Today we had the morning to finish the production of the film. Since last week I have been emailing the parks authority in order to gain permission for Sydney Gardens and Victoria Park. The email is as follows:
Hi Jack - I am assuming that the filming is going ahead today Friday 11 Dec despite the extremely cold weather. I have now seen a copy of your original request and please note that Parks does not deal with giving permission for the use of the canal path that runs along the perimeter of part of Sydney Gardens - think Rachel will advise that you would need to contact British Waterways.
I can confirm that permission is given for City of Bath College to film in Royal Victoria Park and the Circus - the project involves creative and media study students working on a production to include Gothic Bath.
Thanks
We did not have permission for Sydney gardens and did not have enough time to contact British Waterways so we decided to cut the sequence that was due to be shot there from the film, as it adds nothing really to the story and does not feature anything particularly Gothic.
We decided to start with the location that was furthest away from the college, which was Victoria Park. The shot we decided to shoot involved Abi running through the park with the Royal Crescent in the background. The conditions were foggy which added an atmosphere to the shot and we were able to frame the crescent in an original way that looked quite Gothic. I directed Daisy to set the camera up in a position which allowed the shot to be framed by the branches of the trees. I also directed Abi to enter from the right of the frame and told her to move faster or slower. The shot took a couple of takes as we tried to work out how the sequence would work.
Then we wentto film the shot at The Circus. It involved Abi sitting at the base of a tree. I decided to start the shot in the branches of the tree and pan down to the girl. We only did one take as the conditions were extremely cold.
After break we went to film the final shot at Southgate Shopping Centre. We had no written permission but we managed to get permission from Republic, the shop that we were filming outside. I was acting in the shot, and because I m not a very good actor the shot took lots of takes to complete. We also had to avoid any red in the shot which was difficult as the shot involved members of the public.
We have now completed the production of the film and are ready for the post-production.
Today was the first day we have scheduled for filming. We set out to film shots at the locations we currently have permission for, that is all public highways and the train station. I was working on the shoot as director and was responsible for setting up a good frame for each shot and also keeping track of the gear. The first location we chose was the Paragon Steps. We decided to film two shots of Abi walking down the steps, one from the bottom and one from the top. We will edit the them together to create the sequence. I directed Abi to stop at certain points on the staircase and look around in order to give to sequence some context. Then we went to Laura Place. After experimenting with the shot we decided to have Abi sat on the top level of the fountain. My job was to start the action when there was a gap in the traffic. The shot was difficult to arrange as we needed to avoid anything red in the shot and there were several members of the public around, but eventually we did it in one take. I changed into my costume then we went to Helting Court where the first scene that involved me as an actor was to take place. The shot took a few takes as acting was difficult in the cold. The second shot there was filmed as I went to change back. The final scene of the day was filmed in the tunnels at the train station. The plan was to film Abi entering the tunnel and then another shot showing her running through it. We had to change the camera settings to adjust to the change in light conditions, but we could not totally eradicate the red coloured lighting. This could prove a problem later when it comes to the editing. In total the day went very well. Sara from Suited and Booted said that she was very impressed with our group.
November 27, 2009
In today's lesson we were sorting out gathering permission for our filming locations. I filled out this form containig the details of our shoot and sent it to the film office. They sent me back this letter giving permission from the Highways Department to film on all the public highways, that is The Paragon Steps, Laura Place, The Circus and Helting Court. I emailed around to the contacts that the film office gave me for all the locations that weren't covered, i.e. the Train Station, Sydney Gardens and Victoria Park by the Crescent. So I emailed the Parks Authority and First Great Western. The contact at First Great Western gave me permission as long as we signed in and obeyed the conditions in the letter below:
November 20, 2009
This lesson we finished off the treatment for the production, including health and safety and risk assessment. We completed forms to be sent to the film office including a detailed schedule of the filming locations for approval. Also we drafted a rough storyboard in order to get our heads around the direction of the film.
In today's lesson we went scouting for locations to be used in our film. We decided on eight final locations.
