Filming- redcar beach

To shoot scenes 8, 9 and 10 of "Finding Rosamund" we travelled to red car beach. I was involved in scene 9 which involves the girl and "Rosamund" playing tag on the beach before running into the water. So my responsibility for this shoot was to portray "Rosamund" (my character) to the best of my ability and to listen to what the director wanted. I remained focused during the shoot and tried to portray my interpretation of the character, I did this by putting myself into her shoes during the shoots e.g imagining what she might be feeling and behaving in this manner using my own memories of playing with my sisters (she would be excited therefore I tried to act energetic and happy). As there are various camera angles we had to do the same movement (part of the scene) numerous times, yet each time the camera would be situated in a different area, this means they can switch between positions and angles during the scene. This was interesting because each time we did this the starting and finishing positions would change, this meant we had to remember exact positions. Frame sizes also affected our performance as we had to remember not to run out of shot, this meant we had to run slightly closer together than usual in some shots (in a way this is "cheating a shot"), as well as this we were given certain points in which we needed to start running as the camera operator needs to know when to be ready e.g pieces of seaweed or rocks. These factors meant we had to shoot some shots a few times as on a few occasions I ran too soon or too late. The shoot also encountered other issues, these included:

• Dogs barking or swimming in the sea- various shots had to be re-shot as dogs barked in the background, or they ran into shot
• Passers by walking into shot- some shots had to be delayed slightly as people were about to walk into shot
• Background noise- This consisted of barking, talking or just general noise during filming
• Tide going out- As the tide was going out we couldn't take too long as otherwise the continuity would be affected

Overall the shoot was fairly successful and enjoyable, although it was very cold and wet!. The media crew managed to find a good location (a quiet part of the beach) and they managed to film all of the shots needed. However problems were encountered and it did become quite tiring as there was alot of running involved, this is just a part of filming though so you just carry on!. I think looking back at the shoot I could have improved certain aspects of my movements and facial expresion e.g I may have been leaning slightly when running and blinking a little too much, but I suppose I won't really know until we watch the shots. For the Next shoot I will think about my movement and facial expression.

A part of redcar beach close to where we were filming

Finding Rosamund rehearsal

The characters from "Finding Rosamund" (me and Kendall) met up with the director, script supervisor and the director of photography to go through the shooting schedule and to rehearse certain scenes. After we discussed the schedule we moved onto rehearsal.

What did we do? 

• We talked to the director to get a better understanding of what she was aiming for, we learnt that she wanted us to be close to each other, during the final scene she would prefer us to lay on our backs (rather than our side) so the camera could pick up more facial expression and for us to just put as much emotion in as possible.
• We ran through the final scene once to see if it was similar to the directors image, but as it was our first rehearsal it wasn't brilliant. She changed a few gestures and movements to suit the camera e.g when I touch "Kendalls" cheek I need to use the back of my hand and not lean over, this means it dosn't block "Kendalls face.

As we didn't have the room for very long we had to stop the rehearsal fairly quickly, yet as we were still struggling with the scene Me and "Kendall" decided to stay back to rehearse furthur. This was incredibly helpful as we had a chance to disscus facial expression, movement and improvements we could make in the scene. We came up with a few movement ideas e.g  when the girl is talking to her sister (Rosamund) about heaven, "Rosamund" could look up into the sky as if she was aspiring to be there , the girl could also catch "Rosamunds" hand when it falls from her face after wiping a tear from it. We ran through the scene a few times after each change which helped us to become more comfortable with the scene and it allowed us to accustomise to the changes made. Finally we disscussed whether these changes mean we will have to cheat the shots or make our movements smaller (as it will be a fairly close shot). We decided to keep our arms higher and to make the movements slightly smaller, therefore they should fit into the shot. Overall I have become much more comfortable with the scene and how we will perform it. I have also got to know the crew which means I feel more comfortable around them aswell.

