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.