Set Planning - Wallpaper

Today I went into town to look at wallpaper for Linda’s bedroom. Sylvia said she wanted something that stood out and was very 70s. These are the ones I saw. (click on the pictures for links)

       

Superfresco Colours Shaan Wallpaper Red 17723 - 1 roll - 10.05mx0.52m - £9.74

Arthouse Opera Evie Textured Wallpaper Black/Red 615101 - 1 roll - 10.05mx0.53m - £9.97

Arthouse Opera Mia Motif Textured Wallpaper Black 599705 - 1 roll - 10.05mx0.53m £8.97

K2 Tahiti Wallpaper Lime/Chocolate 96315 - 1 roll - 10.05m x 0.53m - £7.00

Arthouse Opera Evie Textured Wallpaper Green 615102 - 1 roll - 10.05mx0.53m - £9.97

Arthouse Opera Evie Wallpaper Blue 615105 - 1 roll - 10.05x0.53m - £9.97

Arthouse Opera Chelsea Textured Wallpaper Taupe 405401 - 1 roll - 10.05x0.53m - £8.97

These ones aren’t in store but you can order them in. I saw them in the catalogue in-store.

Amy Butler Georgia Midnight 50-135 - 1 roll 10m covering 5.2m² - £18.00

Amy Butler Momento Midnight 50-145 - 1 10m roll covering 5.2m² - £18.00

Superfresco Easy Capri Lime 30-763 - 1 10m roll covering 5.2m² - £17.00

Superfresco Easy Kensington Green/Cream 30-758 - 1 10m roll covering 5.2m² - £17.00

Week 1 - Set Plans.

On Monday 16th January, the set team were tasked with having all of the sets planned by the end of the week, even in a draft version, just as long as each one had been thought about. Because we were shooting Linda's bedroom first, myself, Jack and Shiv got together to make a model of it using Sims 3.

Areas where there are fences instead of walls are the areas where the cameras are going to be placed. If you  look carefully in the last screenshot you can see a green flat. This is out greenscreen flat which we are using for our Union Jack scene. We will redress the set with Union Jack memorabilia but that will not take too much effort since the lighting will do most of that for us.  

Set Meeting 1. Wednesday 18th January. 12pm. Library.

Shiv and I got together to get as much of the set preparations as done as possible before meeting the rest of the group at 4pm. 

By the end of the meeting we set a "to-do"list of things to do before Monday:

Amy: 

• 3D drawing of sets
• Go to Market and inquire about crates and boxes.
• Check that the sofa in the foyer of the studio is still available to use.
• Collect Bricks.
• Posters of ABBA and other 70s music.
• disco ball prices.
• Ask for studio time for the set team alone to get a perspective on sizing etc. (ask for volunteers to help)
• Research television sets from the era.
• Wallpapers.

Shiv:

• get garage measurements
• make and/or obtain an ashtrays.
• cigarette butts.
• Streetcones (??)
• Collect bricks.
• research and/or collect punk posters.

Linda's Room/Union Jack Scenes

Enlarge for a closer look.

Our aim for this set is to give the cameras as much room as possible to get the shots needed. Also, we can swap flats around when shots are needed from different angles. We would start by planning out the room before deciding where we would have flats and where we would not.

The Den

I realize that these are quite rudimentary and, dare I say it, amateur, But these are extremely early drafts that I intend to extend on in both computer programs (like Sims 3) and on paper.

The Living Room set is still up in the air at the moment because we have decided to shoot what we need to shoot first and if we have the time we can reshoot the Living Room scenes we did before Christmas. Needless to say that Shiv and I will be totally prepared if that is the case.

Group Meeting 3. Wednesday 18th January. 4pm. Library.

Here we put forward our set plans and I also came up with a plan. During week 0 I set up a google account for the group so that we can use the calender to our advantage by putting in the times each of us are unavailable so that we can plan meetings around then. It has proven to be very useful. So I started using the "Documents" to make a spreadsheet of the props list. This way, rather than hassling people about whether or not they have, or know someone who has, a particular prop we need, they can just say so on the spreadsheet.

Group Meeting 4. Friday 20th January. 3pm. Library.

This meeting consisted of a script read-through with the whole group. This was to show us what has changed in the script since Christmas to familiarize ourselves with them. The notable change was the change in timeline: the show is now in a flashback format.

