Going Up david from Media Factory on Vimeo.

The intricacies of film making were exposed to me throughout this studio. It is an eye-opening moment for me to realises the number of preparations and considerations that must be carried before even pressing record on the camera. From week 1 where I just picked up the camera without much consideration for lighting or framing, to spending half a day on set experimenting with lighting alone, I obtained practical knowledge on the so-called “boring”  yet necessary aspects of film making. On that topic, the organisation system taught by Paul came into use for this project. With 4 scenes to edit in total, I would imagine it to be a nightmare to scan through all the footage and sound to look for a clip I wanted. The process of editing was also redefined for me. In the past, I would put all my footage into one sequence, and assemble, edit, colour grade all in the one sequence. I soon learned in our previous assignment, that although it was a familiar method to me, it prevents experimentation. I also appreciated the learning environment that was created in every class and got the chance to work with so many talented people in our studio, many of whom I would love to work with in future projects.

Crew photo after 2 days of shooting

The making of this project took a lot of planning and preparations. A timeline was made for the deadlines for the script, casting, location and filming. In terms of the story, due to its nature, three people were in charge of writing a scene each. The scripts were compiled in one document, meaning we could see each other’s section and provide feedback. While this was going on, casting calls were put out for the two main actors. After the scripts were nearly complete, casting calls were made for the side characters also. In class, we mainly discussed the additional preparations that were necessary such as props, catering on the day of shooting and equipment.

For the location, I was able to provide the set in an empty house I own in Point Cook. While this allows us to have an empty space to build our set, it also came with the issue of transportation for both the group members and the cast due to the distance. For one member, in particular, she had to drive for 2 hours to reach the set. The weekend before filming, the group came to the set in order to begin building the “elevator.”

We purchased corflute from Bunnings, divided them into smaller strips with scissors and stuck them onto the walls using Blu Tack. This was the most affordable option for us and ensures no damage to the walls. This saved a lot of work for us the week of filming.

That week, we mainly focused on finalising the storyboards for each scene and creating a shot schedule for the First AD on the day of shooting. A member was tasked with buying the props, while I spent my days off from uni making filling the house with furniture and essentials.

Delivery of chairs

Meeting of the minds

On Friday, the day before filming, I drove from my house to RMIT to pick up the equipment I booked for filming. A member came with me to carry and set up the equipment. We spent the majority of the day figuring out good lighting set up, and it ended up looking exactly how we positioned them in the class experiment.

The amount of preparation done in the weeks before filming ensured that on the day of filming we could focus on just filming. This is something I wish to replicate in the future; although having to plan everything out beforehand can be exhausting, it made the two days of filming much easier. On Saturday, the whole group arrived at the set at 8 am, the cast is set to arrive at 10:30 am. During this time, we went through each person’s role, the director of each scene went through their shooting schedule with the First AD, ensuring that both of them are on the same page. Final checks on the equipment were made; sound and camera settings checks were done. While waiting anxiously for the actors arrive, the whole group were rather quiet, perhaps a bit concerned about how the rest of the day will turn out.

Soon the actors have arrived and they looked excited about this project. I had to pick up an actor from the nearby train station with a group member. When we returned, the director has familiarised the script with the actors and have gotten to know them. Before filming began, time was spent just talking to the actors, making sure that they understand the script, and even acting it out in front of them; this is something I wish to continue to do in future projects. It is clear to see how impactful this was, the energy on set was always quite high, due to our project being a comedy, the actors would often make suggestions on their lines to make them funnier, and we would give them opportunities to ad lib lines if they wanted. This also always resulted in laughter as soon as the director said “cut!” We ensured that the actors had frequent breaks due to the lighting being quite intense inside the set.

On Sunday, I was the director of the last scene. I felt quite stressed in the morning as I was going over my storyboard to my First AD, realising the convoluted nature of it. When the actors arrive, I realised how attentive everyone was in my directions and felt quite nervous. I felt that I was responsible for the final product that will be edited by the group. However, due to my group members, I was able to spend more time with actors than worrying about which shot to do next; my first First AD helped me with the shooting schedule; all I had to do was direct the actors and looking over the camera to see what the shot looks like. When we forget which part of the script was next, a group member would remind me. This could be attributed to our script writing process since we were all quite familiar with each other’s section. It also highlights the importance of communication between the group members, as I felt such a support system where I was able to not think about the script or the storyboard was crucial for my scene.

Putting fake blood on an actor’s shirt

After the filming is finished, we loaded up all the equipment into my car, where I drove it back to RMIT the next morning. When I arrived, my group members were there at the parking lot with a trolley, helping me bring it back.

The journey back

All things considered, I felt that each member was needed for this project to run so well. With a group of 5, we were still filled with tasks that would otherwise be unachievable with 4. This project gave me a lot of first experiences: doing a casting call and contacting actors, working with people older than us on set, building a set from scratch, as well as many practical experiences of setting up lighting and camera framing. But the most valuable experience I gained was seeing other group’s work and hearing their stories on set. This multi-week project made me feel like I accomplished small tasks every day. This momentum I picked up especially in the week of filming is something I’ve been looking for since the start of this studio. I realised the inertia I have written about in the first assignment had been slowly dispelled, partly from conversing with other students and their passions. Over the course of this studio, I not only utilised Premiere Pro in ways I have not done before but also doing projects like real estate videos. I began to use Premiere Pro, not as a chore, but as a new path for me to explore again. By altering my familiar process of making videos, I discovered new functionalities, new shortcuts and a new way to express my creative output. I have Small Things to thank for this.

Cheers