Major Project: Blocking Draft 2

During our test shoot, some issues with the blocking were highlighted, so I created a new draft of the blocking sheets.

BLOCKING DRAFT 2



These are the changes made:
- On each sheet I have labelled the camera positions with the number that corresponds with the shots from that position in the shot list. This will make it easier to understand the camera positioning within the scene for each shot on the shot list. I feel this will by the DOPs life easier.
- Scene 6 has been completely re-blocked after we discovered a lighting problem with our original choice of entrance for the scene. Now the cast come through a door that doesn't reveal any day light, which is good as the film is set at night, but is being shot during the day. I feel this new blocking actually works better for the scene as Clive now walks right past the vehicle he is meant to notice. It will be right in his characters eye-line, which will work better for the scene. The geography of the scene is now much better.

This will most likely be the final blocking sheet, however things may change during the shoot days.

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Major Project: Triptych Logo Change & Animation

Part of this project involves coming up with a production company name to release the film under. As a group we previous came up with Triptych.

TRIPTYCH LOGO CHANGE AND ANIMATION

Upon reviewing the logo I decided I wasn't too keen on it anymore and so I created a new one.

This new logo is similar to the last one, but much lighter in colour. It uses a typewriter font because I feel this represents the writing aspect of what we've had to do much more. This is also the reason behind the crinkled paper background.

I took this logo into Adobe After Effects and animated it. I made it appear to be typed on screen with a sound effect, which I feel compliments it well. Below is the final logo animation we will be using in the film.

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Major Project: Test Shoot 2

As we get closer to the shoot days, we wanted to return to the location and carry out a second test shoot.

TEST SHOOT 2

For this test shoot we wanted to:
- Test our camera choice.
- Test dressing the office and storage room locations.
- Test lighting the office and storage room locations.

We started by setting up the storage room in the way we would like to in the film. This involved putting together and stacking a lot of boxes. We know now that this takes some time, so we will ensure we have time to do it on the shoot days.

Testing the storage room set dressing

Once everything was set up Ellie & I stood in as Bobbie & Clive, and Ellen set up the camera and lighting how she wanted it. She based her camera positions and framing on my shot list and blocking. We ran through each section of the scene, testing each shot and lighting set up. Ellen kept notes so she could replicate this set up during the actual shoot.

Next we went upstairs and into the office. Whilst there we tested some of the stabilised shots I had put in the shot list. We also followed the same process as above to test some of the shots and lighting for scene 7. Ellie also tested blacking out the windows, which we found worked really well and made it look like it was night time, even though we shot all the test footage during the day.

image taken by Ellen

Below is an edit of the footage created by Ellen:

Upon reviewing the footage, I wasn't too keen on the look. It didn't have the cinematic look I was aiming for. After discussing this will Ellen, we have decided to change our camera choice. We will now be shooting the film on a Canon 7D. By using a Canon we will be able to change lenses, which will allow us to achieve different looks in camera. The depth of field we will get will help create this cinematic look I am aiming for.

After testing the Canon 7D, we decided that was definitely our final camera choice.

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Major Project: Closing Credits Idea

The credits sequence of any film is very important, and so a lot of time and thought should be put into them.

CLOSING CREDITS IDEA

For this film I didn't want our credits to just be a generic white text on a black screen job. I wanted the credits to represent the style and tone of the rest of the film. I wanted them to be visually interesting so people would actually watch them.

So I went onto Adobe After Effects and messed around with a few ideas. The title card of 'Bobbie & Clive' needed to come onto screen with some impact as the end of the film is a cliffhanger that cuts straight into the credits mid-sentence. It needed to have some movement and life to it. I also wanted this to flow nicely into the credits, so I gave them some movement too.

In terms of background, font and colours, I used the same ones from my initial logo idea. And in terms of music, I used a temp track that I felt was similar to what I'd like to use in the final film.

This is what I came up with:

I feel this represents the film well, however I carried out no contextual research to get to this point, so I will do that before coming up with the final credits sequence for 'Bobbie & Clive'

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Major Project: Shooting Script Draft 4, Shot List Draft 3, & Blocking Draft 1

Now our final script is complete, I have updated my shooting script & shot list, and created blocking sheets for each scene.

SHOOTING SCRIPT DRAFT 4



This will most likely be the final shooting script as the actual script won't change too much from this point. All of the shots are pretty much the same as the last draft, however they have moved around a bit to fit in with the new pacing of each scene.

