Pre Production - Project Evolution SEPTEMBER

It was great to get back to University and finally start the third year of our TV Production course. I had been working hard on my project over summer which has led me to be in a good situation in September. One of the first things that was decided in September was that Cailan would definitely be joining the group. I was really happy about this because we had worked really well together in the Transition unit and we had all worked together on our previous project, "Carology" in Year2 and "Big Fat Lies" in Year 1. These monthly blogs are to show what I did each month, further detail can be seen in my other individual blogs.

The Idea and Filming Style

I have been working on the idea and deciding how each scene will take place. I was trying to look at the original plans that I had and understand their importance and how best it should be shown. At this stage, I am planning for it to be a documentary about motorsport so including subjects such as sponsorship and fitness are going to be key. I have looked into inspiration material and chosen documentaries such as "Joe Weller: Fighter" and "Walk the Walk by XO". These are documentaries in which the presenter goes on a journey and their journey is mixed with some stunning visuals and editing. I am still at the very early stage of development but these were good reference material for me in this early stage.

Understanding what I need to include in pre-production

Going into pre-production, I was unsure exactly what I would need to complete to ensure that I got the top grade that I needed in this unit to elevate my overall grade to a first. I knew that I would be working on pre-production alone as my team that will work with me in January have decided to do hypothetical projects. After chatting with Simon I started to understand where I should focus my attention on this unit. I was worried about overstretching myself on this unit as I would have to liaise with George about jobs he would be doing as a producer, but I needed to be aware that he also needed to focus on his role.

Who are the contributors?

I had been lucky enough to interview a lot of fantastic drivers over the summer of 2018 and I kept these to use in my documentary. However, upon further reflection, I don't think they will all be able to be used. While they were all well shot and had good lighting and audio, a lot of them were not personal enough and some of the drivers I interviewed did not give great answers. I started to change my mind and realised that I would probably have to shoot more interviews. I have decided that once  I get a better understanding of what story I will be creating I can decide what interviews I am going to do. I now know the ways to get the best out of an interview and I can use these tips to help me have a better story.

Sam (my teammate in the race) will also be a part of this documentary, I was unsure how much he would be involved but it is clear that he will have some input to the story to allow it to gain significance and personality. I have thought about scenes where he speaks to the camera while I am driving around and possibly gives opinions on what he was thinking when he was in the same situation to me. These moments will allow the story to have a little more weight to it as we can see that this is a feeling that all people go through, not just me!

Other contributors will involve Bruno Spengler and some kart drivers. Bruno was great and went over the top of what I expected him to do considering he is a professional athlete. We filmed a couple of videos where we were actually on the track and he explained to me how I best start a motor race and make decisions out on the track. This is a key sequence that I want to include, even if the story changes. I also want to speak to some young kart drivers who can give me insight into what my first steps should be. This then can relate back to me doing my fitness tests and raising money.

Learning how to script

While I had done a documentary script before, a lot of what happened in that documentary was pre-planned and we knew what was going to happen. The great part about a documentary that goes on a journey is that we do not know what is going to happen, this means scripting is slightly different. Through knowing this, I wanted to get an expert opinion on how I should approach my script. I spoke to Helen and she showed me her script from a documentary that she just developed and helped me understand how I should start.

It seems that I need to lay out the script with visuals on the left, the audio/soundtrack in the middle and a predicted time on the right. In each box, I will write in as much detail as possible, what is going to happen in that scene. For example, for visuals, I will write down what I predict will happen in that scene and then write down what shot types I plan to use. Using this to good effect will enable you to almost picture the scene in your head when you're setting up to shoot. Likewise, with the audio, a lot of what is going to be said is going to be actuality, so you should write in that block what the "ideal" audio for that scene would be. Time is only an estimate but it gives you an indication of how you can split up 20 minutes into your intended sequences. I now knew that I would write the ideal situation for each scene, but knowing that what is actually said could and will be changed. It was a rapid learning experience but it enabled me to understand how I approach my script. Helen also showed me it's evolution and said not to worry if it looks basic, to begin with, as it will only improve with time.

Research into Directors, Writers and Presenters

In September I started to research into all of my roles which allowed me to realise the scale of what I need to do. These blogs can be seen here:

https://alexbaldwinmedia.blogspot.com/2018/11/pre-production-research-into-presenters.html

https://alexbaldwinmedia.blogspot.com/2018/10/pre-production-research-into-writers-of.html

https://alexbaldwinmedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/pre-production-research-into-directors.html
I will continue to update these as I watch more and these vital pieces of research have already started to inform my decisions that I am making. This is critical research that I may have lacked in the Transition unit so I was aware that I need to up my game. I am happy with the research that I have completed so far and I look forward to doing more.

Overall, we have only been back at University for a couple of weeks but I have been able to evolve my project quite substantially in that short time. Some great help from Simon and Helen, along with peer feedback has started this evolution. A critical understanding through research into my roles has also meant I do not underestimate the job I have.