Shoot Dates
Barring the obvious disappointment that we did not get the story and footage we had planned at Brands Hatch during the race day, we were all very happy with the shoots that we completed in April. Firstly, all of the day in which we filmed various cutaways, b-roll and the footage for the fitness sequence allowed us to cover a few gaps that we had realised when in the edit. The fitness footage looked particularly good and this was thanks to our test shoot which allowed us to understand what shots were going to be effective in this scene.
The interview with Abbi went as expected and I was happy that my walk and talk mixed with a sit-down interview looked natural. The questions were good but Abbi's answers were a bit less concise than we originally thought. This only meant that we needed to spend some more time editing her sequence to ensure that the answers were coherent and to the point. After editing this sequence and putting it together it flows well and I enjoy that it is now very to the point. This sequence is now as tight as it can be without losing its context.
As for the pre-race test session at Brands Hatch. We won't be able to show any of this due to the project being a 20 minute piece. We obtained a great number of unique shots thanks to the trackside access, but we will not be able to use these in the university cut of the film. Sadly we were not given trackside access for the race so we had to work from spectator areas which limited our creativity on the day.
I spent a lot of time preparing for the race which meant I got together a lot of plans which allowed the crew to work around the restricted access issue. I was not worried about what the crew would do due to these limitations as they have always used my plans to good effect and the footage we have got has been what I would expect. However, due to the circumstances and me not getting into the car, we did not get all of the footage needed from the main camera. While this is a disappointment we have been able to work around the shots we do have to make a coherent sequence. The shoot itself could have gone better in a couple of ways, but the crew remained professional at all times and I appreciate them helping me throughout this journey, as without them, this documentary would not exist.
Typically all of the sequences filmed in April were of high quality and I was impressed with the variety and dynamism of shots that the crew got on these days. It has made sure that the sequences have a lot of options in the edit and this is allowing each sequence to be of high quality. The attention to detail from my plans all the way to the camera operations on the day has ensured that every single scene in our documentary has a mass of great b-roll, this is one of the things that has pleased me the most throughout this unit.
Editing & Trimming Sequences
Our biggest task throughout the month was getting the edit to a stage where it was ready for the race day so we could focus on that once it had happened. The early part of the month was very productive and we got the edit on target and to a place where we could start cutting it down and get towards our target time limit.
We started the month with a 28-minute documentary and that did not include the race day as well as anything that happened after it. This was, of course, a huge problem as we had a maximum time limit of 22 minutes so we had to spend some time as a group getting down towards this. At Cailan's we went through the timeline sequence by sequence and started to remove small moments as well as trimming others, which left us with a documentary of 22 minutes with just the race day to be included.
I was really happy to see that we could trim this much as when I realised how long the documentary was, I thought we would have to cut some main sequences to ensure we hit the time limit. However, working together we managed to make all of the current sequences as tight as we think they can currently be. Saying this, we look forward to speaking to Simon and understanding what he thinks can be removed to ensure we keep our story while probably removing a sequence.
As a team, we are working really well in the edit. Cailan and George are managing to work through the pre-decided sequences and I feel I am able to give input without them thinking I'm criticising the work. This was a problem early on and we now realise that each other's opinions allow these sequences to be the best versions, rather than what an individual thinks. The dynamic we have had through this month has allowed the edit to be the most productive yet and I see us in a good position going into the final few weeks where we will be focusing on the final details as well as working on the colour grade, as that will be what helps us set out the tone.
It has been hard to cut a lot of sequences that I would love to include in this documentary, but that is part of the challenge of this unit. I think we have taken on a complex task with this project, especially since there have been so many variables throughout. The fact that we have managed to keep up to date with the edit and create an intriguing story and then ensure we have multiple choices in the ending. I see this as a massive credit to how much we all want this project to be a success and the lengths we have gone to throughout to show the full picture of achieving a dream.
Overview Of April
I have been very stressed throughout this whole month with understanding what is required of me as a contributor as well as what the crew needs from me as a director as well as how I best conduct myself in the edit. This along with the pressure of possibly letting myself down in the race played on my mind throughout this month and I struggled mentally to be in the right place come race day. The team allowed me to relax as much as possible by the time we got to the race day which is something I really appreciated.
It's great to see the evolution that we have all gone through in this process as we are now at a stage where we are getting pretty much exactly what we want the first time, meaning we get
April has been the toughest month for me but because of the teamwork we have had, it has enabled it to be the best in terms of video content quality as well as productivity in the edit. The fact we have trimmed down the documentary to be just outside the time limit considering where we were at the start of the month fills me with confidence that we will be sorted by the time we hand it in. This was probably my biggest worry at the start of the month so I am excited to see this project finally coming together.
May's Mission
We only have a little under two weeks in May to put the final touches to our project. The aims for the last few days are clear. We need to get the sequences completed and then work on the grading. We have certainly challenged ourselves with the amount of filming we have had, along with how late our final shoot dates have been. While it has been a challenge, I have enjoyed it and I feel that with the pressure on, we will be able to complete this documentary and certainly make it one we are all proud of.
There will definitely be no filming in May, and with only a few days left we would not allow that to be the case. We have only needed to record a few pick-up shots anyway as we have been so good in capturing b-roll, we know, going into these last few days, that we have all the footage needed to allow for a fantastic and emotional final sequence.
Overall, the final days of this project will be completely focused on the edit. We have a lot to do to ensure that we get to the time limit and keep the story we have wanted to show throughout. I am so proud to see the idea I started conceptualising over a year and a half ago come to fruition. I spent so much time in pre-production ensuring that this documentary was going to be good. We have certainly had challenges, especially ones in the last few weeks. But we have been able to overcome these and bring together a truly emotional journey and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone's reaction to it.
I have been able to chase my dream in my final year of university and I could not be more thankful for that opportunity. The planning throughout has ensured this documentary hits all the key areas and the crew have consistently performed throughout. I could not have had a better last years project to work on and I am really proud of what we have created. We now have less than two weeks to finish the job and ensure our message is clear.
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