Production - Race Day With Sam

The big day was upon us. The moment this whole documentary was building up to and the part I have been most nervous about. Obviously, this was the most unpredictable part of this documentary and we did not know exactly what was going to happen, but I had completed my usual work for the race day, using all of the experiences I have had so far to create the most visually interesting plan. These plans can be seen below. Learning from the experiences on Friday, the team knew how to deal with me on the race day and when to leave me and allow me to focus on the race. It was a long event, with the crew arriving around 8am at Brands Hatch and we expected to end the day around 6pm.

We were lucky to have some of our dedicated and reliable crew with us to film the main sequence. George and Cailan would work as a unit in the main pit area with Alex Hargood, Jon and my father. All used the designated plans and George ensured all camera operators knew what they were doing before we started filming. The plans would ensure that we have a wide range of on-track footage from around the circuit, meaning that we have all the choices we would like in the edit. These plans can be seen as below:

Shotlist SUNDAY:

• Alex getting ready at PW [C/U, M/S]
• Alex leaving the house and packing the car [M/S]
• Shots of Alex driving / in passenger seat NO TALKING [M/S, C/U]
• Alex speaking about his thoughts on the day [M/S] Question prompt: So how are you feeling about the big day? 
• Car entering Brands Hatch from inside the ticket gate [UW/S]
• Alex getting out the car and walking to the pit area - Following [M/S] 
• Alex signing on [C/U]
• Alex walking down pitlane [M/S - Following]
• Alex walking down pitlane [W/S - Camera is looking towards garages from side - Walking from right to left of screen]
• Alex speaking to Sam [M/S, C/U]
• Alex watching Sam out on track [M/S - To be used in the race] 
• Alex putting equipment on [M/S]
• Alex getting into the car [M/S]
• Alex sitting in the car [C/U]
• Alex driving out the pitlane - Pan down from sky [W/S] 
• Sam speaking to Cailan behind the camera - What is qualifying? [Answer: Alex is out there now qualifying I’ve already done my laps, Basically the fastest person in qualifying will start at the front of the grid. As we are in Class C we can expect to be around the middle of the field] SHORT ANSWER NEEDED
• SHOTS OF ALEX ON TRACK - POSITION 1
• Alex returning to pit lane and pulling in [M/S]
• Alex getting out of the car [M/S]
• Alex taking helmet the off [C/U]
• Alex debriefing with Sam [W/S, C/U on Alex] !!!NEED TO HEAR THE SOUND!!! 
• Alex drinking XITE [C/U]
• Alex contemplating - Raw audio [M/S, C/U]
• Alex Speaking to Cailan [M/S] “How did qualifying go” “How are you going to approach the race?” “What do you thinks going to be on your mind” 
• Alex speaking to Sam/Dad/Friends [M/S]
• Alex looking nervous [C/U]
• !!!!CHARGE CAMERAS AT LUNCH!!!!
• Alex having final pep talk with Sam before the race [M/S, C/U]
• Alex seeing Sam off to start the race [M/S]
• Sam driving off into the distance [C/U]
• SHOTS OF ALEX ON TRACK - POSITION 2 [While Sam is racing - Change 12 mins into the race]
• Alex on the pitwall watching the start [W/S]
• Alex in pitlane looking at the lap times on laptop [M/S, C/U]
• Cailan asking Alex [M/S] “What's happening right now?” Answer - Sam is out there doing the first half of the race, I’ll be in the car in a bit for my first ever race, nervous…”
• Alex putting his suit on, helmet etc [C/U]
• SHOTS OF ALEX ON TRACK - POSITION 3 [BE READY 20 MINS INTO RACE!]
• Sam pulling into the pitlane and Alex getting in the car [M/S] Don’t worry about being shaky if it means getting the shot.
• Alex pulling off and going down the pitlane [MC/U]
• Shots of Sam [M/S,C/U]
• Cailan asking Sam “What happening right now” [M/S]
• Various shots of the crew and Sam speaking, looking at Laptop ETC [M/S, C/U]
• Phone out of pitwall - Alex going past a few laps to go & Alex crossing line [M/S]
• Sam speaking/celebrating with crew [M/S,C/U]
• Car pulling into the pitlane [M/S]
• Alex getting out of the car and speaking to Sam [MC/U]
• Follow Alex as he takes Gear off/ Goes to podium (If finishes top 3)
• Podium - If it happens [M/S of Alex and Sam, C/U of trophies on ground]
• Alex hugging Dad and team [M/S, C/U]
• Alex debrief “PTC” [M/S - Q: What was the experience was like?]
• Saying Bye to Sam [M/S]
• Taking picture with the car [W/S]
• Alex walking back to the car [M/S]
• Alex smiling [C/U]
• [Fade into Diary Room]

The shoot

As a contributor, it was my main focus to be myself and allow the team to capture the various moments of activity and interest throughout the day. I had devised the above shotlist and plans as a guide, but it was to my understanding that Cailan and George would be filming me whatever happened. Saying this we did want to ensure a number of key shots were filmed so that I knew we would have these in the edit. This did mean that Cailan would ask me to stand in certain areas for a few small scenes, but this worked as it allowed us to get exactly what we wanted.

After George had given his first briefing of the day, the crew head out to their positions while he and Cailan would be in the pitlane as I wait for my first qualifying session in a race car. There were a few various preparations needed before I get out in the car, and while I did these, the crew did a great job of working around the situation to capture the best shots possible. When reviewing this particular footage it is great to see that the lessons learned from previous shoots in which George is the producer. There seemed to be no issue with George being in the shot or walking in front of the camera which meant that what was captured was all usable as well as being very true to our story.

