cosy meeting room to conduct the videos but by moving the chairs and table close to the wall gave us enough space to work with.

The setup for this category was interesting for me. I used a lens I hardly touch – the 28mm f2.8 – this was because my lens of choice – the 50mm f1.9 – produced a too tight shot even with the camera as far back to the wall I could get it. At a whole stop slower compared to the 50, I needed more light in the room, but this only gave me more opportunity to mess with lighting to produce an interesting image. Using Fleur as my stand-in I adjusted the lighting. I placed one LED panel behind where the subject would stand, one on the table, and kept the house lights on.

Street Wise HR - Lighting Set Up

Having one LED panel shine behind the subject acted as the back light of my three point lighting system and illuminated the backdrop, giving the subject a ‘ready brek glow’ and defining them from the grey wall. I positioned the other LED facing the ceiling where the light would bounce off and fill the room. A reflector was secured to a light stand to further bounce the table LED to the subjects face. Tape was placed where the subjects would stand so the shots would remain consistent, and the microphone was a foot or two away on a mic stand.

Company Star Nomination Composition

Like any film set or shooting location, one must respect the workplace they’re in. Tidy up after filming has finished, collect and dispose of all rubbish, and restore the location to the sate it was found – a good crew will go the extra mile to make it better than how they found it. In the boardroom we were filming, Fleur and I had to move their lovely wood table – naturally we took care in the rearrangement, and manoeuvred it back when we wrapped. But when it comes to respecting the location one is working in, I used coasters under each foot of my tripod and light stand that was on the table surface so they would not scratch or dent the finish.

The day at Street Wise HR went really well overall. They provided us with lunch and snacks, and it was great getting to know Fleur and the people behind Rock. Even though I was happy with the results of the filming, I was and still am scared as to whether or not they would approve of the footage.

Day 2 & 3

The next set of filming would be for the Shooting Star Award hosted at Breeze Volkswagen. Here our day would revolve around young and upcoming candidates and their work they’ve done in their careers. For this shoot we were given another office-type room to conduct the interviews. Locked off and out of sight, this room was similar to Street Wise HR, however did not have any contrasting colours or textures for candidates to stand in front. As a white walled room, it was sufficiently bright to film in – the only adjustments to do was to place a reflector under the subjects to remove shadows cast downwards by the office room’s skylight. Filming went well and again it was interesting listening to the stories of how the candidates came to being nominated.

Breeze Volkswagen was the nicest location we filmed in during the week – it was well lit, spacious, and modern. This sadly proved difficult in the composition of the interviews – being separated from the employees was nice as it provided clean and uninterrupted audio, however at a cost of the shot being boring. When filming the sponsor, we chose to shoot on the balcony which overlooked the entire showroom giving tremendous depth to the shot but sadly adding background noise to the audio. In retrospect, I wish all the interviews had been filmed there, though the contrast between the sponsor and nominations did work out nicely.

In comparison, here are the compositions of the nominations and the sponsor video.

Respect to the filming location was talked about for the previous day, health and safety for this location shall be talked about this day. Health and safety is no laughing matter and must always be taken seriously – and film sets are no exception! Whether it be a small filming session like these Rock interviews, or a Hollywood blockbuster, the health and of safety of cast, crew, and public must have the utmost importance.

Filming the sponsor on the balcony at Breeze Volkswagen required careful consideration – it was an active walkway in a working environment. Everything that was not necessary for the video was packed away and put on top of the filing cabinets which lined the office space – this made sure the walkway remained clear. The equipment that was necessary was the camera and tripod, mic and mic stand, sponsor banner, and talent. Fleur and I warned employees we would be filming on the balcony and made sure people were aware of our presence when they passed.

One of the major hazards when we were filming on this active walkway were trip hazards (which is why bags and equipment not in use were off the floor). For the audio setup, a cable had to travel from the microphone to the the recorder and the only way it could do that was over the floor which poses serious risk to passers by. Thankfully my cables I use are brightly coloured and stand out so people can see them (most filmmaking equipment and cables are black which blend in with their surroundings). Further, I removed any slack and taped down the cable with fluorescent yellow tape. At uni, and really a standard for any motion picture, a risk assessment must be completed before filming where risks for a shoot are assessed on their severity. For risk assessments at BU, one of the sections is on cable management and requiring students to tie up and tape down loose cables. I have never seen another student actually do that – as far as I know, I am the only student who tapes down cables.

