This was a real step up from previous work I had done. Finally, I had gone out there, found a client, and provided them my services.
Most of the jobs I get are through friends or my reputation. Someone would come over to me and ask “Hey Will would you like this job” or “Hey Will come work with me for a day”. But this one I saw advertised and I immediately responded to it. This was a huge accomplishment for me – I was not nudged into this, nor was it hinted to me, I just scrolled through the ads until I saw something I liked and went for it. It is impressive because it made me feel professional – a leap from learning student to active freelancer.
You’ve Done A Man’s Job, Sir. I Guess You’re Through, Huh?
J.P. Morgan’s recruitment video had finally come to an end. We had spent months planning and filming this corporate video; and now it was finally over.
It was tough. A real challenge. But where to begin…
I was getting more and more stressed the days leading up to the big shoot. Complications arose with changes in camera management, ideas, shot lists, contributors, and with other work piling on top. But also because a film I was destined to see would be stricken from me.
Star Wars means so much to me. It is more than a collection of films, toys, and music. There is an emotional connection between Star Wars and me – the relatability I have with the conflict within Luke and Vader, the memories I have had as a child watching, playing, or talking about the saga, the experiences I have had through events. I had booked my tickets to see Star Wars Rogue One at the BFI in London for their midnight premier on the night ticket sales were released. I was at home when they were released and I had no laptop or computer with me, so I used my father’s laptop, waiting in the study for midnight for Odeon to release the tickets and purchase them. At the time I did not know we would be filming on the day of Star Wars. To me, because my university calendar was blank for that week, I was free to do what I wanted.
But then came the big day. The group had described it as “All hands on deck” with a nine hour shooting day. I was distraught. The one thing that was keeping me going through that entire ordeal was being taken from me. Hundreds of pounds wasted as I would not be able to travel or return from London for the film. I would not be able to see my best friend who I had not seen since September. And I would not be able to see Star Wars and be part of the phenomenon by attending a midnight premier in a sold out IMAX.
I was upset. So much to the point I had finally broken. I was in tears. My parents phoned me to wish me luck travelling up to London for this event not knowing I would not be able to see it. For all they knew, they were excited I had purchased midnight premier tickets. And I just broke. Shouted at them over the phone how I could not see something that I had raised so high as my saviour from a spiralling mess of depression and stress.
Though, the force is strong in my family. They too were upset that I would not be able to see it in London, but were still encouraging me to see the film anyway. My brother, who phoned after wondering if I were to stay at his when I would potentially arrive in London, made it imperative that I see the film. He is not a Star Wars fan, but knew how much those nerdy sci-fi movies mean to me. Lastly, I needed further advice. My friends at uni. Now I do not know if I called them or they called me, but I remember my friend Thomas saying I should see it whatever the consequences. Likewise, Chris, was also encouraging.
So I did it. I went to go see Star Wars at the Odeon in Bournemouth. THey still had tickets. They do not reserve seats like the IMAX or other cinemas. So there was a chance I could still purchase a ticket and get a seat. I quickly booked a ticket online, whipped on my limited edition Star Wars shirt, and sprayed most of a can of deodorant on my body.
I had not washed in three days or changed my shirt in a week. I doubt I had eaten the previous day and I know I went out without dinner. My hear was greasy, my pits smelly, and my face beardy. But I had finally broken. So nothing would now stop me from seeing this film. I had to see it.
I knocked on my housemates door first to see if the guy would be kind enough to give me a lift to the cinema, however, he had been drinking. So I ran. I ran to the cinema whilst dialling all the people who had encouraged me to see the film that I was seeing Star Wars.
There were twenty minutes on the clock. The film started at midnight. And I was running. Would I make it to the cinema in time? In time to print and collect my ticket? In time to still grab a good seat? In time to wait in the queue? I continued to run.
I made it. I casually merged into the queue to collect my ticket. The line for collection was thankfully shorter than the line for purchasing at the door. I walked up the stairs to Screen 1 and was mesmerised by the buzzing crowd all there to nerd-out at the same film. Amazingly, I got a really good seat, which was almost middle-middle.
The film began and I had already started to cry. The sound, the image, the experience! The feeling in the cinema even!
The film had a euphoric effect on me. All my emotions, weight on my shoulders, stress, insecurity; had all been lifted from me. Time stood still in the real world as I watched this film.
