Reflective Log

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/// Pre Week ¬

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08/01/24

The first day back at college and I'm already exhausted, but my energy levels will eventually catch up with the early mornings. The FMP hasn't started yet, we're doing prep work for the next two weeks. I went into today excited and confident for the term ahead; this confidence was quickly depleted when I heard that every part of the project needs to be at a distinction level in order for it to even qualify for the grade. Even if there is so much as one unit graded as a merit, the project is marked as its lowest grade. This puts the pressure on. I know last year's project was graded in exactly the same way and 

I still got a distinction; but knowing that this year's work is going to be ten times harder is enough to make me doubt my abilities by at least a small margin.

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09/01/24

Feeling like a workflow is moving along nicely. Tuesday's are now my day off from college (instead of Wednesday last year) which allows for me to still keep motivated from a long Monday but also rest as I work from home. Today was a slow but productive day, I was just finishing up on my Year 2 evaluation. I also keep looking back on last year's FMP, I can't tell if I feel inspired or daunted by the looming shadow. I keep reading through all my work and wondering how I can match that standard again. "How did I do it?" Is something I keep asking myself, how much of the project can I use as a template? It is distinction level work so I do think it's wise to use it as a guide.

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10/01/24

I finished up my strengths and weaknesses page today. I also talked to Rob about my FMP ideas before I officially document them, he's on board but needs to talk to Simon first to make sure it's confirmed. The idea in discussion is the possibility of my and Tommy being able to pitch, produce and create a short film at professional, production level standard. Working with a professional, cast, crew, producers would be an opportunity of a life time; especially if Tommy and I have the chance to lead the project. I hope it all goes to plan. But first I need to make the plan.

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11/01/24

I wrote the mini proposal today, I do feel I'm a little behind compared to where others are; but if I complete the missed work over the next few days outside of college hours I should be able to get everything done.

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/// Week 1 ¬

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22/01/24

I started my FMP today, and began writing down ideas. I only managed to write one idea down; the main one, I wish I had managed to finish writing everything but I got carried away with writing the script. Tommy also needed me to summarize a concept of the film so that he could begin thinking of ideas. I think I've been doing too many things at once, I need to find a way to manage my time more efficiently otherwise I'll get ahead of myself and loose a sense of focus.

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I believe that I should create another idea which I could pursue in case Mascot doesn't completely work. I think this is wise considering that last year I needed to rewrite my idea three weeks into the project. Whilst I did recover, the second FMP is slightly bigger than the year before, and recovery from a relapse would be more costly. I suggested this to Tommy and recommended he do the same. I also need to finish the Will Man project as I'm being pressurized by my producer to meet the deadline of the end of this month.

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I'm hoping to answer some of these questions soon: How do I plan everything? What do I prioritize? How much do I work on the Mascot project over the back up idea? When will I find time to elaborate on any of this?

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The thought of these questions piling up is daunting, so the sooner I answer them the quicker my mind can be put at ease and process efficiently. I understand reflection and evaluation is key for the FMP's success, I need to make sure that it's done right.

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23/01/24

I continued with my analysis of ideas today, as well as my reflection on the past two years. It was a long write up but I managed to get it done. Other good news: I managed to finish the script. I finished the write up on my Mascot idea which is another relief, I also feel comfortable moving on from the Year 1 reflection. I have finished today feeling like I've completed every open task. Tomorrow I will begin work on my pitch to be able to give to Michael at CADS, discuss whether they want to take on the project.

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24/01/24

Have just come back to my project this morning to find that half of my write up yesterday hasn't been saved despite me clicking 'save' before turning my laptop off yesterday evening. This is extremely frustrating, Wix can't keep deleting my work; I need to find a way to work around it. Maybe if I publish the site as well as saving it I'll ensure that all the work is there the next time I log on.

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My motivation has been stumped today, probably because of the startling start this morning. I've had my head in my hands for some of the day either procrastinating or lack of creative flow. I helped Tommy complete some active research on aspect ratios - we've been in debate about this conflict for a while now. I believe the film should be shot in a horizontal aspect ratio, however, Tommy would like to film in a vertical aspect ratio. Both arguments are just as good as each other but who takes precedence? Tommy is the cinematographer for this project; his entire FMP is dependent on these sorts of decisions. But as the director, I feel I should have the final say in the look of the film. Because of this, I feel torn by which way we should go. I'm wanting to compromise and give Tommy the final call in this area but I feel it would be best to hold this decision at this moment for a later date; it's one of the decisions that'll be influenced by further research more than an instinctive opinion.