Day 4

Greendale Construction would be our next filming location for the Inspirational Star Award where we would be humbled with the stories of perseverance and adversary the nominees had faced. This shoot I would be shadowing Justin and learning how he goes about filming these types of projects. Taking a step back into being an observer, I was writing in my notebook for most of the day. It was reassuring seeing Justin use the same or similar pieces of equipment I have and his methods of using them.

It was also enjoyable sitting with him between takes and asking questions about his photography work and how such shots are achieved, with one quote in particular sticking in my mind “pressing the trigger at the right time to capture that smile at its most natural state” – meaning timing it right to release the shutter before the smile becomes a staged smile and loses its candour.

NTSC 30fps, Shutter 1/100, ISO 200, f2.2

Though there was one thing that puzzled me about Justin’s method of filming which I had to question him on… His reasoning behind filming NTSC 30fps. In Europe and the UK, the standard is PAL 25fps and is the “dominant format in the World for analogue television broadcasting and analogue video display”. NTSC (National Television System Committee) is the American standard and based on their AC power supply of 60hz and their equation for interlaced video.

There’s a lot of history surrounding the two standards, but to cut a long story short, the UK’s PAL system produces a higher quality image in comparison to America’s NTSC – “PAL may have fewer frames per second, but it also has more horizontal lines than NTSC. PAL television broadcasts have 625 lines of resolution, compared to NTSC’s 525. More lines means more visual information, which equals better picture quality and resolution”. PAL also has better control over colour stability than NTSC. It all stems from the amount of horizontal lines used in a pass of an electron beam to produce an image in relation to its broadcast frequency, power supply, and frame rate. These videos and articles give detail into the difference between PAL and NTSc – Diffen, LifeWire, StandUpMaths 

I just found it interesting why Justin would choose to film the American standard and not the Uk’s. When asked, Justin’s reasoning was down to his process for editing, and that he found it easier to cut frames and add transitions in denominations of 5 and 10 frames than to have to deal with 24fps or 25fps.

Probably the main thing I took away from working with Justin though, was how he interacted with the nominees and sponsors.

I may be shy at times but I’m only starting out, give me more time and guidance and I’m sure to be more confident and natural around people in a working environment.

Like all shoots I go on, I am always grateful for the opportunity. Working with Fleur, Justin, and Rock Recruitment was a lovely experience and thoroughly enjoyable. The stories of each candidate gave perspective to why the Rock Star Awards is a great opportunity for Dorset and I look forward to the winners being revealed. This week provided me with new contacts and a dose of confidence in filming. I gained some wonderful experience and stories to boot. Thank you.

DIY Apple Box

DIY Apple Box

Apple Boxes are tools used in filmmaking to serve many purposes. But quite simply, they are just wooden boxes with handles.

Apple boxes are used all over film sets to prop up or support equipment, furniture, or people. A collection of apple boxes can be used to level dolly track, while a single apple box could be used to steady a C-stand or lighting setup. A lot of the time, however, they are used to give height to an actor, or as a quick and easily accessible stool.

Due to their constant use in film, apple boxes have a standard for their dimensions.

  • Full Apple is 20″x 12″ x 8″
  • Half Apple is 20″ x 12″ x 4″
  • Quarter Apple is 20″ x 12″ x 2″
  • Pancake is 20″ x 12″ x 1″

This modular design allows for combinations of sizes for different set applications. In short, an apple box can come in very handy on a film set, which is why I decided to build my own.

On the market, apple boxes range from £50 to £150! Film equipment is already an expensive niche but to charge that much for what is essentially a glorified crate is outrageous! And as it is such a simple design with standardised measurements, it is an easy piece of kit to make. Additionally, apple boxes don’t have to be pretty; and even if they were, they would only get battered when used on set – which is why building it out of scrap wood was an added bonus.

Scrap Wood

So, taking two sheets of scrap ply from the shed, I began measuring and cutting the pieces. I used the unpainted piece for the top and bottom of the box as it would give a nice finish when sanded, and the blue piece for all the sides. Further, the bare piece of ply was the perfect size to get two cuts of 20″ x 12″ with only one strip of waste.

