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Filming: Second Film

This second time round I filmed entirely on my phone, a Huawei P30 Pro. Although it has great video recording capability, I opted to shoot in a wide angle - this lowered the overall quality of the footage but did obviously widen the video, making the kitchen look bare. Filming went swimmingly, both Phylly and Ben had previously worked with the script and characters, so rehearsal was not as big an issue. Having edited a little bit between filming also allowed me to see what worked and didn't work. I shot from a few more angles on the argument at the end and changed my approach with the opening shot. However, the best change was the food: instead of chilli and potatoes, Ben and Phylly had mac'n'cheese and broccoli - a normal meal. Also, broccoli makes a lot less mess than chilli-covered potato.
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Planning: The 5 Pages of Screenplay REDRAFT

FADE IN INT. HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT The hallway is dark, a thin light trickles in from the kitchen and outside. TITLE: Late / Traffic / Potatoes The front door opens. JACK is a smartly-dressed working man returning home after a gruelling day at his job. He appears visually exhausted, a sunken expression and shrugged body.  He walks towards the kitchen - where the light is coming from. He opens the door. LINDSEY is a house wife, casual attire but with a serious stern look on her face. She has been preparing food for dinner and seems disappointed with Jack's appearance. Lindsey  And what time do you call this? Jack  I know. I'm just as upset as you are. Lindsey These potatoes have been on for too long now. Jack  I'm sorry. Lindsey  Yeah alright. Lindsey walks toward the table as Jack walks in and closes the door. Lindsey (cont.) How was work then? Jack Hm? Lindsey Work? Where you've been for the pas...
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Filming: First Film

I shot on the 16th November with the script in the previous blog entry. Overall, it went okay. The actors knew all their lines and captured my characters extremely well. The single take idea I had for the table-sitting section during the bulk of the film worked great and using the large film cameras made it easier to do. However, I do feel as if I am missing quite a few other angles and shots from the start and end sections of the film (the parts basically where the two characters are not sat down). Furthermore, there were some lines which when spoken aloud by my actors did sound unnatural or cringe worthy so I have decided to rewrite several sections of the script. I hope to film again in the next couple weeks but this time on my phone instead. I always wanted to film on a mobile to add a little bit extra to my short film but didn't know how well it would work out. After my first okay filming session and with a few tests after with my phone, I think I might re-shoot using my...
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Planning: The 5 Pages of Screenplay

FADE IN INT. HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT The hallway is covered with pictures of a happy couple. The light from the kitchen shines over the frames. The door opens. JACK is a smartly-dressed working man returning home after a gruelling day at his job. He appears visually exhausted, a sunken expression and shrugged body, and slowly hangs his coat on a hanger. Jack walks towards the kitchen - where the light is coming from. He opens the door. LINDSEY is a house wife, casual attire but with a serious stern look on her face. She has been preparing food for dinner and seems disappointed with Jack's appearance. Lindsey  And what time do you call this? Jack  I know. I'm just as upset as you. Lindsey  These potatoEs have been on for way too long now. Jack  I'm sorry. Lindsey  Yeah alright. Jack goes in to kiss Lindsey but she instead turns and walks off toward the table. Lindsey (cont.)  How was work then? Jack...
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Aims and Intentions

What I aim to do with this is to create a slick, professional looking short film highlighting the fact that many men are also attacked in acts of domestic violence and that domestic violence does not have to be physical abuse. I intend to colour grade the video to create that professional look and include lots of snappy dialogue with few camera movements to highlight the mental abuse the wife is giving.
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Cinematic Ideas

I really want to play with the camerawork in this. I'm a big fan of long single takes and so would like to try and implement one into mine. When I think of my setting, a dining table, one particular shot comes to mind: the long take from American Beauty. In it, the camera moves so slowly towards the characters that the audience has to listen into the characters as nothing else interesting is happening on screen. Sam Mendes was incredibly inventive when thinking of this shot as that force listening allows for the dialogue to properly interpreted, something which I would also like to use in my short film. I also want to try and highlight the fractured nature of their relationship. At the start, when the husband returns home and the audience meets them for the first time, I want to show the couple in a canted angle, to visually show their tilted and fractured relationship. I would also like to make as few edits as possible at the start, as nothing has kicked off yet. When the ac...
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Three Act Structure

First Act: Men returns home. We are introduced to the husband and wife and are almost instantly made aware of some tense behaviour between them both. Second Act: The couple sit and eat at the table, conversation is brief and once again tense. The atmosphere is extremely frosty. After an upset, the wife stands up to leave. Third Act: As the husband comments on the potatoes, the wife turns and slaps them from his mouth. She then grabs him by the collar, threatening him but ultimately leaves him.
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