Today, the sound and titles were added to playtime, however i was not present as i had to deal with pre production requirements for smashed, in preperation for tomorrows meeting with Dene films. I will go in and view the finished product tomorrow, before it is handed in on Wednesday.

I have found all crew membera and just need to confirm runners for each of the shoots. I still also have to chose which extras i want to use from the applicants on starnow.com, but this will not be done untill the end of the week allowing for more applications to be made. I have produced a document which i will post through the doors of those living in the area in which we will be filming, tomorrow. Today i also produced the call sheets which will be finished when i have all remaining information at my dispossal.

The next step is to basically finalise aeveything, book the equipment and also deal with the health and safety issues. It has been brought to my attention that given the nature of the shoot the risk assessment sheets we have at uni are not good enough, and so aswell as asking Dene films if we can take advantage of their system, i have been advised to view the BBC risk assessment DVDS we have available in uni and so will do this later in the week.

Iv have now written my R+D evaluation and put together a portfolio.

I have just returned from recording some wildtrack for Playtime. Some of the sound was effected by sounds such as dogs barking and planes and so exra recording was needed. I recieved this list from the editor:

1.kids saying come play with us emily and laughing.
2. child running and the sound of a park gate closing
3. wildtrack for the well. too much of a hum, maybe get eve saying this again with the wildtrack if its possible?
4. doorbell/knock
5.i need the tape for when martin is picking up rachel and she closes the door accidently deleted that.
6. wildtrack park scenes kids playing
7. eve saying lets play hide and seek
8. wildtrack for end shot of well, just ambience noise from the woods like birds tweeting or something.

I asked Andrew Binns to help me out recording the sound and i am just about to take the card into uni. As far as the edit is concearned, all that has to be done is the sound putting onto the film with the music, a little colour grading and the titles adding.

In regards to smashed, i have spoke to all cast members to ensure they are still available to film, checking with locations, recruiting runners and making sure everything is in place for the 4th onwards. We also have a meeting with Dene Films on the 27th. I also placed a casting call on starnow for extras for the club scene as we were initialy going to ask the cast to bring friends, however on second thoughts this means we have no control over them and it is likely that they will be alot less professional/cooperative.

Ok, so today i went to the library and found a book called "Production managment for film and video" written by Richard Gates, and i really wish i had found it earlier. It looks very useful, it's chapters covering all elements of production, from pre production and information about casting, scheduling, budgeting, and script breakdown, to to the actual shoot and then post prod. I will give it a thourough read!

Playtime is coming along well. It has been edited, and just needs some wildtrack placed over it, titles adding and some colour grading doing which is all going to be completed by the end of the week, ready for hand in on the 27th.

As far as smashed is concearned, i have scheduled shooting as follows:
Night shoot (accident) 7-11:30 on the 4th
Halls- 11am- 5pm on the 5th
Mood (montage) and exterior club shots on the 6th
Mood 10am-4pm on the 10th

We can then edit the piece so that is ready to hand in by May 21st.

Ok, so what makes a good producer? I went on google and typed this in and came across these 5 skills, and working on Playtime i agree with what is said.

Filmmaking - Five Good Producer Skills by Angela Taylor You may believe a thorough knowledge of filmmaking and the entertainment industry is enough to make you a good movie producer. While it certainly helps to know the nuts and bolts of movie production, and even the details of financing and marketing a movie, that knowledge is not enough to create a good producer. It might make for a good studio executive, or other job out of the fray, but you need to develop specific skills, to help you make an independent film.

The first and most important skill you need is organization. If you were the kid who kept the minutes of the club meetings, edited the yearbook, or organized the prop-closet by era, you already have this skill. It is something that is hard to teach, but you can certainly learn it, to become more organized.If you are the person who can’t find his keys and has no idea how much is in your checking account, you need help. Get organized. There is simply no substitute for it.

Second, you need to be able to make decisions quickly. Despite the best planning, things change moment-to-moment during production. You will have to decide right now whether to set up the next shot despite the looming storm clouds, or to move on to another location, completely disrupting the schedule.The best way to develop this skill is to completely bury your doubt. Know that you are in charge, any mistakes to be made are yours to make and you will suffer the consequences of bad decisions. If you act decisively, and accept blame when necessary, your cast and crew will accept your decisions unquestioningly.

