Today was the day! Today was the day where I was faced with my biggest fear from this whole thing - directing! Throughout pre-production I was so tempted to scrap my film all because I didn't want to direct. I was very nervous and I'm not sure why because this morning when I set up the room and asked the actors to get into position, I wasn't nervous at all. I actually enjoyed it and have found some new confidence in myself, I am really proud of myself!
The day didn't start perfect, with one person being late because she was ill and another barely making it on time, however all was okay because the mini bus was 20 minutes late. We thought this would set us behind but when I got to the airport and started to set up the scene and camera it all worked out fine. I had a shot list as well as a shooting script, my film is very dialogue heavy therefore I used the script more so that I knew which lines of dialogue we were going off. In the script I had wrote down the shots I wanted as well as any actions or movements from the actors. I had to change my original plan because the lighting was a mix of natural and artificial and I had to change where people sat however I was pleased with the change and made it work.
The shot list that was created originally was done before this location was found therefore some of the earlier shots were changed to incorporate the TVs in the room and not include a window, as this location didn't have one (the other did). Also, we could not do a over the shoulder shot from one direction because there was a big poster in the background stating Thomson and we could not cover it up or move it therefore because we aren't allowed branding we had to not get this shot, but we did get some others.
Since we were using airport seating which was strips of seats we could move these in order to get the camera in for another shot, we marked on the floor so we knew where to move it back. We did the same with the master shot so that we could come back to it if we needed to throughout the film.
I was very happy with the actors, sometimes they got a little unfocussed especially when the crew were setting up shots however when we told them we were starting to film they came back into character and ready to film. There were slight problems with the cast hiding their scripts or using their phones to read their lines, this was fine except for when you could tell they were reading it from the script meaning we had to do another take. I was very happy with the actors, most of them had the Irish accent consistent and there were very times where we needed to do another take because of the accent. I also think this has taught the actors lots about filming for TV and Film; Dylan especially became very aware of continuity with him making sure his sleeves were up/down when appropriate and making sure his hood was down at the right point. Also, when I asked him to change his tone when saying a line he responded well and did what I asked (his accent was amazing too!). All of the actors were great and followed my direction well, I would work with all of them again.
As a director I got numerous takes of the same thing, even if the first was fine mostly because when watching it I was looking at one person but I knew that in editing I would have the chance to rewatch and look at everyone therefore I wanted to be able to have the best shot of everyone involved and keep my options open when editing. For the last shot of the scene it was one of organised chaos where props moved lots, therefore I decided it would be best to do this last and as a single take. Because of this I choreographed he routine of where each character was going and which prop would be moved when without moving the props. We did this shot from a high up angle which matched the first shot of the scene, I really liked this idea. Before filming this shot I gave the cast (and crew) a big motivational speech to get everyone's spirits up and match the energy needed for the shot.
Overall, despite being nervous at first I am so incredibly proud of myself and the cast and crew for what we have made, I actually can't believe that my script is being made and coming to life. I thank everyone involved, especially my dad who was there today taking photos, offering snacks and just being there in case I needed an opinion from someone who watches films, not makes them.
There were lots of BTS photos took so here are some:
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