The film ended and I was in tears. But I was also relieved, for I had finally seen Star Wars, and at midnight before anyone else.
For that one moment everything was almost over. The only thing left to do was J.P. Morgan.
The day had finally come. We were to finish the short film Guilt And Denial.
Two months had past since we last filmed in the derelict building of Holton Heath. This time however, we were prepared. We had surveyed the area in advance, mapped out our entry and exit routes, and devised a foolproof plan. We were ready to return.
Of course, we were all nervous, but that would not stop us. But why did need need to go back to this location? The weather was different to when we first filmed, the crew were smaller, and the time was shorter. So many things could go wrong. Hell, we could even be caught once again! But as said, nothing would get in our way of finishing this film.
That was one of the greatest things about returning to Holton Heath. The crew had so much energy and positivity to finish the project. Those negatives were vastly outweighed by thoughts of completion.
The plan.
We would be divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. Group A would be the Director Hamish, Producer-Actor Alex, and myself and Group B would consist of Cinematographer Dan and the second Actor, Sam. Group A would get to the location first for 06:30 with the majority of the equipment – that meant we had to meet up and be in the car are for 05:45! Again, the adrenaline and excitement to get this finished did not slow anyone down and we were all buzzing that morning. Group B would arrive later to the location with the rest of the kit. Hamish drove Alex and me to the location while making a quick detour to his girlfriends house to collect the stepladder. 06:30 we rock up at our predetermined parking space and walk with the equipment to the location. We (Group A) were carrying props and costumes, audio equipment, food, documents, and the ladder. So far so good; we had a pleasant and quiet drive to the location, we were on time, and feeling confident about the day ahead. However, only a few paces to the fence we would climb, I saw car headlights coming from the road that leads from it. I warned Hamish and Alex and threw the ladder into a ditch the side of the pavement – the ladder was the most obvious thing we were carrying that screamed we would be up to no good. Hiding that, Hamish, Alex and I turned around and walked in the opposite direction – having been at the back of the line going to the location, I was now leading the line. It was funny, I kept asking if we were in the clear and could turn back around – we had basically walked back to the car. We were safe, for now, and walked back along the pavement. I picked up the ladder and propped it against the fence for us to get over. Nice and quietly, we wouldn’t want to disturb any neighbours around. We kept our torches off whilst we climbed over, and only turned them on for brief moments to get our bearings in the dark.
We are now in the derelict building. Things have changed since the last time we were here.
We make our way into the building and drop our gear in a doorway. Hamish and I then take our torches and do a quick search of the building for anyone or anything that may still be in. We find nothing, and wait patiently until the sun rises. Stood in the doorway and lit only with a slither of light from the outside world, we look into the shadows of the building. Nothing is there, but the sense of the unknown plays tricks on all of us. We think we hear or see things in the distance. It puts us all on edge but it’s a tremendously fun feeling. And one that can be exploited; for Alex got really jittery – so much that Hamish and I would play tricks on him whilst we passed the time. As the morning got lighter, every now and then we would do another search of the building. Soon, it got light enough for us to set up what things we had and block out the shots in preparation for Dan and Sam’s arrival.
Dan and Sam arrived and it was all systems go! I took the cases off Dan and begun setting up the camera and lights while Hamish talked through the blocking with him and Sam. After initial set up and the first few takes, the day went nice and smoothly – almost identical to the first time we filmed together. And just like before, I got to do a couple shots. Though there was one shot I was tasked to get which was nearly impossible; this was to pan and track a bottle being thrown at a wall, whilst moving from full blur on the thrower to sharp focus on the glass impact all in one go – and only one go to get it (due to how many prop bottles were available to throw). It took so long that the shot was simplified to just an over-the-shoulder shot of a bottle being thrown at the wall.
There were some cool treats we came across while filming at the site again, and one was stumbling upon an old prop bottle which had aged beautifully. During our first shoot at the site we had two prop bottles with printed Flirt and Mallard labels, strategically placed on the window ledge as an Easter Egg to one the crews first ever short film. When we had to cheese it the first time around, there was no time to save any of the props so they were left there – little did we know they would still be there and remain intact on our return months later. It was great seeing this little prop naturally weathered and remind us of the our first visit to the site. It was so sentimental, in fact, that Alex took it home with him.
