3.1     Explain the importance of teamwork when working on a film production

The different areas in my production of the short film ‘Listen’ include: the DoP – Head of Photography/ Cinematographer (cameraman, lighting), Producer, Sound designer, editor, Director, Assistant director/ Actor, Actor, and Translator.

During shooting, the DOP, director and sound designer and producer worked together closely. The director and the DOP/ cameraman had to have a close, well-communicated relationship; the director has to tell the cameraman exactly what he/she wants as the director has the artistic vision of the film, so everything to the shot choices and sound are dictated by the director. The Sound designer, in charge of recording all the sound through various mics, has to have also a communicative relationship with the DOP. In the shoot day, the DOP would tell the sound man holding the boom mic when he was in frame, so he knew his edge of frame when filming the shot. The director also told the sound designer what desired sound she wanted picking up, and how/when. The producer overlooks this, especially the director, to make sure she’s delivering his overall vision.

We worked together creating lists of what to bring during pre-production, so on the day we would all be well prepared and able to work to our upmost ability on the shoot day.

Furthermore, during shoot day we all watched over the shooting and each process, for example I watched and learnt how to set up the camera and the basic workings of it, so I was able to step in and assist others to help with efficiency. Also, being aware of other crew members responsibilities and duties helped bring us closer, and help each other out and noticing errors and potentially advising each other, despite not being the director or actor, and so on.Why is it important that production teams wor well together?

As a film production crew, it’s vital to work together in order to make the film efficiently; if the director and cameraman didn’t work together or communicate effectively, what is desired to be captured wouldn’t be, ruining the whole film. As mentioned before, the director has a vision which must told to the cameraman consistently. Working together also creates a comfortable atmosphere where criticism and cooperation can occur, which is another vital element to film production.Give an example of when your production team/s orked well together.

An example of when my production team worked well together was when we were setting up set. During the studio scenes, which were the most intense and took the longest, we all helped cover up the green screen in order to progress with the filming; moving the rugs, tape, collectively moving along the black curtain to cover the green screen wall and offering our coats to cover any extra green screen. During filming these scenes, we helped position lighting which needed two people, and I assisted directing some scenes by advising the actors; the director communicated what emotion and atmosphere she wanted, I helped advise David on how to communicate her intentions.

If there isn’t good teamwork during a film production/ shoot, the film can seem separated and the artistic intention of the piece can be poorly shown, if achieved at all. For instance, if the director/s and producer aren’t collaborating their ideas properly, the production process can not only take ages, but the filming can be messy and varied, not meeting directors instructions, audio issues if the sound designer isn’t taking advise on how and what to record, bad editing as everyone has different ideas they want to meet instead of meeting a common ground via discussion. The overall presentation of the film will be disjointed and divided, as all aspects (sound, photography, acting, directing) must work together to create an overall unified, logical film.

There was a lack of all around involvement during the first scene, in terms of setting up the equipment, I lacked involvement in getting involved in the camera set up as I was the actor primarily in the first scene. However, I soon realised I should help set up the camera in order to help the efficiency of filming. Especially as we were under strict time limits to make the film. Also, I should have asked the director for more guidance when I was acting because I found myself rushing under pressure, but I think my performance would have been better if I was more aware of the intention the director wanted from the scene. I overcame this naturally as the shoot day went on and I became more comfortable with the crew, as I became more confident in my acting and understanding when the director was satisfied.

3.2       Identify the qualities needed to work well with others

The most important qualities for working well as a part of a short film, include:

• good communication skills; film productions have so many vital production elements, like sound, camera, lighting, so its very important that all these crew members can communicate and understand each other well, especially towards the director as they have to communicate their intention across constantly
• Open-mindedness/ non-judgement; when you are working with other people in a film production, you have to be open to their ideas and also their advice, e.g. the director would tell the actors what emotion they want from a certain shot, but the actors may also say what they think would look better, and vice versa. This quality means you can have creative flexibility. Without non-judgement actors could also feel uncomfortable and under pressure, effecting their acting abilities. Non-Judgement creates an atmosphere where mistakes are okay, and constructive criticism (which is vital) is appreciated.
• Patience; producing a film is a long progress, shoot days alone can be up to 12 hours on a professional film and over several months, and the editing can take a year. Therefore patience is a mandatory quality for any crew member, especially during shoot day where it can take a lot of time to get a correct shot alone. Also, patience creates a less intense atmosphere for everyone, because you’re dealing with the pressure in a mature manner.
• Endurance; everyone can stay focused and driven, despite the long shoot day process, leading to a strong group because everyone is willing to keep concentrated and to finish the film. With endurance comes determination, and that’s also essential for good team work because its a form of motivation that can help everyone especially tackling tiredness.
• Good time management; it’s very important to keep on track of time during film production, especially during shoot day where locations may only be available till a certain time and it’s a race against the weather/ daylight. Thus, good time management is crucial in organising film production effectively.

