Film and TV - rehearsal unit - WEEK 7

KENS WORK

Although we had planned to film next week, we felt we could bring it forward as we were all ready. As we had some cast members missing, it made sense to do a short scene, so we did Kens office scene. It was quite slow to start off with, as it was our first time filming with a time limit. Despite this, it was quite successful, as both myself and James were able to get into character. Tristan was the videographer and director at the start, followed by Emma taking over. This scene only lasts a minute, so it was a very good scene to start with. 

STEVE AND CONNIE'S HOUSE

As I am not part of this scene, I wasn't there (and it was inconvenient). Despite this, I helped plan what to shoot. From what I heard, it was a very successful shoot, with Emma directing. I will edit this footage together soon, get some feedback so I can apply that feedback to how I edit the rest of the show.

Film and TV - rehearsal unit - WEEK 5 and 6

WEEK 6

This week we worked on improvising scenarios around our characters to build our understanding around them. We spent 5 minutes coming up with our own improvised scenarios based on implied and given circumstances in our script. Some of the ideas included:

the family Christmas dinner, with Cuckoo butting heads with Ken and Connie and Steve bursting in

• Rachel and Lorna before Rachel goes off on her gap year
• Lorna flirting with Cuckoo, then Ken walks in
• Steve leading a karate class
• Steve and Connie in their bedroom, with Steve trying to role-play Ken
• Dylan and Charlie in detention
• Zoe and Dylan on a date
• Ken & Lorna and Connie & Steve meet for the first time

This was beneficial to all of us, as it meant we could grasp our characters on a deeper level. It also helped establish the relationships between the characters.

WEEK 5

This week was a continuation of our previous week. We continued working on the spreadsheet, continued working on our lines, and continued contacting our extras to confirm times we would be able to film. We have planned to start filming mid-march, with filming lasting around 2-3 weeks. This is to obtain realism (as if the filming was for much longer, haircuts would change). We have split the filming into 8 shoots:

1. KENS WORK
2. STEVE AND CONNIE'S HOUSE
3. PARTY,  PREPARING FOR PARTY,  KENS STUDY,  TERRACE
4. GARAGE LAST SCENE
5. FAMILY MEETING,  POTATO WASHING
6. BEDROOM
7. KITCHEN
8. VOTING,  KEN AND RACHEL CONVERSATION

A key area we focused on this week was location scouting. We all went home to scout our homes and areas and sent these to each other. Originally, we decided to film at my house. This was because we were looking for a house with an island in the kitchen, that is close to the dining room. Although my house would have worked, we decided it would be breaching COVID-19 restrictions. This means we will have to film in the conference room. Although this is more convenient, it means the realism will be lowered significantly. On the plus side, we have greater access to this room and we will be able to shoot several scenes (using flats to create the different rooms).

We still want some variation in locations, which is why we have planned to film in these locations:

• Library

This will be Kens Study, where he has a 1 on 1 conversation with Zoe.

• Silvana's house

This will be Connie and Steve's house. It works perfectly, as it appears far more classy than the rest of our set, keeping to the theme of wealth within that family.

• Terrace

We have chosen to film one of the garage scenes of a terrace, to mix up our location from being in the conference room

• A school office

This is where we will film Kens office scene with Dylan

• The school garage

We are planning on asking the school caretakers if we can use their garage to film the closing scene. Although it would make sense to film both on the terrace, the final scene is set in the evening, so the lighting outside wouldn't work.

• My bathroom

I will film my cologne scene in my own bathroom, as a school bathroom doesn't work

Film and TV - rehearsal unit - WEEK 4

08.02.21

Emma has finished the majority of the script already, meaning we prioritised having a script read-through. This was very useful, as it was the first time we could experience the show as the actors, instead of the audience. I have had some struggles with reading Dylan, as I'm struggling to be creative with the delivery of the lines.

In the afternoon, we had another read-through with the Y12's (the extras in our show), and this was very successful. The year 12's hadn't seen the episode yet, so it was refreshing to see the comedy translated through our acting. I managed to adapt my delivery to improve my interpretation significantly.