Our final shot was one which could only be done once, but it was a good one. I set up the camera low on the ground, propped up by Hamish’s skateboard, with a dripping puddle in the foreground. Sam and Alex had to fall to the floor at the same time and stay there long enough for end credits to roll over. In relation to the story of Guilt and Denial it’s quite poetic as both must face each other and accept their fates for their pain to end. The shot could only be done once however as Sam’s suit would become wet and muddy and unusable for a second take. As Hamish called “cut” that marked the end of Guilt and Denial.
Another day filming the recruitment video for J.P. Morgan. This time at Bournemouth Rock Reef!
This shoot was just what we needed. It was efficient, calm, and professional. But most importantly, we had fun.
We were given great creative freedom for this day partly due to Red Balloon not being present, and that we were using our own equipment rather than theirs. For this day, we used two DSLR’s (Canon EOS 650D & 60D) and two GoPros.
The aim of this day was to capture one of J.P. Morgan’s many team-building exercises they do with their employees.
I packed all the equipment and travelled with Emily via taxi down to the pier. We arrived early which gave us great time to fool around in the arcade. I was royally beaten in Air Hockey 5-2, but brought it back with a ridiculously close game of Basketball with 84-83. We finished just in time for the other members of the crew to arrive at the pier.
The Rock Reef were wrapping up a child’s birthday party when J.P. Morgan employees arrived so the manager gave everyone to the opportunity to go on the zipline for free whist they clean up. This was great! Since coming to Bournemouth that has been something I have wanted to do.
I attached a GoPro to a monopod and fashioned a makeshift selfie stick. I handed it to our main employee, Catherine, who we had focused on in previous days and sent her up the tower first. We sent Catherine first so that we could retrieve the camera immediately after her go so not to waste time at the Rock Reef. Emily and I jumped next and it was awesome! Flying over the choppy sea in the dark, wind, and rain was fantastic! Climbing the tower alone was cool enough as you got the fast sea winds hit your face and wobble the tower. Would love to do it again. Very grateful both the Rock Reef allowed J.P. Morgan a free go on the zipline but also J.P. allowed us to partake too.
The crew for J.P. Morgan’s recruitment video on the day of the team building exercise at Bournemouth Rock Reef.
Once off the wire and back on the pier, we set up for the rest of the event. I set up the 650D with a 14mm lens in the corner of the room to capture a timelapse. I then mounted a GoPro onto a helmet and passed it to an employee. The other GoPro was still attached to the selfie stick and passed from person to person. Three timelapse videos were made as I moved the camera each time the employees moved to another challenge. I then used the 6D with either a 50mm or 24-105mm to run around and capture the rest of the event.
After our time had finished in the Rock Reef, everyone went to Aruba to relax. Further video was captured here.
Emily and I were to go to a warehouse on the outskirts of Bournemouth to film J.P. Morgan employees sorting donated Christmas presents for the less fortunate.
The day was incredibly fun. It was just the two of us and we therefore had complete creative freedom and directive control of the day.
We were using our own equipment (Canon EOS 650D and 6D) and one GoPro. I set up the 650D in the corner to make a timelapse, a GoPRo on an employee’s chest, and the 6D with my vintage 50mm.
Emily and I took turns filming and recording sound and managed to make an entire video in its own right.
How I ruined Emily’s shot
This is what filmmaking should be; fun, quick, and efficient. We wrapped with loads of coverage of the event, I gave Emily her Christmas present, then we took a taxi home ready for my next piece of filming…
Nicola directing with me on camera and Ian observing my progress.
On the 31st October 2016 I helped out on another short film. This project was really intriguing and ended up being an incredibly fun piece to work on. The basic premise for the short was a choreographed dance-fight scene. The two that would be performing would be dancer and actor Hannaj Bang Bendz, and MMA Jay Jay Ferguson. And it was working with Hannaj on Flawless that I was invited to work with her again on this. Oliver Eefesopolous, director for Flawless, said Hannaj was in need of a camera assistant and put my name forward to her which was a lovely thing for him him to do.
The director for this short, however, was Nicola Hoskins who wrote and directed the short film Stay With Me and Pike Dream which both won awards internationally. Nicola was lovely to work with and was a breath of fresh air in the film-making community as sadly only “13.6% of film directors working in the UK are women” and “21.7% of publicly funded films of 2016 had a female director“. Seeing Nicola direct with such passion was super encouraging and brought so much humanity to the set.
