Chris and I got picked up by Richard from the Rochester campus at 7am, this is the first time we met him, so the car journey gave us a good chance to get to know him, as well as fully understand the plan for the long day ahead. We picked up the other 2 students working with us, Liam and Erika, and then set off to the Eurotunnel.
After arriving in France, we checked in to the hotel, which was in a great location as it was walking distance from the theatre where we would be working in. This was useful for Chris and I as we had a lot of equipment to carry including a Sony EXP, a Canon 7D, zoom mic kit and laptops. We wanted to bring as many pieces of equipment as possible because we needed back up, as well as variety.
We got to the theatre an hour before the rehearsals, which was not great in terms of timing and preparation.. However we scouted the location quickly, and briefed each other on our roles. I took charge of this, and delegated each team member (including Richard) a role with different equipment. I stepped up to this leadership as I knew what I wanted and I've learnt from my experiences of being a director in my past projects. After briefing everyone and getting them in place, we started recording the rehearsals, with Chris on the Sony and me directing as a 3rd eye. This worked well, and we had confidence as this system worked well in our last project (which was very successful). The sound and lighting were very good as the theatre was very grand and purposely built to aid these factors.
After the rehearsals, we headed straight to the entrance, as we decided to film our interviews there. Again we were restricted with time, however the plan beforehand really helped and we knew exactly what we wanted and where. We interviewed the children, which turned out to be the biggest challenge of the day. They were inexperienced in front of the camera, and they also had limited English. I had to direct them using sign language as this was my only option due to not being able to speak French. This wasted time, however we got them in place and started rolling. They were given the questions beforehand, which worked well for preparation, however also meant some of the children's answers were quite robotic. This may also have been down to the language barrier as well as nerves. We just about finished the interviews with different groups, and only had to reshoot once which was handy. One decision I was proud of halfway through filming, was the fact I chose the children's carer/teacher to ask the questions rather than myself. I thought this would make the children feel more comfortable and therefore give better answers; and that is exactly what happened.
After the interviews, we met up again and discussed developments. This was key as communication within a team is vital to a successful project. We then enjoyed the show, with Chris and I filming the audience coming in, as well as parts of the show (which was very impressive). We were more organised this time around as we knew what to expect, and could position the camera accordingly.
Overall, it was a brilliant day where I developed many new skills and gained great experience. I felt comfortable as I was working with Chris, and the people we worked with were nice, hard working and listened to my instructions. I have definitely learnt how to step up and become a leader of a situation, which will help me greatly in my future projects. Working with a language barrier was definitely the toughest test, but one I'm glad to have experienced as I now know how to act under these circumstances. On another day I would get to the location earlier as it felt like we were rushing the whole time; the importance of time and preparation has been made very clear after this experience. Looking forward to filming in Canterbury!