The box needs to have a handle on one of its sides – this is usually done by having two channels cut into the front piece. I cut four holes using a brace and bit and then connected them with a jigsaw.

Scrap Wood - Handles

The whole box is fitted together using screws and glue. I used 8×1″ screws, spaced at 3″ intervals. This in itself gave the box a really nice look. But because these boxes are used and abused on set, their finish, joining methods, and look aren’t important – only their function. They must be strong enough to hold substantial weights and pressures without bowing. In my case, the use of ply made it incredibly strong due to its layers, and the amount of screws used added to its structural integrity.

Some apple boxes you will see online will choose to hide their joining methods by using biscuits or brads, while others may choose to exhibit their aesthetics by using comb joints and routing the edges or corners. This is probably why apple boxes become so expensive online.

This piece of filming equipment is a great example of building over buying. Apple boxes are incredibly simple to make, and if you already have scrap wood lying around and a method of joining them together, an apple box is incredibly cheap to make.

Chalke Valley History Festival – Day I

Chalke Valley History Festival – Day I

To complete one’s second year at Bournemouth University and progress to their third, one must complete a minimum four week or maximum forty week work placement in the industry their course follows. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to undertake three weeks of work experience with the Chalke Valley History Festival and spend an unforgettable week camping on site and working with some wonderful people. In total, thirty students from BU compiled the media crew at the festival – documenting the event from voxpops and photos of visitors, to filming historical keynotes and short films. Due to the extent of work completed during the week spent at the festival, I shall divide each day into a single blog post. This shall be for the accounts of our first day arriving at the Valley and any preparation days before leaving for the festival.

For the Chalke Valley work experience to tally up to three weeks, meetings and preparation days had to be conducted well before the actual event. At such meetings, not only did we get to know each other, but also define our roles we would be doing at the event. Producing, filming, editing, photographing, and audio recording would be the roles available to us – although come the event, everyone got a chance to work in a different department when the opportunity came up. I went for the filming role as it would allow me to get the most hands on experience from the event and hone my filming skills. It’s also the role I am most familiar with and want to develop in future years. There was a shortage on equipment and concerns from the uni on how their equipment would be treated so it also helped that I would be bringing my own equipment to the event, including some DIY gear.

On the 25th June 2017 we arrived at the Chalke Valley History Festival and began our one week stay working at the event. For this event I travelled medium and used my brand new CineBag. I wouldn’t have any lights or sliders with me, but I would be bringing all of my lenses, GoPro accessories, tripod, and trinkets thought necessary for the week long event. Thankfully any equipment that we would bring would be locked in the storage container on site so we wouldn’t have to risk leaving it in our tents while we’re working.

Prior to the event, travel and sleeping arrangements were made and it was decided that Chris, George, Jordan, Dan, and I would be sharing a tent together. Thank goodness George’s family go camping because this was the largest and nicest tent in the whole field! It even came with a door mat! As such, our tent became the hub for camp socials and an example of how the other half live on site. There was ample room for all of our belongings and to have our own space – although thanks to it being pitched on a gentle slope, most nights my inflatable mattress would slide into the other compartments.

DIY 3rd Person Over-The-Shoulder Rig

DIY 3rd Person Over-The-Shoulder Rig

Using PVC pipe, I have built a body-mounted camera rig which gives a unique over-the-shoulder perspective when used.

This was a really fun build and took around twenty minutes from start to finish. The components are easy to work with and incredibly cheap, with the solvent being the only thing over £5 – but I used so little of it that its expiration date isn’t for another 10 years, so it’s a pretty good investment. The design comes from Indy Mogul and follows the same building process outlined in their instruction video. But anyone who wants to build the same or similar rig I definitely encourage you to do so; you may not use it often, but it’s a great accomplishment to build your own equipment.

