This is the last week of shooting, final straight line until the wrap.

So I have done some research since the last post and I now know why the director and DoP have decided not to use a monitor on set.

3 simple reasons:

1: it distracts from the actual action. Everybody looks at the screen instead of paying attention to the scene.
2: monitors are heavy and slow down the setting up of a scene.
3: it's less freedom for the cameraman: heavy gear and cables....

Once again some say it may take longer between the takes for the director to review the scenes, but Tom thinks that once one is used to this technique, there is no need for reviewing.

Over the weeks the departments have changed, camera is now down from 4 to 3, the DoP and 2 assistants as was requested by the DoP before the shoot,

And the lighting dept is now at 3 with extra hands when needed. Lighting setups are always minimal but the very nature of frugal filmmaking and the fact that we are shooting an average of 6 pages a day means we have to work fast and the lighting dept are the ones that feel the pinch.

So, as we are heading towards the final line here is a small overview of all the departments in this film, and what differentiates them from any other film.

LOCATIONS :

All the locations were found through friends and connections. Obviously this means having to do all the research yourself and takes a lot more time than hiring a location agency. (Mike and Rose started looking for locations about 3 months ago.) But in the end they were all beautiful locations and hardly very affordable.

The hospital scenes for example were shot in a university during the Christmas break. And all the houses we filmed in were private houses of friends of Mike and Rose's. One of them belongs to Liz. (more on her later)

FOOD: Back to Liz. Not only does she love France, French food and speaks French perfectly (I had to love her straight away...!) she provided us during the entire shoot with delicious lunches, cakes, morning and afternoon teas. Having to serve up to 80 people on crowded days. Note to self : remember to try to have a chef amongst your friends.

ACTORS

Yet another DIY. Mike handled the camera as Rose did the auditions. Actors perfectly cast. All very eager to work. What more can I say?

GRIP DEPARTMENT: Now there is a department that seems to notice the difference. Our grip is bored. Not only has he had to show up with his little Station Wagon car instead of his usual 20 Tons truck. But he also seems really frustrated that he doesn't get to do any fancy crane movements.

Although he does admit it is a breath of fresh air to work with nice people for a change and not "wankers with an attitude" from the industry.

LIGHTING: Well, instead of the usual truck full of gaffer gear usually expected on film shoots, this is all we have:

(and a lot of it hasn't even been used very much...)

WEEK II

Week two was very different to week one. The location was the same during the whole week, so people were able to take their marks. (Although there was a little bit more of waiting around...)

I understand frugal filmmaking is about letting a window open for luck and being able to see the advantages in a situation instead of fighting against it. And I have witnessed that.

We make the most of natural light instead of setting up complicated lighting rigs and we make the most of original locations, instead of trying to change them completely: A beautiful ceiling, the blinds already on a window, using fairy lights to light up a night scene... all this can make a dull location look very unique.









Sometimes it also means using the people around you as extras: a kid driving by on a bike in a funeral scene, or the residents of a boarding house (quite a few laughs with that one...)

Of course this means depending on the weather, the moods etc. and can be very unstable, but we are a small crew and we can react quickly, so when everything is ok, we can shoot straight away.

And then there are the hours… 10 hours’ days in general, and sometimes wrapping early. Everybody is unanimous in saying the days are short. And everybody appreciates that.

But Tom would want them to be even shorter ideally. How? This is open to debate: some think that too much time is lost between takes: they should follow one another straight away in order to keep the actors warm and in the mood and to loose less time. While others say the loss of time is due to the fact that there is no monitor on set, therefore the director is forced to review the takes between shooting, slowing down the pace. Or does it? That is the question we all ponder.

One last thing I have noticed is that working with people whose motivation you trust, whose intelligence you believe in is a very positive experience.

Here the director and director of photography really trust one another's judgment and you can tell. The discussion is always open between them.

Tom has an immense respect for Rose's sensibility and is willing to reconsider the framing of a scene if she believes the general feel is not right. And Rose equally considers Tom’s opinion and alters her plan if she agrees with him. I’m told this is not the way it always works out there in the film industry.

As for the general ambiance and enthusiasm on set, some say there is less eagerness that on larger budget shoots, more joking around. This may be caused by the fact lots of the crew are volunteers. But I still think people have a professional conscientiousness and are committed to the process, not only for the sake of their beginners CV’s but for the film itself.

The South Seas Film School students are here every single day, and are very happy to be given the chance of working on a set. Here we are given the chance to do important activities that usually require experience and I know I am grateful. And learning a lot.

This is all for now.
V.