Filming Update

I have completed the filming of the 'talking head' interview questions. This filming lasts for around 8.5 minutes and my whole task only needs to be around 5 minutes. As a result, this allows me to pick out the responses which are most interesting and which I feel would be found within the first 5 minutes of a documentary. 

As I want the narration to come from the responses of these questions, I will use these answers throughout the film whilst changing the image which appears on screen.

Behind The Scenes

Below is an image of the set-up I used when filming my the interview questions. I used a tripod in order to ensure I captured a steady and consistent image and felt my conservatory was the best place for bright and natural lighting.

Location Recce - 25/01/2015

The only thing I feel may pose a risk is smoking on set. Other than this, there will be no trailing cables and the setting is safe due to taking place within a home. In order to minimise this risk I will allow smoking breaks to take place.

The time of day and weather would have a large effect on the filming due to the fact that it is taking place within a conservatory. As a result, if it was dark outside it would be dark within the conservatory as there is a lack of artificial lighting and I wanted to utilise natural lighting. Due to this I will film at a time of the day when it is light outside.

The conservatory is made solely of planes of glass and so the lighting will be bright and natural. There should be no problems with this unless it is streaming through the window directly behind/infront of the subject. If this is the case I will simply move the seating position of the interviewee.

However, filming will not be able to take place if it is raining outside. The sound of rain on the conservatory is enhanced compared to any other room in the house and would interrupt the responses to the interview questions.Therefore if it is raining I will film within a different room of the house.

I do not require permission to film within this venue as it is my own home. I will simply have to check with my parents that this is OK and inform my mother and sister when filming is taking place to avoid them walking in mid-filming.

The only other problem I may encounter is due to the fact that I live directly beside a Metro line and trains run past regularly. This causes my house to shake and the noise is loud. As a result, when I hear a metro coming I will simply pause filming until it has passed and cut this bit out of the final cut.

 

Daily Call Sheet: 25/01/2015

Date: 25/01/2015                                                                 Location: My conservatory


Cast
John Bradley


Crew
Lucy Bradley (Myself)


Equipment
- Panasonic video camera
- Tripod


Within this filming session I am going to record my previously posted interview questions.

Risk Assessment: 25/01/2015

Before I begin filming in my conservatory I have completed a risk assessment in order to identify and overcome any hazards.

Photoshoot Images

I carried out a photoshoot to gather the images for my two ancillary tasks. Below are a few of these photographs.

Double Page Spread from a Listings Magazine: 

Although I prefer how natural the first image appears, I believe I will be using the second one as my main image for my double page spread. This is due to the fact that the positioning of John within the frame is better for the layout of my page. However, I may attempt to fit the first image into my DPS and decide upon which looks more aesthetically pleasing once constructed.

 Newspaper Advertisement:

I liked a lot of the images I took for the newspaper advertisement, but the above are my favourites. However, on reflection I believe I should have taken these photographs portrait in order for them to be suitable for one page of a newspaper. I will attempt to use one of the above images but will bare in mind that I may have to carry out another photoshoot in order to change the orientation of the images.

Photoshoot Planning

I am carrying out a photoshoot in order to acquire the photographs for my two ancillary tasks. I have decided that I want the images to be in the following format:

Double page spread from a listings magazine:

For this image I want John to be standing to the left with his motorbike beside him. This allows me to follow my already created flat plan for my double page spread. You will be able to see John down the left hand side of the page and part of his mororbike but the rest will be covered by the article.



Newspaper advertisement:

I will take this with John standing either in front or behind the motorbike. During the photoshoot I will take both and decide upon which I feel is most aesthetically pleasing.


I am simply going to carry out this photoshoot on my driveway as since it is 'A Day In The Life' programme I want it to appear as personal and homely. However, if after constructing my ancillary tasks I feel that the photographs taken in a different location would work better, I will be able to take more photos with ease.


No further lighting, apart from the natural lighting from outside, will be used. I will not plan an outfit for him to wear and will simply allow him to wear his usual biking clothing.

Constructing My Double Page Spread

I have put my article onto my double page spread but, upon doing so, it is clear that it is not long enough.

As a result, I am going to add a substantial amount to my existing article in order to make it the correct length.

Ancillary Task Article

Below is the article I have created for my double page spread from a listings magazine:


The life of a biker as never seen before

The stereotypical view of bikers and ‘gang culture’ is turned on its head in this documentary, offering the insight into the life of 52 year old biker, John Bradley. This episode is one of the eleven-part series ‘A Day In The Life’, on every Tuesday.

The father-of-two shows that biking is not all Hell’s Angels and conflict, but a hobby to be enjoyed communally or alone. “I love getting up early and going on a long ride out by myself. When the roads are empty and the only company I have is the sound of my engine, that’s when I’m most content.” Not to be mistaken for only going out alone, John adds “In the Summer I love attending bike rallys and festivals: Stormin’ The Castle, The Wickerman Festival and whatever else I have time for. The atmosphere is amazing and it’s great to have a walk around admiring all of the bikes.”

The hour-long episode takes you to the North East where John and his Harley Davidson become second nature to you. He is aware of the dangers of biking and feels more motorists need to take looking for motorbikes on the road more seriously, “It doesn’t take long to take a second look, especially at junctions. The window panels can easily obstruct a driver’s view and bikers shouldn’t have to have such a fear of carelessness.”

Despite the obvious dangers, the documentary shows the excitement and addictive rush of adrenaline biking supplies. In fact, the pleasure is so great one of John’s friends beat a more dangerous addiction by taking up biking instead, “A man I met at Stormin’ The Castle last year told me about his battle with drugs growing up, which had eventually led to heroin abuse. His brother-in-law convinced him to take up biking and now he’s three years clean. Cold turkey, just like that.”

More incredible stories are revealed within the episode as well as a factual perspective on all involved in keeping and maintaining a motorbike.

Although it’s not all fresh air and chrome for John, whose wife Bernadette looks at biking a little differently, especially when their daughters are involved. “I’ve known John since I was 18 and he had a motorbike even then. I would never stop him doing something he enjoys but when he first started taking the girls out on the back I would be on edge until they returned. Luckily for me as they’ve gotten older they don’t go with him as much, I’m just dreading the day one of them comes in and tells me they want their own!”

Bikers or non-bikers, this is not a one worth missing. With a full tank of petrol anything is possible.

 

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I may have to either lengthen or shorten the article when I add it to the double page spread I have created on InDesign, depending on how well it fits in. However, I feel this is generally what my finished article will look like.

Plan For This Week

By Thursday I will have:
- Created the title for my documentary
- Wrote the article for my DPS
- Completed my newspaper advertisement and double page spread, excluding the images

At the weekend I will:
- Film the interview questions
- Do more filming
- Take the photographs for my double page spread and newspaper advertisement

Following this, my ancillary tasks will be complete and I can continue to edit, and complete, my main task.

Creating My Double Page Spread

I have re-created my flat plan for a double page spread from a listings magazine in InDesign. As a result, I now have the general outline of my DPS and it will be a relatively quick and easy process in order to fill it in.

I am now going to focus on creating the article and taking the relevant photographs.