Film 2 Publicity Sheet

'Hi, Zoe'

Dan is a student who invites his friend Zoe to a coffee shop. We see him greatly prepare for her arrival and upon meeting up, Dan tries to confess his love to her however she is too distracted to listen. Dan is just too nervous to even say anything and tries his hardest to get a word in.

Lewis Rhodes

Tom Hayes

James Wiltshire

Corina Roissetter

Robyn Tennant

Giorgio Gio K

2014 - Running Time: 6:37 - Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Tom Hayes

07557 552715

tachayes8@gmail.com

opinionmoviegoer.blogspot.co.uk

On-set photos of shoot

Film 2 - 'Hi, Zoe'

Whiltshire, Rhodes, Roissetter, Hayes. Hi Zoe. from Lewis Rhodes on Vimeo.

Critical Evaluation

I feel that the process that we underwent into order to create our film was a fulfilling and enjoyable one.  I learnt a lot and managed to convey the areas in film making that I feel are my strongest. After coming up with the ideas for our film and picking the one we felt would be the best to convey, we all set off in our roles. I was assigned to write the script however on the day we only loosely used the final draft and instead went for more natural dialogue. Despite this, the writing was element of the film that was praised the most so I do take pride in that since it was based on my writing initially. The thought that went into the film when we started was to try and create a realistic and relatable atmosphere so the audience could identify with the characters on screen and the scenario.

Inspired by the scene in ‘Whiplash’ which sees Andrew break up with his girlfriend, we had a very easy time on the shooting day. We met up hours before just so that the actors could go through my script and interpret it themselves. We got very lucky with our actors because they had excellent chemistry which I kept in mind when writing the film. They were also available when we needed them to, contributed well on the day of shooting and were overall very co-operative. I would gladly work with them again as I now know how reliable they are. As a crew, we also did well together. We managed to keep in quick contact with each other so if anything came up we could easily tell each other. As my role required many drafts, I was able to successfully send them to my crew for their input which helped.

The most complicated element that we ran into was the audio for our film. On the day, the sound that was being recorded sounded fine through the recorder however when we screened the film (which was the first time I had seen the finished film), our biggest complaint was that the ambient noises of the coffee shop almost drowned out the dialogue. In a way, it does sort of capture the idea that the protagonist Dan was so heartbroken that he was drowning out what Zoe was saying and instead plunged into his own mind until he was alone. Luckily, the last monologue at the end sounded fine most likely because the shop was quieter as it was later in the day. This was due to use shooting the film in chronological order which therefore meant that film progressed naturally. Another small issue that I personally think is almost unavoidable is the continuity of drinks. You may see that the drinks go down very quickly however with multiple takes as well as the fact they were hot drinks meant that we simply could not refill them for every take.

Visually, I believe this film is shot very nicely. We had multiple cameras running at the same time at different positions so that we could capture close ups of the actor’s faces and having a consistent shot of both of them across the table.  I also adore the fact that we had a table directly adjacent to the window which is how I always imagined the scene looking when I was writing it. It’s a good feeling when you see your writing brought to life and this is the main sensation I got when we actually got around to shooting our film.

I believe that the best way we can make improvements for next time is by experimenting with more equipment. After the screening, I was approached about which sound equipment as more reliable and fitting for our shoot which I took note of. It might also be a good idea to monitor the editing process in case anything came up that I could give input on.

On the flip side of my opinion for Film 2, I did not enjoy my Film 1 project. Initially, I thought through what could be said when analysis my clips however the actual execution was not a good one. I took a director’s commentary take on it by watching the films and pointing out what works and what doesn’t in an unscripted manner. I just wasn’t sure how to go about producing this film, while it did give me a new outlook on my films; I feel it was a disaster. I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been for it and it was impossible to fit in the run time, hence why I had to leave one of my films out (which I had a lot to say about it) and why the ending is so abrupt. If there was no set run time and I had no more time carefully scour through the film and pick the most important aspects to talk about.

Looking back on the module, I feel like I have taken away a lot of new techniques and knowledge about practical film making as well as thinking through how to create a film from the idea stage all the way to the finished product. I was allowed to exemplify my writing background with a well-constructed script and also got to work on the practical side when we finally got around to shooting the film. If I were to take anything from this process, I would say that I should have had more input on the post-production area of the film such as the editing instead of finishing the shoot and ten not seeing it until the actual screening. The pre-production was well collaborated and I thoroughly enjoyed working with a strong cast and crew. Overall, I really enjoyed this module and feel like I have developed as a film maker as a result and anticipate using these skills to make more films in the future. 