Indy Mogul - PVC Over Shoulder Rig
Indy Mogul’s Build Instructions

Each rig is built to the size of the wearer and what angle you want the camera to be at. These are Indy Mogul’s original instructions for the sizes of each part and their assembly:

Using 1/2″ (21.5mm) PVC pipe (it’s bigger than that, but that’s what it’s called), cut the following 13 lengths of pipe:
-(6) 1.25″ pieces (These are to connect fittings together. When inserted, the two fittings will cover the entire piece.)
-(2) 8.25″ pieces for the tall, vertical sides of the rectangle
-(2) 2″ pieces for the short, horizontal sides of the rectangle
-(1) 12.25″ piece for the long camera support arm
-(1) 5.75″ piece for the short camera support arm
-(1) 4.5″ piece for the camera support column

Bag Strap HooksTo attach the finished rig to the body, I used three adjustable shoulder-bag straps I found at my local charity shop. Being shoulder-bag straps, both ends have clips, where one is fixed, and the other is on an adjustable loop. To use these straps on the camera rig, the fixed clip needs to be cut off, whilst the clip on the other end needs to be taken off. This leaves the strap with the adjustable loop and buckle intact which you’ll need when you want to change how tight the rig rests on you when its worn.

 

Fold over 3″ of the strap from where the clip was cut off, this is how it will be connected to the rig. This loop is sewn around the top pipes using a blanket stitch. To make sure they would not slide down the rig, I took a scrap piece of pipe and used that for the sizing of the loop and made sure it was a tight grip.

 

When gluing the rig together, the first pieces I permanently stuck together were the top pieces (two 90° connectors and one 2″ horizontal piece). This was due to the strap loops being made and sewn before any assembly of the rig, so they could slide snugly on the much larger diameter 90° connectors, ensuring the straps would not move down the rig at a later time.

With these steps taken, it’s then a simple matter of assembling the rig together. Mimic the top horizontal bar first and feed it through the two adjustable loops of the straps at the bottom so that they are part of the rig during assembly. That way, you don’t have to dismantle the rig part way through to add back in the straps.

Two fully adjustable straps fixed to the top horizontal bar of the rig

When using the PVC solvent that bonds the pieces together, it sets almost immediately leaving you very little time to adjust if there’s a mistake. So make sure you mark up the parts in the places they go beforehand and only glue when you’re 100% certain.

When the rig is fully assembled, the straps will begin to slide up from the bottom. To make sure they remain at the base of the rig but continue to be adjustable, drill two holes in the base with enough room for the two straps to be side-by-side. Feed a small length of string through the holes and around the straps and tie it in place to secure the straps from sliding up the rig.

After the two shoulder straps are in place, the last strap to add is the hip strap. Again this was found at a charity shop and luckily for me was twice the width of the shoulder straps making it perfect for use as the waist strap. It also had a large buckle too! This strap weaves through the vertical sides of the rig, and to make sure it doesn’t slide up or down, the same approach from the bottom is added to the sides, where two holes are drilled, and string is used to secure it.

 

I built this rig specifically for the Chalke Valley History Festival. Prior to the event, we we tasked with pitching ideas for additional video content, and I put forward the plan for a third-person video of historical reenactors. The video would look like a video game with a Heads Up Display and mission objectives and cover various time periods. But the rig ended up being used for so much more – just to give a variety in shot type when making videos for the festival.

Over Shoulder Rig (1)
Rig being used by historical farmer

The rig was a resounding success – it’s strong and durable, lightweight, and gives a fantastic shot from my GoPro. And thanks to the adjustable straps, the rig can fit on people of any size. It’s a lovely talking point too, for when I was wearing it at the Chalke Valley, people pulled me aside to ask what it is and how I had built it.

Nerve Crew at the Summer Ball

Nerve Crew at the Summer Ball

On Saturday 3rd June 2017, I helped with the Nerve Crew at Bournemouth Uni’s Summer Ball.

It was a fun and different experience to what I’m used to, but a welcome one. The Nerve Crew were a lovely bunch of people – professional, organised, and chill to be around. And the work we did was both enjoyable and challenging, but produced good results.

Our brief was to document the event and capture the liveliness of the students attending. A really simple brief and one fit for any filmmaker.

Nerve Summer Ball - Stage ConstructionWe arrive on site a day early to conduct a recce, familiarise ourselves with the environment, learn which stages will host set performances, and have a basic rundown of our plan for the main event. It also allowed us to mingle and be informed of the sites health and safety procedure. It was very exciting to see the site in all its glory – empty and in the daylight, ready to welcome the thousands of students for their end of year festival.

We were limited on equipment, and those who had their own were encouraged to brig it. In fact, there was a slight worry when it was revealed that the night before there had been a possible break in with Nerve’s inventory stolen.

