More shoots. Though I am receeding through time. These images from Cristina Escoda's shoot in July and April (respectively). She is just finishing at the NFTS. The NFTS diploma course ran this very bizarre course structure where students had to shoot a feature in 3 parts throughout the year. Which is a ridiculous idea on paper let alone in practice. Fortunately, most of it was a fun shoot.
Cristina is great at acquiring very good locations for nothing or for very little, it makes shooting it, getting good angles and compositions a joy. Saying that, below is a picture of me on some flats we put on top of brick we found to get high enough to shoot through the window (which we broke) and I had to restrict shuffling my weight because it was always on the verge of toppling. The joy of no budgets. Cristina 'made' a Dolly which was cristened 'PramCam' because it was made from the base and wheels of an old pram. Despite a little bounce, it provided a cheap and graceful alternative to a track and dolly (I also hear it was used on other shoots).
I had never been to Eastbourne or Pippingford (also where a section of an upcoming film FlyBoys was shot) and it's great to be able to visit these places and work at the same time. When shooting though, you are always looking for a good shot, eyeing up eveything with a two dimensional image in mind. Your brain works differently when you're just visiting. So largely, it is very much work. We would typically move location once a day (sometimes three times). We are shooting some pick ups and reshooting some scenes in a few days and then it should be done and dusted. I figure I will be posting photos of previous shoots until I start my travels because in a way, they were/are my travels.
Taken with a Canon 10D.
- J
ps. don't let anyone say you cannot shoot a 'film' without a crew. It depends but you can do it without a horde. Me and Cristina shot most of her film with at most, 4 people, that's including us. Of course, it helps to have an excellent cinematographer.
My camera assistant Chloe saved me today by taking over in shooting the interview with the heart surgeon (for PCRF gig). I was still in the middle of finishing up the grade for Escaping Ornsay. So 5 gold stars for her.
So finished the grade on Escaping Ornsay. Not the original idea I had in mind but it's good to accept new ideas into your work from the director and the colourist. Have some reins, but let it evolve on it's own. A thanks to Ian at Glassworks (3 gold stars). And thanks to David who made shooting f*cking 35 Anamorphic a reality and asking me to shoot it (5 gold stars just for asking). Going down on HDCAM SR which should look pretty bollocks fantastic, second only to a 35mm print. Hold your water, the phone is going off...God... I wish Terrance Malik would leave me be. Old people...
Briefly met the heart surgeon who will be operating on the child that we will document. Learnt I will be also shooting some of the actual surgery. I am confident in the knowledge that I have the least dfficult task in this scenario so I better do good. Better do good regardless. Also got a waiver form from PCRF which basically absolves them of any responsibility should we be blown up while having cappacinno. Mines an expresso please.
Meeting special friend tomorrow who I haven't seen in two and a half years from Delhi. Me and a mutual friend reckon she'll be the next president of India. And she's 20. And I'm serious.
I leave today a glass of Bordeaux and on the blog, the first sheet of the waiver. Drag and drop to read. The other pages are more of the same old same old.
- J
Taken with a Canon 10D.
