PRE-PRODUCTION UNIT: Evaluation

The research, development and product

As a group we decided to continue our idea of VET-MAN from the Transition Unit and develop it into a final major project. However, together we decided that a mockumentary approach was the wrong way to go, therefore, we opted for a sit-com instead. I decided to continue with my role of Director Of Photography.

To understand what was required of me within my role I researched the role of the DOP and three DOPs (Polly Morgan, Petra Korner and Jamie Cairney), contacting all of them for additional information and advice. This helped me to work out what to prioritise and what was necessary to prepare in the pre production of a project. As well as this, I conducted some research into relevant programmes that would aid me in the development of VET-MAN. I chose programmes that used a similar filming style to my desired handheld, natural method but with different methods of delivering the comedy so that I could establish how appropriate this filming method would be for the production of VET-MAN. I researched The Thick Of It as the programme which had the most similar filming style to my desired style, I then also researched I'm Alan Partridge and Brooklyn Nine Nine which had similar handheld styles yet with slight differences which are outlined in these posts. I then also research Black Mirror (in particular the episode Shut Up and Dance) to look at different cinematography styles and to see how different moods can be evoked through different cinematography methods. Furthermore, I also researched the sit-com as a genre which involved looking into sit-coms such as Big Train and Not Going Out. All of this research combined helped to inform my filming style, what to test in my test shoots, which equipment to use, how to light the production, how to construct the mise-en-scene of the production, colour grading decisions and how this affected the telling of the story of VET-MAN - all of these decisions into the cinematography of VET-MAN and why I made these decisions are displayed in my Director Of Photography statement.

One of my biggest roles as DOP was test shooting so that I could make the appropriate decisions into how VET-MAN should be shot and displayed visually. These test shoots allowed me to narrow down which camera would be most appropriate to use to shoot VET-MAN, how to light the scenes and also gave me some practice at blocking and shooting certain scenes with the director such as the opening scene and the owl punch scene - helping me to solidify my storyboarding and shot list choices and also to see how feasible it is to film the selected scenes in the proposed style.

Another big role of mine as DOP was creating the storyboard and shot list for the production. This helped to lay out all the cinematography decisions for VET-MAN in order to clearly display how the production would be shot.

Overall, I feel the development of the pre-production of VET-MAN was successful. I feel the research I performed lead me to test the correct things in the test shoot and, therefore, make the best decisions into the filming style and which equipment to use to achieve this. The storyboard and shot list clearly lay out how each scene should be filmed which will allows the intended cinematography for VET-MAN to be displayed - these also provide a lot of information into the camera movements, shots and lighting required for each scene, meaning the producer can use this to schedule the shoot days - making the collaborative element of this unit smoother.



Strengths

- Gained first hand insight from two young female DoPs which helped to focus my ideas. The main piece of advice given from both was that the story should be central to all decisions made - this helped me to focus my ideas and keep asking myself how my decisions related back to the story I was trying to tell. From this advice into prioritising the story, I was able to solidify my choice in natural handheld camera style and the realistic yet cinematic look (which would be depicted through the colour grade and aspect ratio) as this reflected the naturalistic, deadpan, dark comedy of VET-MAN.

- Gained insight from the DoP of my main inspiration (The Thick Of It) for the filming style of VET-MAN. This helped to both give me more ideas into the production of VET-MAN and reinforce ideas I already had. Jamie Cairney revealed that the production of The Thick Of It mainly relied on natural or practical lights - and if this failed to provide enough light for the scene, lighting was rigged overhead or through windows to mimic natural or practical lighting in a way that didn't interfere with the filming process. As Cairney revealed that a lot of the action was captured spontaneously without blocking, it was important that lighting equipment would not be captured by the rapid, unpredictable camera movements. Although VET-MAN is slightly more planned and blocked (meaning that the positions of lighting equipment can be such that they do not interfere with the shots), due to using some similar techniques such as quick pans and crash zooms, it is good to limit the amount of equipment that could be accidentally captured in shot to avoid re-takes of scenes and lengthening the production process. This insight into the production of The Thick Of It also proves that a good quality, natural look can be achieved using mainly natural and practical lighting - it does not HAVE to be supplemented by artificial lighting equipment.

- The three test shoots helped to decide equipment would be most appropriate for the production of VET-MAN and how best this equipment would be used to capture the desired shooting style. The first test shoot was very successful and enabled me to narrow down which camera out of the Panasonic DVX200, JVC GY-HM850 and Canon 7D would be best for shooting in a handheld, natural, observational style with crash zooms and panning. I compared the cameras in terms of the quality of footage they produced, the ease of use, the weight of the camera, the features of the camera, the stability of the camera and the scope for the colour grading process - this lead to me picking the Panasonic DVX200 after thoroughly testing all the cameras. This thorough testing has meant that I have chosen the best camera for the production which will enable me to achieve the desired realistic yet cinematic look. The second test shoot enabled me to test the settings of the camera further and also work out how to shoot a complex scene within the production. Working out how to film this scene meant that I could visualise how this action within the script was going to pan out and, therefore, allowed me to storyboard this piece of action better so that I will have a clear idea of how this will be filmed in the actual production. The final test shoot allowed me to test lighting in order to find the best lighting for the shoot - I tested reflectors and LEDs in different locations and lighting situations to work out which sort of lighting would be needed for each scene to maintain the natural look of the production. By performing these in-depth test shoots, I have ensured that the equipment I have chosen is the most appropriate for the production and will help me to achieve the best result.

