Filming was planned for the 17th of March 2010, with departure of weymouth around 1:00pm and arrival to be around 1:30pm. From leaving college everything seemed as planned, camera had been collected, spare battery packs were made additional as we were not within range of a power supply, also looking back at past experience from the preliminary exercise, our camera had limited run time and therefor had to be connected to a stable power supply for the whole of the filming. For the preliminary exercise this was acceptable as we were able to access the facilities plug sockets due to the fact filming was made indoors.
As we were walking to the bus stop, i stopped the group to check that all equipment was accompanied for, whilst checking it was made apparent that the tape needed to record to was not present. A quick decision was made to run back and grab our previous tape to record on to the end of, this however was not so simple, the original tape could not be found or was not within range of access, and with limited time left until recording over at Grovefield portland, all that could be done was to acquire a new tape and run to catch the bus.
Communications were well organised, Holli Bash had met the cast and was taking them to Grovefield, Deanna Stevens was in Weymouth town collecting extra props etc for the production. Myself and Phillip Howarth were with the equipment and ready to meet Deanna. With time set quite tightly it was essential that we made it to Grovefield in good time, as make-up and clothing had to be sorted out.
Having regrouped with Deanna Stevens we caught the bus and headed over to Portland, from this point on we had to rely on team work as both Phillip and myself had not been to Portland/Grovefield before filming, Deanna told us which stop to get off at so we could pursue our walk to Grovefield and re-group with Holli bash and cast.
On arrival to Grovefield our initial reaction when observing the weather conditions was not as expected, the entire field was coated in thick heavy fog which really aided us in the filming of the main exercise. The fog allowed us to create this Erie sensation to enhance the emotion of the characters and really contrast the Mise-En-Scene of the area.The fog acted like a screen against people walking their dogs and children playing in the park, to enhance the desertification of life and apply our intentions of the opening titles.
Prior to the filming we had to make recce's for the layout of the area/field, for both myself and Phillip Howarth we could not really help in the production of this as we had never seen the area, but we did contribute on the 16th of march (Day before production) By using google maps to finish layouts and positioning of various landmarks within the field. We did this because Holli Bash and Deanna Stevens were in Weymouth Town getting props and various make-up requirements for making the Zombies look and feel realistic.
My intention was to create a 'Gore' Scene, having studied the
BBFC Classifications website for age restricted films, our intentions were to aim our production at an audience of 15, however this means we are required to not emphasise prolonged pain on a character (Torture). So therefore the 'Gore' Scene had to be short but to the point in order to compensate the ideologies of a zombie attack.
Additionally the mixture used to create the realism of 'Insides' being ripped out had to resemble the real thing, therefore we used minced meat, red food colouring X2, syrup and water.
But because the mince was not cooked we had to be careful of food poisoning and the potential of people getting ill as a result of the mixture entering, eyes/mouth etc. There was one incident of someone getting the raw mince in their mouth however as we had made a risk assessment prior to filming there was plenty of water to ensure the mouth was made clean and raw meat free. Also there were further drawbacks, because we were using food colouring, clothes and skin were stained as a result of contact, for this reason we made it apparent that ever
yone was aware to bring old clothing.
For the duration of the filming/production we were lead to believe that the camera was filming, at the beginning the introductory shot was taken by which we wanted to rewind a view the scene/caption after recording. We had trouble with this as the screen went black and would not allow us to view what we had recorded. Un
sure what the problem was the decision was made to continue recording as we believed that the shots could only be viewed through the upload to Windows Movie Maker, however hesitation made us believe that previously during the preliminary exercise that we could rewind to view past product.
The executive decision was made to carry on as scheduled, seeing as when the 'Record' button was pressed the numbers which represent this began to roll. Additionally we had a cast size of around 15 and therefore we could not reject and tell them that there was no chance of film production, many had come from further apart external from Portland and Weymouth.
However despite the incidence involving no information having been recorded to tape, we have gained insight to how we could make things better. Additionally because we have already organised the shots, positions, movement, close-ups, Long shots etc. Filming will be fast and more efficient for the 24th of march, however filming will be later due to the fact that Holli Bash, one of the groups members will only be able to get her brother after he finishes school, filming will start at 3:00pm and scheduled to finish at 6:00pm.
Despite having previous confidence as a result of filming failure, admiration to the succession of the second take was more likely as we already knew the 'ins' and 'outs' of shots and terrain prospectus. To start
the beginning was well organised, apart from a few members who previously filmed and could not attend for a second time, rep
lacements were made and filming continued as scheduled.
The most imminent problem regarding the film shoot on March 24th was inevitably the
weather, conditions were poor resulting in equipment and cast getting wet, this jump started the multiplier effect, when people started getting wet, they got cold. Underfoot began to loosen and hazards increased, especially as one of our volunteers required glasses to see properly.
Another big issue was last time we had good fortune of heavy fog to shield people, walkers, dogs etc. This of course added to the drama and a reflection of pathetic-fallacy (Weather reflects the mood of characters portrayed within the world of the frame).
For the second filming we only had rain which integrated with the visibility, proving that the clarity of the field had improved, allowing for small children and footballers, who were miraculously not getting eaten by savage zombies to be seen within the shot. The weather also had its toll on the cast and the drive to perform as well as last time despite a few new faces, and determination to success. However this time the tape did record, we made sure of it. And in terms of team work we all worked well at meeting deadlines and ensuring that everyones role was fulfilled properly and to the best of our ability. We wanted to achieve a zombie film with the directions from our
script and storyboard, which before editing have successfully achieved, looking at the individual shots.