I will use this new shooting script to create a new shot list draft.

SHOT LIST DRAFT 2



This new shot list is very similar to the previous draft, but has some minor changes to framing based on what I learnt in the rehearsals about the blocking in each scene. I have also thought carefully about camera placement in this shot list, and how I can captured different shots using less camera positions. For example, I can capture a wide and a close up from the same camera position.

BLOCKING DRAFT 1



I decided to block each scene using a plan view set up. I used this technique during my Breaking Bad project in the first year, and during my Fiction Adaptation project in the second year, and I found that everyone, both cast and crew, found it useful.

By blocking each scene in this manner, I can ensure that the geography of each scene makes sense, and that both cast and camera operator can see my plans for how I want to set out each scene. The blocking is based on what I have learnt from our rehearsals about how each scene works, and what I know about our location, for which I have floor plans for that I made earlier in the project.

Each scene has a page which has the blocking on it. There is a colour coded key so each person looking at the blocking, whether it be cast or crew, can see which movements and positions are theirs.

Blocking the scenes has allowed me to work out whether or now I have enough coverage, and so far I think I do. If anything changes in the blocking, I will update all other documents accordingly.

I have recently heard that our location has some remodelling work planned, so the layout of the rooms may change. If this happens, we will have to update the blocking to represent that.

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Major Project: Script Draft 11 (Final Draft)

We received some feedback on the script from our cast during the rehearsals, and so we have made some minor changes to form our final draft which is the eleventh draft.

SCRIPT DRAFT 11 (FINAL DRAFT)

Changes made to this draft include:
- In scene 5 we've added the line "it's this way come on" for Bobbie so she has a verbal way of signally Clive that they should move on. During the rehearsals we found that this section of the scene worked better with a line of dialogue rather than just a gesture.
- We've removed the line "apple the phone company" from scene 6 and replaced it with "apple not apple" as we felt this was a funnier line, and doesn't just lay out what the joke is meant to be. Saying apple the phone company was too obvious. The audience can work it out themselves.
- At the end of scene 6 Clive no longer takes a bite out of an apple. He instead picks it up, cleans it, and carefully puts it back in the box. Nik, who is playing Clive, raised the point that he wouldn't bite the apple, not if he works there and doesn't want anyone to know he tried to rob the place. He cares about the product, and treats it well.
- In scene 7 Frank now says "promotion? oh, congratulations", instead of "oh yeah I heard about your promotion, congratulations". We changed this line because during the rehearsals the point was raised that he wouldn't know about the promotion, and him finding out about it during this scene is more of an incentive for him to rob the place as payback for him loosing his own job and not getting promoted.
- The ending is still the same.

This is the final script draft and the one will we use during the shoot. As will all films things change on the shoot days when you're in the moment. I'm prepared to make changes if it is the right thing to do.

The final story outline is as follows:
- Bobbie and Clive turn up outside the building.
- Clive attempts to distract Bobbie and stop her.
- Bobbie ignores, and asks about the location. Clive assures her it's the right place.
- Bobbie then asks about the masks and finds out that Clive has brought tights with him.
- The two head over to the building, where it is revealed that Clive has brought toy laser guns with him also.
- Outside the building Clive makes one final attempt to stop this event from happening. He fails.
- They enter the building to find it empty, so they head to the storage room.
- In the storage room, Bobbie discovers they are robbing a fruit warehouse. Clive blames this on a miscommunication.
- In the office, Bobbie then discovers that this is Clive's workplace and that he has set the entire heist up to fail.
- Whilst there, Clive discovers he has been offered a promotion. They're money problems are solved.
- Then Frank the security guard turns up, and Bobbie is forced to hide whilst Clive talks his way out of the situation.
- Whilst hiding, Bobbie drops her gun, which draws the attention of Frank. She remains unseen, and Clive talks his way out of it.
- The two hear a noise coming from the storage room. This prompts Frank to ask Clive to leave, which he agrees to do.
- Clive notices that Frank is holding an apple, and so questions him on it. Frank talks his way out of it.
- Clive heads back to the car, where he finds Bobbie. He asks her about the noise she made in the storage room. She has no idea what he is talking about.
- At his point Clive pieces the puzzle together and works out what is going on.
- Bobbie & Clive go back to the storage room where they find Frank and his accomplice stealing fruit.
- The film ends on a cliffhanger.