To prepare for the Summer Ball, I had to think how I would film such an event. I knew I wanted to be sleek and agile, moving between crowds of people easily without getting in their way or hurting them with equipment. It also meant that I didn’t want to be lumbered down with excess of kit, for I needed to be fast enough to move and set up from one location to the other. And lastly, if I were to be filming at any one time, I didn’t want to leave anything unattended – I didn’t want to have to leave a kit bag in a corner (or even at the base tent) if I were to film something. Everything I wanted had to be on my person, and therefore, everything I brought with me had to be absolutely necessary. So how did I accomplish this? I would travel light – This is when I decant most of my equipment into one or two small bags (mainly my Lowepro shoulder bag) for fast and agile filming. This is a standard procedure I undertake when going on a film shoot – knowing and deciding what equipment to bring. You can read more about this process in another blog post here.

What did I bring for this event?

 

For this event I took my camera, spare SD cards, spare battery, battery charger (which was left in the Nerve tent), tripod, 18-55mm lens, 50mm lens, 14mm lens, and 70-200mm lens. The camera, cards, 18-55, 50, and 14 mm lenses all fit in my shoulder bag, while the tripod slung around my neck and I carried the 70-200 in a lens pouch on my hip. The other piece of equipment I brought with me which I thought would help was a modified shoulder rig. I had a feeling that the majority of filming would be done handheld. Previous event videos were shot hand held, and in my mind I knew there would be a lot of time walking around the site, getting stuck-in with the crowds, and little time for faff setting up shots. Though this was not as successful as I had thought.

I was right, that the majority of filming would be hand held, and that the shoulder rig would aid in hand held shooting; however, it caused more problems than solutions. It’s understandable why held held filming was chosen over static set ups for the Summer Ball – the videos were to capture the liveliness of the event, and shaky cam in the middle of a mosh pit is exactly that. The camera and audience become a member of the crowd and it mimics the energy of the Ball. But too much shake, and the footage could become unusable or look amateurish. I thought a shoulder rig would work amazingly for the event; still getting a hand held look and the ability to move into the crowds, but smoothing the amount of shake and stabilising the footage. But what caused the problems was when I looked back at the rushes. I was too critical of my own footage!

I came back to the Nerve tent to dump my clips onto the computer and annoyingly criticised each shot – saying they were too shaky or not good enough for the edit.

What do you mean, you do voices?

What do you mean, you do voices?

Our final task for Working in the Media Industry – interviewing our two candidates.

The interviewing process was informal and lighthearted, but our discussions and constructive criticisms were serious.

The questions we asked were related to linking the skills or previous jobs listed on their CVs to our job position.

George and I had been interviewed by another group the week before and from that experience we wanted to implement the criticism given to them into our interview. Namely, to welcome the interviewee and discover a little bit about them before beginning the main questions. When George and I were interviewed, we were not greeted and were thrown straight into technical questions of “have you used X before…How good are you with dealing with X?”

Our first question to ask the interviewee was what interested them to apply for this role and what interests them in media.

Later questions would revolve around dealing with the public or difficult situations with people and how they would deal with them. To our delight, both candidates provided past examples of these situations and how they dealt with them.

Peppered through the interview I would ask questions relating directly to their CV. For example, when scrolling though Grace’s CV, it states she is fully trained in First Aid – so I questioned Grace about how she came about obtaining the certificate and how it would be beneficial to our job vacancy. Likewise, Emily had noted she was a 1st AD on a short film to which I enquired how the responsibilities of the 1st AD can be transferable to a Location Marshal.

We did play one trick on both candidates which they saw right through. We moved the chair they would sit in to the very back of the wall – hoping them not to take the initiative and bring it closer to the desk. When they both came in, we all laughed as they knew why we had done it.

The interviews were really good. And we all learnt from the experience. It was strange interviewing our friends and keeping a professional attitude, but we were very supportive when it came to feedback and it was a much nicer environment to be in rather than an actual corporate interview.

This unit has been incredibly valuable to me and I hope to take what I have learnt into securing a placement.

Did I ruin a good opportunity?

Did I ruin a good opportunity?

On the 18th May 2017 I filmed interviews of delegates and representatives for the Poole Maritime Conference. These esteemed guests were key figures in maritime affairs and hosted keynote speeches prior to the interviews. European Maritime Festival itself is the third largest conference in Europe and was the first time to ever come to the UK so was such a privilege to have the chance to be involved with filming the interviews.

