Reflecting on the final outcome

After two days in the edit, one of those days I edited the start of the interviews as they needed to be synced  before I could cut them. The next day the sound man edited the rest of the interviews and started to build a basic structure, the editor had a basic cut but needed to add  the rest of the cutaways and the final tweaks. We helped out as she was busy with other projects.

I must admit, it was not how I expected. It seemed that the storyline still wasn't there which is very disappointing as the script is only just in the 3rd draft, and whilst editing we still needed to ask how this documentary was going to end and what he wanted from each contributor as is didn't seem set.

I noticed how the lack of the script made it very hard to find cutaways, yes we got lots of them but not the right ones that related to the story. I felt like I needed to have known clearly on each shoot what cutaways were needed rather than shoot cutaways because we think we may need them. I used the Canon 1d to make it look nice visually but due to struggling with knowing what to film, it reflected in my work and I needed to know what to shoot as the shots didn't always match up. To get the best out of your crew you need someone who knows exactly what they want and I feel that more thought needed to have gone into the story, which is a shame.

After seeing the final documentary, I was surprised to see some night shots that were filmed by the director whilst we were filming the police in the final edit. These shots weren't framed correctly as horizons weren't straight, were under exposed and were very shaky. I shot for 50 minutes on a tripod so thought that there were better shots that could have been used.

I am extremely impressed by the outcome of the strip doc. I have been working along side the director and together have produced something I would class as not being a typical "student film", therefore no use of local locations or filming around the university. It has pushed me and I know with a strong crew you can get the best out of everyone.

I think this has given me practice for the industry and it is definitely important to make sure you have a strong director to get the story needed and with this it helps out the crew.

Draft 3 and one doc down!!

We now have a more developed script from the director for Young and Pissed, yet there is still no ending which is worrying as this is the edit week. Still very unsure about the whole project as it's been a bit miss match with scripts coming in bits and shooting being very spread out over the 5 week period as the first interview was 4 weeks ago so by now should be in the edit. Time is ticking, Asda interview is however done which does only leave us with one more part to shoot so not long until the filming is complete.

On the plus side the Stripper documentary is filmed!!! With so much hard work from the Director and I in planning it, it was a huge success. Especially working with such a visual and experienced camera man, this helped when we were under pressure with the schedule. Only slight problem was expecting 3 girls to be willing to be interviewed, yet the girls didn't really know what was going on. So over 2 days we gained enough trust to get two girls on camera with others doing pole dancing and even one allowing us to film a lapdance. A huge success after the amount of effort the group has put in..can't wait until the final edit.

And it happens again..

From the all go ahead last night I was excited to finally get access into the club, but last minute Carrie called to say the Girls were tired. At first, it was gutting with all our hard work and another delay, but on the plus side we have arranged to film tomorrow evening when they are open. FINGERS CROSSED!!!

First cancellation on Young and Pissed, we had organised with the director to film monday evening in the streets but due to how hard it has been to gain access in the club we could not miss this opportunity. Luckily the director was fine as he realised we could film on the thursday evening, which works out better due to a student pub crawl thats been organised. But other than monday evening, we're free to film..just hoping the filming goes smoothly!!

Spoons for cutaways!

Had my first encounter with filming in a pub this evening. However Falmouth is very student based and Saturday isn't a night that we would get the most students, so didn't think it was quite the best choice of evening but I have no problem with shooting when needed.

Still needing a script to help me out, and need some support from the Director. At first I was worried about what we were meant to be shooting as I got a confused look and didn't really know what he wanted when asking what to shoot but did get some ideas after discussing it which helped to get some good cutaways. Did get a lot of interest from locals asking about the camera so have to not be rude but make sure they don't distract me.

Have managed to get hold of Carrie from Central Chambers and will be filming tomorrow night in the club, fingers crossed!!

London, first day filming not as we expected.

Today, we were meant to be filming, with previous contributors pushing our filming schedule back the heat was on. For instance, the manager from Central chambers went away on holiday so we had to re organise for Sunday 11th, and Gigi had re arranged due to mishap with hair extensions.

However, just a case of bad luck, Gigi has gone to a + e, due to pain she has been getting from her breast implants. Even with all the pre production we have done, me and the director had not been prepared for something we had no control over. We just hope Gigi gets better and that we can get to interview her as soon as she is fit and well. As well as that Paige who we previously hoped to interview hasn't got back to me after numerous calls, texts and voicemails. Will just have to keep trying!!!

Table dancing diaries

As I previously mentioned I managed to get hold of Sophie who is the assistant producer from 'Table dancing diaries' (BBC3, TwoFour) who was willing to chat to me on the phone and give our group some advice.

Whilst I was in London I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to speak to Sophie in person as we had already organised a visit to the TwoFour office in London. It was a really useful conversation as she made us aware of the problems they had to face such as strippers being unreliable at times due to busy schedules. This didn't surprise me but something that did surprise me was the little amount of people from that club that had put themselves forward, secrets have a big list of lap dancers on their books and only 5 put themselves forward. We also got to ask an important question about how to gain contributors trust whilst working on difficult projects. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed because they had been back and forth with lawyers and the company to gain the trust of the club owners and we only have 5 weeks. But with all the advice and help that Sophie has given us, the best bit of advice was that it is definitely do- able...so fingers crossed!!

Ring round!

Your probably wondering how we're doing for contributors for the stripping project...well...
 after having meetings for the project 'young and pissed' we are all feeling confident about finding bars, restaurants and people that drink to be part of our documentary. My worries are  around 'Stripping for the kids'!

Researching around the subject is easy but after calling many most seem to not answer their phones, which makes it more tense for the director and I. Some however, are polite to say they're not interested, and on one occasion one lady was very rude but I think that's expected when asking a huge amount for such a difficult topic. But there is a silver lining, Rachel from Platinum Club in Bristol sounded intrigued and seems to really like the idea so we shall see!

On the plus side, I managed to get in contact with the assistant producer from 'Table dancing diaries' BBC3, TwoFour, who is happy to talk to me about the series and has always mentioned this to the director who is also willing to help with advice. Just looking forward to asking some questions when it comes to gaining trust, tackling a difficult topic and about whether they had access prior to filming.

Here's a link to information about 'table dancing diaries'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b1y1n

New module, new projects!

New module started with a great result back from our previous documentary, looking forward to starting the next projects!

This time round we are asked to work on two productions, working on one was hard enough, trying to organise ourselves and work in difficult situations. But this time we're stepping it up, always ready for a new challenge.

In continuation with improving my camera skills, I've taken on the role of camera operator for a project called 'Young and Pissed' , yes I will be filming drunk people! This again will push my boundaries as you see on programmes like 'Party Paramedics' CH 4 and 'Sun, Sex and Suspicious parents' BBC3, filming people that are drunk isn't easy. This will require me to use hand held techniques and on camera lighting for night filming as well as avoiding violence and vomit.

The hardest role I've taken, which is new to me, is to be the producer on a project called 'Stripping for the kids'. This was influenced by the programme 'Table dancing diaries' BBC3 by TwoFour. This is the most challenging subject matter to tackle so we shall see if we can find some contributors!! wish me good luck!