- I included detail in the storyboard and shot list into how the scenes will be lit and where the natural lighting will be coming from. This helps to give a clearer image of how the scenes will appear visually, not just in terms of how they are shot with the camera movements etc, but how the lighting will affect how the characters appear. Including this detail also helps the producer to schedule which equipment is needed for each scene so that she can ensure this is available to use - ensuring a smoother production.


Weaknesses

- The storyboard and shot list are based on the third draft of the script, meaning that they will need to be developed further before the project can be taken into production. Whilst the storyboard and shot list are sufficient in mapping out the shot types and camera movements within the scene, certain things have changed between the third draft and final draft which means the storyboard and shot list will need to change accordingly. However, the third draft storyboard and shot list still depict the rough storyline of VET-MAN and the camera movements and shot types will remain largely similar which means these versions of the storyboard and shot list still give a clear vision of how the cinematography of VET-MAN will pan out - I could just develop this further by developing the final draft of the script into a shot list and storyboard.

- My chosen cinematography style is quite difficult to achieve as I have chosen to combine two opposing styles - realistic and cinematic - therefore, it may be hard to achieve the right balance. I have chosen to film in a high quality resolution, colour grade using a hollywood standard scheme of teal and orange and crop to an aspect ratio of 21:9 in order to give VET-MAN a cinematic look, yet the main things keeping the essence of realism are the shot types and camera movements - this suggests there may be an imbalance between the two styles and VET-MAN may look more cinematic than realistic but this just means I need to be more aware of my camera movements and ensure these are performed as proposed to keep the realistic style of the production.

- I fell slightly behind schedule with storyboarding, meaning that only one storyboard of the production could be developed. Ideally, I would have liked to complete a storyboard on the final draft of the script but this was also dependent on collaboration with the writer. If I had kept on schedule, I may have been able to compromise my original plan and still develop a storyboard on the fourth draft of the script as well as the third as this would have given an even clearer direction for the cinematography of VET-MAN, however, there was not time to do this. Despite this, my storyboard and shot list of draft three of the script still depict a clear idea of the story, I would have just liked for it to be more refined.


What did I learn?

- From my research into Polly Morgan, I found that all decisions to do with the look and aesthetic of the production must take into consideration the story you are trying to tell. As she said; "all choices come in response to the STORY. What are you trying to say? How are you trying to make the viewer feel? How can you use the tools available to you to achieve that?" - This advice really helped me to put consideration into all the choices I made. I have chosen to shoot in a handheld, observational way BECAUSE this adds to the realistic nature of the production which helps to shift the focus onto the deadpan, satirical humour. I have chosen to use the Panasonic DVX200 BECAUSE the controls of the camera are accessible and the weight of the camera is not too much for the handheld, observatory camerawork. The camera also films in 4K which gives good quality for a cinematic look and gave the most realistic colours / exposure when compared to the other cameras in the initial test shoot. I have chosen to colour grade the project in orange and teal complimentary colours BECAUSE this adds to the cinematic elements of the product but I am using these colours at a reduced intensity to keep the essence of naturalism. I have chosen to crop the product to an aspect ratio of 21:9 BECAUSE this adds to the cinematic essence of the film as this gives a wider field of vision, however, when combined with the realistic camerawork and colourings, this helps to produce the realistic yet cinematic desired look.

- Artificial lighting is sometimes necessary even when creating a natural looking production. Initially, I hadn't planned on using lighting equipment as I wanted the production to have an entirely natural feel, however, after testing lighting in the test shoots, it was apparent that natural results could be achieved using the lights. It was also apparent that natural or practical lighting in some of the locations would not have been sufficient (e.g. the practical lighting within the pub was far too dull, leaving the subject completely cast in shadow) - without performing this lighting test shoot, I would have planned to use natural lighting and, therefore, would have produced a lower quality product. This has shown me the importance of test shooting and not assuming that to produce a natural looking production, everything needs to be natural - additional equipment can be used in clever ways to produce an enhanced yet natural looking result.


What could I develop?

- I need to have better time management so that I can achieve the things I set out to (e.g. developing a further storyboard). If I hadn't fallen behind with the development of the storyboard, I would have been able to develop a further version and, therefore, had an even clearer idea of the cinematography involved in VET-MAN which would have ensured for an even smoother production process. However, due to falling behind schedule, the only existing storyboard for VET-MAN is based on version three of the script. I will now develop a storyboard and shot-list based on the final version of the script to ensure VET-MAN can go straight into production.