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I've also tried working on the pitch. It's currently a 'stop/start' process which isn't at all progressing my idea. I've tried following a template sent from Rob which pitch's should follow if submitting an idea to a company such as Netflix. Whilst I'm grateful for this template, I don't feel it wholly coordinates with my situation. Michael Young, the chair of CADS, has already expressed interest in the proposition of a filming project, I believe he's wanting to discuss the scope of the project more than anything else.

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An accurate scope for this project, I imagine, would be a rough edit by the end of May. I hope we'd have filmed enough footage before the due date to have a rough edit of the film before the hand in. Then I'd also still have a lot to evaluate on.

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25/01/24

I've decided to solely work on the pitch today. I've been receiving pressure from my teachers as well, expressing concern about how this project doesn't have any grounding at the moment. I agree, the project is missing a firm foundation to continue reasonable work, without CADS's approval, there is no Mascot film. They've asked to see a confirmation of dates or a soft 'Yes' from CADS within the next 8 days in order to approve this project's continuation. If we don't get that, then we need to move onto a different idea. This is stressful for me, I desperately want to make this film and with this looming deadline, I feel like time is running out fast. I'm trying to organize a meeting with Michael this weekend to get a rough decision before the 13th of February. Rob has arranged a meeting with Simon today to also confirm if Tommy and I are actually allowed to create a film with a client company. 

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Unfortunately we were unable to have the meeting since nobody was in the office at the time we were asked to be there. I will continue to work on the pitch for the rest of lesson, which I could then present to Michael over the weekend.

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As a whole, today's news has seriously worried me, I don't feel like I have the full support and reassurance of others around me which doesn't help with confidence. Everything is starting to feel too familiar to last year, I'm concerned that I'm going to be given a restart and be behind on my work. When should I start on my proposal? And when should I write up all of my ideas? These are the only two things that need doing at the moment, I need to get them done before Monday next week.

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To finish this lesson, I continued and completed my write up for the second idea, 30 Minutes. This makes me feel slightly more relieved now that I've got a task done. Next is present the idea to Michael, and then hopefully write a proposal for Mascot and prepare to film with CADS.

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26/01/24

Feeling as if today has been the most productive, even though it has been the shortest. I'm coming away from Rob's Friday lesson with a good amount of confidence, we managed to complete a short pitch ready to present to Michael over the weekend. I'm trying not to think about the looming deadline given to me by my teachers, I'm trying to focus on making sure this idea is sold to CADS (Michael) well and to its best ability. The pitch itself I feel is thorough and covers a substantial amount of detail, we went over all the job roles that we'd need for the project to succeed as well as a short breakdown of the story we want to tell. Tommy is confident which increases my confidence so I'm going into this weekend with readiness.

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I need to come up with a plan for next week once I have news from Michael; this will probably be Monday's job. 

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/// Week 2 ¬

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29/01/24

Over the weekend, after a brief conversation with Michael, he feels that CADS will be interested in the project and want to take it on over the next few months. This is very exciting news, I feel the FMP can truly begin now. But once again, I feel like I have so many things that I need to do, I need to organize the auditions, rehearsals, production meetings, I understand that this task will be primarily taken over by a producer but I still can't help but feel responsible for making sure it happens appropriately. I need to make sure that I have my proposal finished for Wednesday this week, and then start conducting some research into the end of this week and the beginning of next. My first thoughts are to interview my aunt and uncle to discuss the story and where this project is going.

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Today, I've been emailing Michael back and forth about details surrounding the promotion of the project. At this moment we're trying to fill roles and get people signed on. I keep forgetting that this project is an FMP, it needs to be documented appropriately or else I may end up with a pass. Even though the project is big, I can't lose focus on delivering on a distinction level grade. My research needs to be thorough, pre-production, proposal, and evaluation, all at the highest standard I can reach.

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30/01/24

I have seriously struggled today. In fact, I've done no work at all, but that doesn't mean I haven't tried. I've been staring at my proposal for hours now trying to come up with an ounce to write for my Influences and Inspirations tab. I think I have an idea on what my problem is, though.