Extra work- The runaway princess

I was an extra for a film called "The runaway princess". They were filming a fantasy prom so they needed allot of extras to be dressed up, dancing and to be having fun (as this is how students behave at proms). It was a good insight into how scenes are filmed as I got to see various camera angles, techniques the crew use and what acting styles they wish you to use. During the filming I learnt that sound is often added after filming e.g we danced to no music as they were going to add the sound afterwards, we added the gasps (when the prom attendees see the princess)  and the noisyness separately to the visual scene. I also learnt that when filming, even if your an extra you have to be constantly in character and focused as it needs to be believable. During the shoot I found certain aspscts quite challenging, espesically having to dance to no music because it feels unatural without the music playing, yet they did play some music before the scene so that everyone could get a rythm going. Continuity was also difficult as you had to remember exactly where you were standing at each point, the crew did help us with this though as they took photos of where everybody was originally. Overall I enjoyed the experience and gained alot from it, I have learnt that although there is a fair amount of waiting around involved (its just a part of filming you have to accept) it is still enjoyable. You must be respectful to the crew and change your acting to suit their ideas, and at the end of the day you must perform to the best of your ability at all times.

scene analysis #2

The video opposite is a scene from "The big bang theory". The characters "Sheldon Cooper" and "Amy Farrah Fowler" are creating or attempting to create a video about the study of flags. Its going very wrong as the topic is dull to normal people!, and the characters have little presenting or sociable skills.

How many shots/frames are in the scene?
There are 11 shot/frames in total

What kind of shots/frames are in the scene?
The scene contains long shots, medium shots, extra long shot, bust shot and a 2 shot - see link -http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/cpt/projects/welcomeassignment/typesshots/typesshots.html

How do the actors ‘cheat’ the shots?
The characters are sitting closer together than people would normally sit (on a sofa) so that they both fully fit into the shot, their gestures are also smaller for the same reason.

 What are the actors’ vocal skills like? 
In a way they are both terrible and brilliant, as their characters are suppose to have bad vocal skills and intonation when creating their video, therefore their vocal skills (intonation) are bad but this suits their characters. But in a way they are still good all the way through anyway as the projection and enunciation are both very good.

How detailed are the actors’ performances?
They are reasonably detailed, but not over-the-top as its a naturalistic scene (in a way) but there it is detailed in unnoticeable ways as there is humour slipped in, many props and good facial expressions for their characters.

Why do you think the actors’ performances are appropriate for film/TV acting?
They get the balance right between the natural approach with the comedy, they moderate their gestures and movement to fit the camera and they understand the characters and portray them perfectly to the audience. their vocal skills also fit in with the film/TV acting approach.

Can you explain what you think is good about the actors performances, and why you think this?  They clearly understand their characters and how they would react and interact among others. They are all focused and completely in character. You can understand and hear what they are saying clearly and they manage to portray their characters emotions clearly which in this scene is mainly frustration. e.g when "Leonard" interrupts "Sheldons" film, "Sheldon" raises his voice and changes his facial expression to show his frustration.

Can you explain how you would have performed the scene differently, and why?
I think that "Leonard" could have acted more rushed and panicked than he did, as this would of livened up the scene and made it interesting. But once again I wouldn't change very much as they all perform the scene so well.

Monday 12th March

Today Me and Kendall (Rosamunds sister in the film) talked to the Director of "Finding Rosamund" to find out further information about the script, our characters and the shooting schedule. During the conversation we discussed our character interpretations, costume,make-up, locations and the script and its meaning. 
We also did a short rehearsal through the dialogue and stage directions, so that we can get a better idea of how the characters interact and to simply practise any lines or stage directions we have.

How is Film and TV acting different from theatre acting?