(we also had a pre-production meeting, which is in our Microsoft Teams folder)

HERE IS THE SCRIPT

Cuckoo s1ep2 script from LouisHodges3

11/02/21

We had a pre-production meeting to establish our roles and work through a spreadsheet make to establish:

• Rehearsal schedule
• Filming schedule
• Rehearsals
• Props list & who will bring in what
• Costumes for each character
• Assigned videographer and director for each scene

HERE IS THE MEETING

• meeting part 1
• meeting part 2

(This was not the version at the time but is the finished version - adaptations were made to it throughout the process)

Film and TV - rehearsal unit - WEEK 3

This week we decided on our pre-production (and post-production) tasks. First of all, we listed all the pre-production tasks required, and we settled on this list:

• Production manager
• Storyboard
• Costume, props, set, hair and makeup
• Scriptwriting

As James wasn't present today, he was assigned the role of productions manager. This means that he will lead pre-production meetings, and will take the lead role of organising rehearsals.

Amelie and Tristan are working together to create a storyboard. A storyboard is a key section of creating the visual concept, as it gives us the opportunity to see each shot type in isolation. This is a longer task, therefore the two are sharing it. These storyboards will be key to our productions dates, as they will make the process of changing set/shot type a lot more efficient.

The next pre-production task was research and the creation + planning into costume, props, set, hair and makeup. Hugo and Silvana will share this role, as both students have a past in Art. Their job could include painting set, collecting the best costumes from everyone, and ensuring we keep within our budget.

The final pre-production task is scriptwriting, as we couldn't find one online. Although this isn't a challenging task, it is very time consuming and very important. It has to be perfect, and very accurate, to stop us getting dialogue wrong or cues. Emma will be taking this task.

Post-production:

I do not have a pre-production task, as I am taking the role of editing the whole show. This is a very difficult task, and I will be editing on Final Cut Pro. 

Film and TV - rehearsal unit - WEEK 2

We have decided that our episode recreation will be of Cuckoo. This is for the following reasons:

• Has the perfect cast members
• Humour doesn't rely on the audience to know the show
• Gives us more opportunity to make the characters our own

After deciding on Cuckoo, we chose our characters:

Cuckoo: Hugo
Rachel: Emma
Lorna: Amelie
Ken: James
Dylan: Louis
Connie: Silvana
Steve: Tristan

Our extras are:

Zoe: Olivia
Charlie: Alessandro
Kelly: Maddy
Kelly's Husband: James
Toby: Alan
Toby's Girlfriend: Ella

After deciding on playing Dylan, I researched his given and implied circumstances, along with general research into the character.

DYLAN 

"Dylan is a sixteen year old virgin, whose moral code would make Machiavelli feel a bit uneasy. When Dylan surveys the members of his family, he doesn't see people - he sees opportunities to get money, lifts and Chinese takeaway. Dylan couldn’t care less about his sister’s big news but for the fact that disharmony in the family presents new bribing opportunities for him. The one hope for Dylan's black soul is his undying love for Lorna's best friend's daughter, Zoe."

Age: 16

Nationality: English

Given  

Pervert - “Mum, you know the only reason he started lifeguarding was so he could perve on Zoe in her swimming costume.’

Obsessive - I am a lifeguard. I’m guarding her. If I don’t stare at her, she might drown.

Uncool - I am a lifeguard. I’m guarding her. If I don’t stare at her, she might drown.

Short attention span - Let’s cut to the chase. The vote. Rachel will be with Cuckoo, Mum will be with you, so I’m the deciding vote.

Straight talking - Here’s the deal! I give you my vote and you make Zoe come to Rachel’s party on Saturday.

 

Implied 

Stubborn - Here’s the deal! I give you my vote and you make Zoe come to Rachel’s party on Saturday.

Arrogant - So I can make my move.

Manipulative - Here’s the deal! I give you my vote and you make Zoe come to Rachel’s party on Saturday.