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Yesterday evening the CADS news letter was published and, to my surprise, my film project was plugged. Whilst I initially thought this was fantastic news, I started to worry. The article wrote "If anyone is interested, please contact Amadeus directly." Strangely this statement began my spiral. I started worrying that no one would be interested, that no one will contact me because to most people they have no idea who I am. What if nobody is interested and so the project won't work? Even though CADS said 'Yes', I completely forgot that this was a volunteer based society, so if nobody volunteers their time, there is no film. Annoyingly, this has only dawned on me weeks into the project's beginning. So far I've had one email saying that they're interested, I should see this as a positive, not a matter to stress over. More responses will come, I'm sure.

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In view of this insight, I think I understand the cause of my stump. And to get out of it, I think I need to start seeing progress elsewhere in the project. Perhaps I can sign volunteers easier with a little bit more advertising, personal advertising. If no one is convinced through an article - I'll have to convince them myself, not over email.

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I mentioned yesterday that my proposal is due in on Wednesday - that's tomorrow - and I haven't even began the second tab. The minute I try to write anything, I'm stopped by my own mind. Things are feeling like they're caving in, that I don't have much room for error, anywhere. I'm trying to find a calmer state of mind to continue working but I'm getting nowhere.

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31/01/24

I'm returning to my proposal today with high hopes, last night, as my tiredness was kicking in, I managed to finish my Influences and Inspirations tab. I'm assuming I managed to make so much progress because of my sleep deprived state, therefore reducing my stress levels by a certain amount. Arguably not a very proficient work ethic but one that seemed successful. The only downside is that I woke up this morning feeling shattered. On the plus-side I've learnt that today isn't the deadline for the proposal but rather the last day to complete the proposal before tomorrow's deadline. There must've been a slight communication issue between the teachers or I just misheard. Regardless, I have an extra day to write my proposal which adds a small measure of relief.

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I've made good progress on the proposal today, I've nearly finished it I think. I'm only have a few tabs left to complete, but they're all pretty hefty I imagine: Skill Development, Research, and Conclusion. Rob has just given feedback on the proposal I currently have completed, he said it's sitting at a distinction level grade except it's missing discussion on Technical influences, I talk a lot about narrative, and theoretical work but I never mention practical work. I'm also not specific enough with my target audience, but that can be easily fixed. Most of this can be fixed tomorrow I think, which is good, tomorrow is the last opportunity I have for my proposal to be reviewed and given feedback.

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01/02/24

Today I managed to finish my entire proposal, I built on the feedback I was given by Rob. I feel I have most of the elements needed for a distinction grade but I still think there are a few things which I need change. I don't know what those things are, but it's always good to be prepared to change anything if needed.

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Good news: Two more people have expressed interest in the project today, and they have offered to get involved in a technical role! My confidence in this project has been significantly lifted because of today's progress, I'm excited to move forward and see where this project goes. Now it'[s a case of discussing locations and, more importantly, signing actors.

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02/02/24

Making a plan is difficult when you know that two weeks time from now will look very different from how you think it should go. I'm cautious to continue writing a plan today because I the crucial apart of committing to this production company is to be able to adapt wherever necessary. After the pitch with CADS, I imagine I will have enough information to be able to prepare for the weeks ahead and set filming dates in stone.

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This weekend, I plan to contact as many people as possible to see who would be interested in both cast and crew. I need to contact a number of actors, as well as Limitless Academy to see if they'd be interested in allowing some of their students to audition for this film as child actors. The answer to this proposition is the most untamed, I haven't spoken to Limitless in a while so their response could be completely unprecedented.

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Week 3 ¬

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05/02/24

We started heavy work on story boarding today, and went through 4/17 pages. We've spent 5 hours. This process is going to take far longer than I expected. I haven't had many disagreements with Tommy, we seem to be going through the film quite seamlessly.

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I do have a new concern, however, my research is due in for next Thursday and I haven't done any of it. And if story boarding is taking up so much of my time, I don't know how much research I can get done over the next week and a half. It may be a few late nights. I'm trying not to worry about it too much as I believe I have more concerning things to focus on over the next few days. This part of pre-prod takes priority since we need to give something to CADS next Tuesday.