Aims for next week:

• Get as many props for the bedroom as possible.
• Finish drawings + plans.
• Complete "to-do" list.
• Have flats for bedroom finished by Friday 27th January. (optimistic! But it can be done!)

Week 0 - Getting Back To Work

Group Meeting 1. Tuesday 10th January. 10am. Library.

This meeting was mainly focused on getting back on our feet and improving ourselves, not just for the film, but what could very well mean the very outcome of our degrees. It was decided early on that I would step down as Head Editor and take on the role of Co-Head Set Designer due to my lack of knowledge of the software we use for editing. I simply could not get my head around it and did nothing to rectify this. I instead relied on the talents of Jack Wood who can operate the software. It was mutually agreed amongst the group that I was much better suited to the rectified role.

We were given "homework" prior to this meeting, in that we should come up with some objectives that we should aim to fulfill during the Term. Mine were:

• To not get stressed out. When I get stressed out, I can be rather unpleasant. Rachel, our producer, always puts me in my place when this happens and rightly so. My stress levels did not help with morale last term and I'm aiming to focus my stress levels on something that the whole team won't be affected by.
• To be more imaginative in the set design. When we put the set together last term, it was not until we looked at the footage that we realized we were very limited in camera movement. Myself and Shiv (Co Head of Set) are aiming to do something in which Joel (camera technician) can be really creative but at the same time make it a believable world on-screen. I also want to be more ambitious. Last term we were too cautious and this led to a good set but not a GREAT set.  
• Take constructive criticism better. I have to admit that this is just not an objective for my degree but my objective in life itself. I have never taken constructive criticism well at all and even when I try to take it on I always end up going along the lines of "No! I'm right!". But if I am going to get anywhere in this industry then I'm not going to get very far thinking this way. So this is where I make a genuine effort.

One of the main objectives handed out to the whole group was to focus on what and how we can do something rather than saying how we cannot. Lack of ambition was mentioned in my feedback and we intend to turn that on it's head.

It was also decided in this meeting that the first set of scenes we will aim to shoot first are the Bedroom/Union Jack scenes. We are extremely excited about this as there is a surreal element to it and, therefore, gives us much more creative freedom. 

Extract from script:

9A INT. LINDA’S BEDROOM -
NIGHT:
WIDE: Linda enters the room,
slamming the door behind her,
she walks into the centre
slowly as if in a trance.
MEDIUM: She sits on the bed
contemplating what has just
happened.
CLOSE UP: She falls back
onto her pillow and despite
attempts to stay awake, falls
asleep.
9B INT. UNION JACK ROOM -
NIGHT:
EXTREME CLOSE UP: Linda’s
eyes flicker open as the
light in her room flickers
with red a blue lights. They
snap wide open suddenly and
she sits up.
HANDHELD CLOSE UP: She
slowly climbs out of bed,
looks around her room and
smiles. The room is covered
in buntings of the Union Jack
there is a picture of the
Queen’s head spread across
one of her walls with the
eyes covered over.

CUTAWAY: Mary is sat on a
chair in a pool of light, as
if in an interview.
MARY
Yes well she has been behaving
quite outrageously lately. Talking
back to me and having ridiculous
tantrums. It’s like having a 5 year
old again...
WIDE: Linda paces around
in a dazed confused state,
the rooms of the walls are
separated with a cloud of
blackness surrounding her and
them. Everything in the room
is still the same however
the wall decorations have
changed.
CUTAWAY: John is sat in the
same chair Mary was in.
JOHN
Hmmm I haven’t noticed anything
different in her. I believe I have
a great relationship with my daughter
and I think would know if something
bad was going on in her life. She’s
growing up fast though. Soon she’ll
be running the country ey?
MEDIUM: She starts to inspect
the room, looks through the
collection of LPs that sit on
a bookcase close by. As she
looks through them she gets
more frantic, pulling out the
LPs and throwing them across
the room.
CUTAWAY: The headmaster of
her school is now in the
chair.
HEADMASTER
Oh yes Linda, wonderful student. Well
she used to be very conscientious
anyway. I haven’t seen much of her
lately. In fact.. I believe she’s
started hanging out with a new crowd.
No not from this school... I don’t
think they’ve been a good influence
on her. Hmmm on second thoughts, no I
am quite concerned really...
POV: She walks up to the
picture of the Queen’s head
and tears across straight
through the eyes and mouth.
She turns around and even
more buntings have appeared
on the wall, in a fit of rage
she strides across to them
and attempts to rip them all
down. She continues to trash
the bedroom and eventually
tires her self out and sinks
to the floor on the side of
her bed.
CUTAWAY: Susan is now sat in
the chair.
SUSAN
Oh I haven’t seen Linda for ages...
She’s not been herself for a while.
We used to be really close but now
all she cares about is herself. Must
be that new guy she’s been seeing,
Mike is it...?
WIDE: The room pulses with
colour and noise as she
puts her hands in her head
breathing heavily.
FADE TO BLACK.
9C INT. LINDA’S BEDROOM -
NIGHT:
MEDIUM: Linda opens her eyes
and she is back in her normal
room, everything as it was
except for a broken record on
the floor. 

