Mara’s Film Blog

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On Set Production

Critical Reflection - Critique of Final Work

I have chosen to focus on ‘Calculated Affection’ for my critical reflection. This draft of the film is unfinished as it has no sound design. I think this works perfectly for analysing my role as On-Set Sound Recordist as it makes it easier to listen to the sound without sound design on top of the recordings I made on set.

The main aims when recording sound on set is to get clear, balanced audio with good levels to give to the post-production sound team. Consistency between mics, performance volumes and shots/ scenes are vital for sound as not only does it make the film sound better, more realistic and cohesive, it will make the sound design easier, ensuring coverage is usable instead of having drastically different audio between shots. I believe this was achieved in this film. There is consistency between takes and setups both in the wide angles and close ups and the audience is not disrupted by any changes in volume. There may be very small differences in volume between the characters throughout, however, this is not very noticeable as it feels almost natural within the scene, and it did not take much effort for the sound designer to smooth this out a bit in post-production.

The changes in volume and performance flow smoothly through the film. Moments when the actor’s performance changes and their voice is raised or quietened, feels natural and like you would expect to hear if you were in the space with them. For example, this is seen when Gracie finally has enough and becomes frustrated in the scene (03:55 - 04:04) and begins to raise her voice before being interrupted, the increase in volume and performance are blended well and this doesn’t stick out or take the audience by surprise. There aren’t moments where the sound peaks and there doesn’t seem to be moments where the audio changes drastically, taking the audience out of the scene.

One of the more noticeable issues in the sound is the noise of the dolly moving, this was unavoidable and will be removed during the sound design process, either by trying to remove the noise itself or using the lav mic recordings, which the noises aren't as noticeable on.

One drawback from this film having no sound design is the lack of atmos. There were atmos tracks recorded which would’ve added to the design and are fundamental elements of on-set sound recording, however, these are unavailable in this current version for analysis.

The Happy Birthday track (04:13 – 04:31) does not fit totally smoothly into the mix at this point. In the layers of audio there is a separate recording of the cast and crew singing happy birthday which was quickly cut over the in-scene audio tracks. This doesn’t sit well just yet as there is some overlap and lack of mixing, however, this track was recorded on set in similar seating positions to those laid out in the scene to make the singing fit the room and feel more realistic. This will make it easier for the sound designers to blend it in.

Moving to the cutaway shots (01:08 – 01:36 and 02:47 – 03:19), where Gracie is having an ‘out of body’ experience these shots do not use linked audio, but instead use the ‘room tone’ track recorded on set. I think this recording gives a good base for the ambience that will eventually be created in the sound design.

One aspect which I would like to have put more effort into would be recording more wild tracks and location spot effects for the edit to add to the realism instead of the designer using sound libraries.

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Note: I am incorrectly credited in 'Calculated Affection' as Production Designer, where I was actually On-Set Sound Recordist.

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Link:

'Calculated Affection':

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On-Set Production

Critical Reflection - Critique of Process

I learned a lot this semester in terms of sound recording, considering I had never taken on this role before the first on-set production class. I was the sound recordist for 2 films this semester which included shooting filmed rehearsals and the final 4-minute films (‘Calculated Affection’ and ‘Closing Night’). 

I was unable to attend the recce for ‘Closing Night’ (CN) as at this point, I was not part of the crew to be working on the film, however, I was at the recce for ‘Calculated Affection’ (CA). I can definitely see the differences in on set experience as a result of this. For CN I was able to anticipate any background noise issues I may have when shooting, including, fridge noise and noise of customers and staff in the upstairs bar area. However, with CN I found more issues on set which could have been fixed prior to filming to save time, for example, buzzing noises coming from speakers which was getting picked up on all mics and could’ve had a solution established before arriving to set for filming.

Another aspect of sound recording I could focus on during pre-production included mic placement, primarily boom, but also lav mics. Although placement of the boom mic cannot be finalised until you are on set and ready to shoot, I found it helpful to look at blocking plans, shot lists and reflect on my experiences from the rehearsals. By understanding frame sizes, camera movements and shadows from these documents/ experiences, I was able to think on my feet better on-set and find places to boom from much faster and find better solutions which wouldn’t be a compromise to the recordings. 

