I arranged a meeting with the production group on Thursday the 22nd. Overall it was a huge advantage to attend, as well as meeting the group i will be working with, I managed to learn a few more details about the film and have a few of my questions asked. Before i went to the meeting i thought about a few details i wanted to know more about. Things like:

How big of a team i will need for the project

How i’m going to deliver the audio to the editor

When are we expected to record

Any extra responsibilities they require from me

The meeting was very useful and and I pretty much got all the information i came for. The film has only two actors in it, therefore there will be no need for another person to help out with the location audio. With experience in a couple of third year films, i have found that it is doable to location record with one person, as long as theres no need for a second boom. On a previous project i used radio mics and a boom, switching the angle of the boom depending on the actor who’s delivering their dialogue. When three actors are in shot, a second boom may be required. However in this case, i can get away with recording this my myself. However, if i find that i may need a helping hand, there are team members on set that would be able to help with my direction.

Because the university cameras do not have the capability of timecode, in previous projects we have used a clapper board as a tool for the editor to sync the audio and picture. We deliver the audio to the editor and he then synced in up and delivered the OMF file to us. I explained this process to the editor of this film and she said she was more than happy to be provided with the audio in this way.

With regard to when the shoot is going to be, the producer explained that they are planning on shooting in four days on location anywhere in between the 2/11 and the 18/11, depending on location and actor arrangements.

They also stated a few extra points of which they expect. They talked about providing a sound log, sound editing notes and individual research & notes. The group also mentioned a dream scene in which they wanted some surreal soundtrack, so that the audience are aware that the character is in a dream. This is something that i could research into a bit more. With regards to issues, a field scene was mentioned, this could be an issue with regards to audio (weather, background noises) , therefore depending on dialogue, may need ADR. I will find out more soon once the script has been fully written.

The next stage is to prepare for location sound recording. For this I am going to be research various techniques, equipment, practices etc. And putting this into practice by loaning out some equipment and testing it. This will prove helpful in pointing out some issues that i may find.

Before meeting up with the group and confirming my involvement in the project, i wanted to make sure that i had at least 1-2 weeks to be able to work on the post production of the project. Any less than this, and it could jeopardized the overall quality of audio. The producer send me a rough proposed schedule:

The schedule gives me 5 days to work on the audio post production, before the music is scheduled. However i have 11 days before i am required to collaborate with the music composer. Therefore i have 11 days to work on the post-production. I will be working with the music composer closely, therefore when the music and audio is collaborated, there shouldn’t be many changes to make. They have also allowed for 5 days of written reflection and paperwork. Therefore if any issue come around, there may be a slight leeway in providing the audio.

I then arranged a meeting with the group for Thursday 22nd October.

My first step into approaching this project is to find out more about the film i am working on. I was put in touch with a level 3 media production group looking for an audio production student to work with them on their project, by the music composer (Matt Jones).

I was put in contact with the producer of the film (Sarah Perkins) to work on a a film called ‘Schäfer’. The production company is called: Golden Gecko Films. She sent me a detailed email explaining a number for things including: the idea of the film, character descriptions, music styles, what is expected on the audio side of production, and the projected shooting dates. The email was as followed:

“Our production company is called Golden Gecko Films and we aim to produce a 20-25 minute short film project- (working) title ‘Schäfer’.

Logline:
‘Schäfer’ concerns a women;Joan, who’s lost hope in the conventional medical methods, placing her trust in the less than orthodox medical remedies of Dr Schäfer. It soon becomes apparent why Schäfer never was allowed to practice.

Note:
We aim to focus more upon the relationship between the two character’s over the medical techniques of the Dr.

My next step is to arrange a meeting with the group to talk about the project in more detail and confirm my involvement.