For me, it is incredibly exciting just to read about it! It is my personal opinion that this scene will make or break the film. Only time will tell...

We were set a task just before leaving: to watch "A Scandal in Belgravia" (dir Paul McGuigan) , the first episode of the second series of Sherlock (2010 - present, BBC, created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss) to look at the very distinctive uses of camera-work (please see previous post).

Group Meeting 2. Friday 13th January. 4pm. Library.

Here we discussed what we learned from watching Sherlock and came up with some fantastic ideas to do in the studio. (please see post on Sherlock).

Research: Sherlock, Camera and Technique.

I may not be in the technical area of the project but I am on the Set Team. This means that I have to be aware of camera movements and consult with Joel and Sylvia at all times at make sure that the set we design is convenient for their vision.

We were asked to look at "A Scandal in Belgravia" (dir Paul McGuigan) from the second series of Sherlock  (2010 - present, BBC, created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss).

Source: BBC iPlayer. Date accessed: 12th January 2012.

[01:18 - 01:19]  Despite this being pat of the "Previously" segment of the episode I felt it interesting to note the use of the focus. To some it seems obvious to use such a technique: focus on one area of the mise-en-scene and the focus onto another part, changing the focus of the original point of sight immediately. However, I do believe this is a technique we can use.

[09:09 - 09:14] The transition from present to past is done exquisitely here with camera doing a 360-degree shot on in front of the character instead of around him. It is a striking shot and even though film and television have been around for several years now it just goes to show that there are still a few tricks. Since there are flashback scenes in the script it only seems logical that we find a worthy camera technique to make the transition into said flashbacks rather than leaving it to the editing. If we have a solid camera technique, it would be a major advantage, not just for flashbacks but for transitions in general.

[30:39] A great shot from the safe. As Sherlock presses the buttons, they come up on the screen. Perhaps not relevant to the project but I'm hopeful that a similar technique can be used, like with the mirror scene. 

[33:33] Sherlock is drugged and the camera is side ways on the floor as he hits the ground.

[34:38 - 34:42] The same 360 technique is used here as he tries to get up. It really adds something to his state of mind. Sherlock is usually so level-headed. But he has just been out-done. Probably for the very first time. So the shot not only signifies the effects from the drug but also the effects of Irene Adler, the woman who beat him.

[35:48] Sherlock is having an hallucination because of the drug and a bed comes out of nowhere . It is not as if Sherlock himself is falling, but that the bed has risen up to greet him. then shot then goes back to reveal him in his bedroom.

An Introduction

Hello!

My name is Amy Dean and I'm in my 3rd Year at the University of Lincoln studying Film, Television and English. This year we are required to make a portfolio detailing what we have done and how much we have contributed to the project. In term 1, I handwrote my portfolio due to my role on the set team. I felt I should be a lot more creative than usual. For this term, I shall be doing it on this blog to keep up the creativity as well as documenting my progress for potential employment.

So, for those that are not academics but are following the blog, we are required to make the 30 minute film of our choice. 10 minutes were handed in in Term 1. Our basic plotline is about a young girl in 1970's England that falls in with a punk crowd and the repercussions this has on her life. During Term 1, my roles were Head Editor and Assistant Set Design. I also did background work as a researcher and I manned a camera in the television studio.

I am aiming to update this every weekend to talk about the weeks progress. ANd then hopefully by the end of the academic year I'll be able to post the full film.

Thankyou for reading.

Amy