Unit 6 - Feature Film
Counterpunch
For Counterpunch, I applied for the role of script supervisor and script editor. I applied for this role as I am passionate about writing and want to specialise in script writing. These positions would provide me with insight into that area. Script editors are responsible for making sure that a script is as good as possible before production commences, this is done by: gathering the notes of the commissioner, producer and director and delivering them to the writer in a respectful way, researching subjects and coming up with ideas. The main role of a script editor is to support the writer and help them develop their ideas. As script supervisor, my responsibility would be to make sure that the continuity of the piece is intact and following the script as it is acted out onset, noting any changes as they happen, what the actors do at which line and which shot types are being used for which pieces of dialogue, these notes are passed onto the editor to make their job easier.
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| My letter of application. My Role I managed to get both of the roles that I applied for. Before I began my work, I researched my job roles, using the links above and through talking to my tutors, to ensure that I'd be comfortable with what I was doing. I was given the initial draft of the script and read through it all, familiarising myself with the characters, storyline, world and tone that have all been built and how these characters are connected. The first thing that I did before making any major changes to the script was correcting the layout and grammar which was not in a very good state at all. This was done with the help of the director and helped me to get familiar with how a script should be formatted and making changes to an established piece of work, both of these skills will be useful to me in future when writing scripts of my own. The biggest changes to the script came with a family of characters who were originally meant to be from India, their storyline would depict discrimination that people of different ethnicities face on a daily basis in England as well as how much pressure can be placed on young adults from other cultures to succeed. The issue here was that we didn't have enough actors of the appropriate ethnicity to play these characters and as a result we had to change their background and adjust the storyline appropriately, their characters became a family of Ukrainian immigrants instead and depicted the struggles that immigrants face in the U.K.. Another big change came in the form of another family, their characters were meant to live and work on a farm but we were unable to obtain an appropriate location, as such their occupation was changed. Now, the family worked in a coffee shop as it was a location that we were able to secure, the mother character in this unit was also cut as she was overall unnecessary and we felt that it added to the family's struggle to have two girls relying on just their father. The last of the big changes was the removal of an in-pub boxing match at the beginning of the film as the crew were unable to figure out the logistics of how to make such a thing happen, instead we substituted this scene for young jess and her dad watching a boxing match on the TV as it had the same effect as the original scene planned. Pre-Production Production Week 1: Monday Today was the start of filming on the 'unbroken' feature film, the first location was the preparing for adulthood room in college to simulate a living room, kitchen and bedroom. Everything went smoothly, I kept up to speed with my note taking and flagged up some small continuity errors. It was a good first day to be able to understand my job in a practical environment and helped me to ease into my role. Tuesday Today was day 2 of filming for the film, we filmed in the green screen room at college. This was a quick shoot as everything ran very smoothly and was only a small part of the script. There were some technical issues with the boom mic but they were resolved quickly and easily and we picked up again straight away. My note taking remained consistent and I communicated effectively with the directors about shot types. Thursday Today was our first on-location shoot. Our host was welcoming and helpful and gave us a brief talk about how to respect the space he was allowing us to use. While hair and makeup was done for the actors I spoke to the directors about what was wanted for this scene and made notes in the script corresponding to what would be happening during which lines. When the actors began, I made note of what everybody in the boxing gym was doing so that I could help the directors and the continuity remained intact. Occasionally, I would have to ask the directors to cut scenes as certain lines were missing or certain actions were not carried out, by this point I was used to my job. We were short for time and nearly overran but in the end managed to finish up within the original time frame. Overall, a successful day.   Week 2 Monday Today we returned to the preparing for adulthood room in college and filmed with two younger actors. Because we were working with younger actors we needed to give them a small bit of direction and I had to adjust a few lines to help them but in the end we finished the scene up rather quickly and had another successful day of filming. Thursday Today scene 4 was filmed but I couldn't be onset as I had prep for employment so today was only done by second years. Week 3 Monday Today was another on-location shoot, this was in a nearby coffee shop. The shoot was slick as everybody knew what to do, my note taking was minimal for continuity as these actors knew exactly what to do, I wrote all of the shot types down as usual. Another good day.   |
Today we managed to get 2 out of 3 scenes filmed on our schedule, myself and Jack Herriott were set to direct the 3rd scene together but unfortunate weather conditions forced us to postpone. While this was disappointing it did ultimately allow us to plan even further for what we'd like to do in our scene. The two scenes that we did film were successful. The first was done in Kane's car in the college car park, which was relatively short but had a good few creative shots in it which I marked down. The next scene was very similar as it was just in the back of Kane's car as it was a taxi scene, I did the same again here.
Thursday
Today we returned to the boxing gym, it was a long day with a few obstacles in terms of motivation of the actors as the day neared its end but ultimately this proved trivial. I worked closely with director Martin Cunningham today, discussing shot types and direction of the actors. A few actors didn't know their lines or actions for this scene so I had to get Martin to cut a few times to preserve continuity but overall the day was a triumph.
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