Third, you must be a good negotiator. You will have to make deals for every single thing on the set - the equipment, the sets, the crew, the film stock, everything. Even if you’re borrowing your mom’s station wagon, you will have to convince her you will take good care of it, and return it washed, and with a full tank of gas. Everything will have to be negotiated. Practice it. No. There is no need to be a jerk, just make it clear that you will take your business or offer elsewhere. If a crew member doesn’t want to accept your day rate, he doesn’t have to. You will find someone else (assuming you set your rate at a reasonable low-budget level).

Fourth, a producer also needs diplomacy. It’s surprising how often a film shoot devolves into a third-grade playground. In just a few short weeks, cliques form, rumors start and friendships are formed and ruined. Crew members and actors will, believe it or not, come tattle to you. Sometimes you will have to intercede in petty squabbles and personality conflicts. The trick is to smooth ruffled feathers while not making one combatant feel like you’ve taken another’s side. That will only set factions against you, and that’s the last thing you want on your set.

And fifth, of course, you will need energy. Lots and lots of energy. Caffeine helps to get you started after only a few hours sleep, but it is no substitute for real, healthy human energy. One of the things you must do during pre-production is get yourself in shape for the rigorous weeks of shooting. You’re in training, not for a sprint, but for a marathon.Working on lower budgets, independent films often have a much tighter schedule, making for longer days and fewer days off. Take it seriously beforehand, and train like a champion. Exercise, eat healthy, and take vitamins and supplements to build your energy stores, so you can get through it.After you have these five basic producer skills down, you will be ready to develop your knowledge of the filmmaking process and the entertainment industry, by producing a successful independent film

The shoot went well on the Wednesday and we wrapped after the remaining car scenes on the Thursday which didnt take long at all...and Laura has been editing all last and this week so Playtime is looking good!

I have to say though, Wednesday was quite stressful. The crew went to the 1st location with all the equipment to set up whilst i had to wait for the cast to arrive. Once they arrived i had to go and get money out for the van men who were delivering the well. Once the well arrived i met everyone lese at the location, who had been filming for about half an hour. I then had to go back which a runner and get the well, and bring it in a taxi to the car park next to the location before carrying it all down to where we were filming and build it. After the first half of the of the shoot was done we then had to move all cast, crew, props, equipment and the well to the next location which was about a 15 minute walk away. Due to miss cummunication on the taxi company's behalf, we had to dismantle and carry the well. By this time we only had Eve, playing Emily's friend, for a further hour, with the well still to rebuild again. However we eventualy finished filming at 7pm, luckily getting all shots done before we lost too much light.

Right so iv been running around all day making sure we have all the props and getting equipment and sorting food for the big shoot tomorrow. We are starting at 9, finnishing at 7 because we only have access to Francesca for one day! We need to sort all her scenes first, so Max, Sinclair (camera) and Marco (cinematography) have devised a shot by shot plan. The well is coming tomorrow and we need to make sure we have it at the location in time for shooting the well scenes, obviously..... so yea im feeling ok about it as far as everyone knows what to do when, but im just hoping the weather is alright, because if it rains, we cant shoot the well scenes. Max and i had a meeting with Peter Dillon today and i made a Plan B, C, D sheet... which looks like this.......

Playtime shooting- March 24th & 25th

PLAN B!........AND C AND D

What can be done if it rains?

1. Film all car scenes first and hopefully the rain will die off, we can then shoot the well scenes.
2. If the rain does not die off we wrap for the 24th- scenes without Francesca will then be done on the 25th and the remaining scenes will be Francesca falling down the well. We ask Jayne (parent) if there is any chance shooting these scenes week beginning 28th
3. If rain continues into Thursday meaning all outside shots can not be shot, then we approach all actors and ask t film at a later date, bearing in mind Lauren will be in London and arrange an ALL EXPENSES PAID final shoot date later in the month.

As far as Sm@shed id concearned, we have to to postpone shooting untill after Easter due to all actors having practical extams. Shooting will now take place April 25th- 30th