I believe the creative intentions of each of these films were supported by the sound recording. As much as there isn’t much sound recording can do in terms of altering the creative intention very noticeably, I believe I did well in supporting the creative vision to make these films as realistic in their worlds as possible, with clear, consistent dialogue and real, on-set atmos tracks.

I also believe my file management was successful. I took detailed sound reports on set and labelled my files with the respective project file name allocated by the post-production teams. 

I communicated well with all departments on both sets, taking into consideration camera, narrative and performance at all times. I was able to effectively communicate any issues or alternative ideas when needed. One aspect which I would like to have put more effort into would be recording more wild tracks and location spot effects for the edit to add to the realism instead of the designer using sound libraries. Whilst wild tracks were discussed on both sets it was the directors and 1st ADs who decided against this in favour of saving time on-set.

I really enjoyed these projects and my first experiences of being a sound recordist, I got good feedback from my crews and intend to pursue this role in the future.

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Note: I am incorrectly credited in 'Calculated Affection' as Production Designer, where I was actually On-Set Sound Recordist.

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Links -

'Calculated Affection':

'Closing Night':

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'Calculated Affection'

I worked on this project as Sound Recordist. This was a great experience for me, I got to work with a crew who were all excited about the project. My boom op for this project was a godsend, Cass helped me with the issues we faced on set and even anticipated things which could be issues so that we could have a smoother shoot. Because of their experience with sound recording they were able to help me a lot since I didn't have as much. I learned a lot on this project from listening for which noises would actually be picked up on the recordings, since we were shooting downstairs in a pub next to a main road, to using plant mics and wireless boom mic adaptors. I think this projects expanded my sound recording knowledge hugely and I will carry this with me in future projects.

Link to a rough cut of the film:

(No sound design)

Note: I am incorrectly credited in 'Calculated Affection' as Production Designer, where I was actually On-Set Sound Recordist.

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'Closing Night'

I worked on this project as Sound Recordist. This was a great experience for me, I got to work with a crew who were all excited about the project and a boom operator (Hayley) who was very helpful and flexible when it came to finding solutions. Even working with the actors on this project was very helpful especially when going through the process and trials and errors of using Lav Mics. I learned a lot on this project from anticipating levels for mixing to listening for noises that will be picked up on the recordings and trying to trouble shoot these so that they are not an issue for the post production team.

Link to the film:

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Sound Recording

Lav Mic techniques:

I learned a lot this semester from my first experiences of using lav mics and figuring out how and where to place them for optimal comfort and sound quality.

My experiences this semester have been placing mics in and behind ties, the collars of shirts, in jumpers and scarves and more...

Each time has been a different challenge and I’ve learned things do to differently next time on each set. I’ve always carried tape with me when sound recording and it has come in very handy.

I have found that even though I believe I have secured the mic properly, there may still be a lot of noise from the actors costume and movement and even jewellery.

I have also looked online for some extra hints and tips for fastening lav mics. I took notes on some of my favourites:

‘Button Hole Rig’: This is done by attaching a button to the capsule of the lav and placing it through a buttonhole then taping the wire to the interior of the shirt. This means you are able to disguise the mic while getting clear, crisp sound with no clothing noises as the capsule is exposed. This is a technique which will work better on interior shoots.

‘Paperclip Spacer’: Using a paperclip to create an air pocket around the capsule of the mic. This can reduce clothing and movement noises by creating a guard and pocket of space between the mic and costume. This is a cheaper alternative to products already sold and works well with jackets, heavier shirts and jumpers.

I also found this video educational:

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On-set on ‘Calculated Affection’:

This was a great set to be on, everyone was excited for the project, and I got to work with some new people. We shot at The Raging Bull over 2 days (27/11/23 and 28/11/23). On day 1 I was introduced to Cass, my boom op. they have more experience than I do with sound recording so I was very grateful for their help and any suggestions they gave when we faced issues. They also brought some of their own sound recording kit, including a wireless boom mic adaptor, meaning I didn’t need to stand right next to them with connecting wires, this saved us from issues with space, shadows and discomfort. It was really interesting to use this piece of kit as we do not have it available through the uni. 