The Paragon Steps on Walcott St This is a very steep staircase in a narrow alleyway. We thought it had a very Gothic appearance, with features such as a lamp and hanging ivy. An alleyway in Hetling Close We liked the large windows and cobbles that this location has to offer. We need a place to show the contrast between the past and the present, and the modern glass buildings and the traffic in the background would work well if we could cut them out for the "past" shots. Sydney Gardens Canal We thought that we could use reflections in the water to provide a nice visual effect. The Royal Crescent Although this is the most obvious location in Bath, we thought we could use it as an effective background to the action. Railway Close tunnel We thought a dark tunnel could provide a suitably Gothic atmosphere. The Circus This location was chosen due to the grand old buildings and the tall trees which will be bare a this time of year. Laura Place Fountain We need a shot to show how lost the character is in the modern world. We chose to place her on the fountain as this would show that she is invisible to everyone else by placing her on a busy traffic island. Southgate Shopping Centre For the final shot we needed a public place so we chose the new Southgate Centre. Here the male character can appear as one of the crowd.
I think we could have spent more time looking for locations, as many of the locations in the list were added having not been scouted. We also started pre-production, in the form of treatment for the film.
In the initial meeting we met our clients, which were from the Bath Film Office. The office is a section of the Bath tourism board, which is dedicated to helping photographers and filmmakers to use Bath as a location. Their job involves suggesting locations and helping shoots to run as smoothly as possible, for example by closing any roads.
We also met Sara from Suited and Booted. They are a local film studio that works with youngpeople to produce community-oriented projects.
We were given the brief, which was to produce, in a group, a short film of roughly less than 3 minutes. The purpose of the film was to show off Bath as a potential location for filmmakers, and to emphasize the more gothic side of the city rather than the typical Georgian setting.
The Bath Film Office are to act as our clients and we were told that the film could be put on their website if it was deemed the best. We were also told to designate a member of the group to correspond with the film office to organise permits and sort out locations.
Suited and Booted are to act as our “studio” in helping us with the filming and the post production. They will teach us how to use the professional cameras and editing software and give us general advice about producing a film.
We were organised into our groups and asked to brainstorm ideas about the project. I came up with the basic idea of a vampire story set around bath, and also said that we should probably focus on the more romantic aspects of Gothic fiction, rather than horror. Sara told us that if the film is on a website it should be watchable without sound, so this inspired the group to come up with the idea of a silent film. We also wanted to give the film a modern aesthetic style so we suggested isolating a single colour (we chose red) in the style of Sin City or Don’t Look Now. I asked Sara if we needed to be careful whilst shooting and she said yes, first of all not to include any red objects and secondly not to make it look like a silent comedy and more like a gothic drama.
The term gothic has many meanings. In cinema it relates to films that contain frightening or lonely situations or imagery , usually in relation to death (or undeath). I have chosen three short films to analyse which I think represent the Gothic style.
The first film I have chosen to analyse is The Pigeon by Jamie Childs and Joe Rizzo-Naudi. Not only does it take place in a Gothic setting but contains such themes as life after death, loneliness and descent into madness which give it the characteristics of a gothic film.
The film reflects the character's mood by the use of dark lighting, illuminated only by candle light and flashes of lightning. This pathetic fallacy creates a mysterious atmosphere around the character and the events. The Duke's mood is angry, and that is displayed in the violent weather outside, the flashes from the gun and also the enclosed corridors of the mansion house. This creates an atmosphere of desperation and madness.
The location is a gothic manor house, and the grand features such as the fireplace give the impression of power and wealth, but also the stone walls could suggest the loneliness and oppression that drives the duke to suicide. The cobwebs which cover the house later on in the film suggest neglect and the passage of time which is a key theme in the film.
The mis-on-scene is key to the films effect on the audience. The Duke's costume tells the viewer that the film is occurring in the past and also the fact that he has wealth or power. The dining table, which has no guests, implies that he is either lonely or mad or both. Various other bits of scenery give light to the period setting, for example: The candles lighting the table or the pieces of armour on the walls of the house. The skeleton is wearing the Duke's costume, which gives the viewer the visual link between the two and reveals that the Duke is a ghost.
The timing between cuts is quite lengthy, the film maker preferring panning shots to quick cuts. The cuts take place whenever a new event happens to clarify the advance in the plot. The point of the editing is to synchronise the footage with the narration of the poem.