How did you show the following, give examples:

• Good timekeeping; during our final few hours of our shoot day, I kept checking the clock for how long we had left to shoot our last few shots and then other crew members would share the time to everyone else so we could all focus more/ become more alert and get everything done in the time limit.

• Being reliable; During shooting some highly intense scenes (the main actor had to really get into an emotional place and we were running out of time) that I wasn’t in, I ran errands for the other crew members e.g. I went to another building to fetch a stabiliser that they needed for the next shot. This helped with the efficiency of filming and our teamwork.

• Sharing ideas; When the actor was shooting a difficult scene, the director would say what she wanted him to get across in the scene, and I helped coach the actor in telling him how he could do this, advising the director on potential ways he could do this, offering new ideas. We managed to use both of our ideas to create an ideal action for the actor and shot.

• Good communication; as the sound designer, I had to have the whole studio silent so I would say ‘Silence on set’ and everyone would cease their discussions, showing good cooperation. Further effective communication was shown when I was recording different experimental sounds, I had several people involved in the muffling and movement of the microphones, and I would gesture at them when I wanted them to make noises during the specific recordings and they would obey; this made the recordings work well and showed great communicative skills.

• Safe working; During the most dangerous shot, when the actor, acting as Sam, had to smash up a guitar, we rehearsed the shot several times, choreographing the movements till the cameraman and actor felt comfortable. The rest of the crew during the actual shot stood far away from the scene, in case bits of guitar flew unpredictably across the studio, potentially harming us. Taking these precautions reduced the amount of potential injury and made the production of the scene go smoothly and safely; no one was harmed. Also, when moving the lights in the studio, I warned people about the heat of the barn doors, so we wore gloves when moving the barn doors of the light to prevent burning.

3.3       Describe how you worked with others collaboratively on your film production

Everyone in my film production crew had to work together to make a good film. The cameraman had to work with the director, the sound designer has to work with the cameraman as well as the actors during shooting for edge of frame communication, choreography regarding the camera, etc. Hence, I worked with others in the crew as Sound Designer, Actor and Editor. During shoot day, I constantly discussed my scenes with the director so I knew what emotion to get across in a particular scene, how I should do this in regards to the camera, and so on. As Sound Designer, I told everyone what I expected, spoke to the director at what sounds she especially wanted (getting her approval; achieving her vision) and the cameraman in how the different mics work when plugged into the camera, and so on. As the Editor, I worked with the producer as he watched the short film through on the initial edit, second edit and final edit, the director as I needed to achieve her vision through each cut I chose to do, the other crew members stepped in to find certain sound effects and songs and create the credits. Collectively, we made the edit of the short film happen.

The main problems I needed to overcome when working collaboratively with my crew was constant communication. At the start of the shoot day, for example, I failed to communicate much with the whole crew, apart from my colleague (the actor). Consequently, the first scene we shot shows low quality acting and sound because I failed to communicate effectively with the director at what she wanted to me get across, if my interpretation was convincing and I didn’t check how the sound was with the wind and rain, as I was preoccupied with rehearsing with my co-star. Generally, involving myself with the whole crew was an issue I struggled with and it is quite vital in a film production because every role must work collectively and have a good understanding at all times e.g. the producer could be talking to another crew member whilst the cameraman and main director are trying the film an important moment, making them have to do the shot again, the actor having to recreate the emotional atmosphere. However if the producer had been talking to the director they would be alert and aware of the filming; achieving full collaboration and involvement with the whole team.

In order to improve my ability to work well with others, I think I should be more confident in myself and outgoing. Before shoot day, I would make sure I have spoken to each key crew member, forming relationships with as many people as I can. Then on shoot day and other vital days for a film production, I will feel more comfortable with everyone, therefore less pressured and more confident in my acting and communication with others. This level of confidence and comfort will help me work well with others because I will feel open for criticism and able to give my ideas.