We were able to turn off the fridges on both days of filming and I heard a quiet buzzing from a speaker that had been left on but was able to work out how to turn it off so we had better recordings.

We also faced some issues with the sound kit, dying batteries were common but more significantly, we were given 2 receivers in the lav mic box instead of a receiver and a transmitter, as a result of this me and Cass decided that we wouldn’t prioritise one character over the other, instead we would turn the remaining lav mic into a plant mic. This issue was resolved for the second day of filming.

Recording and sound reports went smoothly. There were a few times where we had to do some extra takes as there were people walking down stairs or sirens on the street but this was done very efficiently. I took a recording of room tone both days and on the second day got some of the cast and crew to sing happy birthday for one section of the film.

Overall, a great experience and working with the second years on set as well as my fellow 3rd years was great fun.

Some on set pictures:

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Location Recce

’Calculated Affection’:

The HoD’s all met up at The Raging Bull on the 21st November for a location recce. This was my first time here and it seemed like a lovely place to film, especially since it fit exactly what the writer, director and production designer had in mind for how they wanted the film to look.

Initially I had some concerns, these included:

Noise from upstairs since that was the main bar area. We could hear customers and staff moving about and talking. 

Noises from the fridges behind the bar. 

Noises from the street outside, since we were on Lothian Road it was constantly busy with busses and heavy traffic.

I was able to find a solution or work around for most of these issues. We spoke to staff and they told us we would be able to turn off the fridges when filming, this reduced any unwanted background noise within the room.

We were mainly shooting before opening hours, meaning there wouldn’t be many people moving around the pub during the day, this reduces the interruptions and footstep noises I was worried about. 

I also spoke to the Producer and made them aware that they will need to make make sure there is time in the schedule for us to have more takes in the case of interruptions or loud traffic noises, they were very understanding of this and believed it was the best (and only) solution.

I took a recording of the room on my phone at the recce so that I could listen back to it later and see what would be picked up on a microphone. I also took some pictures of things which I felt may be issues.

There were other things I looked out for which I thought could possibly be an issue, including lights since the lights looked quite old I thought they might emit a buzzing noise, and noise from a speaker in the corner of the room. These were all relatively quiet and posed no issues.

Some pictures from the recce:

A picture of a cat on the wall that I loved:

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On-set on ‘Closing Night’:

This was a great set, cast and crew were all very motivated and excited for the project. We shot over 2 days (14/11/23 and 21/11/23). On the first day I helped to pick up the equipment and take it to our location – The Voodoo Rooms. This was a great location and worked really well for what the production design team and director had as their vision. In the morning I helped the production design team to set up their backdrop as it needed clipped to the wall quite high up, so my height came in handy. I was able to help out since sound doesn’t take as long to set up as camera or lighting. After this I started setting up my sound kit, with the help of Hayley my boom operator. We got the actors mic’d up with their Lav mics. This wasn’t too difficult as the costume the production designer chose was quite easy to work with and hide the mics. After checking levels and making sure to name my files I was ready for rehearsals. 

On this set I decided to try out the sound devices ‘Wingman’ app. This meant I could name files and create a sound report via Bluetooth. I really enjoyed the ease of being able to do this on my phone. However, when it came to the end of the day and time to export my sound report I made a mistake. I didn’t realise the app went blank as soon as the mix-pre is turned off or disconnected, I took out the SD card to give to our DIT and as soon as the card was back in, and I tried to send myself the report I was unable to as all the information was wiped on my phone. Thankfully, I had also been filling out a paper report alongside this other one, so I did still have a copy and I’m thankful for the experience as I was able to learn a critical piece of information and also was able to understand the app a lot better to use for reports in the future.

Some of the issues I faced on this set included:

Large ranges in performance in short spaces. For example, when the actors would go from a calm conversation on stage to a very theatrical one. This made it more difficult to ensure consistent output levels without noticeable or drastic gain changes. I was always thankful when we would do another take of scenes like this as it gave me more practice and I could anticipate the jumps a bit better. Similarly there were often differences in volume levels between the two actors.

