Creating A Film Schedule

To make sure you do everything that needs to be done for your film process to run smoothly, you need to create a schedule that you can refer to regularly to see what you have completed and what you still need to do. Some of the key points I decided I needed to include in my pre-production schedule were:

Recce

Casting

Re-through

Transport

Shot list

Script locked

Storyboarding

Availability

Design

Crew

Risk Assessment

I looked at a range of different style schedules online so I could decide the best way to develop mine.

I think that the schedule above would be successful if there was less information inclued. It would be clearer and easier to follow if the schedule covered less people or if the timings weren't so specifc, by this, I mean that every 15 minutes of every persons day has been covered. If the schedules was made in half hourly or hourly sections, there wouldn't be as many sections therefore making it less crowded.

A good point about this schedule though is the use of colour. For example, if you want to see where 'reading' occurs you automatically know that you will find it in a dark green section. So I learnt that if there is going to be a lot of different activities in a schedule then colour coding each activity is easier for the person reading it, especially if the person reasing the schedule isn't the person who created it.

Above, is my own pre-production schedule. On the left you can see the 'to do' list, including everything I want to get done in the next three weeks I have to complete the pre-production stage of my film. Each week, I have two moving image lessons, so you can see I have separated the schedule into week 1-3 and then I've broken it down further so that each week shows the two lessons that I have. I have dedicated each lesson to one of the things on my 'to do' list. So that I know which activity I'll be doing that lesson, I've filled the block in red, to show that it's still to do. When I have completed a task I will change the block to green, then I will be able to clearly see that the red blocks are the tasks that I still need to complete. 

I plan to stick to this schedule as much as I can, however if I have any free time I will try and complete the tasks if it makes sense to do so at that specific time. If my schedule is unsuccesfull, then I will update it and also evaluate the changed I make.

Linear and Nonlinear Narratives

A linear narrative is a storyline with a regular structure. It starts at the begining, has a middle section and then has a clear ending, everything happens in chronological order. The three acts are differnt lengths, the middle act is always the longest and the first and last ones are shorter as they just introduce and conclude.

An example of a film with a linear narrative is The Hunger Games.

Nonlinear narratives are more complicated and less commonly used. They are disjointed and often follow more than one storyline or point of view. The different acts will be set at the same time but following from different people aspects. Eventually at the end you will realise where each part of the narrative fits in and the story will become clear.

Pulp Fiction is an example of a film with a nonlinear narrative.

Scene Selection- Harry Potter

I have chosen to look at the scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone where the children get their first look at Hogwarts, lead by Hagrid.

One of the first shots used is of Hagrid. He is addressing all of the children and giving them instructions. Hagrid is an important character at this point and the well being of all of the students depends on him and his power is emphasised with a low angle look at him. Compared to a normal human Hagrid is abnormal tall and large but as in real life he's just a slightly larger than average sized man, shots have to be used strategically to make him look even bigger. If I didn't know the character of Hagrid, at this point of the scene I would probably think he was a threatening character because of what he looks like and the way he is presented with camera shots, evil characters are often filmed at a low angle to make them look above everyone else. With Hagrid though, the low angle is purely just to emphasise his size and dominance. 

This is a particularly interesting shot that primarily included Hagrid, Ron and Harry as the focus but coming in from the background you can also see Hermione and some other students approaching. At this point, no one else apart from Harry is familiar with Hagrid so this is the first time they're experiencing his vast size. An over the shoulder high angle has been used to make the students look way below Hagrid and to show their feelings and thoughts when they see how big Hagrid is. By making the children look a lot smaller than average at first it helps the audience to understand what the children must have been thinking. Without speaking to or getting to know Hagrid, they were probably scared of him to the camera angle used enforces this idea.

A wide angle is used as the students approach Hogwarts for the first time. In the wide angle we can see the lights of the boats and silhouettes of the students, in the mid ground we can see a mysterious fog that is enticing and makes the Hogwarts building in the background immediately look mysterious. I don't think that Hogwarts is looked up at from a low angle shot in this scene but because of it's huge size and the fact it's based upon some sort of rock, it does look as though everyone approaching in the boats are probably looking up at it in awe of it's size and mystical appearance. All of the students and even Hagrid at the front look tiny in comparison to Hogwarts and although Hogwarts is a building not a character, we know that it's going to be one of the most important things in the film as it over takes even the largest character in size, it has the most wow factor out of everything we've been introduced to so far.

The camera switches from the students approaching Hogwarts, with the school as the main focus of the shot, to a medium shot of Harry and Ron's faces as they approach the school. The boys are looking up which confirms to the audience that Hogwarts is probably bigger and more grand than anything the boys have seen before as they have to gaze up to clearly see what it all looks like. The camera is close enough to the boys for us to see the expressions on their faces as they look at Hogwarts for the first time, Ron has his mouth wide open which is a sign of real shock and Harry is close to that but as a more reserved character than Ron he is probably holding some of his amazement in. 

This whole scene is full of emphasis as this is the very start of everything that will happen in Hogwarts during Harry and Ron's time as students. I think it's correct that Hagrid and Hogwarts have been presented as extremely grand and shocking characters as this is one of the most iconic moments of the whole Harry Potter series and if the students didn't look impressed or if everything just looked 'average' to the audience, it wouldn't intrigue us to watch more or think that there would be exciting things to come.

Why do we do a recce?

Here is a visual representation of why we do a recce, above are all of the things you have to look for and think about when you go to a location that may possibly be the location for your filming.

Comparing locations
We looked at two different locations with the intention of finding a setting for a romantic sci-fi film. 

The first location was a play park. It was a slightly larger location that covered a wider area of varied land, by this I mean that there were different slopes, hills and craters with trees mainly around the outside. As it's a play park, it comes filled with different play equipment that may or may not be suitable for you film, with the play equipment there you would have to fit it into your film somehow. This location was very close to a busy road, meaning that there was a lot of noise from traffic which would interfere with the filming unless you wanted a busy traffic filled scene. 

In my opinion I think that the second location we looked at would be more suitable. The space was more empty an open, there were a few slopes that would look good as craters in a sic-fi film but they wouldn't be a hindrance if you just wanted a large, flat, open space. As this is an open area of grass, there is no play park equipment meaning that it's down to the director and gives the director more freedom when it comes to bringing in props and building up the scene, as the only existing features that would have to be included are the trees and surrounding houses. The sound at this location would also be better because it's not next to a busy road, however wen we went to look at the location there were dustbin trucks that were an eyesore and main an unpleasant sound.

Whenever you do a recce at a location for your film, you will almost definitely find cons about the area but if you're willing to improvise you can overcome these issues. You have to weigh up the pros and cons of each location and chose the one that suits your film the best and is the most practical when it comes to transporting a cast and crew, accessing power and sanitation and lighting and weather issues. I feel that there should always be some flexibility in the script that gives you room the alter some aspects of the film to fit with a location if the perfect location isn't available to you at the right time.