Unit 10 consists of the audience research and script to screen, in which we work as a class to produce a short film based on the script by Elle Basset. Each person got a unique job role and list of pre and post production paperwork their job had to cover.
This is the script which we are basing our film off, it was written by Elle Bassett for her a level coursework, and adapted for this project by Lindsey. The story is about a group of friends taking an experimental drug and then hi-jinks ensue, sending each member into a wacky world of their own creation, will they find love, will they find their long lost parents, or perhaps even the tresure of the pirate? Watch and find out.
The only role i had a significant preference over was costume and prop as in the last unit i had handled costumes and props for the short film Bifurcate and i fancied a try at it on a bigger scale. I had enjoyed doing the props and costumes before so i wanted to explore that job role more for this project. While i didn't have much preference otherwise i felt that i would look quite good doing the slapper board for the production. The only job roles i didn't want were ones at all related to audio, as this is an area of production that i cannot stand doing. The image to the right is what i sent in as my official role request and then waited i hope for the job role i wanted...
I was given the role that i had asked for, the stars had aligned. My image had worked and i had gotten Production Design lead. But what would this role entail?
I am in charge of the visual style of the props, sets, makeup and costumes in the production. Its my role to make sure that all of the extra things to give the world we are creating more depth, are constructed and remain intact. I have to come up with the designs for these aspects, and then construct them and maintain them during the shoot stage of the production. I was also given the post preduction role of advertising, so that i can still contribute after the shoots are completed.
Who else is on the production crew and what roles did they get?
The audience profiles for similar products
The audience profile for euphoria
The audience profile for Dream State
Part of my role as costume and prop supervisor was to make mood boards that encapsulate the look and feel of the character following the directors instructions. For the scientists i was given the instructions to make it "like Harley Quinn but not insane", for the dealer "the personality of Pete Davidson but the look of Adam Sandler" and for the character of rob i was told that "somewhere between tom Holand Peter Parker and Toby Maguire's but not Andrew Garfield because hes to perfect, so more like an angry virgin nerd".
26/09/23 Tuesday 12:30 Test shoot, TE110 Science Lab
My job on this shoot was to create the set ready for the blocking actors to perform on. For this job i had to lay out beakers, conical flasks and other miscellaneous science equipment to create a busy looking background set. I filled each container with a colorful liquid and decided to light them from the back so they would shine through in a colorful array in the shot. While i planned to do a random colour assortment the director wanted to have them in a rainbow order so i followed instructions and set them up as requested. I also provided the props of lab coat and goggles for the blocking actor to wear. In the shot the rainbow set up proved too visually distracting so i planned to change the setup for the actual scene shooting. As well as my job i also took on the additional job role of being a blocking actor as more people were needed to plan out the scene.
28/09/23 Thursday ALL DAY Shooting all Shed Scenes Tractor Shed
There was minimal changes to the set that i had to make on this shoot as the theme of "decrepid cluttered shed" was already filled by the location itself. My job on this day mainly consisted of buying a selection of pill like sweets and changing them out for a fresh one each scene. We had a selection but chose parmaviolets as they looked like pills the most from the options. The first half of the shoot went well, but the "non essential" crew members (i was one of them) as the DOP had a panic attack about the amount of people on set. And around half the crew had to leave to prevent another passing out. So in the second half of the shoot i planned the ballroom scene and the masks i would need.
2/10/23 Monday PM Shooting Scientist Shed Scenes continued Studio Tractor Shed
I wasn't able to be present on this shoot day because of the same reasons as the previous shoot, so instead i put together a small crew of the other people who weren't allowed to appear on set and tested some cheap alternatives to gore vfx makeup. Ultimately we didn't end up choosing it as an option but it was a useful option to explore. The page of my findings can be seen in my note section above. To the right you can see the face i used as a test. The four used in a clockwise order starting with the top left: fake blood 2, mud, food coloring, fake blood 1. Each of the four options was mixed with pva and oats to create a thick fleshy texture.
9/10/23-16/10/23 I was unable to attend any of these shoots due to unforeseen circumstances
I wasnt able to attend these due to unforseen cicumstances that prevented me from coming in, but have a bts photo anyways.
As part of my job role i had to make some posters for the production, these can be seen below. In adition to this i also made the credits that the other jobs used and the films tagline. I have put them in in the left to right order in which i made them.
To the left is a cut of the dream states film,
it is only viewable from here as we arent allowed to distribute the film on youtube till 2025