The set we shot at was New Era Gymnasium in Bournemouth Square – great place to be too as all the floors and walls are covered in padding for safety and the owner was great as well saying he often gets filmmakers using his gym for a filming location.
Jay Jay Ferguson and Hannaj Bang Bendz
The day went really well. Hannaj and Jay had been choreographing their sequences for days and the script itself was nice and short. Our equipment was minimal with only sound, two DSLRs, LEDs and a Movi for free and fluid movement. All we needed to do were different shots and multiple takes to get the required coverage for the final edit – hence the two cameras.
Ian F. Hunt was the main camera operator and cinematographer and I was the camera assistant and second camera operator. Ian, too, was great to work with. And thanks to him, I got more filming jobs! He was impressed with the equipment I had brought with me, my attitude and professionalism on set, our shared knowledge of filming tech, and our appreciation for movies in general. I am really grateful that this short Fight or Flight had such a nice crew working on it. We bonded well and made connections for the future.
Someone who really surprised me though was the sound recordist Dave Harrison. His experimental work on acousmatic sound and his ability to hand build synthesizers and theremins had me talking with him whenever there was a spare moment on set. It’s sound experimentation and abstraction that I have a particular interest in and was exciting finding another creative with a similar mindset.
An unexpected pleasure on this shoot was getting to work with Rachel Collins again and see her impressive skills at makeup and prosthetics. Like Hannaj, I worked with Rachel on Flawless. Over the course of the day, Rachel’s challenge was to make both Hannaj and Jay appear more beaten up and bruised and she accomplished this with little hassle.
Rachel Collins and Jay Jay Ferguson
There is not much to talk about the production side of things. Ian and I were stood on opposite sides of the choreographed performance so we could have enough coverage. It was just down to knowing when things were going to happen and where the two of us should be. With Hannaj and Jay both being professional athletes, we were all very sensible when it came to safety. The two knew how to do their stunts and both knew their limitations. There was only one instance when an actual punch made contact and that was from Hannaj to Jay. But he took that in good light and we all had a laugh from it. This also connects back to why Ian and I were on opposite sides to the dance-fight, none of their punches made contact but our camera angles, along with a good sound design, will trick the audience into believing Hannaj and Jay are actually hitting each other.
There was one sad thing about this project. This shoot was done on the 31st October, Halloween in the UK, and also the day our Audio Production unit at university would exhibit our radio dramas. For our radio dramas were individual chapter interpretations of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine and would be exhibited in succession to the entire year. Unfortunately, we were too late finishing the film that I missed my groups chapter be broadcast in the lecture theatre.
Other than that, I hope to work with these people again and wish them well for future projects.
Ian F. Hunt, Nicola Hoskins, Jay Jay Ferguson, Hannaj Bang Bendz, Will Pattenden
This was one of the best film shoots I had ever been on, and is an example I constantly go back on for how things should be done. However, like most projects, this one does come with complications – which only adds to the story.
Guilt And Denial is an independent student short film written by Dan Tonkin, directed by Hamish Gough, produced by Shelbourne Productions, and stars Sam Klein and Alex West.
The split egos of an offender are forced to confront each other in a nightmare where only one can survive.
Planning was key for this project to be a success, for this film had a fare few risks involved. Namely, being caught. The location the crew had chosen was fantastic – it was an old, derelict warehouse factory in Holton Heath on the outskirts of Bournemouth – but not open to the public. I think four recces were conducted before filming to make sure this location would work. The two who conducted the recces (cinematographer Dan, and Director Hamish) were very open with what they saw, posting and informing us with potential risks, possible entrances and exits to the site, where set ups would be and how ultimately this location would work for the film. Numerous photos and videos of of the location came in – telling us where rooms had collapsing roofs, broken doors, or uneven floors. They were thorough in their findings – because they knew the risks, and we knew the risks. If a wrong step were to be made, there was a potential danger of injury and destruction to the site. But we knew what we were going in for and they were transparent in what this location was. As such, in a meeting further down the line, we discussed what we would wear to the location – and I ended up wearing my steel toe boots and clothes I did not mind wrecking.
Many more meetings were conducted before filming to finalise everything and make sure everyone was on the same level. A script, shot list, and call sheet had been made and amended numerous times to get everything to a level of coherence and reduce the amount of alterations when shooting would come round. Time would be a definite factor at this location, for we could be caught and thrown out at any time. The people in charge had even gone out of their way to secure a hire van to transport all of the equipment and most of the crew so when it came to the day, only a van and small car would arrive at the location.