Film and TV acting is different in many ways from theatre acting. Firstly it is much more unforgivable, for example the cameras pick up much more of your facial expression as it is closer and more focused, this means it picks up any habits which a person might have. Actors/actress's have to compensate for this and use facial expressions in more detail (not over the top though) and work on any habits they may have. As the same scene may be filmed over a few different days continuity is crucial e.g an actor/actress must use the same facial expressions, vocal tone and gestures all the time which means you can't improvise like you can on stage (also the cameras must know where you are going to move so you definitely can't do something that is unexpected). There is much more waiting around and preparation before a shoot, therefore you have allot of patience.
A big difference is the positioning of the characters, on stage there is much more space so there is room to position yourself naturally, whereas on camera actors/actress's have to compensate for smaller shots by moving closer together and making gestures smaller.
Actors/actress's also have to be "in the moment" more as it starts and finishes very quickly, this is important as the camera picks up the persons emotions much more closely . Therefore being in the moment means that an actors emotions look more realistic and convincing.

Acting on stage

Film and Tv acting

Overall both acting styles vary massively so it is important to understand the differences between them and to know what is needed and expected of you as an actor/actress. Yet although they are both very different, some aspects are still similar e.g you still have to know your charcater and their emotions, you still have to project your voice more in film and Tv as the microphone has to pick up the sound, there is alot of preparation and work in both theatre and Tv/film.

Thursday 8th and Friday 9th

Thursday - was a day for us to independently study at home or in college. I stayed at home to read through my script and do some character research. First of all I read through my character breakdown to get a better idea of my character- It is as follows:

“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.”                       ~ Mary Baker Eddy

Rosamund is a lost soul, she has been wearing the same clothes she worn since she was murdered – an angels costume, symbolising her desire to become one and go eventually to heaven, however is most likely never going to become one. She should have the appearance of a typical young girl (nine years old), though she is able to speak in the tone of an older child, due to the nature of her speech. During the film, her older sister’s main priority is to track Rosamund down, and bring them both back to together in order to ‘live happily ever after’ together.


I then read through the script thoroughly to get a better idea of the story, emotions and screenplay. I also read the voice overs which I am reading to familiarise myself with the lines and to see how they sound in different tones.

Friday-
In groups of 2-4 we discussed our favourite film/TV actors, actress's, film and television show. My choices were "David Tennant" (as he is versatile, skilled and uses fantastic facial expression),  "Emily Deschanel" (as she is also skilled and uses great vocal tone and facial expression), "Eragon" (because its creative and has believable special effects) and "Doctor who" (because the scripts are well written, it is constantly evolving, the effects are brilliant and the acting is skilled and realistic). I believe it was interesting to hear everybody Else's opinion and reasons for their choices as it gave me a better idea of what appeals to people and which acting and filming approaches were the most popular.  

Wednesday 7th March

On Wednesday morning we were given scripts from the soap Eastenders, we arranged ourselves into groups to turn them into acted scenes. The point of the exercise was to think about naturalistic acting (as soaps are naturalistic), how the scenes would be filmed (camera angles etc) and to be creative and involved within the task. It was also helpful to see the layout of a film/TV script as they are much different from a theatre or stage production script e.g there is less dialogue and more stage directions.



In the afternoon we organised ourselves into small groups in which we would devise a scene. The scene could be anything we wished as long as it contained certain elements, these were as follows; a moment of tension, a moment of heightened emotion, a moment of stillness, somebody entering the room, somebody leaving the room and a moment of humour. We called our scene The Secret, it was about a girl telling her Friend that she is pregnant,but in the middle of the conversation her mum walks in and discovers her secret, the girls excuse about a biology project isn't exactly convincing. This activity was helpful as we were able to work as a team to share ideas,  be creative and come out with a final devised product.
 During the afternoon Kelly (media tutor) came to talk to us about the short films which we will be filming shortly. We were given our scripts and shooting schedules so that we can familiarise ourselves and rehearse our scripts. Towards the end of the lesson we watched a movie called "Shaun of the dead" which is a comedy about a zombie virus!, It was actually quite helpful to analyse the camera shots, sound and acting skills. I noticed that the extras in the background were constantly acting and are just as important as the main characters themselves. It was also intersting to watch how the zombies were moving, (as I am going to be an extra in a short film called "Zombie vs Man" as well... a zombie!) they walked as if they were non-human like, alien and confused.