Film 1

Film 1 from Tom Hayes on Vimeo.

Role in Film 2 - 'Hi Zoe'

After picking which idea we wanted to go forward with, we all picked which area of the film we wanted to work on. I found that I am stronger in the pre-production stage so I was tasked with writing the script for our film. Despite this, I still assisted on the day of the shoot by capturing some establishing shots which ultimately went unused in order to fit the running time. Interestingly, one of the critical complains about our film at the showing is that the film could have used some more shots so I wonder if the film would look more interesting if we did ultimately make use of those establishing shots.

As I mentioned when discussing the ideas, I was intrigued by two of our ideas (admittedly, one of them was my idea so I would naturally approve of it) so I actually wrote out scripts for two films just in case we wanted to use one over the other. While I did manage to write out most of the script easily, there were moments that I had trouble with and hit writer's block however I was in college at the time so I luckily had a friend's input to help push me to finishing it. I also had assistance from a lecturer in order to make the script more aimed towards a film script rather than a general script. This meant that I had to instruct the camera and describe, in detail, what was actually in the shot.

Something interesting that we did with out film was take the script and give the actors room to expand on the characters and make it their own. We also cut down one character's dialogue in order to make them more vulnerable and isolated as well as make the other character's dialogue stand out more. I suppose it would be accurate to say that this film is based on a script written by me rather than out right saying that I wrote the dialogue for the film. The ending monologue was also added on the day of shooting and perfectly encapsulate what I was trying to convey in my script.

Looking back, I am very proud of the script. When we screened it, the writing was one of most praised elements of the film so I feel as though it was a success. I enjoy script writing and, as I've said, I still have a script for another one of our ideas that we didn't follow through with so I can still call on that.

Film 2 Script - 'Hi Zoe'

EXT. Contemporary COFFEE SHOP - EVENING

We hear traffic lights beeping outside, cars beeping horns, the bustle of a busy street. The camera looks through the shop window to see DAN sitting at the table, on the right. He is on his own as two coffees are brought to his table. 

INT. Contemporary COFFEE SHOP - EVENING

DAN is waiting in a coffee shop. He is young, a student, and fiddling with the cup.  He taps his finger.  We see a close up of the empty coffee.  The camera pans in, the sound of the street drifts away, so we only hear orders: 'Black, American, latte, cake'.  There are two coffees on the table yet hasn't begun sipping on the one directly in front of him. Dan closes his eyes.  A close up of his eyes, and the sound of a deep sigh. We hear a door open.  He opens his eyes and starts adjusting the cups so they are perfectly placed. ZOE walks in a sits down in the chair opposite - she is texting on her phone...

ZOE

Hey. Sorry I'm...late...

DAN

No, it's fine.

ZOE gets settled in her seat by taking her coat off. Dan looks at her closely.  Zoe is still texting.  She looks at the line for coffee.

DAN

Oh, I ordered you a coffee already.

ZOE

Aw, thank you.

ZOE starts sipping on the coffee which initiates DAN to finally start his. ZOE starts to look around the cafe.

ZOE

I'm surprised how empty it is.

DAN

Yeah, it's...it's really quiet.

DAN nervously sips on his coffee and just as he's about to say something, ZOE'S phone goes off.

ZOE

Oh, sorry.

DAN

It's fine. Do you need to take it?

ZOE looks at her phone.

ZOE

Nah.

DAN

So anyway, you alright?

ZOE

Yeah. Before I left, my parents were just telling me-

ZOE's phone gets a message.

ZOE

Sorry again.

DAN

Alright

ZOE reads the message and starts laughing to herself.

ZOE

Sorry, sorry. Just need to...

ZOE starts texting on her phone.

ZOE

Okay, okay. And...done.

She puts her phone down and looks towards DAN. He clears his throat.

DAN

So how's your week been?

ZOE

Oh, it's been fine. I didn't really get up to much outside of procrastinating as, I'm sure, we all do.

DAN

Yeah.

ZOE

So not much at all really. I don't know. Watching TV, chatting to friends, that sort of thing.

DAN

Fair enough.

ZOE

How about you?

DAN

About the same. Been a really dull week all round.

ZOE

Yeah.

DAN takes another nervous sip from his coffee. ZOE stares out the window as she sees people walk by on the street. DAN looks at her before switching his gaze to the window, following her eye direction. 

ZOE

I've always liked it in here.

DAN

Really?

ZOE

Yeah. I dunno, it's just that we can see people come and go as we enjoy our drinks. Almost voyeuristic, isn't it.