There was a lot of noise from the characters moving – walking about on stage or when they walk to their seats, and noises from props, like the dried flowers which were held close to the Lav Mics. This was difficult to avoid as they were all important for the script and flow of action, so I had to try my best to find ways around this or anticipate when a lot of noise would be made.

Following on from the actors moving around a lot, there was also a lot of noise from the actors clothing. I felt I had secured the Lav mics properly, however, throughout the day I heard clothing rustling becoming an issue. I decided to have a moment with the actors, see if there was anywhere else I could attach the Lavs to but ultimately decided to use tape to secure the clothing/mics and any jewellery.

Some on set pictures:

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Sound Recording

Kit List:

This is a simple sound kit list I like to send to producers or book for my own crew.

Sound Devices MixPre 3 – Recorder and Mixer

MKH50 Shotgun Mic

Sennheiser Portable Wireless Radio Mic x2

URSA Radio Mic Waist Transmitter Belt x2

Boom Pole - Large

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Pre-Production

Sound Recording:

I was grateful to receive blocking plans and shot lists along with the shooting script for both of the films I worked on. This helped a lot in my pre-production for sound and anticipating my responsibilities and placements while on set.

“Closing Night’:

‘Calculated Affection’:

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On Set on 'The Hands of Men'

Boom Operator:

I was given the opportunity to be a boom operator for ‘The Hands of Men’ for their first day of filming. I went to set to help Sophie out with an issue she was having connecting lav mics to the Mix-Pre. I managed to solve the issue for her but found out when I was there the person who was going to be her boom op was unavailable. I offered to stay and was glad I did. This a great experience for me, the film is one of my favourites that has been produced this semester. I was glad to get some experience as boom op and feel like I did a good job. I was also there to support the sound recordist with any issues or help if she needed it. It was also good to get more experience putting lav mics on actors as this is something that will change with each person and their costume and more practice will help me to get the techniques for good sound quality and comfortable placements.

Beyond being on set for sound I particularly enjoyed the behind the scenes of the production design and how the shots were constructed as there are a lot of ambitious elements in the script/ final film.

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On-Set Production

SDSA Article

Link: https://www.setdecorators.org/?art=film_decor_features&SHOW=SetDecor_Film_KNIVES_OUT

Knives Out

Set Decorator: David Schlesinger SDSA

Production Designer: David Crank

Production design and set dressing plays a massive role in this film, completely immersing the viewer into the world of the film and portraying character through every detail.

David Schlesinger undertook a lot of research prior to filming, this included gathering up as many images as he could which represented how he felt the set should look and feel. He then shared these with the production designer and the two compared their ideas to consolidate their final vision to present to the director. 

After this David came up with a plan of how to tackle this project. There are many pieces included in this film with a tight budget, so he came up with a shopping strategy. A solution for situations like this is to work with vendors with large inventories and make ‘wholesale’ deals with them, as this will often give you better deals.

It was a challenge to ensure there wasn’t a lot of visual noise with the many layers of objects in each scene and to tell meaningful stories with set dressing. Some questions David kept asking himself were: 

“How does this object relate to one of Harlan’s books?”

“Who is Harlan Thrombey, and what do the objects he surrounds himself with reveal about his character?”

Similarly, he would ask himself this about other characters.

David focused on objects with scale and that had colours which would stand out from the background. Everything put on set, needed a story behind it.

Rian Johnson suggested displaying Harlan’s books alongside a key object involved in the Mystery. This was included in the film, David gathered a selection of key objects, and Rian created book titles to coordinate with it. The Art Department then created the books.

The film was shot in Boston, and most of the shopping was done in Massachusetts. The first people that David looked to were George and Judy Jagg. The Jaggs are named as one of his favourite vendors. Many of the knives and oddities came from them. Many more elements came from Newel Antiques in New York.

David was determined to have Automaton on the sets. Automatons are moving mechanical devices made in imitation of a human being.  Primarily from the 19th Century, they are expensive, delicate, and rare. All the things you learn in Set Dec 101 not to put on a set. 

Schlesinger contacted as many collectors and museums as he could track down and after finding a museum with automatons the museum’s Charter would not allow the pieces to leave the museum. When he was put in contact with a restorer, he started looking at the process of renting automatons however, he realised how expensive it would be with crating, technicians, transportation, and rental fees. 