Examples of how the zombies move on  "Shaun of the dead"

Character breakdown and research

The film I am in is called Finding Rosamund, it is about a Girl (aged seventeen), she has been brought up in an abusive home with her younger sister Rosamund. Rosamund has been missing since she was nine years old, the story revolves around the girl (Nameless Protagonist) going on an emotional journey to track down her sister. The girl is faced with her deteriorating health and mental state along the way, and in the end has to cope with the terrible truth that Rosamund was murdered and is trapped in the spiritual realm in some shape or form.

• My character is the younger sister Rosamund who is nine years old
• her personality is difficult to determine or define, but I have come up with some interpretations of what I believe she is/was like. In the flash backs she is playing and dancing with her sister meaning she is probably bubbly and playful, yet there is most likely an underlying sadness from their abusive home life. She is obviously a caring child as she visits her sister in the film and attempts to soften her sadness.
• In the film Rosamund feels strongly towards her elder sister , this is her strongest connection between characters in the film. I will try to portray this through facial expression and vocal tone.
• In the film her role is to portray how happy her and her sister oncer were in the flash backs, and she is also there as a lost spirit at the end where she visits her sister and lays with her. As this film is highly strong emotionally I am going to use memories of how me and my sister used to play together (when we were younger) to portray their happiness. For the emotions of greif towards the end I will try to act it gently,softly and slighlty mournful, as she is being comforting while hiding her underlying sadness.
• Her emotional state varys throughout the film, during the flash backs she is joyful and bubbly as she is just a child enjoying time with her sister, yet when she is a spirit she is desperate, trapped and lost.
• She is a healthy nine year old child in the flashbacks but when she is a spirit she is anything but, she is pale, bruised and has scars (probably form hert murder). as a spirit she wears angel wings which show her desire to become free and go the heaven.
• She will speak quite emotionally, softly and innocently as she is just a child.
• I believe that she would move energetically in the flashbacks but as a spirit she would be slower and gentler (like the film ghost).
• The tension in the script is at the beginning when the girl can hear the muffled voices of her parents through the walls, also when she steals some food in the middle but gets caught red-handed.
• There isn't really any humour in the script as its an incredibly emotional film.
• My characters turning point is when the audience see her for a spirit for the first time rather than just in flashbacks, this is when the audience will realise that she must be dead. I will act this by changing my characters posture, facial expresion and inner feelings.
• The turning points in the script itself are the girl leaving home, when the girl has a small mental breakdown in the villiage and when she discovers the awful truth about what happened to Rosamund.

scene analysis

The video opposite is a scene from a BBC series called Sherlock.

The scene involves Sherlock ( a clever, arrogant yet strangely likable man) meeting his partner Ben Watson (a soldier recently returned from Afghanistan) for the first time.  Sherlock seems to know everything about Ben Watson although he has never met him in his life.

• how many shots/frames are there in the scene?- there are 52 shot/frame changes throughout the scene
• What kind of shots/frames are there?- OSS- over-the-shoulder, CU- close-up, MCU- medium close-up, MS- Mid-shot and a two-shot. movement shots- Zooming/zoom out, Tracking, follow and arc. see link- http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/
• How do the actors "cheat" the shoots?- they moderate their gestures to keep them in frame, they don't over act close-ups and they stand closer together when talking.
• What are the actors vocal skills like?- The vocal skills are brilliant in this scene, the intonation, volume, pronunciation and pitch all suit their characters and can be picked up by the microphone.
• How detailed are the actors performances?- They are very detailed as it is the first glimpse of the characters personalitys when they are placed together, you get a real sense of the personalitys and emotions of the characters through their perfromances e,g, Ben Watson is obviously emotionally damaged from being in Afganistan, and he is quite patient and leniant as he keeps calm in the presence of Sherlock. The actors show this through detailed facial expression, movement and vocal tone.

