Theme Music
External Speaker: You are now listening to Down with Film hosted by
[Host name]
Host: Good morning and welcome to Down with Film, I’m [Host name] and
today we are going to be discussing the experience of creating ‘the Woman who
was never seen’ with new film director Grace Johansson.
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Host: ‘the Woman who was never seen’ is a new feature length film that
tells the story of what it’s like living in fear of leaving your own home, and
the struggles faced being trapped from the outside world. The story follows
Olivia, a 34 year old woman with Agoraphobia, meaning she is afraid to leave
her home and go to explore a new place. Her fear was caused by a mugging that
happened 12 years ago and still haunts her to this day. Being her first feature
length film Grace is certainly making a jump into the competitive industry of
film. In fact I am joined by Grace now in the studio. Hi Grace, how are you?
Grace: Hi [Host name], I’m very good thank you
Host: For those who are not familiar with your work, what techniques did
you learn from your preliminary training task that helped when you came to the
beginning of your film?
Grace: For my preliminary task I had to be able to execute different
shot types, the 180 degree rule and match on action correctly and create a
script for the characters to use. I learnt how to correctly frame a shot which
would help when it came to filming my main task as the look of the film would
be clearer cut and better quality for the audience to view. The preliminary
task gave me full control of the setup and content meaning I took on a
leadership role which allowed me to practice for the actual filming. Through my
preliminary task my knowledge of shot types increased and allowed me to think
about how I could use my newfound knowledge to make my film introduction as
good as possible.
Host: Apart from camera framing and shot sizes what other techniques did
you use in ‘the Woman who was never seen’?
Grace: As a part of my film I included camera movement as well as using
real life titles to create verisimilitude for the audience. I also had more
knowledge of shot sizes and the correct ways of framing them.
Host: Did you find that you needed to do a lot of planning for your main
task?
Grace: Whilst creating my preliminary task all I needed to generate was
a short handwritten script that was easy for the actors to remember in the
scene. To guide me through my main task I had to create storyboards to help me
when trying to make the action flow in my intro, I drafted my storyboard 3
times before I was happy with the way the shots were laid out and that I had
included titles and where the shots were going to be, as well as what type of
shot they were. For my main task I had to acquire forms of consent for the
actors, write out a list of costume, make – up and hair and props needed in the
shots, as well as a health and safety form so that all of the concerns were
noted and dealt with. For scheduling I had to create a filming schedule as
planning for when I was going to film each shot and to make sure I was able to
get them all filmed. I also created an intro breakdown to show what the general
idea of each scene was going to be. I did not need a script for my main task as
my intro was more abstract and showed emotion through the actions of the
character, dialogue was not needed because the character is alone in her own
home and she does not go out and socialise with other people.
Host: What difference was made between the filming of the preliminary
task and the filming of the main task in terms of hair, make – up, costume and
props?
Grace: For my preliminary task I did not need to worry about using
props, costume, hair and make – up as it was not being used to create a certain
representation or show a personality of a character. In my main task I used 4
pairs of socks to add effect and show the hint of OCD in Olivia’s personality
caused by her Agoraphobia and the madness that comes with the fear of leaving
your own home. In terms of hair and make – up there was not a huge need for it,
however in itself this created the effect of her attitude towards her image and
how she doesn’t need to try and look entirely stylish and presentable because
she is not going out anywhere to impress anyone. I use a wide shot in my main
task in which Olivia is shown organising objects on the table, this again is a
sign of OCD because the table is not particularly messy however she is still
organising it, and she doesn’t sit still for too long as she is anxious and
bored due to her everyday routine being almost the same.
Host: Between finishing your preliminary task and filming your main task
what did you learn about filming techniques?
Grace: In between filming both tasks I learnt how to set the white
balance of a shot to make the colour brighter and of a better quality, I also
became aware of how to use a tripod with a lever and did practice shots with
panning and tilting to help me familiarise myself with the equipment.
Host: What areas of representation as well as themes and issues were you
trying to display?
Grace: For my intro I was trying to create an overall representation of
disability that went hand in hand with the themes and issues of traumatic
experiences, crime and Agoraphobia, these being very helpful in creating the
framework of my intro and the content I want to produce in my intro. Whereas
for my main task I was creating an area of representation in the form of a film,
for my preliminary task I had no areas of representation or themes and issues I
had to include to gain marks, therefore there has been progression of my
storyboards to include more detail and what my main content will be about.
Host: What is different in the filming of your preliminary task and your
main task?
Grace: In my preliminary task there is no camera movement used to create
effect, whereas I have added this into my main task to follow the actions of
the character. In my preliminary task there was shot reverse shot close – ups
of the characters faces, in my main task there was no dialogue or more than one
character therefore this was not needed. I also added shots that were the same
one after the other with different costume for effect. I have made a
progression from my preliminary task by using a wider range of shots to boost
the look of the film, these shots include an exterior shot, an establishing
shot and a point of view shot.
