Danny Hewitt's Television Production Blog

I have thoroughly enjoyed this unit and definitely learnt a lot in terms of production and editing. This is the first time I have ever had to adapt a poem into a film, and this for me was the most difficult part. Poetry is not my subject at all, so having to make a film out of one turned out to be very challenging. The part I found the hardest was incorporating the words of the poem into my film, and making it relevant to what is being shown on screen. Next time I will definitely do more research into the actual poem so I know exactly what it's about and where it came from, as I believe this would have helped with ideas.

In terms of filming, I was very happy with how both days went, however the first day was very slow due to not being prepared. This was due to the fact I didn't give myself enough time in-between script feedback and production week to confirm my ideas and be happy with them. Next time I will definitely give myself more time to prepare, and not rush into filming as soon as production weeks starts.

Editing was a very long process due to adding a lot of sound effects as well as struggling to cut some parts due to not enough coverage in some areas. Next time I will make it a lot easier for myself by using more natural diegetic sounds, and shoot plenty of shots so I don't feel limited. I will shoot the same shots from different angles and sizes, as this would give me a lot more to play with in the edit.

Overall I am happy with how it all ended up, especially with the problems with actors and time constraints, therefore I feel proud to have achieved a video that fits the task given. I have learnt a lot of new skills, especially with editing, which has injected me with a lot more confidence in myself and my work. I will definitely use these new skills I have developed in future projects.

Here is the final video for my fiction project:

Editing is going well as I have found all the sound effects I imagined when I was filming the shots. The clips link together nicely, and the voiceover is just the right speed and tone.

I am struggling slightly with certain cuts, as I want them to cut in time of the sounds, and this has become a tricky task.

More time and patience will help me complete this edit with 100% satisfaction.

One of the main aspects of my film is the use of sound effects. I want to reinforce the idea that my character is an ex-army servant who is suffering from a mental health problem due to the experiences he had fighting for his country. This means I need realistic "war sounds" to make it obvious to the audience what's happening; therefore I have searched for different sound effects on youtube and found ones for each of these:

• Gun shots - for when he is experiencing the flashbacks

After filming the car scenes, I realised I needed a song to be played on the radio therefore I looked on this website:

As you can see in the link above, the songs are royalty free so we can use them in our films without any worry of copyright laws. This website turned out to be really handy as it gave you sub-categories so you could narrow your searches down to exactly what mood/genre you wanted. I wanted a song that used classical instruments as well as having a quite calming tone (as my character tries to use the radio as a form of peace). After searching for a while, I came across this one:



As you can see above, the song uses the instruments I wanted to enhance the genre, as well as having the calm tone I desired. The name of the song "Funeral March For Brass" also links in with the subject of the film, so I was very happy when I found this piece of music.

Today was the day to film the flashbacks, and this time I had Helen Welsh as camera operator with her new Canon she got yesterday. I learnt from my mistake the other day and came into today a lot more prepared with ideas and a shot list. This became even more important, as the weather was terrible, so we had to film as soon as we had the chances to.

Jamie put on the army uniform which I got from my dad and it fit him well, which was one worry off my mind. As soon as we got to the location, we didn't hang around and just got straight into filming all the shots I planned. Again, Jamie was brilliant and did exactly what I wanted him to do, and even put forward some ideas I hadn't thought of.

After filming some walking and shouting scenes near the cannon, it was time to shoot the most important scene - the final flashback where he gets injured and loses his arm. Due to low production values, I had to be clever with how I filmed this, as obviously I don't have the money or access to film it with guns and fake blood. This didn't stop us though, as we filmed Jamie flipping over a grassy bank, and making sure the shots were as close up as possible so it didn't look fake or tacky. Jamie performed this last piece perfectly, as he genuinely looked like he was in agony even though I knew he wasn't. Very convincing, and Helen did a great job of getting dynamic shots of everything.

Overall, it was a very successful day which was actually finished in less than an hour. This was down to my organisation, as well as Jamie's flawless acting. Next time I would look at the weather report beforehand so I know exactly what to expect and therefore know what to bring in terms of clothing and equipment. I am happy with the shots I got, and now looking forward to editing it all together.

Today I filmed all the shots I needed apart from the flashbacks (which will be filmed at a different location another day). These shots mainly took place in Jamie's car and the office in Rochester.

The day started off quite slow as I wasn't fully prepared with my idea, and still had decisions to make. Luckily I thought of this in advance, which is why I met up with Jamie (actor) and Chris (camera operator) in the morning, so we had a lot of time to film. After a brainstorm with everyone, I finally decided on what I wanted to do and gave the brief so everyone was on the same wave length. One positive aspect of this project is the fact the actor doesn't necessarily have to remember lines, which gave Jamie a lot pressure while delivering his performance. This meant he had 100% concentration on his emotions and facial expressions, as well as his actions.