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06/02/24

I didn't manage to get any work done today, this concerns me because the deadline for research is next Thursday. I haven't had time to do any work today as other things took precedence in my personal life. I feel like obstacle after obstacle keeps being thrown in front of me, and I can't even evaluate on it since it technically as no relation to the FMP whatsoever.

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The FMP is moving really fast, faster than last year's felt. I'm not feeling engaged, I'm stressed that I'm trying to meet two different deadlines at once but they both contradict each other. Which deadline should I aim to meet? Lewis has just calmed a few of those nerves commenting on how the deadlines are only rough goals for teachers to give feedback and I shouldn't have to worry about completing the research phase completely beforehand.

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07/02/24

Storyboarding once again. It's definitely taking it's toll on me, I feel quite drained from my creativity. Nothing much to report on, most of the updates over the next few days will be written up on my story boarding blog page.

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Week 4 ¬

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12/02/24

I haven't been keeping on top of my reflective log recently, but I have purely been working on the story board since the process is greater in difficulty and time than I thought it would be.

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13/02/24

I had THE meeting with CADS today and I came away feeling so much more positive about this project's future. Before the meeting, I put together a brief breakdown of the roles we're still looking for. Whilst not all of them were filled at the meeting; we may now have a production designer and lighting gaffer. We have also been given full priority in advertisement on the CADS news' and social's.

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14/02/24

I feel like I haven't properly updated the log for a while due to how busy everything has gotten. The deadline for the research hand in is tomorrow, and I want to add more to the blog today so there is more to give to my teachers for the review. I understand that tomorrow's deadline isn't the cut off for all research, it's just an opportunity for my teachers to review what I've already done. My plan for today is to put story boarding on hold to allow for me to put time into developing my research into this project.

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My expectations have been humbled today, I thought I would spend the majority of my day story boarding but instead I have gotten stuck into research, and I've been really grateful for the change. I think I've been creatively burnt out from story boarding, maybe we're slightly jumping ahead of ourselves. It's felt quite freeing being able to not have to focus on pre production work, and I'm a lot less stressed now that I have filled my research page with some decent work. I've documented and reflected on the interview today, as well as analyse the masterclass on adaptation. I feel much more at peace with the submission tomorrow, I still have a lot of time to add more research for review.

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Today has been a good day, it's our last day in college before the half term which I'm slightly looking forward to. I won't use the half term as an excuse for no work, since I plan to enter frequent updates to my research, and proposal. Upon my return, Tommy and I will spend the returning two weeks on action research, practically testing certain shots and camera technique's. Then we'll move onto full-time pre-production where I will be: managing rehearsals with actors, managing meetings with crew, and completing all pre-production documents in preparation for filming.

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End Week 4 and Week 5 ¬

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For this week, I will not specify days - just process everything that's happened in sequence.

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I began the half term with a skeptically doubtful outlook on the project, I hadn't made any progress on pre-production as the half term closed, so I understandably felt this way. I had a meeting on the Saturday of Week 5 with Emma and Joe Daintrey, potential producers and technical crew for the film, they are long running members of CADS and expressed their interest while at the pitch meeting two week prior. There, I asked if they would be interested in producing the film, or coach me into the role to help me understand what I'm doing on much more professional level - a skill which I didn't expect to develop during this project (more on that later). In response to this request, they decided to think about it and get back to me later in the week on Saturday.

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On the Saturday meeting, I pitched the film in greater detail and discussed potential locations. I scribbled down notes throughout, which actually helped me process my own thoughts and think clearly (not having the need to remember everything being said at once). 

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The major takeaway's from the meeting:

Location's ¬

 - Icknield Primary School as potential location for both interior and exterior school scenes. Emma mentioned that hiring a classroom there is £5.80/hr having worked with them in the past. This price gave us a good idea on what other schools could offer us.

 - Freeman College as a potential location for the classroom, Hospital Corridor, Coach's/Doctor's offices. We discussed this site since there was a potential actor who worked as a teacher at this school, we may be able to work there for free if we work in conjunction with the actor. Because of our potential freedom in this location, we may be able to film numerous scenes from multiple locations in the film on this one site.

 - Unfortunately, KJAR is closed, which completely rules out the site as a potential location. This is a shame but not completely defeating, as there are other options. This just means we may have to divide our filming between many different location around the area which has the chance to complicate schedules. But nothing we can't work around.

