Risk Assessment

Permission to Film & Liability Waiver

Choosing our cast

Choosing our main cast was a straightforward process in that we knew exactly what age and looks each main actor needed to have, but the pressure was immense in finding such actors in such a relatively short space of time once we knew what we required. Hannah and I both knew an actress, Katy Ashworth, who fit the description perfectly for our femme fatale, in age, looks, build and ability. We thought finding her male counterpart was going to be difficult as we did not personally know a late-twenties, handsome male who could act. However on Katy’s advice Hannah used www.Uk.CastingCallPro.com and profiled potential male leads, by looking at their pictures, stats, experience and even their show-reels. We deliberated between us a final ten or so and Hannah sent off emails briefing the actors about the project and asking if they would be interested.

Hi (name), 
My name is Hannah and I attend Farnham College in Surrey. My group member Emily and I are currently looking for a male 20 something actor to co-star in our short film for our media coursework. It is a short film (5min) in the style of film noir and a convincing American accent will be needed. You would be acting opposite Katy Ashworth, a CBBC presenter and star of 'I Can Cook'.
It is not a paid job, however we can cover your travel expenses, to Camberley, where the filming is taking place. 
Let us know if you would be interested
Kind Regards
Hannah and Emily

Of the few who replied, we picked our actor who lived nearest, seemed the most professionally experienced and looked most fitting for the part, actor Jonathon James from Aldershot.

http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/view.php?uid=228616  

Hannah then corresponded with him via telephone to organise suitable filming dates and times, and forwarded the script and details to him via email. Due to the hectic schedules of Katy, Jon, Hannah and I, despite our attempts to organise time for them to rehearse together, it was not possible so we were forced to hope they could learn their lines respectively and rehearse together on set.

To play the smaller part of the husband of our femme fatale, Katy had a friend she had previously worked with. After looking at pictures of him and speaking to him on the phone about shooting some “home” scenes with Katy, we decided he was perfect for the role and opted not to search on Casting Call again for his part. A few years older than Jon James, he appeared more forbidding and fatherly with a beard. We knew he was perfect to represent the cuckolded husband Rita was being unfaithful to with a younger, more boyishly handsome man.

Having organised these three actors and secured the location, the logistics in finding extras to be sitting around in the background were against us – especially seeing as we agreed with the Bella Italia manager to start filming at 6am and wrap up by 11. We decided to go without other diners in the scene. Hannah and I both knew a waitress who worked in the restaurant so we thought we could use her for the waiter’s line, if we could not find a male member of staff to do it. In the event, the manager, Huw, volunteered to be in the waiter’s scene.

We were really starting to appreciate the level of co-ordination that making a short film needed, especially if you planned on multiple characters, extras or shooting a scene you needed permission for. Hannah and I both realised that we weren’t creating a film that was convenient or easy for us as students, and that we were going to have to persevere that little bit more.

Choosing our shooting location

We conducted some mini-research on the type of location we could shoot in for the restaurant scenes. We were so decided on the idea of a conversation taking place in a forties’ restaurant, as both Hannah and I could see the shots clearly in our minds when visualising how the film would unfold. We visited, both together and separately, various restaurants in Farnham, Camberley and Guildford, taking photos of each. Factors we had to consider were first and foremost the décor – would it convincingly suit the era we were trying to portray? Then we had to consider the nearness/convenience of the locations, the layout of the restaurant regarding the framing of the shots, and the possibility of obstructing the restaurant too much. Also Hannah and I discussed who were more likely to give us permission to film – a large restaurant chain or a smaller, independent establishment?

However when considering Bella Italia’s Camberley branch to shoot in, the period, look, layout and overall ambient of the place excited us so much we spent weeks in correspondence with the management trying to obtain filming permission. It seemed very unlikely that a large Italian chain would allow us to get in the way of their business for free but after two letters, many phone calls and assurances they agreed. Below is a draught of our “permission to film” letter and our liability waiver, both crucial in securing our location.

Characteristics of our first chosen shot location, “Bella Italia”:

-Fairly local

-Low lighting – would look good in black and white. Good to utilise studio lights – for ‘noir-esque’ low-key lighting

-Good corners in the floorplan to film while staying out of the way of customers/staff, and for customers to stay out of shot

-Toilet door (needed for script)

-Entrance can be seen from table (needed for script)

-Visible bar (good for genre of film)

-Gilt framed mirrors and pictures (excellent for set design)

-Basic, not too modern tables and chairs (suitable for era)

-Little to no visibility of modern technology (i.e. tills, TVs, automatic doors etc)

Drawbacks:

-Large windows opening out onto modern mall exterior: We planned on filming in such a way that the audience could not see the modern “Frankie & Benny’s” logo of the opposite restaurant, and so the audience could not see the ordinary, modernly dressed pedestrians passing by. If we encountered problems we planned on superimposing corrective elements in editing.

-Difficult to obtain permission

-If permission were to be obtained, we would have a very limited time frame to work within while filming. We would have to be very quick in setting up and organised in following our shooting schedule meticulously.

(Screen shots)

For the bathroom scene we decided against using the Bella Italia restrooms due to its contradictory modern look, white tiled floors and electric handdryers. We needed a darker and older looking bathroom with a glamorous mirror for Rita to gaze in. For the house scene we managed to gain permission from a friend who’s living room we knew was styled like a spacious forties home, with patterned wallpaper, mahogany bookcases and a log fire. We thought that by bringing in a few accessories such as a vintage lamp and an old clock and disguising modern conveniences such as the television and house-phone we could create the exact look we wanted. We decided to shoot the restaurant bathroom scene in our friend’s toilet as it had the closeted, dark and retro appeal we had imagined with the perfect mirror above the sink.

(Screenshots)

The streetlit scenes outside were shot on some Guildford back-roads. We had initially intended to film on the Guildford high street at night as the clock tower struck eight, but it was far too populated and well lit. We realised if we wanted the high contrast effect of streetlights, shadow and darkness we would have to film elsewhere. We found some choice areas where we could capture distorted shots like stairwells down alleyways, at the bottom of slopes with low angled shots, shadowed archways and even an upper floor pub garden where we could shoot a high angle down to the street below. The clock-tower shot was filmed separately another night and edited in.

We similarly planned on filming Jim’s external scene in a dark alleyway in Guildford with suitable lighting so his silhouette could be seen walking away.