'Ready' by Laura Blake

                                                'Ready'

Ready is a short film i helped work on by a final year student called Laura Blake. The story is about a young lesbian couple that run away together. It's a short, sweet drama.

Below are images of the before and during shoot, you can see the crew getting prepared and the director going for rehearsals with actors before and on the shoot along with the crew working hard during takes. My notes are also here to show i was prepared before the shoot began and ready to go!

 I went on a location recce with the sound mixer, D.O.P and Director. It will be shot in Fletcher moss park outside this little cafe, we will be using the chairs and tables to the left of the cafe as a meeting point for the actors.

 The director and D.O.P discussing the shots before I was a stand in actor for them to take pictures of for the shot list.

Laura Blake the Director talking to the actors during a rehearsal i attended a week before the shoot, the actors worked really well together and hardly got any lines wrong at all, they were really natural
together.
                                                                  The shoot day!

'Andrew' - Indictus

This was a short film i worked on for a day in Bramhall for a company called Indictus. I started out shadowing Amy MacIntyre as a script supervisor until the started to use camera B which is where i stood in and script supervised for real. i worked with a good cast such as Georgia Taylor who played Toyah Battersby in Coronation street amongst other things.  

The story was about a mans girlfriend who becomes increasingly obsessed with the main character Andrew, he tolerates it until he can't anymore and he finally leaves the house in a pride-less mess.

On this shoot i worked with Mark Davenport, the director and Dan Lightning.

                                Camera Operator and focus puller preparing for a shot

 The Script supervisor watching the shot to make sure the continuity matched the master shot.

 The art director making sure the oven clock is on the same time as the previous scene while the boom operator checks where he can move without being in shot or casting shadows.

                                           My notes and the script during takes

The main actor 'Andrew' I took a picture of what he was wearing so the script supervisor for the following days will know exactly what he was wearing.

            I took stills of each shot so we could match the framing in the next scenes.

                  Georgia Taylor, the other actor Lucy on the monitor during a take.

 We had to wear bags on out feet as we were filming in a really posh house, I helped lay down some protective plastic on the floor.

                                A framing of the main actor during his main scene.

The director Mark Davenport directing the next shot and frame.

        The female actor rehearsing her lines while the crew set up for the next shot.

 One of the main shots that needed to be matched up to the master shot, the director and D.O.P went of this shot i took.

 An over shoulder shot of the Camera operator and focus fuller filming the shot while the director and script supervisor watch.

                                  The stop watching and sheets i was using before a take.

 The director telling the crew what kind of shot he wants to match up to.

                    Our green room, yo can see the floor protective plastic i helped lay down

 

The hamster that was a big part of the story line, i played with it a few times, it was really tame, we had to entice it in to shot with food.

It's a Riot!

It's a Riot! was about 3 youths that wanted to stand out and prove themselves to be real gangsters to a local shop keeper who laughed at their pathetic attempts to rob his shop. They form a small gang and storm the shop with weapons, one being a gun. It's a comedic story of the tense relationships between the 3 guys, ironically they storm the shop just as the London riots  in 2011, making the police think they were the gangsters that started it all. Leading to them being wanted men all over TV and Newspapers.

I really enjoyed working on this shoot because of its multi-locations and great cast/crew every day was a laugh and we stuck to the schedule the producer and director made. Because it was a low budget independent film i didn't have headphones or a monitor to watch the action on, i had to script supervise it live, as i saw it/heard it which i found a real challenge but really good experience and practice. I worked well on this shoot and made sure the actions were the same in each shot.

 One of the first takes of the living room scene where the boys are planning the robbery when one of their mums walks in.

 A quick rehearsal before a take of the main character assigning roles to the other guys for the robbery, getting inspiration from Al Pa-chino films

 

The director and crew watching back some of the footage to make sure everything was perfect before continuing on to the next scene.

It's Just a Number

'It's Just a Number'

 A short and sweet film about an elderly couple who attend bingo regularly only to be disappointed as the same people win each time, Dorris, believes they have someone on the inside. Jim is approached by the annual winner to be recrited on her team as her current partner has bad eyes. Dorris  catches them flirting and Jim puts her straight that she is the only one for him.

The script i was working on just before we started to shoot. I had to run through the lines so i knew who was saying what and when, i noted down an changes in the script throughout the day.

 Everyone preparing for the next shot, running through the scene and dialogue so the actual takes run smoothly.

 Ian Jenkins, the actor who played Jim, i found him really easy to work with and easy to talk to when he would miss out lines or mess up he'd realise or would be appreciative when I'd mention it to him.

One of the main shots in the short film, Jim and Dorris going through their lines as the numbers are called out by the bingo caller and the exras look on.

The very last shot of the day, me, director and writer all looking closely at the monitor to make sure everything is perfect.

Post-production, I edited the final cut for It's just a Number, i met up with the director and producer numerous times over a few months and created several final cuts before choosing one.

Bare Feet- Virgin media short

Bare Feet was a short film i worked on as production assistant, Location assistant and AD on the shoot days. It was a really good shoot and I worked really hard, gaining good reviews from the Director Amy McIntyre and producer Lucy Lincoln. 

Synopsis - Terry has become disenchanted with the beautiful game. He longs for a return to it's true nature - the bare feet of football. 

 http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/4997/bare-feet#.UlxYQCTU6CR

Terry has become disenchanted with the beautiful game. He longs for a return to it's true nature - the bare feet of football. - See more at: http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/4997/bare-feet#.UlxYQCTU6CR

Terry has become disenchanted with the beautiful game. He longs for a return to it's true nature - the bare feet of football. - See more at: http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/4997/bare-feet#.UlxYQCTU6CR

Terry has become disenchanted with the beautiful game. He longs for a return to it's true nature - the bare feet of football. - See more at: http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/4997/bare-feet#.UlxYQCTU6CR

Terry has become disenchanted with the beautiful game. He longs for a return to it's true nature - the bare feet of football. - See more at: http://www.virginmediashorts.co.uk/film/4997/bare-feet#.UlxYQCTU6CR

 Glen Mortimer, the main actor of the short film, in the left of frame is me being an extra in one of the scenes.

One of the scenes i was an extra in the stands for, the lighting department are setting up as the director over looks the progress.

On the location scout, i took a few pictures of the grounds for evidence and so i could create a location recce.

The D.O.P and producer discussing the set and where the lights will need to go through and where they can get electricity from.

The place where the external electricity will be used for lighting and everything else in the equipment that needs electricity.

                 Producer and art director discussing the locations of props such as the nets etc

The outside of the stadium, i sent this to the cast and crew so everyone knew what they were looking for on the days of the shoot. 

Hidden- Black Toffee Theatre group

Written by Laura Lindsay & Peter Carruthers
Presented by Black Toffee & Harrogate Theatre  

Synopsis and information-  http://www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk/page.aspx?parent=18aadf8c-40a3-46f7-bf6c-e960d786908e&showIdentifier=8cf6230e-a98e-46ca-8f5f-001b2002cf4d

The trailer- https://vimeo.com/70033958

Hidden is a darkly comic story. The intriguing puzzle of how six people's lives interweave and unravel in a modern urban world. Hilarious and poignant in equal measure.

I worked on this as an assistant/runner/extra actor. I helped wherever i could, acting, carrying equipment, going to the shop for cast and crew etc. It was a great shoot and i made some good contacts.

 

 

 

The first shooting location, train stop where one of the characters spots a woman in a red coat (I acted as that woman) I also helped carry equipment to and from the set.

 

The second location, a street close by where one of the actors is running behind 2 joggers (I acted as one of the joggers)

                            Not the best screen print but this is me and the other extra as joggers.

3rd location, the supermarket where one of the characters comes out of, this was during a rehearsal.

Inside the super market the Camera operator Sam Okell, discussing the shots with the director Amy McIntyre.

4th location, outside a chemist in Heald Green where one character comes out of the shop with a pharmacy bag. I helped carry some equipment then held the black out up for the camera to cut to.

                                                              The Pharmacy we shot outside

The 5th and final location was a house in Heald Green, while everyone was filming i made th cast and crew cups of tea which were much appreciated.