As a group we are very happy with this final plot.

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Major Project: How To Conceal A Clip Mic

Sound is really important to me and I want it to be good, so I have looked out how we can conceal clip mics on our actors during the shoot.

HOW TO CONCEAL A CLIP MIC

If we can conceal clip mics on our actors, and if we do it correctly, it should ensure that we have good sound for the edit. I looked around on YouTube for some good videos on concealing clip mics and most of them spoke about different products that can be used to do this. There were also a lot of videos about homemade alternatives, like using duct take or stage tape to create a layer that prevents rustling.

The main problem when concealing a clip mic is the rustle created by clothing. I tired some of the homemade options, and each one still created too much rustling for my liking, so I began looking around on the internet for a cheap option, and a found a set of what are called under-covers.

These under-covers are designed to go under a single layer of clothing. They have a sticky tab which you stick the microphone to. You then stick a fluffy cover over that and it forms a little bag over the microphone that prevents clothing rustle. I purchased a packet of 30 which will be more than enough for our film. I have tested them and they work very well. I look forward to hearing the sound we get using clip mics on our actors during the shoot.

Images:

https://www.canford.co.uk/Products/74-992_RYCOTE-065504-UNDERCOVERS-MIC-MOUNTS-Stickies-and-fabric-Undercovers-mixed-1pk-of-30+30

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Major Project: Cast Rehearsals

As part of the pre-production process Ellie organised a rehearsal day with the cast.

CAST REHEARSALS

In preparation for the rehearsals we set up a camera and some sound recording equipment so we could watch everything back afterwards if we needed to.

The aims of the rehearsal were to:
- Run through any new script changes with the cast in person, and take feedback on those changes.
- Block and then rehearse each scene.
- Work out any problems before the shoot days.
- Allow us to assess how our actors were playing the characters, and provide feedback on that.
- Run through all dialogue to help the actors remember it more.

We started the day with just Sophie and Nik as they are in every scene, where as Craig is only in two so we didn't need him until the afternoon. We ran through each scene, breaking it down into sections and blocking out each section. Whilst doing this we worked on dialogue and actions to suit the actors and the characters better. Sometimes you don't notice things until you see someone act them out in front of you.

Sophie & Nik rehearsing

Later in the day Craig turned up. He watched the other two run through their scenes again. I wanted to ensure he fully understood the rest of the film as it was important for his character. We then blocked and rehearsed all of his scenes, which didn't take too long.

Me directing Nik & Craig during rehearsals

I'm really glad we rehearsed all of the scenes in advance. It highlighted any issues now, which will save us time on the actual shoot days. As we have also blocked the scenes with the actors now, it will also save us time, which is always a plus.

My hope is the cast will take home what they have learnt with them and use that to keep rehearsing in time for the shoot days.

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Major Project: Prop Creation

As part of the pre-production process I wanted to create a couple of important props for the film.

PROP CREATION

Props are an important part of any film, and they shouldn't just be chosen at random. Each and everyone one should be important in its own way and have a link to the story. Some of the props for this film needed to be created by us, so I took that role onboard.

Clive's Promotion Letter

Although the letter probably won't be on screen for long, I want to ensure that it looks as realistic as possible. I also want it to contain some important details for audience members paying close attention.

This is the letter I created:



Clive will only read out the first paragraph in the film, but I added more information to make the letter look more realistic.

There are some important details in this letter:
- The letter details Clive's last name (which we can assume is also Bobbie's last name), Barrow, which is also the last name of Clyde, from Bonnie & Clyde.
- The date on the letter is important, but I will come to that when talking about Frank's security badge.
- I decided to call the fruit company the 'Parker Fruit Company' as Parker is the surname of Bonnie, from Bonnie & Clyde.
- Bonnie's middle name and surname are Elizabeth Parker, and so I chose to call the CEO of the company the same names. The signature is fake, and just one I came up with, but again it adds to the realism of the letter.

Overall I think the letter is very realistic.

Frank's Security Badge

Frank's security badge is an important part of his costume. It will help make his character more believable. I wanted to ensure it looked real, even if it doesn't appear on screen for long, or at all. I also wanted it to contain important information for eagle-eyed viewers.