 - Tannery Drift is another school which we could look at but Emma and Joe have no previous connections to them so couldn't tell me much. However, as an ex-student I believe there is a standing chance that they allow us to film there if I approach them cautiously.

 - I also mentioned Tommy has connections to Melbourn Village College, as an ex-student, and he has said that he'll follow that lead to see if we could film the exterior school shots there.

 - One of the biggest talking points of the meeting was the potential access to the Royston Hospital as a filming location. It would be the ideal site to use as it will directly match the aesthetic we're looking for, reducing the amount of changes we'd need to make to a pre-existing set. Emma works as a shipping agent for the Hospital so offered to get in touch and see what we could do. She said she would get to it on the following Monday and keep me in the loop to see where that leads.

 - We also need a house for the kitchen, stairwell, and living room scenes. Emma and Joe offered their house and suggested I look around and take some pictures. The scenes in the film give limitations to what we can and can't use. Namely, the stairwell will be the hardest location to find as we have to find a set wide enough to accommodate for fitting the crew and cast without it looking cramped in the final film. Their stairwell is seemingly wide enough, but until the day of filming we won't know confidently.

Cast ¬

 - I mentioned Limitless Academy as a local film school which could supply a variety of potential Noah actors. CADS have worked with Limitless before but never at this level, mainly past-collaborative support. Emma suggested contacting them ASAP as they may take a while respond, having done so in the past.

 - Emma mentioned that she knows very few child actors but is open to ask her 11 year old nephew, and a couple of friends who have children at such ages who are interested in acting. While this this is one of the only leads on finding a child actor, I'm still keeping my options open since the role is so demanding; finding the right talent will take time. Although, I fear I may have to compromise in certain areas - I'm prepared to do this if necessary.

 - Dr Woodlet is another role which needs filling soon. Martin and Michael are both actors who I approached for the role earlier in the week (I've worked with them before in the summer project), however they both declined as they are too busy. This lead me to ask for a number of names from CADS who may interested in working on camera. Emma and Joe both listed a number of members who would fit the role, I've asked for all their contact details if I'd like any of them to get involved. This cleared up the Woodlet search quickly and allowed us to move on.

To Do ¬

From the meeting I created a to-do list to complete as immediate as I could.

 - I initially planned to create a props list as that is a minor task which typically goes unnoticed before the first shoot; this point was made by Joe. I planned to go through the script that night and right every possible prop - and conjunctioning wardrobe pieces - which will be used on the shooting days.

 - Then leading into Sunday, I planned to send emails to the different schools we'd talked about and hope for responses later in the week, which I'd stay on top of.

 - And then finally, more importantly, contact Limitless for child actors as, at the moment, they seem like the only agency that will help us supply a child actor. And also contact other potential actors to to get together for a table read.

Closer ¬

As the meeting came to an end, Joe showed an old dolly and camera head he's owned for a long time which he's offered to lend to the project if we need it. This is encouraging for me knowing that we have options in camera technology considering Limitless doesn't seem to be to proactive in communication, or helping people for that matter.

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Overall, this meeting was incredibly insightful, I went in expecting to breakdown the project as a director, but ended up leaving as a producer of the film. This isn't a bad thing, I haven't anticipated the producer role since I thought someone from CADS would take it on; I'm worried that this will bring on too much work for me to tackle whilst also working on my FMP. If I do find it's too much work, I don't know how I'll manage balancing both ends of the project. I'm researching in my FMP to become a director in my project which I'll also have to produce; I feel like each aspect of my role has more and more responsibility added on to it as the week role by. Whilst I do feel prepared to direct my actors, thanks to my research in faithfully adapting the script to screen, I feel because I haven't anticipated the producer role I'm slightly under prepared to move forward with this role. I'm considering bringing in some research on the producer role to my FMP but feel that I'll learn the most while working on the job. This meeting has proved that theory; after attending the meeting, I feel capable of doing what I set myself in my notes, contacting actors, agencies, locations etc. these things are basic communication and business instincts which come from practice. 

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As Week 6 rolled in, I found that my jobs were piling up on the schedule I'd made.