DAN

Yeah...yeah it is.

ZOE

And this coffee place especially. I would definitely say that the coffee here is one of the bests.

DAN

I'll be honest, I'm not much of a coffee drinker. The occasional one, yeah, just not, like, every day.

ZOE

Some people are just different in that aspect I suppose.

ZOE drinks some more coffee while looking out the window. DAN stares longingly at her. He clears this throat again.

DAN

Listen, there's something that I've wanted to say for quite a while now.

ZOE

What's that?

DAN

Well, it's just that-

ZOE's phone goes off again. She let's out an exasperated sigh.

ZOE

Sorry again

DAN just nods this time.

ZOE

You know what, I'm just gonna...

ZOE turns her phone off.

ZOE

Right then, no distractions. What were you saying?

DAN

Right. So, I just wanted to say-

ZOE gets distracted by someone she recognises walking by the window

.

ZOE

Oh wait...hang on. Sorry, I need to talk to them.

She gestures to the window.

DAN

Right...right...

As ZOE stands up, she switches her phone back on.

ZOE

See you later!

DAN

See ya...

EXT. CONTEMPORARY COFFEE SHOP - EVENING

ZOE leaves the coffee shop and heads to screen right (her left). As she exits the shot, DAN puts his head on the table for a bit, pays for his drinks and leaves in the opposite direction that ZOE left. 

Ideas for Film 2

For Film 2, we were tasked with creating a film that is based around the idea of personal experience. We had to pitch three ideas:

1. My idea was to invoke the idea of day-dreaming. It was inspired by films such as 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' and 'Birdman' which all feature scenes where characters cut into day dreaming without any indication until after the day dream is over. While the Film 2 assignment was to draw from an actual experience, I thought it would be more interesting to elaborate something that everyone does day to day on a regular basis. Although we didn't go for this idea in the end, I really see potential and have written a script for it so that I can make it at a later date.

2. The next idea our group came up with involved death and mourning. The set up was that we saw a character clearly mourning over the death of someone however thw twist was that it was a mundane entity such as a plant or a fish. Out of the three, I liked this one the least for two reasons. The first is that it was hard to flesh out enough to fit the running time the film had to be. The second reason is because it was too similar to a previous film I had made for a former module with the idea of a mundane thing's death.

Misplacement from Tom Hayes on Vimeo.

3. Our third idea, and ultimately the one we picked, focused on a student who had invited his friend on a date with the intention on confessing his love to her. The main inspiration we use for this is from the film 'Whiplash' where Andrew breaks up with his girlfriend in order to pursue is drumming career. We picked this scene to draw from because of the way that it was shot as it kept the focus solely on the two people involved through the use of close ups for reactions and long shots just to have both in shot. I loved the idea already as it felt the most relatable out of the three choices and therefore would be easier to write and have the audience relate to.

Directing and Performance Journal

10^th November 2014

As an introduction to directing and performance, we were given the task in groups that required us to roam around town and capture some real life interactions so were can playback some accurate footage. With the footage we had obtained, we set off next to recreate the idea we captured in a short film style. My group came up with the idea of following a path, specifically the market, and keeping the shot rolling as the camera was passed from person to person in order to show different perspectives.

17^th November 2014

We were shown a video featuring Michael Caine explaining the way that the camera positioning as well as how the actor stands can have an effect on the outcome of the footage taken. With this in mind, we were put into groups and sent out to convey this idea in a video. My group took a rather interesting approach to this as the sound recording we took was of poor quality. Instead, we made it a silent film and had the text appear on screen. Coming from an acting background, I was aware of this sort of thing however that was primarily stage acting and, while we get to use cameras every now and then, there was still something to take away from this exercise in both a film making perspective and also acting which, while not essential to film making, works great for me as I consider myself both a film maker and an actor.

1^st December 2014

This day marked the first time we visited the University of St Mark and St John, also known as Marjon. We sorted ourselves into groups before and, when we arrived, met with the acting student’s lecturer. We were given a tour of the campus for inspiration for our films as we were shown the areas that we could film in. Most used would probably be the woods. We were given a very brief script and set off with some acting students. We each had to make a short film using only one shot and those scripts. At the idea stage, mine seemed possibly mundane as it was just two people sitting opposite each other and talking. However, I was able to make it more engaging through the use of camera by having the camera curve around to show the actor sitting down and then get in closer once they were sat down. It’s interesting how much of a difference moving the camera can make rather than just having a simple still shot. It showed me that a lot goes into each individual shot to make it more engaging. 