• Why do you think the actors’ performances are appropriate for film/TV acting?- they act fully in character, they don't over-act (so it looks natural and believable), they use vocal skills appropriate for the microphone and their use of facial expression is great.
• Can you explain what you think is good about the actors performances, and why you think this? - I believe their performances to be good as they have interpreted their characters brilliantly, they manage to portray this through facial expression and vocal tone e.g when Sherlock is unknowingly being rude to Molly about her lipstick, his voice becomes slightly patronising and his facial expression shows that he doesn't realise how offencive he has just been. They never come out of character and they are always completely focused.
• Can you explain how you would have performed the scene differently, and why?- I found it incredibly difficult to come up with an answer to this question as they performed it so well. I think I would have performed Ben Watson slightly more uncomfortably especially when Afganistan was mentioned (as this would bring back emotional memories for him). But all of the actors captured their characters brilliantly so I wouldn't have changed much.

acting for film and TV

Today we watched a video which highlighted many important aspects about acting for film and TV.
these include-

• shot sizes and frames- shot sizes vary massively, therefore it is important for the actors/actresses to be aware of how much space they have and what acting skills they need for each shot e.g. don't over act close-ups.
• Being in the moment- this is an important skill to have (especially in film and TV as everything is picked up) this basically means that an actor can put themselves completely in their characters shoes. This helps them to react, feel and listen more convincingly, portraying the character perfectly to the audience.
•  bad habits actors can pick up e.g. blinking constantly and unknowingly following another persons eyes. These factors can ruin a whole scene as they are picked up immediately, especially in unforgiving shots e.g. tight shots use longer lenses which are very unforgiving, there is also little space in the frame which means there is less room for errors and more focus on the actors face.
• be consistent- it is important to keep gestures, facial expressions and scenery exactly the same throughout, otherwise when the scene is edited it wll not add up.
• be prepared and rely on each other- its important to be prepared as if you are not it affects the whole shoot and can cost alot of money. As filming involves a large amount of people, everyone must respect each other, offer help and do their bit.

Film and TV acting is completely different to theatre acting, therefore its important to understand what is needed of you and what you need to learn.

Example of a television camera

Auditions

As this unit involves creating short films alongside the media course, we had to undertake auditions so that we could be cast (by media). I had previously prepared for the auditions by rehearsing the scenes given and thoroughly reading the character briefs (to make sure I understood their personality's). The two films I prepared for were called "finding Rosamund"and "Zombie Vs Man"!.
As this was my first experience of an audition I unsure if what to expect, so I suppose I managed to create an image in my head of around 3-4 people with stern faces analysing your every move, Of course it actually wasn't anything like that, I mean they are analysing everything but they were all very friendly and supportive.


Audition- (Finding Rosamund)
During the audition I was given a different part of the script to use, I haven't really done sight reading before so I just put as much emotion into the lines as possible (as the character is highly emotional herself). I took a bit to long to say some of the lines due to nerves and having small mind blanks. Overall the audition was in reality much less frightening than I had anticipated, yet I can't say I enjoyed it.
Audition- (zombie Vs Man)
This audition was a completely different experience , It was much quicker and the media crew working on the film were quieter (probably quite shy). I know I didn't do very well during this audition as I rushed it which means my intonation probably wasn't great. I also held the script up infront of my face too much.


It was a good experience which has given me a better understanding of auditions and how they work. I now know what I need to improve for future auditions e.g try to calm down before the audition, don't rush the script! and rehearse and prepare as much as possible. sWhat are directors actually looking for/not looking for in auditions ?

• They like to see you arrive prepared and focused
• Actors/actress's who take the character and film seriously
• They like to see that you have thought about the character and their emotions
• A good use of facial expression (if right for the character) and vocal tone
• somebody who suits the role
• They disapprove of actors who constantly hold the script so that it hides their face and shows they haven't made an effort to learn the lines
• They prefer people with a level of experience
• Actors/actress's to be reliable and able to work in a team
• Actors/actress's have to be punctual as time is money