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Above is the short term plan I made for the half term. I've never made a weekly schedule to this scale before, I thought now would be the best time to make one to try and make the process easier. Having now gotten through the week, I can say that I feel the timetable was useful but still did cause problems. On the 17th I set too much for myself, 6 tasks all together, and I only managed to complete a few of the them on that day, which meant the tasks would be carried over the to the next day as pending tasks. These built up over the week and left me with a lot of pressure for me to deal with on top of completing the tasks. This made me put off more and more tasks which led to more stress in completing them; the cycle repeated itself through the week. I should've spread out the initial jobs across the days to allow for me process them at a steady pace rather than cram too much into one day to allow for me to have a couple of days off. If I had spread out the jobs, I imagine the days would've been less demanding and allowed for me to have a restful half term. But this wasn't the case. In future, I know to be sensible in my task management, frequent breaks are key; cramming too much into one day will only cause you to over work and leave overflow - never giving you the rest you need.

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A piece of advice that stuck with me from this week was what Emma and Joe told at the beginning: "Keep vocal about your project. Let people know what's happening so that it's always fresh in their minds. Then when you need to ask people for something, you can just ask and get straight to the 'Yes' or No'." With this in mind a decided to create a Facebook page to self advertise the making of this film to keep everyone's attention. I created this Ad for Facebook using the poster I made for the film last year, which was sent to all who followed CADS.

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As the week continued, I finished a rewrite of the Mascot script, finished the story board with Tommy, contacted locations, contacted actors, arranged meetings etc. Small business which helped me increase my confidence in the producer role, practicing my communication skills, formatting skills; I eventually got to the final stages of the week where I started to prepare for the table read.

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I was extremely anxious for the table read. I knew that there were several people attending, all who are highly experienced actors, which led me to feel nervous for leading a meeting and directing them. I couldn't let the nerves get to me though, I had to cast the film through this meeting which meant I had to be focused and clear minded. To prepare, I put together a small itinerary for the evening, and briefly prepared a short opening speech to welcome everyone and introduce the meeting. I would've recorded the meeting, however, I hadn't gotten permission from people attending so all I have from this meeting are my notes.

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The meeting was a success as I managed to cast all of the adult roles in the film and also get a new lead on casting a young actor for Noah. My method to finding the right cast was to ask each person to read different roles as we went through the script. This worked better than I expected as it gave the opportunities to learn from each others performances and change it up keeping the characters feeling fresh. Five actors took part in the read through (other crew members were present but just to watch and get to know the script), which is just enough to fill all the entire cast; so, going into the read-through, I knew that everyone would get a part, I just needed to figure out who gets what.

David (late 50's) was too old to play Nick, but I wanted to begin the read through with him reading the character to allow for Jim (early 40's) and Patrick (late 40's) to have go at other characters. This tactic proved to work, it gave the contenders for Nick a chance to bring a unique insight to the characters they probably wouldn't be playing allowing for others to think about what they could do. So I quickly moved onto a scene with Emma, Nick and Dr Woodlet. A dialogue heavy scene which required little bit of context, I established the background for the scene and allowed the actors time to think about what they'd do with the characters. Jim was Nick. Alison (early 50's) was Emma. David was Dr Woodlet. Immediately, the scene felt right. My goal for this partnering was to see how well Jim's Nick gelled with Woodlet. At this early point, I'd already decided that David would have Woodlet, I just needed to see who would have Coach, and who would have Nick.

Both Jim and Patrick are well built and can own a room, which the two characters need to have as traits, I was now looking for the emotion that the actors bring. When switching around the actors in the same scene, Patrick portrayal of Nick was brutish and forward thinking, whilst Jim's was quite passive and emotionally complex. These contrasting views forced me to think about my uncle, and how he fits these different interpretations. Strangely, my uncle shares traits from both portrayals, I needed to decide which trait should come forward in the character for the film. This led me to my decision to cast Jim in the role of Nick. Woodlet was given to David. And I gave Patrick the role of Nick. I felt that Patrick's brute-like attitude would fit nicely with a Coach figure.