Unit Call: 07:45
Van loaded, crew strapped in, and all systems go. We are now on our way to the location. I am in the smaller car with the rest of the crew and as such arrive before the van. We park in the lot near the site and eagerly wait for the van to show up but we see something go wrong, we see the van go up the location road, then exit the other side. What has happened? The van got caught going in. The road the location is on happens to also be a private residential road, and one resident sees it strange a van driving up it, so questions the driver thinking he might be lost – thankfully, their swift reaction was to lie and say their GPS took them off course. The resident buys it, and the van drives off, kills some time, and makes a second attempt to getting to the location.
We’re in.
It’s a scramble to get all the equipment over the fence. Alex and Sam jump over first and take the equipment from us as we pass it over. We then hop over and run through no mans land (an open area between the fence and derelict) and enter the building and immediately begin setting up. The hard part is now over, all we need to do now is shoot the film. And that’s what we do.
It was such a lovely experience being on this project. Everyone knew what they were doing and how they were to do it, we all new the story and we all liked each other and get on well. It’s a really pleasant time we all had.
Besides the thought that went into the recce, the attention towards the script and shot list, and the constant communication; there is one reason why I continue to use this project as my example of good filmmaking and my best experience in the field so far – and that is what I was handed when we all met for the unit call… Like a good guy I am, I had printed myself the script and call sheet ready for the shooting day, but when I arrived for the unit call, I was given a personal production pack with my name on it. The folder was new and had my name on a printed label. Inside was not only another copy of the script and call sheets, but finalised shot lists and to my surprise, MAPS and floor plans of the derelict. No production I had ever been on before or since has ever provided me with maps and floor plans of the filming location – and as such, is now a technique I use on my productions. A floor plan is (and was) incredibly useful. It allowed me to know not only what rooms and areas were inaccessible, but also where and when each set up and shot would be. Example, shots 14, 15, 16, 32, 40 take place in the corner by the door etc. But what really struck home was that these guys cared for their each other and it was so nice seeing everyone respected.
That’s me on the right operating the camera (C300)
Filming had finished, lunch had been eaten, and it was time to pack up and go home. But this story plays out like a real film as there’s conflict inbound! We’re plain sailing, everything has gone to plan, we’re golden – which in a film can only mean the heroes are going to face another challenge or spout of conflict – for us, it was capture again. We had packed up and removed everything from the building and we were now at the fence quickly passing kit over to get out of there. The driver had already jumped to grab the van but before it could collect us, another resident of this road came driving up. He got out of his car, with his dog, and questioned us being there “you know you shouldn’t be in there, that’s private land” – all we could say was “sorry” and “we we’re just leaving actually”, I think we came up with some excuse like “we actually couldn’t get further than the fence, it’s all locked off”. What I do remember though, is that the man got back in his care and drove off but forgot his dog! The dog followed behind as he drove further up the road. We were just grateful that he had caught us at the end of the shoot whilst we were leaving – rather than halting production during.
Shaken, we regrouped at uni and discussed what had just happened and he possibilities of future filming. Having been caught twice, everyone was now concerned as to whether or not it would even be possible to continue filming the next day. It was put to a vote, and sadly, postponed until further notice. We all felt that we were lucky to get away how we did, and that it would have been to risky to return the next day. For all we knew, the people who had caught us going in and out could have informed their neighbours to keep an eye out or even the local authorities. In retrospect, it was good we let the heat die down before returning to the site.
But even with being caught going in and coming out, it was still an amazing experience and a fun film to shoot. As always I wish these guys all the best for the future and hope to work with them again.
My first film festival experience was attending the 23rd Raindance Film Festival in London in November 2015.
If you have ever seen me when I am wearing my jacket, you may have noticed a white badge I always wear on my collar. I was handed that badge when I entered the festival and have worn it ever since. To me it is a symbol of everything I stand for and to continue to pursue my dream of working in film. If I ever feel unmotivated to make a film, I simply look down to it and remind myself how important it is to me. A constant reminder that I carry around with me.
It also acts as a motivation tool. When at the festival, I saw these great films that were made with small independent budgets, and I mingled with likeminded people passionate about film, and these factors brought home to me that if they can do it, so can I. And one day, I will.