They used a local collector of magic-related objects for original magic posters and other objects, and by some miracle he collected automatons that could be used on the film.

Initially, the Wheel of Knives was meant to be a display over the mantel in the library. When they ‘tech-scouted’, the director and DoP blocked the scenes with the idea that the knives would form a halo behind the various characters being interrogated. They specifically wanted something that would not be solid, so light would come through and Rian wanted a sense of movement in the knives, as if they were all being thrown toward the centre. Several prototypes were made but none were exactly what they were looking for.

Eventually they decided to build an armature to hold the knives and hang it from chains from the balcony. They found a pre-existing metal circle and the crew were given the instruction of “treat it like sculpture”.

In another case the stash clock seen in the film was a ‘lucky find’ which the set dressing department was happy they found as it was written in the script and this perfect clock meant they didn’t have to make any compromises. 

The Thrombey estate consisted of two separate locations and a built set. The Living Room, Sitting Room, Exteriors, and Harlan’s Office were shot in a private home that had many truly priceless items in it. 

The crew inventoried every item in the areas of the house we would be shooting in. They then identified with the homeowner which items would be removed by Art Handlers, be Set Dressing, or would be kept to use. Many things had to be removed just because of their importance to the family and delicate nature of old objects. The removal process took a couple of weeks.

In the film there was a small board dressed into Harlan’s Study, and a Chess table dressed into the library, this is something David likes to include in all of his films.

“Chess has an opening, a mid-game, and an end game. I view Set Decorating with the same Strategy. The opening is research and establishing the look and feel of the show. It sets everything up. The mid-game is the sourcing and planning. The end game is the Dressing.”

David Crank wanted the set to build into a ‘crescendo’,

“The idea was that with each level you go up, things get stranger and stranger, each room getting more eccentric and more colourful than the last until you reach Harlan's domain...his hallway, bedroom and study...”

David Crank took into account how the actors interact with the space they are in while designing the set. In addition to creating a stranger world as we move up floors, the top floor can be seen as the most personal spaces.

“One of the most fun things about working on Knives Out is that every time you walked into a new room, there were wild treasures everywhere. I remember the first time I sat down in the chair in the library when I realized the chair had two owls for arm rests... The closer you would get to any object, the more you’d realize something was just a little bit off. I love that. It reflects the whole tone of the movie, where you think you are in this beautiful estate with a family that has everything, but then you realize there is something amiss with them.”  - Riki Lindhome

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On Set Production

SDSA Article

Link: https://www.setdecorators.org/?art=SetDecor_Film_THE_FRENCH_DISPATCH

THE FRENCH DISPATCH

Set Decorator: Rena DeAngelo SDSA

Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen

‘The French Dispatch’ (2021) is set in a fictional town named Ennui-Sur-Blasé. The town represents but a sootier, dirtier, seedier version of Paris with beautiful architecture, just not scrubbed clean. The film was shot in the town of Angoulême.

Sourcing:

The set decorator was given 6 weeks of prep time with her team after arriving in Paris spending time in flea markets, prop houses and out-of-the-way country shops where they found their incredible set dressing.

Denis Gargolie, a local estate liquidator had an enormous warehouse where the set dressing team was able to source many things including antiques, rugs, tableware and lighting. This was a great resource as it was much easier to source things locally. Similarly, Rena visited the Chartre and Le Mans flea markets once a month.

“The greatest part of this job was shopping in France for 6 months, going to flea markets and out of the way country shops, weekend brocantes, all full of the most wonderful French things.”

Black & white:

The scenes that are in black and white were decided prior to shooting, and were shot with black and white stock. So, it was important to take colours into account and use colours that work well together in black & white as well as in colour. The set dressing department wanted the sets to look good both on the black and white film but to the crew and Wes Anderson whilst shooting. 

As seen above, the scenes of The Cadazio Gallery were shot in black and white. Due to the large amount of dressing in this room it was difficult to ensure it looked good in black and white, so, Rena used black and white filters on her phone to see the progress as she was working on it, to make sure it all worked together. There were also some camera tests which would also help other departments to understand how the scene would look in black and white.