Weirdly, it was still only Thomas Nicholas and I that put ourselves forward for this experience. It was advertised many times at Bournemouth University but I got a call back saying we were the only ones.

The event was good, but it could have been better. And that is where my concern over ruining any business relationships stems from. Thomas and I arrived early to the event, and we brought all the right kit for the day. But setting up for the first two interviews is where the trouble began. When I had a meeting the day before to discuss the procedure for the interviews, I was under the impression that they would be conducted in a separate room to get the best quality out of the videos. Moreover, that guests of the events would be in the workshops while the interviews are conducted – thus insuring a quite building to film in. This was not the case, however, and throughout the entire day of interviewing, the background noise was prevalent.

But the real problem comes from my attitude towards the interviewer, and ultimately, our boss for the day. We had disagreements about how the interviews should be conducted and how the shot should look. Firstly, I had to set up shooting the interviewees against a wall. A bland, uninspiring, flat wall. I was not impressed with the composition of the shot. We could do so much better! Thomas and I were brought on to film these because we are media practitioners. We’re filmmakers who knows whats best for a shot to look nice.

The second grievance was with the way the interviews were conducted. When we were briefed earlier, the interviews were to last around five minutes. The interviewer could barely keep them for one. Asking robotically the same three questions with no followup questions or interest to what they say. After the second interview were were to break for lunch. That’s when I said something. I had a conversation with the interviewer on how to conduct interviews and get the best responses from the delegates. I was saying how you should ask around the questions and pick up on what they say and develop from that. She was too concerned with thinking how the edit would be, but you don’t think of the edit before the interview. Thomas and I could edit something wonderful if you let us do what we were brought here to do. Additionally, the more of an interview we could film, the better the edit could be for we would be able to cherry-pick the best bits rather than (what was originally wanted) all six interviews with the same questions and responses played in succession. Things got heated. There was miscommunication between the briefs and what she envisioned. And yes, I got flustered. The interviewer agreed to change the way the questions were asked and I cooled down over the lunch break.

When I had calmed, I said “right, lets change up this shot and make it look nicer than just a wall”. So I completely flipped the cameras around a shot down this wonderful corridor. Here we had depth! It was an interesting backdrop to look at – there were people walking in the background visiting the conference, I had set the aperture just right to get the lines of ceiling lights to blur into tiny circles of bokeh, and I had set up a side light to help boost the definition on the interviewee. It was a much nicer shot now, and the interviewer returned and agreed.

Improved shot for Maritime Conference Interview

I felt tremendously guilty for how I had acted, but now things were in order the day got better. The new interviewing technique worked wonders and we got some amazing emotional responses from the delegates.

In retrospect I shouldn’t have acted so rudely and let my emotions take control. This was a rare opportunity to work with these people and learn what the delegates had to say, and I should have remained grateful for having the opportunity to film and have access at the event. Only when packing up, did I find out the interviewer had worked ten years in the BBC. You never know who you are talking to, and what opportunities there may be. My behaviour may have cost me a working relationship with someone with a decade worth of experience in television.

My Filmmaking Uniform

My Filmmaking Uniform

Whenever I go on a shoot I like to dress appropriately. What I wear is practical, and ultimately serves a purpose. Unless I need to blend in, it would be very unlikely to see me wear a suit while on set.

So what am I wearing?

A plaid or checked shirt.

To me, it’s a bit of a fashion statement in the filmmaking community. George Lucas is famous for wearing them, J.J. Abrams wears plaid shirts, and when I filmed with Ian F. Hunt he too wore a plaid shirt.

Shirt over shirt.

Here’s where the functionality comes in. Wearing a plaid shirt over a plain white T-shirt keeps you warm with layers if you’re filming in the cold, and cool in the heat if you strip down to just the T. Further, if a surface needs cleaning, or someone on set needs a shirt, you can just hand them the plaid shirt and you’re still wearing the T. There is one final practical reason for wearing a shirt over a shirt if you are an independent and freelancer, and that is to remove glare on a camera monitor. Take off your over shirt and cover your head and monitor with it like one of those vintage Victorian cameras that take the picture upside down. It puts you into shadow and gives easy access to seeing the screen.

