Danny Hewitt's Television Production Blog

I wanted to have a non-diegetic soundtrack in the background of my film. I found a composer on StarNow called "DHomeStudios" and they made one for me. It goes well with the film and links in with the title, therefore I'm very happy with it.

For our opening title, we brainstormed everything to do with the word "Freedom". After many discussions, we decided on using a dove which would fly across the screen, as we believe this would be a simple but effective way to connote freedom. Me and Illy created the animation on Final Cut Pro, giving our films an interesting start which draws in the audience

While editing my piece, I've realised the significance of coverage. The main thing I learnt from my last project was the use of coverage, and how much it helps for the editing process. Throughout my filming day I made sure I took the same shots at different angles (something I didn't do for my previous project). This really helps as it gives you more clips to play with, as well as making the film more interesting because it means it doesn't involve one long clip

I used various film equipment when shooting my project:

Throughout the day of filming, I made sure I was the best director I could be. I started off with a brief so everyone, including the actors knew what they were doing, and what the plan was for the whole day. I then made sure I gave clear and precise instructions to my actors, so they knew exactly what type of characters I wanted.

One of my main successes was keeping the good morale for the whole day. Filming days can be very stressful for everyone, but I made sure people were happy and positive as I believe these are key for creating a successful film. Food, drink and jokes were all part of creating and maintaing the great atmosphere which was also very professional throughout.

Another success was my organisational skills. We kept well with the timing and got every shot I wanted. This is due to the work ethic of my team and actors, as well as my precise directing.

Filming went great! The weather was good and I am more than happy with my footage. I learnt from the last project that "coverage" is key to a successful film; so my main aim was to do that. Due to my constant planning, I found some good locations which helped set the mood and worked well with the script. Started off with the outside scenes first as I thought I would take advantage of the nice weather while I had the chance. After that I shot all the inside scenes which I was very happy with.

Overall it was a great shoot which was enjoyable and successful

As my main character is in an abusive relationship, I had to make this obvious to the audience by giving my actress bruises (not literally). I did this by using different shades of dark make up, predominately blue and black

  

After using a bit more blue, the bruise looked realistic

I will be using many locations for my film:

The film is set in the winter therefore I made sure my actress dressed up warm. I want her to use something to cover up the "bruise", so I have thought of the idea of her wearing a furry head scarf as this will reinforce the idea of a cold day, as well as covering the damage her husband has caused:

I will be using "divorce papers" as my package for my project. I decided on this as I believe escaping from an abusive relationship would show freedom, therefore divorce papers would be the trigger for this.

I have researched divorce papers, and have come up with this to use in my film:

After careful consideration, I have chosen my actors for my 4 minute project:

I have just completed a week of work experience with the BBC. I was a runner for Sport Reliefs Top Dog. I spent most of my time working with the dog experts where I was given multiple tasks to do throughout the week to help them succeed in doing their job. Not only did it go well, but also every member I worked for gave great feedback as they said they were very happy with me and my efforts.

When I wasn't working with the experts, I was collecting the contestants as well as helping out with the art department. This also went well as all my contestants were pleased (including celebrities).

Overall it was an amazing experience where I learnt a lot and gathered valuable knowledge of the production industry.