The narrator is present throughout the film reciting the poem which corresponds to the events in the film. The dialogue of the Duke is muted to be replaced with the voice of the narrator. This makes the flow of the poem smoother and more interesting due to the changes in tone of the voice. The arrival of the pigeon is accompanied with the noises of the clock, to reinforce the theme of time, and also the beginning of the music. When the Duke's emotions increase,the music gets more dramatic and is accompanied by louder thunder clashes. As the pace of the narration speeds up so also does the music, which draws the audience into the action.
The second film I will analyse is Quarry by John Cade and Robert Bannister. It relates to the gothic theme because it portrays violent and frightening events.
The mood of the main character is frightened for his life and in shock about the death of his girlfriend and the danger he faces. This is translated well to the viewer by including a flashback shot of him with the girl before revealing her body in the cage with him. This creates empathy with the man, and sets up an uncomfortable atmosphere in the audience. The laughter of the hunter shows us that he has no empathy for the victim and this adds to the sense of danger.
The film is set in a forest, which are often used in gothic cinema as wild, dangerous places set beyond the reach of civilisation. The woods represent being alone, as this makes the viewer realise that the victim is by himself and unlikely to be rescued.
The victim's costume tells the viewer that he has already undergone some abuse: His glasses are broken and he is wearing no shirt. This lets the audience know his pain. The hunters' costumes imply power; They are wearing traditional hunting clothes which, along with the fact they have a cage, suggests that they are torturing him for sport. This makes the viewer feel the victim's confusion as the abuse is unjustified.
The palette of the film is quite muted in contrast with the warm glow of the brief flashback shots. This mirrors the character's emotions and allows for further empathy with him. The film consists of sharp, short cuts, especially during the chase sequence, which shows the character's state of panic and desperation. The shots of the victim running are shaky and panicked whilst those of the hunters searching for him are stable. This lets the viewer know who's in control.
The use of birdsong at the start tells the viewer immediately that the film is set in the countryside so no establishing shots are really needed. The film features a notable lack of dialogue. This shows that the victim is in a completely alien situation and the audience presumes that there is no previous connection between him and the hunters. There is also a lack of music which adds a lot to the tension and adds an awkward atmosphere.
The final film i'll be analysing is Halfway by Karl Holt. It carries themes of the supernatural and of disturbing and frightening events, which connect it to the gothic genre.
The film is almost entirely illuminated with an eerie blue light, which adds to the disturbing atmosphere. The character's mood is at first confused, which is transferred to the audience through the use of the flickering strobe light and the image of him crawling through the dark. When his mood changes to terrified, the pace of the flickering blue light is increased do disorient the viewer.
The setting is in a dark concrete room or cell. This gives the impression of imprisonment and claustrophobia. Also adding to this is the fact that the man wakes up bound and gagged, which fills in all the necessary back-story for the film, but still leaves some mystery. The use of the television sets and night vision cameras implies that he is being watched by someone and adds to the fact that he is powerless.
The camera work is shaky, adding to the intimacy between the viewer and the character. When he is being attacked the cuts are short which makes the viewer panic in response to the action. The soundtrack contains camera noises, which adds to the feeling of someone else watching, and the music used is tense and contains sounds similar to a heartbeat, which adds to the tension for the audience. Harsh, spiky sounds are added to moments which exist to make the viewer jump, and the monster's screaming is harsh and high pitched which makes the audience uncomfortable.
The films I have analysed all have a connection to the gothic theme. The Pigeon is the most obviously connected, as it contains gothic architecture and themes from classic gothic horror movies. The latter two are more modern in style but both share gothic themes such as loneliness or helplessness.
The first film task was to go out and capture 3 shots representing the weather, a long shot, a mid shot and a close up . The weather that day was sunny so we set out to capture some shots reflecting a tranquil mood. We went up to the top of a car park in order to get a top view of the river, which I filmed with Oli's direction. The shot panned from left to write in order to establish the scene whilst avoiding any view of the nearby road. the next shot was a panning mid shot of the river showing the sun on the canal boats to highlight the weather conditions. The final close up was shot and directed by me. It showed the sun's reflection on the water with floating leaves. the camera was fixed on the sun, so we could highlight the flow of the river in the movement of the leaves.
If we did it again we would plan and establish a narrative beforehand instead of afterwards and probably use a tripod in order to make the shots look more professional.
