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June…? Seriously? It’s June already? Wow, time really flies by. If I’ve learnt one thing over the past few weeks it is that you should write blog posts right after finishing a shooting day. Otherwise other things will get in … Continue reading
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It has been a while since the last update and a lot has happened. Now that we’ve got all the footage together and Kyle doesn’t see the sunlight anymore, because he is sitting in front of his computer 24/7 editing … Continue reading
Because of conflicting schedules, our previous actress Harriet had to pull out of the project, and so we had to replace her.
Olivia Chenery is a National Youth Theatre and London School of Musical Theatre graduate with experience in both stage and film acting, as well as in musicals.
Director Kyle Hilton already worked with her during the production of the short film Penguin, produced in summer 2011 during the National Youth Film Academy’s inaugural course ‘Make It Happen’, a BFI Future Film-sponsored initiative.
Looking forward to work with her!
Check her profile on Casting Call Pro for more information.
Today we have a post from our amazing Director of Photography, Laura Warren:
I thought I’d share what gear we’re going to be using on the shoot. It’s my own personal set up and I’ve been dying to get a chance to use it in a proper professional studio/location environment.
We’re shooting on DSLRs. Why? DSLRs are so much cheaper than film cameras but still produce amazing looking images. Also on DSLRs you can achieve a shallow depth of field, that look that resonates with shooting on film as opposed to the flatter images of video. Just look at the images below, which were taken on a DSLR, to see what I’m talking about.
When shooting video on DSLRs, you’re faced with the problem that a DSLR is designed to be a stills camera and is not configured in the best way for shooting video. That is why I have the camera set up on a rig. This positions the camera so that you can sit it on your shoulder and have it properly balanced. This starts to make it look more like a classic film camera set up.
Add to that a follow focus. The follow focus is placed so that either a focus puller or the camera operator themselves can operate the focus. Having a follow focus means we can accurately focus on points without having to see what’s on screen by marking the points of focus on the wheel. This is especially useful for a focus puller who does not have a monitor to look at themselves.
The final and essential addition to the rig is an EVF (electronic view finder). Because the camera is off set to one side to balance on the shoulder, you can’t really see the LCD screen properly. With an EVF you can place the view finder directly in front of the camera operator. As you can see by the pictures, I have a magnified finder attached to the EVF as well. Not only does this magnify the screen, it provides another point of contact to help steady the camera and stop it from shaking.
So that’s what we’re shooting with.
Looks cool, doesn’t it?
– Laura
We are shooting the film in less than a week!
In the meantime, here you can have a sneak peek of the film with some storyboards:
We haven’t updated this space in a while, but we haven’t stopped working on the project!
The director has been busy rehearsing the scenes with Ryan and Harriet (pictured above – click images to enlarge) and we still need to find one location and secure another. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll hopefully be ready to shoot in two weeks time.
More updates to come in a few days!
Please visit our IndieGoGo page for more information!
Playing the role of Amy, Now It’s Dark protagonist David’s girlfriend, is Harriet Madeley.
Harriet is an Oxford and Central School of Speech & Drama graduate with experience in stage and television acting. This is our first collaboration with her, but after her audition with Ryan we knew she was perfect for the part. We are really looking forward to work with her!
Check her Spotlight page for more information.
Check this space soon to find out about our next actor!
Ryan Wichert will be playing the part of David, the protagonist of Now It’s Dark.
Ryan is a talented stage and film actor who graduated from the Drama Centre London in 2010 and starred in his own webseries Points of You in 2011. We already worked with him on two short films in our second year of university, and since then we knew we had to collaborate together again. He is a very dedicated actor with endless energy and a great sense of humor – invaluable skills that allow him to nail his part (be it either for comedy or drama) while making the filmmaking experience all the more enjoyable for the whole crew.
Check out his Spotlight page to find out a little bit more about him.
Updates on the others actors will follow soon!
We have started a campaign on the crowdfunding website IndieGoGo to raise the funds necessary to produce our short graduation film Now It’s Dark.
Filmmaking is an expensive art, even when it’s done in its short form. People working behind and in front of the camera must be fed, transported around and hopefully be paid for their long hours of hard work. Then fees must be paid to access locations, costumes and props must be bought or rented, professional pieces of equipment must be hired… we’re lucky enough we don’t have to worry about stuntmen and special effects!
We hope to collect at least £800 (US $1250) to pay for everything we need to make Now It’s Dark as good as it is intended to be. Each donation will be rewarded with our eternal gratitude, plus a nice gift for those who like souvenirs and want to hold material proof that they contributed to make it all happen. Among such gifts we offer DVD copies of the finished film, exclusive production stills and an executive producer credit!
Visit our IndieGoGo page for more information about our film and to learn all you need to know about the donating process.
And if you like us, spread the word! The most, the best!
UPDATE:
Thank you very much to our contributor James Vickers, who started off our fundraise with his first donation!
We love you.
NOW IT'S DARK 