8^th December 2014

A week after going to Marjon, we returned again to work with the actors again with a slightly different task. Rather than make multiple short films, we had to make a scene each for one longer film. The interesting thing is that we actually didn’t get round to finishing this project. We did record content (although I wasn’t certain if it was enough) however I didn’t keep track on who actually had the footage which left me with no input. Overall, I think that we would’ve handled this project easier if there was more time to prepare with the actors and crew such as coming up with ideas for the film as well as actually getting across what we needed to do over the break for the first lesson.

5^th January 2015

On the first day back from Christmas break, we had a screening of the films that we had recorded on the last session.  Naturally, ours wasn’t shown as it was unfinished but this didn’t seem to a big issue so we continued on. For the previous sessions, we had gone to Marjon to meet with the actors on their territory. This time, however, they were coming to us. We got into groups once more and set off with the actors now going around Plymouth City Centre. We came up with the idea of messing with the audience perspective and setting up shots to make it look like the actors were in areas that they actually weren’t. For example, we had actors turn towards the railings and climb over, however the shot of them climbing down was a different railing that looked similar with the same skyline. After we finished, we were assigned into our groups for the main assessment.

12^th January 2015

With our previously assigned groups, we went on a trip to Exeter. Our aim here was to capture footage that we could use next week to place our assigned actors over. Upon arriving by train, we took a trip into the film museum at Exeter University which I found to be very intriguiung. There were areas dedicated to different areas of film (it was nice to see animation get some recognition) as well as an exhibit about how motion has been captured before the use of cameras. The range of devices invented to convey motion was interesting and getting to test out some of these techniques was also informative. After this, we went off in our groups around Exeter and capture some footage that we thought would work. In addition to just dormant background shots, we also capture some shots of people in our group with their faces obscured so that it would seem like the person recorded today was the same as the actor next week. It gave the film a stronger sense of progression and substance. On the train ride back, we were handed our assessment assignments.

19^th January 2015

With the footage we had captured in Exeter, we met up with our actors and had to place them onto the footage we had shot in a way that made them look like they were there to begin with. The most effective way we could think of was through the use of green screen although there were a number of alternatives that we could have used (then again, we all agreed on the green screen so it was clear that was the one we should go with). 

26^th January 2015

Today saw us at the idea stage for our next film assignment. We collaborated and came up with three ideas. My idea was about the concept of day dreaming being conveyed through film. My inspirations for this included ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ which saw the protagonist’s day dreams brought to life with no immediate distinction between reality and the dream world as well as a scene in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ where the character Max Dillon snaps at Smythe, a co-worker, and grabs him before it instantly snaps back to a few seconds back like nothing had happened. Another idea given was about someone grieving over death which is revealed to be something small like a plant or a fish. I personally felt this was too similar to a previous film I had worked on in a previous module. The final project, and ultimately the one we agreed on, was a meeting of two friends as one tries to confess their love for the other. This was the one that resonated with me and we could see the potential of making this a nice looking film. With the project in mind, we set off with our roles. I took the role as screenplay writer.

2^nd February 2015

With no lectures for this week, I took the time to come into college and work on the script for our film. This was a good idea on my part as the script wouldn’t have been as good as it was if I had just secluded myself in a room. I was stuck with the ending but luckily I had a friend’s input to help me and I broke through the writer’s block as a result. What also helped was when one of the lecturers approached me and worked with me to make the script written more as a film. I now keep this in mind when writing scripts from this point.

11^th February 2015

The middle of reading week saw our group finally get round to filming our project. We had been throwing messages at each other over Facebook about how and when we are filming and the day finally came. We met up at college in the morning and it was good to reunite with the actors again as well as having the script in hand rather than just on a computer. One of us went off with the actors to run through the script so there is less rehearsal time at the location. At 4pm, we went on to our location with the filming equipment and set up for shooting. The location was perfect to what I was imagining when writing the script and, as a result, the film came out exactly how I wanted it to. Overall, I am very proud of the way the film, and the process, turned out. It’s good to witness a film go from the idea stage all the way to the finish piece. 

23^rd February 2015

This day marked the screening for all of our films. Admittedly, I actually hadn't seen the finished film before the screening and didn't know what to expect. Despite this, it seemed that our film went down very well. The biggest complement was towards the script while the biggest complaint was in regards to the sound editing as the ambient noise was picked up making it harder to hear the dialogue. It's been a good experience to work on a much more in depth film that I got to witness grow from an idea to the finished product. 

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