The Felt Factory:

There was a local felt factory just outside of the town the film was being shot in, this was used as offices, stages, set dressing storage and carpentry mill paint shop. All of the sets were built there, and some were even staged there, including the police dining room, the dockside bar and the artists garret. Only the interior of the prison wasn’t built there but was built in another empty factory nearby. 

As the director Wes Anderson had every frame of the movie storyboarded ahead of time and settings were included with a lot of detail in the script, so there was no question of what he wanted to shoot.

The set of The Roebuck Wright police dolly shot was built in the old felt factory and was the entire length of one of the stages. Each of the pieces of this segment were meticulously described in the script. The crew managed to build it in a very short 2 weeks and dressed it in 2 days.

During shooting, Rena notes that they always had at least 6 giant sets going at once, and once one was finished, it would be pulled down to make room for more.

The Cadazio Gallery:

All the artwork, tapestries and armor were sourced from Paris prop houses. The furnishings and other objects and rugs were either from the prop houses or the flea markets. There are 5 different categories of art represented on the walls.

The Barricade:

The barricade set was on a residential street. 2 cafés were built on the set and they cobblestoned the street. The cobblestones in the piles and used for throwing in the scenes were made by sculptors out of rubber. The ‘Dr Seuss-style trees’ exist all over Angoulême, however, a few were built to be able to move them to the camera.

The car barricade was built by the art dept from actual scrapped car parts. The other was scripted as a ‘barricade built from school desks and chairs, globes and typewriters.’ The set dressing department bought every globe, typewriter, and school chair and desk they could find, built the barricade in in 2 pieces on wheels so it could be easily moved.

The Dispatch Offices:

Each office was made to depict the personality of each writer, in one frame. Each character was based on actual writers from the New Yorker magazine, as was the editor inspired by iconic figures in the magazine’s history.

Sazerac’s Cycling Tour:

Sazerac’s sequence, although short and exteriors only, was as massive an undertaking as the rest. A lot of what you see in the shots of Sazerac cycling through the streets was just Angoulême. However, there was a lot of set dressing that took place to make it what it is, including graphics sign painters and faux cobblestone street.

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On-Set Production

Creative Exercise 2:

I worked with Nikola on this exercise. From the beginning we decided we wanted to create a whimsical theme. Our intended colour pallet consisted of warm oranges and greens. We decided we would portray this through a table setting. We wanted to avoid creating a ‘romantic scene’ which we felt might happen if we set the table with dinnerware, to solve this issue we decided to create a ‘tea party’ theme. We took inspiration from the Mad Hatter’s tea party in the film ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (2010). Through the images we wanted to tell the story of someone arriving at the tea party. Nikola took on this role, using a mirror we played on the idea of her arriving in this fantasy land from somewhere far away and we see her journey as she discovers more of the tea party. We were able to use a lot of props we already owned. We wanted to include small details to really play on the whimsical mood, for example, the blue liquid in the teacups and the ‘Drink Me’ label on the bottle.

We did not have direct sunlight into the windows of the living room (east facing at midday), however we did close the blinds and used led lights to light the set. We used warm toned LEDs and a purple gel on one light.

Examples of inspiration and basic floor plan:

Before:

After:

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On-Set Production

SDSA Article

Link: https://www.setdecorators.org/?art=film_decor_features&SHOW=SetDecor_Film_LA_LA_LAND

David Wasco is best known for his work as production designer for ‘La La Land’ (2016), ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (2009) and ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ (2003). His wife Sandy Reynolds-Wasco was also the Set Designer for ‘La La Land’. This film was nominated for awards for its production design and won the Academy Award for ‘Best Achievement in Production Design’.

David Wasco (Production Designer), Sandy Reynolds-Wasco (Set decorator).

As selected by the production design for this film, many scenes were filmed at famous sites in LA, for example Griffith Park Observatory or some less-well-known places like the Lighthouse Café at Hermosa Beach, a jazz club since 1949.

The planetarium's interior was transformed into an Art Deco fantasy for the dance scene where Sebastian and Mia waltz around the dioramas.