This is the badge I created:



The photo on the badge was taken during our rehearsals. The badge has some important details on it:
- Frank's surname is Hamer. Frank Hamer was the name of the sherif who caught the real life Bonnie & Clyde.
- It says that Frank's security licence expires on the 3rd March 2018. Clive's letter is dated 2nd March 2018. This suggests to the audience that Frank is about to lose his job, otherwise his licence would have already been updated. SIA licences are normally renewed a month before they expire. This suggestion gives Frank a motif to steal from the company, as he is about to lose his job.

Bobbie & Clive's Photo

It is important that the photo on Clive's desk looks real, and looks like one he would keep on display for his co-workers to see. It also needed to stand out enough that Bobbie would notice it when she walked past the desk.

This was the photo I created:



The original photo was taken during the rehearsals. There isn't any important information in this photo.

Bobbie & Clive's Car

This isn't really a prop creation, more a prop choice. The car we use must fit the characters, and so we have chosen to use my Renault Clio. My car is cheap, and could easily be sold on screen as a car that has many faults with it, which their car needs to have. This will explain one of the many reasons why they need money so bad.

We used my car during the test shoot so we know we can use it in the film and it would be an issue for the camera or the lights. There is enough room inside for a scene to take place.

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Major Project: Shooting Script Draft 3 & Shot List Draft 2

Using the latest script draft I have updated the shooting script and shot list.

SHOOTING SCRIPT DRAFT 3



The shooting script is laid out like a studio tv script, where the shots are written on the script in the order they appear on screen and when they appear on screen. This will help me ensure I have thought carefully about the coverage I want for each scene. This will also ensure I put every shot I need in the shot list. During the editing process these shooting scripts will be very useful.

SHOT LIST DRAFT 2



This new shot list is mostly the same as the last draft, but includes shots for the new scenes. Scene 3 is now mostly one long tracking shot in homage to Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino, however I have include some CUs as well some we have additional coverage for the edit. My shot choices for all of the car scenes are based on my research from Baby Driver & The Cloverfield Paradox. I have ensured I have enough coverage of every scene to give us multiple options during the editing process.

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Major Project: Script Draft 10

Following on from feedback on our ninth draft, we have written a tenth script draft.

SCRIPT DRAFT 10



For this new script draft we mostly made changes to the ending scenes of the film. We have also written a completely new ending different from any ending we have had so far.

Changes included:
- At the end of scene 2, and leading into scene 3 Clive now can't open his car door and instead is forced to crawl across the middle of the car and out of the drivers door. He then asks Bobbie when she's going to get the broken door fixed and she responds "when do you think". We have added this small bit of action and dialogue in to highlight a possibility as to why Bobbie & Clive need money so badly. The car could just be one of the many things they need money for.
- During scene 5 after she has burst in and said "this is a stick up, everybody down", Bobbie says "I've always wanted to say that". This has been added to reference the character detail that Bobbie is a housewife who spends her days watching action movies and heist movies. This line shows that she is a big fan who has always wanted to try it out herself. A line near the end in scene 11, "that was pretty thrilling", also highlights this detail.
- During scene 6 there is now an unknown car parked in the storage room that Clive doesn't recognise. As he works there, he would know if it is out of place or not, but won't say as to not reveal the truth to Bobbie. This car is a small hint to the new ending, and a clue to Clive to work out what's going on.
- After Frank enters in scene 7, Bobbie still drops her gun, but instead disappears off screen without the audience seeing, therefore leaving them in the dark like Clive who is wondering where she is. A sound is then heard off screen coming from the storage room. This prompts Frank to ask Clive to leave, which Clive does. Clive notices that Frank has an apple in his hand and questions it. Frank explains himself and the two go their separate ways. These changes were made to aid the new ending we have created. Franks actions, and the apple he is holding, are clues to this new ending. For this new ending to work, Bobbie had to disappear.
- During scene 11 Clive now has a moment of realisation when he discovers that it wasn't Bobbie making the noise in the storeroom. This has been written in to accommodate our new ending.
- The final scene has now been completely re-written and the tables have been turned so Frank is in fact the one being caught in the act. We wanted the audience to still get a cliffhanger, but one where they know Bobbie & Clive are probably okay. Bobbie & Clive now catch Frank stealing fruit from the storage room. This new ending is much funny and much more of a twist to surprise the audience with. It is also more interesting for the audience, and will allow us to do some interesting things in terms of how we film some of the scenes, and how we dress the sets etc...