English Heritage BTS - Shirt Over Shirt English Heritage BTS - Shirt Over Shirt

Black Cargo Pants

So many pockets! They’re super comfy, lightweight, and durable. It’s okay to get these things dirty too, as unlike my jeans these are basically working trousers. But just to have the ability of storing loads of things on your person is a grand selling point.

Boots

Ideally, I would love a pair of military boots. After that, leather 1490 Dr Martens. At the moment, I wear black canvas Dr Martens and they’re so good. But why boots? For me, I can wear them all day – they’re comfy, and with Dr Martens, designed to support your feet. Additionally, boots support your ankle and rise to your shins for added comfort and protection. They also have amazing tread giving you extra grip – stopping you from slipping on uneven surfaces. Boots are usually waterproof too and easy to clean. But they also protect your feet if something were to fall. Filming equipment is heavy and can easily break your toes if you drop it – boots can provide you that extra bit of protection.

An Eyepatch

Constantly looking down a viewfinder can be really straining on your eyes and face – you have to constantly block out and close the eye your not using to look down the viewfinder. An eyepatch, just like a pirate, covers the eye you’re not using and allows you to relax your face. You can only scrunch up one side of your face for so long without feeling pain and numbness.

2nd AC Pouch

Just like the addition of extra pockets on a pair of cargo pants, the 2nd AC Pouch allows you to hold more equipment with you. To get an in-depth look at my AC Pouch, follow the link here.

Jacket

A military styled jacket that keeps me very warm in the cold. It has epaulets for clipping a walkie talkie to or feeding bag straps through. Pockets to hold things. But most importantly, is made from cotton. Coats and macs are usually made from Polyester which builds up static, and constantly makes a ‘swishing’ noise which is not only really annoying, but can ruin a shot when heard by the sound guys. A coat or jacket made from cotton is virtually silent and rustle free. And my jacket has a hidden hood in the neck.

Wristwatch

Keeping on time and to schedule is vital on a shoot. Most people would look at their phone to get an idea for time, however you must have your phones off when rolling, this is etiquette but also due to signals being picked up by the sound crew. A watch is silent, and on you all the time. Only a move of the wrist and you can see when you are. No need to faff about searching for and unlocking your mobile. Nor would you blind or distract anyone with the glowing screen. A watch is with you all the time.

A beard

All the great filmmakers have beards. George Lucas, Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, Hayao Miyazaki, and much much more!

My 2nd AC Pouch

My 2nd AC Pouch

When I go on a shoot, whatever my role may be, I wear my 2nd AC Pouch. It’s a side pouch similar to a builders belt where I can store and carry around with me important and useful tools that may be needed on a film set.

I like to be prepared for any situation I may be in so it is a really useful accessory to own.

It’s the CineBags CB03 AC Pouch and it has seven outside compartments and three inside.

On the outside, I store my different pens. I have two wipeboard pens for the slate, a biro to write with, a sharpie, and a lens cleaning pen. Lens cleaning fluid is kept in the side compartment.

On the inside, I have a 30M fibreglass soft tape to measure long focal distance, and a small notepad to log shots and write down any important information.

Inside Flap, is where I keep a lens cleaning cloth at hand, chalk (if ever I were to use a chalk slate), and a 10p piece for screwing flathead screws on tripods.

On the outside is attached a Lego minifig. There is a really nice story to that. During the summer of 2016 I went with my best friend, Jo, to Star Wars Celebration Europe. The two of us cosplayed for the first time ever and the costume I made and wore was a rebel pilot. Come Christmas time, I received in my stocking a Lego Star Wars Rebel Pilot Minifig from my parents because they thought that was me. It was such a lovely gesture and since then it’s been on my pouch acting as a little mascot and a nod to how nerdy I am. It does have a function though. When on a shoot it is really useful to have a torch with you, especially at night when the slate can’t be seen. The minifig doubles up as an LED torch by pressing his chest.

On the loop is where I hook my lanyard of tapes. I have four colours of cloth tape for marking up actors, a roll of Sellotape, masking tape, and a roll of duct tape.

Things I’m missing are a Leatherman multi-tool and crocodile clips.

I hope you have found this an interesting read and if you have any questions relating to what these tools do or why I may need them drop me a line below. Also if you think there are any things that I should change or add to my collection I’d be happy to hear.