Throughout the film, the Wascos referenced films other recognisable films in their production design:

The films production designers also took some inspiration from the paintings of Ed Ruscha and David Hockney, who explored the mythologies of Los Angeles, and the French painter, Raoul Dufy.

Paintings by Ed Ruscha.

Paintings by David Hockney.

Paintings by Raoul Dufy.

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On-Set Production

Creative exercise 1:

The brief:

The photographs:

Cramond Beach.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved the beach, I take it from my mum. Her side of the family are from an island on the west coast of Scotland. Even though I didn’t grow up there it’s one of my favourite places in the world and I look everywhere for small things that remind me of being there. Cramond beach is the closest I can get to those beaches on Islay and is a place I feel at home.

Memorable walk.

This is a walk where I often spend time with my mum. The memories we have of walking here together feel like home.

Sunset view.

This is a place where my mum and I sit together to watch the sunset. It’s one of my favourite things to do and I get go do it with my mum here, whether we frantically race to get there on time or take our time, chatting while we wait.

Doorstep walk.

This is a path right next to my house, whenever I see it I know home is close.

My house.

My house. Although it might look exactly the same as every other house in the street, I know it’s mine.

My door.

Always welcoming. Always a comforting sight. And a view of my street, a sight I’ll always recognise. Including the broken house number sign (defo not my fault…) and the wood my dad and brother have dumped in our garden.

My bedroom.

The view from my bedroom window. The place I spend the most time and feel the most comfortable. It might not be the prettiest view but I’ve studied it my whole life and know every quirk and detail.

Other places that feel like home.

Being outdoors, travelling and exploring new places is an important part of my life. I have many postcards from special places I’ve visited on my wall in my bedroom. Places that feel like a home from home.

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Overall, I feel like this series of photographs have a cohesive visual style. They all focus on rule of thirds framing, some centre framing and eye-level framing to give a pov feel to the views. I find the thirds/centre framing is comforting and almost satisfying to the viewers eye, contributing to the ‘home’ and ‘comforting’ theme of the series.

I approached this task as a personal, memory motivated task, looking at how not only physical space, but experiences and associations within a space reflect the feeling of home for me personally.

I also wanted to focus on this series feeling like a journey, both through location of the pictures and leading lines in the image. The order in which these photographs are presented is very intentional. Each of the locations of the pictures gradually get closer to what I feel best fits the idea of ‘home’. Although all of these images reflect my personal feeling of home, they begin from furthest - in distance - from my house to inside my house, my bedroom. I also made sure these images transitioned from distant long-shots to close ups. As, once again, the photographs became closer to home and became more personal - visually.

[marafilmblog]

Film Adaptation

Crit Feedback & Reflection

Firstly, here is our final film:

Feedback:

Generally our feedback was really positive. The production design and props were especially liked and the colour grade, which helped these elements stand out and highlighted colours like red throughout the whole film. Our visual style was consistent and fit exactly what we planned to display. Overall we portrayed the dog POV well.

However, we were told that we broke our own rules that we set up in the world of the film. For example, we established that the dog can understand human language (even that which he hasn’t heard before as seen in the ‘I love you’ scene) as a result, the ‘bla bla bla’s’ used as a replacement for dialogue do not work with the established rules. Also in one scene we see the dog being passed to the woman, however, the camera (POV) doesn’t follow in the way it should, taking the audience out of the scene and creating a confusing moment. It was also suggested that we could include more dog-like elements to the sound design, for example breathing, to give more depth and make it more realistic.

Reflection:

I am happy with the feedback we were given. Most of it was positive and the criticism we were given made a lot of sense and I agree that it would make the film even better. I think we done well at producing our idea as we explained in the pitch (of course taking on any feedback we were given along the way). I think we did really well at achieving a challenging idea – particularly the dog POV.

This has been my best filming experience. The group has been amazing and we have all had a great time through the whole development and filming process. Everything flowed well and turned out exactly how we wanted. Sophie’s ideas were so engaging and visually appealing that it felt easy to produce this film. Every element of this film worked incredibly well together from production design, script, cinematography, editing, sound and colour grading. I am proud to be part of this project and am so happy with the final product.