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The table read was a conclusive success. As the meeting closed, I got everyone's number and added them to a WhatsApp group chat to allow for simpler communication method than email. Jim also mentioned that his son may be interested in acting for the Noah role; he is 8 years old, blonde, slight, interested in rugby, he's been attending an acting club for a few months but refuses to perform in front of an audience due to a shy personality. He sounds ideal, and with him being the son of the actor I've cast for Nick, I don't think I can get a better person for the role. I just need to hope and pray that he gets a boost of confidence to play the role. He wouldn't be performing in front of an audience but I understand that camera can sometimes be just as scary. If he does say yes, I will make it my mission, as a director, to ensure that he feels comfortable when acting on camera.

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The week went well, stress levels were high but I made a lot of progress. I contacted many different locations, the majority have come back with positive responses. I have a full adult cast, new lead on a young actor, a finished story board, and a working schedule. College starts again tomorrow, although I feel a cold coming on. Maybe I should take two days off to break the tension and actually give myself a small half term break, I think that would be healthy for me.

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Week 6 ¬

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28/02/24

I'm back at college today, having been unwell on the Monday (the original return date), and I'm feeling inspired and ready to work. I think my lack of motivation at the end of last term was from burn out, not having rested enough, which then probably caused my cold at the end of the week. Despite my crazy week during the half term, filled with stress and full work loads, I feel relatively calm and prepared for the coming work ahead. This half term, I'm on pre-production, the last leg of it before filming. I'm excited and nervous but still feeling ready. Hopefully, I keep a consistent update to my reflective log as today I've found trying to recount a weeks worth of crazy work and development today is a task not worth having if you can just do it in the moment.

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We did run into a slight problem today; in Tommy's email to Melbourn Village College, he mentioned that we would want to film their logo and name when filming outside the premises. I'm not sure why Tommy mentioned this as we hadn't planned this but because he did, the Headteacher came back to us saying that she won't want the school to be shown negatively in the film as their name and logo might be present - understandably. The scene in mind is fortunately not a negative representation, but the later scene represents the school in a negative way, so we will probably be rejected for this reason - unless we lie and tell them otherwise, which I don't support.

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I gave Tommy the task to email the school as he was an ex-pupil, he doesn't have as much experience in emailing so I should've offered to proof read the message before it was sent out. As the acting producer, I should have guided Tommy through the communication process and not given the entire task to him trusting he'd know what to say. The location may have been rejected due to this error and could've been avoided if I fulfilled my role appropriately. For the rest of the project, I will oversee and proof read all emails as well as in-person and online communication, this will ensure that the production stands the best chance at success among external parties.

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29/02/24

Today I've kept at my reflective log, finishing the reflecting process of last week. I'm feeling happy with what I've done but still think I have a lot to do. I've just had a thought to go ahead with some action research - I'm not sure what I'd research though. I need to start having a think about how I'll conduct research on colour theory, aspect ratios, and other camera tests. Something that will get me out the classroom! I have a feeling that if I finish some action research I'll start feeling more confident in myself - this is what helped me last year when my project felt like it was falling behind.

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01/03/24

New month, end of the week. I've finished the NHS Property Services Application and sent that over to Emma, she's currently after a response regarding PL Insurance and safeguarding measures I've considered for the project. PL Insurance can be funded but needs to be solidified by the end of next week, as applying for personal PL Insurance could take longer than we may expect. Safeguarding concerns are understandably on high alert, I'm waiting for a response from Jim (hopefully later today) to confirm if his son will take the part of Noah, if so, I can move forward with a Child Protection program soon. Otherwise, I'll still be looking for a young actor and safeguarding precautions will have to wait until I get further information.

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What's relieving about this update: I have a plan for both outcomes. Something which Martin brought up yesterday: What if Royston Hospital deny your application? Has been on my mind all morning, I need a back up if we don't get that opportunity. I'm aware that part of the Longroad College site used to be a hospital and some of the corridors in C Block could fit the location we're looking for. I don't really want to film here, however, as that will add an extra layer of documentation I'd need to arrange.

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So, to paraphrase; I have a plan A and a plan B which is comforting. I'm feeling like the pre-production stages are heading in the right direction, now I need to prioritize finishing my action research. Next week, in college, I'll get some colour research done, practical rugby research done, and hopefully some aspect ratio testing. By the end of next week, I hope to have a rough draft of finished research. I may also give myself some time to re-write my proposal, or even write the remainder of my ideas. There are a few things which are stacking up, once they're done, I imagine I'll feel a lot more confident in this project. I know I need to get these done before filming as I won't have time to do them during or after.