As I got out on track for my first ever qualifying session, we had two 4K action cameras recording on the inside of the car as well as everyone from around the track. I went out first [as we split the driving in both the race and qualifying] as the conditions were still slippery. I did around ten laps and sat 25th of over 40 cars before Sam took over the driving. I was happy with my times and Cailan and the crew did a great job at showing this in the various material shot as I came into the garage and took off my safety equipment. The actuality shot at this time as well as the moments as I watch on as Sam does his laps is going to be a great way of showing the meaning and dedication to this project. This is something that we have been keen to show as we have struggled to capture the meaning of the project in some scenes, which could lead the viewer to disconnect with me, my story and my passion.



After debriefing with Sam, there was a long wait of about 4 hours until my first ever motor race. In this time George got the crew back together and we charged all of the cameras as well as getting all of the footage onto a hard drive to ensure that all memory cards would be wiped before the race. This proactive thinking as a team saved us time at the end of the day as well as ensuring all camera operators would not run into issues with storage. The next few hours went by with little to do other than have a team meeting and listen in as George ran through all of the plans for the rest of the day. The nerves were mounting as I realised what was in front of me as I knew there was a genuine chance we would obtain a podium, as we qualified 2nd in class and the top 3 cars, including us, were much quicker than the rest. The crew filmed a few sections to the camera in this break which will allow the viewer to understand my exact thoughts at the moment. We hope to include these, but time is against us and we need to be ruthless with what is not included.

As I got ready for the race the crew managed to obtain a number of great shots of what I was experiencing as well as showing the pressure and nerves I was dealing with before the race. Looking at these shots I was really happy with how they looked and was sure these would fit the build-up we would be crafting with this sequence. Sam would be driving first, so as I was in my gear, I walked along with Sam and Cailan close behind, to the assembly area where the cars would stay until the race was about to begin. Cailan got some great shots of me with my driver coach Rod Birley and Sam before the race. These will be helpful when explaining to the viewer exactly how the race works through voiceover and why I would not be starting the race. After Cailan obtained these shots and I hit record on the Go Pro's mounted inside the car, Sam was off to the starting grid.

The race started well as Sam qualified us 10th of 38 starters and had a great first 15 minutes in the car.  He was holding us quite comfortably inside the top 3 in class which was great considering the story behind it. In the pitlane, the crew were capturing my final nerves before I suited up ready for Sam to bring the car into the pitlane around halfway through the race. These shots will be mixed in with shots of Sam out on track and the various cameras from around the track, building up the intensity before I was ready to hop in the car.

Unfortunately, the worst possible case for the ending of this documentary happened. The car had a suspension failure when Sam hit a curb. Sam managed to get the car into the pitlane but the race was over. We were out of the race. I was gutted that we could not end the documentary in the way we expected, with me out on track taking part in my first motor race. In the moment, there was not much footage recorded on reflection, which was a mistake. I have told the team that I would have liked some footage of myself coming to terms with not being able to achieve this dream, and it was a disappointment that a lot of this actuality was not recorded. While disappointed that this was the case, I understand the crew may have been confused about what to do, as we had not planned for this situation. But we will have to deal with how we overcome this issue in the edit and possibly use some footage from earlier in the day to cover this moment.

I was very disappointed in how the race finished but I tried my best not to let this get to me. I ensured that we captured as much of the shot list and features as possible to ensure we have an ending to our documentary. It was always going to be the case, in a documentary like this, that there was a chance something wouldn't go as planned. It's just a massive shame that it was our grand finale. As is the case with a documentary like this, we followed the story from start to end, and even if it is not what we expected, we have a story and a powerful ending. We captured all of the footage needed to end this documentary including final cutaways and closing thoughts to camera piece. I was gutted and you may be able to tell that in my voice. Saying this, I did try and put a positive spin on it which I hope will not lead viewers to think this passion was not as big as shown throughout the documentary. I was myself and that is the main thing. This authentic nature throughout the documentary will hopefully hit home the importance of this story.

After going through all of the possibilities of how this documentary ends we have thought of a few options as technically, I did not even take part in a motor race and did not achieve the dream. We will be deciding what to do over the next few days, but we know we have a powerful ending, however, we play it.

I come out of today's shoot in two minds. The footage and professionalism of the crew were fantastic. I would say this was definitely the best shoot in terms of both of these, which was nice to see.  The race itself was, of course, a disappointment but it does not take away from the incredible journey I have been on and all of the great people I have met. This means that even though my biggest worry from the day is the university project and how we overcome this, I am still very happy with all of the incredible contributors we have met and the footage to go with it. I left the day simply worried about how we play this race off. I want it to be genuine as we have been throughout the documentary, I just feel the documentary currently stops a little suddenly, but this will have to be reviewed in the edit.

As for now, we have postponed the diary room ending sequence as I did not take part in the motor race and could not answer the questions that would be asked in the sequence. Therefore, we are working on a solution and how we end this documentary as we know various options, we just now want to decide the best way for it to end. Sadly this hasn't come at a great time as Simon and the University are on Easter holiday. Due to this, we will make a cut to what we think is best and then show Simon upon our return to university. I am excited to show the progress we have made as I think we are in a much better place.