Tips on Organising a Production - Both Documentary and Fiction / Period Etc

6 January 2015 Organising a production

Tips on organising a production - both documentary and fiction / period etc

Some experienced filmmakers will describe their experiences and we will have plenty of discussion

Lots of topics can come up including:

• The proper way to do things

• Do we understand the way professionals do it, what of these should amateurs try to emulate

• In the case of documentaries how much script should you have before shooting starts?

• Should you storyboard? If not what should you do instead?

• How do you keep track of things during the shooting, particularly when shooting out of order. How do you ensure that you don't miss anything?

• What crew should you have? Documentary, drama? For a documentary when to use a presenter. What are the duties of each crew member? We seem to have some confusion about certain roles - particularly assistant director, DoP

• How big a crew?

• Recruiting crew

• Should anything be provided for cast and crew e.g. transport, food etc?

• Who reports to who?

• What are the roles of crew members before and after the main shoot? For example the DoP in setting the style and colour grading? Protocols on set - lights camera action etc.?

• How long a shooting day? How many shots / finished running time shot per day?

• Post production - who does what? We seem to have a problem with everything being dumped on the editor

• If post production is split then how do you organise - does the editor pass a rough edit to the sound man?

• Relationship between the director and the editor? When should the director be present when editing

• Recruiting cast – how?

• Auditions?

• Finding locations Historical accuracy etc?

• Do you pay for locations? Official permision - e.g. on highway?

• Costumes - historical accuracy?

• Make up Props + historical look etc?

• Crew discipline on set

20 January 2015 Sound Mixing

Our special guest speaker this evening is Andy Devine. Andy is a dubbing mixer from Films@59 and has worked on a broad variety of work from documentaries, to feature length films.

He will demonstrate the tools and skills required to improve the quality of the Final Mix. Starting with premixing and balancing each element to create a soundtrack, ensuring levels meet requirement, through to removing or reducing unwanted noises.

3 February How to be a judge?

Jan and Dave Watterson, our Annual Trophy judges in 2014 will be explaining how they approach judging. How do you compare documentary against fiction? Do you allow for some entrants not having the financial resources of others. What is most important the ideas or the implementation?

Jan and Dave will be illustrating points with film clips.

Jan and Dave have immense experience of film judging including acting as judges in international competitions

Please come and pay attention as in three meetings time the membership itself will be expected to act as judges on The Competition Night.

17 February Annual General Meeting

As well as the formal business there will be time for a discussion about what the Society should be doing.

In the second half an update on club productions and time for an open discussion on subjects of members interest.

3 March Alex Hansen: Film Lighting for Action

How do we light when the people in shot are moving. How do we film in the dark, moonlight, candle light?

Professional cameraman, Alex Hansen returns to help us answer some of these questions.

17 March Competition Night

The evening where the members judge members films..

The Jack Baker Trophy - Short Documentary Competition. (max 10 minutes).

The Quickie Film Competition - (any subject, max 5 minutes).

Short Drama - (max 10 minutes).

More details on the Competitions web-page

7 April Short Documentaries

The documentary in the age of YouTube? We review and discuss the state of the art of the informative film.

Tonight we will premiere the films about Bristol City Docks inspired by the BFVS outing last summer.

21 April Premiere of Requiem for Caffeine : Preparing for the Mini Epics

The Premiere of the latest Society Production.

We hope to invite the cast and guests.

In the second half of the evening we hope to divide up into groups to discuss story lines for this years Mini Epic project.

We hope our guests will join into this years exercise.

5 May Don Fairservice: Getting Pace into Films

How do we get pace into films? Fast / slow, the contrast? How much is script, direction, editing or music?

Don Fairservice returns to help us with some answers to these questions.

19 May Mini Epics

Picking up some of the ideas discussed on 21 April, tonight we will plan this years Mini Epics (previously known as the Annual Challenge) where we divide into groups to plan and shoot short 5 minute films. This is excellent training for both new film makers and more experienced ones. This year’s theme is Stalking

2 June Understanding Computers + Using You Tube and Vimeo

What do all the computer file suffixes mean? When should you use them? What should you save your finished project as? What is the best way to make a DVD? How do you load a DVD into your edit programme? How do you upload to You Tube and Vimeo? Which is best? How do you download from You Tube and Vimeo.

16 June Shooting the Mini Epic

This evening, the groups implement what was planned on 19th May and head out and shoot their films.

If you are a new or prospective member or not already in a filmmaking group and would like to take part then please email

Regular members and friends please note - the clubroom will not be open.

7 July Aspects of Action Filming - Filming action / filming the dangerous!

Club members demonstrate getting the camera off the tripod and into the thick of the action.

Learn some tips and tricks about what to use, where, and what can go wrong! We'll also demo the GoPro.

21 July Practical Evening - Shooting Green Screen

We will be setting up a green screen with some “actors” in front. We will then shoot a few seconds of footage – so bring your own camera to shoot a few shots yourself. Then if you have a lap top with an editing programme on it have a go at compositing.

In the second half we hope to have a live demo of compositing projected onto the screen as it happens.

Also to demo green screen we need some background images.

If you think you have something suitable – North Pole, top of Everest, desert? Then please bring it along? Does anyone have any moving footage – say shot from front or side of a car – might be interesting?

4 August The Moving Camera

How to film with a moving camera - hand-held, monopods, steadycam, track, mount in a car, use a wheel chair. We hope to take advantage of the light evenings to go outside for demonstrations and exercises.

18 August THE NEXT BIG THING? PLANNING A BIG CLUB PRODUCTION

We will be discussing the possibility of a big club production for 2016 called 'The Knotted Rope'.

We will have a read through of the script by experienced actors along with discussions about the practicalities of mounting the production. If you are interested in getting involved in making a short feature length film to professional standards then you should find this evening particularly interesting.

1 September Filming the News

A guest speaker will tell us how news programmes are shot and edited against ultra tight deadlines.

15 September Editing Evening

This evening we divide into groups and edit some action footage. A hands on practical session. The best way to learn.

6 October Scripting

• Writing it, getting the ideas, how to go about it.

• Formatting a script.

• Using software.

• The shooting script

• Storyboards

20 October Story Telling with CGI and Animation: Creative and technical breakdown of the work of Preconstruct.

Martin Drake is Creative Director of Preconstruct; a creative studio specialising in communication media for built environment projects. They support architects, developers and construction firms present their work, and tell their stories, in clear and compelling ways.

3 November 50th Annual Trophy Competition

Judged in advance by professional film cameraman, Alex Hansen.

The Don Smith Trophy for Best Narration and The Ray Buckland Trophy for Best Composition can also be awarded.

This competition is the BIG one. Eagerly fought for every year since 1965.

17 November Review of Mini Epics.

BAFTA award winning film editor Don Fairservice has reviewed our efforts from earlier in the year.

He will join us tonight when we see each group’s interpretation of this year’s theme.

Don has also reviewed the recent club production 'Requiem for Caffeine' plus the 'Into the Light' series and 'Nightmare'

1 December Social Evening.

To celebrate the forthcoming Christmas an informal social evening in the pub.

Meet from 7:30 pm onwards in The Ratepayer's Arms

Come along to an informal discussion.

Talk about any matters of interest.

An ideal chance to informally test out ideas for next year.

FREE nibbles!

15 December Film Production by BFVS.

A review of the Society's film productions shot this year and planning for the coming year including ideas for short films fiction and documentary.

Half an hour of this meeting will be set aside for an open general discussion where members can raise matters of interest.