We started off with the car scenes as I wanted to use the daylight while we had the chance. Due to my idea of making Jamie have one arm, I made the decision for it to be his right arm that is missing as this made it a lot easier for us to hide that fact in the car scenes (steering wheel on the right side of the car, therefore camera on the left). Once everyone was in position and knew what they were doing, we cracked on with all the shots. I have learnt from previous projects to get many shots in the same place so I can sequence it nicely in the edit. This meant getting close-ups of all the aspects of a typical car journey including seat belt, radio, gear change and mirrors.

After all the car scenes were finished, I decided to get us all a KFC as working on an empty stomach never goes well. "Food is Fuel" is my motto, and I will always make sure my colleagues and I are satisfied in terms of food and drink as I want the best performance from everyone, including me. We then went to the office, where Chris and I sorted out the desk to make it look as realistic as possible. This involved moving items around as well as tidying. Due to scouting the location beforehand, I knew exactly what props I wanted to use, therefore making the preparation time a lot faster.

We filmed all the office scenes with Chris on camera, and myself directing while also in charge of the lighting. I didn't have to focus too much on the lighting as I wanted the room to be quite dark to reinforce his sense of loneliness. I told Jamie to act more shaken up as I wanted my film to progress in terms of emotions, I wanted it to build up. This turned out great, as he did exactly what I asked and it helped give the film some emotion. Helen told me beforehand that she wanted to feel the actors pain and torment, so that's what I told Jamie and he did it superbly with the use of heavy breathing and facial expressions.

After a long day, it was finally a wrap and I was very pleased with Jamie's performance as he did exactly what I was looking for. I believe this was down to good communication within the team, as well as Jamie's outstanding acting skills. One thing I am worried about is the amount of shots I've got. I won't know how many good shots I have until I sit down and edit. I am also worried about the lighting of the last office scenes, as even though I wanted them dark, I don't want them to be so bad that you can't see Jamie's facial expressions.

Overall I am happy with how it went, and I am looking forward to filming the flashbacks on Thursday.

Luckily my friend Jamie (who was our reporter in the Digital News project) is available on the filming days, and he said he is excited about starring in this role. I believe he is the perfect candidate for this role as not only does he have all the physical features I want, but he also has a great talent in front of the camera.

I've known him for many years, so we both know exactly how each other works, which means we can play to our strengths. I know how to get the best out of Jamie, and we communicate on a personal level due to being friends. This friendship also means we trust each other, as well as enjoying every shoot we do (mainly due to his funny personality).

I have every faith in Jamie, and believe he will deliver a performance exactly the way I want it to be and planned out in my head.

Unfortunately after asking my applicant about a possible audition, he replied by saying he is now busy/unavailable to take part in the film.... This is quite annoying as I'm filming soon and I only had one applicant. Here are the messages:

One person applied for my short film and here is his profile:

I will be filming in two locations for my fiction film, one inside and one out:

I have found an interesting video of a car sequence:

Here is a video of a war poem that has been adapted into a short film:

After getting feedback from my script and having a long discussion with Helen, I have now got a few more ideas for my film. Helen made a good point about the fact I'm limiting myself due to basing the whole film in an office.. Therefore I have decided to start the film in his car, as this means I can film him making his way to work as well as the office.

I think my attempt to portray the poem through different office props has made it quite confusing and farfetched.. therefore I have decided to stick with the poem being a thought in his head, however I will have the last bit of the poem on the back of a photo frame to make it more interesting, and gives something for the audience to refer to.

Finally, I am changing the fact my actor is going to be in a wheelchair. Even though this was a good ending, it just meant I limited myself to what I could film (especially now he's going to be driving). Therefore I am considering a different injury, and at the moment I'm thinking a lost arm, as this won't stop him from driving, and can film a lot easier. The reveal of the lost arm will still have the desired effect as the wheelchair did.

This is my first draft of the script for my film:

Now it's second year, I really need to start finding proper actors who have experience making films. I've heard "Starnow.co.uk" is good for recruiting actors, so I created an application on there to see if I could find any suitable actors:

As you can see, I have given a little description of the idea so any applicants know what they're in for. I have also stated the production time, so they can be available for when I'm filming. Due to being a student, I have warned them in advance that this is unpaid, which I know unfortunately means I will not get as many applicants; however I'm hoping at least a few people apply so I get a choice of who will suit this role the best.

Here is a link to a website that lists poems that have been adapted into films:

http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poetry-movies-partial-list

This long list has given me a lot of material to research on to develop my ideas.