Selfish - Here’s the deal! I give you my vote and you make Zoe come to Rachel’s party on Saturday.

Harsh - You are a bit like Hitler, Dad. You actually look like him.

Awkward - Yeah, it can be hard to start a conversation, she swims very fast.

Desperate - Right. Erm… So, yeah, Zoe, I was just thinking that this is a terrible party. Maybe you’d want to go somewhere quieter so we could hang out?

Film and TV - rehearsal unit - WEEK 1

Today, we discussed what film or TV show we would recreate and why. Here are some options:

Brooklyn 99

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police procedural comedy television series created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur. The series revolves around Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), a talented but immature NYPD detective in Brooklyn's fictional 99th Precinct, who often comes into conflict with his commanding officer, the serious and stern Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher). The rest of the cast features Stephanie Beatriz as Rosa Diaz, Terry Crews as Terry Jeffords, Melissa Fumero as Amy Santiago, Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle, Chelsea Peretti as Gina Linetti, Dirk Blocker as Michael Hitchcock, and Joel McKinnon Miller as Norm Scully.

Brooklyn 99 has been done by a previous year group, and they executed the project very well, which played into our decision to include it in our discussion. Some pros are:

• Ironic comedy, we can execute well
• Good cast number
• We would fit the characters well

Cons:

• Don't want to do a show that a previous year did
• The locations don't vary enough
• A lot harder to find costumes on little to no budget

Here is the style:

The Office

The Office is an American mockumentary sitcom television series that depicts the everyday work lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It aired on NBC from March 24, 2005, to May 16, 2013, lasting a total of nine seasons

The Office was our first idea because it has a unique mockumentary style, in which we could bring the comedy through camera work as well as just acting. Around the same time we had though to do this series, we had to film a Christmas video for our school, so we tried to use The Office's unique comedy style in it:

Pros:

• We have already read some scripts and chosen characters that would fit each of us
• The comedy style can be executed by our cast
• Relatively simplistic costuming (suits)
• Easy to find a location (just need to set up desks)
• Could social distance easily

Cons:

• Locations don't change enough
• Slightly awkward cast number
• Not enough women in the cast

Here is the style:

Cuckoo

Cuckoo is set in Lichfield, Staffordshire, (external scenes are mostly filmed in Farnham, Surrey, Slough, Berkshire, and Amersham, Buckinghamshire, all approximately 100 miles south of Lichfield), home to the Thompson family. When Ken (Davies) and Lorna (Baxendale) collect their daughter Rachel (Kari) from the airport, they learn that she has returned from her gap year before medical school having married Dale "Cuckoo" Ashbrick (Samberg), an eccentric American hippie with an exuberantly loving attitude who does not have a job and loves to take drugs.

pros:

• We already have an idea for which episode to do
• good amount of characters

cons:

• no online script
• could be hard to execute the comedy style (quite natural)

Here is the style:

Film and TV - rehearsal unit - preperation

 To prepare for our Film and TV unit, we are splitting into 3 groups and creating adverts, being around 1-2 minutes. I am in a group with Hugo and James and we have decided to advertise a 'long stick'. This is the inspiration:

Elements we are taking from these:

• Infomercial 'title' screen at the end
• Snappy style
• Music
• Fast cuts
• exaggerated characters

Our concept

Hugo narrates the advert (film him over a green screen)

James the admirable character

Louis plays the character that is miserable, wants to be more like James

Louis is woken up by music playing upstairs (annoying neighbours) but has nothing to quiet them down with (throws toilet paper roll at the ceiling, nothing happens)

This then transitions into Hugo speaking (with background music), and discussing the 'long stick'

Then a series of 'flashback' sequences playout:

• James silences his neighbours
• Goes fishing in his bathtub
• Cooks with it
• Uses it as an umbrella in the shower
• Walking
• Keeps social distance between him and stranger
• Plays it as a didgeridoo
• Blue advert screen

Here is our final advert:

This has reminded us of certain aspects of directing and acting for film and TV, meaning we will go into our final production with more skills to be more efficient and make our shoots more effective.