Production Diary- Short Film

23rd May- We got into pairs (me and mo) and we brainstormed short film ideas and came
up with 8 different ideas. After brainstorming, we picked a short film that we would like to act
out and film. My role in the group was to create the first part of the synopsis in the ‘treatment
for our short film’ The first part of this went well as it was quite easy to think and create a
short film idea at the start but as it got more into the film i struggled as i felt like there wasn’t
enough detail included.

24th May- We continued on our treatment for the short film, today we added camera
shots/angles into it. There are alot of different camera angle shots you can use so I decided
what type of shot would be best for the action. When i was deciding my camera shots/angles
I had a piece of paper next to me which had the type of shot and what they look like which
made it easier for me to decide.

5th/6th June- Me and Mo both started on the shot list. I started at the beginning of the shot
list and Mo started at the end of the shot list making it easier for us both to finish it. To
complete the shot list we had to use our story boards and go through from 1 to 100 and fill
out the shot list. When filling out the shot list you had to add the type of shot, the action and
the number of takes. You had to fill out the shot list in order of the way your short film is
going to be out together, for example shot 1 on the shot list is the first shot in your short film.

7th June- Me and Mo finished off the shot list and went onto moving the detail from the shot
list to the storyboard, after this we printed the story boards off and split it in half so we could
draw as much as possible in less time. We had to draw detailed (ish) pictures, they needed
to be the same as the detail was. The drawings couldn’t be stickmen as it needed enough
detail to make sense for you and the person that will be looking at it.

8th June- Me and Mo continued filling out our storyboards and after we finished we
scanned the storyboards that either of us drew to put onto our computers. The reason we
scanned our storyboards is to put onto the blog post. I scanned my storyboard using the app
notes on my phone then sent that to my college email.

12th June- After finishing the shot list and the storyboards, me and mo both moved on to the
risk assessments. Going through the location that we are filming at and identifying the risks
that could occur when filming.

13th June- Me and Mo started to record our short film, using our storyboards to guide us
whilst filming we started. On this day we recorded around 30 shots, after the shots were
recorded we transferred the clips onto the computer. We used a filming camera to record our
short film, using the camera itself was quite straightforward as we had a demonstration on
how to use the camera before using it to record our short film. At the start of the short film we
didn’t need to use a tripod, it was just us holding the camera in the right place to be suitable
for the shot.

14th June- Both me and mo continued filming our short film, doing the same thing as
yesterday. Making sure by the end it was downloaded onto the computer correctly. By the
end of the short film we needed to use the tripod, we set the tripod up by making it the length
we needed it to be and closing the clasps to make sure it was secure, after this we set the
tripod up in the right place where both me and Mo would be in the shot. We carefully fitted
the camera onto the tripod and pressed record. Even though the camera was recording
whilst we weren't in the right position you can just edit that out when it comes to editing.

15th June- After filming we had to fill out a log in sheet. We both had to go through every
single shot we took and decide if we were going to use them in our short film. We also had to
include how long the shot was for. The description had to include exactly what was
happening in the shot. We needed to decide if the shot was a good take or not and if it
wasn't we would not use it in our short film.

19th June- After filming we had to fill out an EDL, edit decision list. Mo went through all the
shots we filmed whilst I filled out the EDL. We went through every single shot that we did
and decided whether or not to use it in our short film. We had 3 different columns to fill out
one was the file number which was the name of the shot, short description and other
essential detail and the type of edit. We had to put the file number in order from the first
camera shot we were going to use to the last camera shot. The type of edit was a cut
throughout.

20th June to 26th June- Once I filled out all my paperwork, it was time to edit my short film.
To make things easier for myself i selected all the shots I decided i was using and put them
into a separate folder called ‘YES’ this made it alot easier for me to transfer to premier pro,
as i wouldn’t be going through all the shots again and figuring out which i said yes or no to. I
had my EDL list next to me whilst editing and was going through the camera shots and
typing them into the space bar. This made it easy to find, then once I found it I dragged the
shot to the timeline, I watched the clip and decided where was best to cut or if I needed to
make it louder or mute the sound completely. The first thing I did when editing was putting all
my clips together in order, I re-watched them after they were all together so if I needed to
edit them again I would. After this I went onto youtube and searched for background music
or sound effects. When I found the sound I wanted I used a youtube to mp3 converter to
download the sounds onto my computer. Once the sounds were downloaded it came up in a
small icon which then needed to be dragged into premiere pro.