Host: Why did you decide to make these choices in filming?
Grace: I made these choices for filming my main task because the camera
movements helps the audience to follow the scene and feel like they are a part
of the film, the shots that were repeated in my main task with different
costume were used as a hint for the audience as to the personality of the
character and to show what went on in her life. Through the use of the same
shot with different costume it allows the audience to see Olivia’s life with
OCD and how it has been caused by not being able to leave because of her fear
of the outside world.
Host: How did the techniques you used affect the overall product?
Grace: The techniques used in my main task such as camera movement,
match on action, wide shots and similar shots allowed the film to flow and it
created an insight for the audience as to how the character thought and what
they did with their life whilst living in fear of the outside world. Due to the
fact that there was no dialogue in the intro it allowed the audience to really
focus on the actions of Olivia and how actions speak louder than words in some
situations.
Host: Why did you not use a white balance setting whilst filming?
Grace: My camera that I was filming on came from my home and it sets
white balance automatically therefore there was no need for me to activate it
myself and set it up, the camera adjusted itself to the lighting and setting,
therefore it meant filming was a lot easier and took less time. Having an
automatic white balance setting was easier for me because I am not the best at
preparing my camera for white balance filming which means the camera settings
are helping me get a smooth finish without having to set up a white balance I
would not be happy with.
Host: Whilst filming the main task did you find there was a lot more of
a process that you had to go through before you could start filming than when
filming your preliminary task?
Grace: For my main task I had to get permission to film in the location
I had chosen, I then had to get my actor (my friend Anna) to ask her parents to
sign a release form for me so that I had the consent to film her. I had to
create a health and safety chart for regulations and to show that my location
was safe to film in, and also fill out numerous forms to show the things I
would need to create my intro. Lastly I had to create a filming schedule so
that I was able to get all the filming done in time. However, during my
preliminary task I did not need to fill out any of these forms because it was a
short script that was filmed in a classroom at school where the actors were sat
at a table the entire time.
Host: What did you learn through filming?
Grace: I have learnt that trying to pan and tilt whilst someone is
walking and sitting down is very difficult because there is only so fast a
camera can pan and tilt so if a person walks at a certain speed or are a
certain height it is extremely difficult to get the shot right. I also learnt
that it is important to use what is in the shot frame to compose an image of
what the character is actually like.
Host: Why did you use these techniques?
Grace: These techniques helped to distinguish between my character and
the rest of the world that she was scared of, as well as showing how her daily
tasks differ from everyone else’s especially the fact that her outfit has to
fit exactly the way she wants it too and tries on many items before deciding.
Host: In terms of editing, what was different about the two tasks?
Grace: For my 2 tasks my editing was done on Imovie which is quite
simple to use. I included simple cuts that did not need much changing and
editing for my preliminary task as it was simple filming and was not a complex
storyline as the script was small and had only 4 shot types. Contrasting this I
used a lot of longer and short cuts one after the other to couple effect with
the plot of my intro. I had to keep checking the length of my intro in my main
task because it could only go up to 10 seconds over 2 minutes and it was
difficult to keep within the time frame with all the shots I had filmed.
Host: In your preliminary task did you face any struggles and did you overcome
these struggles in the editing of your main task?
Grace: Whilst editing my preliminary task I found it difficult to cut
the match on action in the right place as I had never had to use it in a piece
of filming before and I was unsure how it was supposed to work. Once I knew how
to properly cut match on action I was able to effectively apply my newfound
knowledge whilst editing my main task. I also had to learn to cut between wide
shots, medium shots and 180 degree close up shots, this was a skill I had to
learn because it was a criteria of the preliminary task, using this skill came
in handy when editing my main task because I knew when I needed to insert the
different shot types and where they would look best in the intro. It was not
important for me to have close – up shots in my intro since there was no
conversations between characters and it was focusing on her actions rather than
her facial expressions so I didn’t have to worry about those types of shots
when editing.
Host: Do you feel you have progressed substantially since your
preliminary task?
Grace: Overall I do feel I have progressed and learnt more since my
preliminary task because I am more aware of filming techniques and what is
right and wrong when filming a task. My shot knowledge has expanded greatly and
I am now aware of what looks good in terms of using particular shots to set a
tone, mood or aesthetic of an intro. My preliminary task was very bare and did
not create any meaning for the audience, however, my main task was designed to
get through to the audience and make them feel different emotions whilst watching
it. My storyboard creations have improved through looking back on my
preliminary task storyboard and seeing how I could make my drawings better and
add more detail without confusion.
Host: Well it was lovely speaking with you today Grace.
Grace: Thank you it was a pleasure talking to you about my new project I
really enjoyed it.
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