This new script draft is probably our final one.

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Major Project: Script Draft 9

Using feedback on our eighth script draft, we have written a ninth draft.

SCRIPT DRAFT 9



For this draft we made some changes, mostly to the end of the film:
- In scene 2 we removed some lines of dialogue to increase the pace of the scene more. Our main aim is to get to scene 6 in the storage room as soon as possible, so were cutting down the prior scenes.
- We added a line about where they are being the back entrance to the building. This change was made to explain why Bobbie doesn't recognise it as Clive's workplace.
- Scene 3 now takes place on the move from the car to the building. This has been done to again increase the pace of the film and keep it going from scene to scene. It will also be visually more interesting for the audience.
- In scene 5 we changed a line of dialogue for Bobbie were previously she spoke about how the office was empty so they should move to the storage room. We felt it was too wordy and so we cut it down to "come on". We may cut this line all together in a future draft.
- During scenes 8 & 9 we have made some major changes. Whilst under the desk Bobbie's toy gun falls out of her pocket and onto the floor. Franks spots this and picks it up. Bobbie then crawls away and hides nearby. She tries to talk to Clive, which attracts the attention of Frank. As Frank heads towards her, Bobbie plugs a nearby hoover in, which makes Frank walk towards that instead. The story then continues in the same manner as the previous script. We did this to extend the length of tension created for the audience by increasing the amount of time Frank is a challenge for Bobbie & Clive. In previous drafts, the challenge was resolved too quickly. This will work better for the story overall and the audience will fell the tension for longer.
- The ending is still the same.

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Major Project: Location Floor Plan

As part of my process to prep for directing the film I created a floor plan of the location we are using.

LOCATION FLOOR PLAN

I decided to create a floor plan of the location so I could create blocking sheets for the actors and for Ellen the DOP. The blocking sheets will help everyone understand the geography of each scene, and the camera placement/movement in each scene.

To create the floor plan I used some information I had gathered during our location recce and a piece of software called Sweet Home 3D. I had previous used this software to create set designs for the Studio Production Unit. This software allows you to create 2D floor plans and 3D models. I can use the 3D models to create images for the storyboard as I'm not very good at drawing.

The 2D floor plans of the location looked like this:

Bottom Floor 

Top Floor

I used this floor plan to create a 3D image of how I would like to dress the storage room location, as we needed to show Simon our plans for how we were going to do that. We wanted the room to look full, and we were going to use lots of boxes and effective lighting to do that. This was the image:

I also used it to create some other images that give people a good idea of what our location looks like:

This floor plan will be used to create blocking sheets later in the pre-production process.

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Major Project: Test Shoot 1

In preparation for our actual shoot, we carried out a test shoot at our location.

TEST SHOOT 1

The aim of this test shoot was to look at the low light capabilities of our chosen camera, the Panasonic DVX200PJ, and the lighting set up we could use at night. As we could only visit the location during the evening, we didn't need to wait around for it to get dark.

I parked my car up in a position similar to the one I was thinking of using for the actual shoot. Ellen then set up the camera and lights. We tested some of the shots from my shot list like the CUs and the MS two shot through the windscreen of the car.

We found that the Panasonic coped very well with the low light levels, and that we'd probably need at least one more light for the actual shoot as the two LEDs were bright, but not bright enough to achieve the look Ellen wanted.

We will come back for a second test shoot during the day so we can test blacking out the windows in the office so create a night time look. Our second test shoot will be more in-depth.

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Major Project: Script Draft 8 & Shooting Script Draft 2

Before receiving feedback on our seventh script draft we have written an eighth script draft.

SCRIPT DRAFT 8




Changes to the script include:
- We've swapped the first two lines around so Bobbie speaks first. We wanted the first line of the film to really make the audience think about what is going on. By having Bobbie say 'is this the place?" at the beginning of the film the audience are instantly thrown into a situation where they have no idea what is actually going on. This will help keep them hooked.

That was the only change. We will continue to make changes after we receive feedback on this draft.

SHOOTING SCRIPT DRAFT 2

Using this new script draft I created a new shooting script.



This new shooting script is very similar to the last one, but the location in the script of some of the shots has changed. I have also had to add in some new shots to ensure I have coverage for all of the new scenes we have added. As with the last shooting script, this will help me create a new shot list, and will come in handy during the editing process.

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