Wednesday 25 September 2013

Production, Day 13...

Wednesday 25th September – Day 13 of the shoot was the official last day of the shoot.

...Unofficially, we still have some pickups to do with our Cinematographer, Phil Moreton, at some point over the coming week. It was a packed day but much fun was had as it was mostly a day of toy action with a variety of themes.





It was sad to say farewell to everyone at the end of the day, but the journey is far from over. Now we get straight into post-production with our editor, Ricky Wood.

Overall, the film Gods must be smiling on us as, in a block of flats that almost consistently has some kind of activity (we even made reference to it in the script!), the shoot was relatively undisturbed. Yet, the first day we don't require the sound department, drilling works begin outside. Very lucky!

A big thank you to every member of the production crew and cast for making the shoot a pleasure to work on!

Miriam & Tim





Tuesday 24 September 2013

Production day 11 and 12...

One more day to go! Today we finished the scenes with the lovely and talented Emily Holt. She and Salvatore did a great job and their performances really moved me. The picture below, was taken from my "little hideout" as we were preparing to shoot the very last scene... Time to sleep now. Will be back tomorrow! 

M. 


Friday 20 September 2013

Production, Day 10...

With such a small shooting location and humble number of crew, it's inevitable that we all have to pitch in with a variety of duties, including puppeteering...!



Wednesday 18 September 2013

Production, Day 8...

We've passed the half-way mark!

Production has been going well, with new challenges every day. I'm not sure if there's ever been a more claustrophobic working environment for a cast and crew to work in, but the good humour, professionalism and community spirit of everyone involved is second-to-none and we're getting very good at multi-tasking!

– Tim, Writer & Director




Production day 7

My eyes are still half-closed but I don't want to leave the blog for later as the work tends to pile up really quickly around here...
Yesterday we did our first shots in the kitchen. After two weeks, I am starting to struggle to picture what the flat was like before we changed it into Harrison's! 
It's 7.10am, and as much as I'd like to write some more, all I have in my head right now is that I have to get some cooking done before the cast and crew arrive... :)  M. 



Monday 16 September 2013

Production day 6...

That was another very busy day! Camilla Rowland was with us all day today. She was great! Salvatore and her make a very good pair and I can't wait to see what we'll get from them tomorrow. 
Phil Moreton, our cinematographer, and his team, Jack and Rita, did a fantastic job too. We managed to fit in special lighting, smoke and a couple of dolly shots... And this is still happening in a 20sq metre room! 
Anyway, for now, it's time to have dinner and get ready for tomorrow! 


Sunday 15 September 2013

Production day 5!

I've heard that when you cast well 90% of the problems that you might face during production are solved. Selective Listening is not an exception to this. We've almost worked with all the actors at least once. From Denise Mack and Andrew Holloway, who have a small role, to Camilla Rowland and Emily Holt and, of course, Salvatore Stella, everyone has been phenomenal and a pleasure to see perform. Today it was the turn of Phil Gyford who plays Robin, Harrison's friend and everybody who was watching the monitor was in stitches. Ann Tillinghast, our hair and make-up artist, was crying with laughter. Salvatore and Phil really did a great job. We have intended for the film to have sad, emotional and tense/spooky moments as well as funny...Yesterday it was one of the funny ones! :D 

Miriam


Saturday 14 September 2013

Production day 4...

Yesterday was a great day... And I say yesterday because I was so knackered that I was not even able to write on the blog. It's now 6.40am and I am going to get ready for the day as soon as I finish writing and posting this. As much as both Tim and I are wearing loads of hats for this one - I even had to fulfill a role as cable basher at one point... I hope it's spelled like this, I have no time to check it -you can't make a film like this without the great cast and crew we have. Everybody was really kind and stayed for longer than expected and, on top of that and the fact that our camera crew had to wrap under heavy rain and ended up soaked, they still didn't lose their smiles. Thank you! The meaning of our production company name,  ALL ON FIVE,  really is relevant... 

Miriam



Thursday 12 September 2013

Production day 3

Production day 3 is done. Today we had to post-pone one of our outdoor scenes for another day due to the weather, but we managed to shoot the other two big outdoor scenes as well as a couple of shots indoors with Molly and Mousey as the protagonists. The toys are starting to be part of the shot and it is really bringing the film to life, as them and the interactions they have with Harrison are such a huge part of the story. In the picture below, Molly and Bean are taking over the frame as Harrison walks away. Tomorrow, a full day of indoor scenes... I'll let you know how it goes! M. 

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Shooting day 2!

Today was our 2nd day shooting and our first day of outdoor scenes only. The weather behaved pretty well, as we only had a little bit of rain. Our cast and crew were great. We got some very lovely shots and our youngest actress, Basia (4), did a great job too! The aim for tonight is to go to bed before midnight...

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Production, Day 1...

It's all underway!

The first shot of the production:



Clapper board:



Contemplating a shot:



Down by the riverside: