3rd Entry – The ring round

I’ve just contacted everybody involved; the driver’s aware of everything he’s got himself in for, the actress is available and ready for action and I’m awaiting a reply from the actor; but everything seems to have come together quite nicely. I have a backup camera just in case the N95 doesn’t appear for whatever reason and the driver is willing to fill in as a character should needs be. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?

I’ve created some cards with shot descriptions written on them so I know exactly what I’m shooting and in what order; various factors have had to be considered in ordering the shoot, such as availability of the car, costume change, lighting etc but I’m confident I have the right sequence drawn out. I work till 5 tomorrow and Tom, the actor, is unavailable till 6/7, which means all preparations have really got to be made tonight.

Just hope nothing gets in the way of filming between now and then…

2nd Entry – Further Planning

Tomorrow is the day of the shoot, 15 days before the deadline. Though, in actuality, it’s more like 12 days; it will be worthwhile submitting before the deadline so that it can gain some views and not seem like a last minute entry.

Stylistically, the film will based upon 1930′s American film noir, yet will be shot (in a guerrilla fashion) in suburban streets in Yorkshire, England. Now, the principles of Mobile Movies are that the size and accessibility of mobile phones mean that the films should be kept simple and artistic. However, my intention is to expand further on these principles and look at how advanced these technologies have become, trying to implement one of these cameras into a near professional pipeline.

The camera in question will be from a Nokia N95, which will be used in scenes that will be properly lit (to the best of our ability) and will be enhanced digitally in post-production. The idea of altering the footage in post, other than simple colour adjustments or minor changes, could be a slightly controversial issue, as it takes the film away from the simplistic nature of Mobile Movies.

So, the plan so far is to initially edit together a cut with no CG elements; then, I will tackle a shot at a time, getting them to as near to photorealistic as I possibly can. Then, come the deadline, I will submit only scenes that are not noticeably enhanced.

The attached video displays a test film of the films (working title) logo being etched across a wall. From this test I have decided I will be using Blender and Voodoo to perform the VFX for this film, as they are the programs I am familiar with and, to be honest, are much more powerful than simply using AE.

Relevant Links:

- Test Film
- Blender
- Voodoo

1st Entry – An Introduction

Hai thar!

Welcome to the production journal of my short film, Femme Fatale (working title). This film has been in the works for almost 2 weeks and is intended as an entry to The Screening Room Short Film Competition. “Why are you creating a production journal for this little insignificant film?” you may well ask; well, the reason being is that the next few weeks is to see the launch of The Irish Gandhi, an outlet for all original works by our small team. As such, it will be beneficial to document and recount all of the projects we go through, with Femme Fatale being one of the first to hit the site.

Femme Fatale is a short narrative piece built upon the clichés of film noir; it will be, as much as anything, a lighting, angle and narrative experiment. The concept came about whilst trying to come up with an idea for a mobile movie for the competition, when it occurred to me that the compactness of a mobile phone could allow for some interesting shots inside a restrictive environment, such as a car; the idea grew from there, with the imagery of a “femme fatale” figure sat in the driving seat setting the narrative in motion.

A first draft script and a shot list have been created. Shooting is scheduled for Sunday.

Relevant links:

-  The brief released by The Screening Room
- An example of how a small camera might work well in a car environment (1:53 onwards)