...We were shooting our film. There is a definite smell to Autumn and I think its the wet leaves. I caught a whiff of it the other day and it brought back the memories of that weeks filming a year ago.
And as a nice present to mark the passing of a year we were one of only a handful of films to be Highly Recommended in the Turner Classic Shorts competition this year.
Congratulations to the six finalist.
Been a bit busy of late shooting a new film, as well as a camping trip in Dorset, but came back today to this great news. TREE has been selected to screen in competition at this years Encounters Short Film Festival.
‘The UK's most important short film festival’ The Guardian
Encounters 2007… presenting a major celebration and leading competitive showcase of short film from around the globe. A unique forum for emerging talent and established industry alike designed to nurture creativity and innovation.
13th International Encounters Short Film Festival
Wed 21 - Sun 25 November 2007
Watershed, Bristol
Big hugs to everyone! Well Done.
It's been a while since I last posted. We still have not had the cast and crew screening! Sorry Everyone.
However I'm very pleased to bring you a guest post from our Director of Photography, Peter Ellmore, who gives an indepth account of the work methods and choices that went into making TREE.
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PRE -PRODUCTION
During prep for ‘Tree’ director Phil Dale and I looked at a variety of shooting options including several High Def cameras and Digital formats. We kept coming back to film, as it seemed the best choice and the most workable option for us. Ultimately, the film had a very modest budget but we were determined to get a very cinematic look. The great thing about a film camera is that you can pick it up and shoot. No need to worry about cables, computers and wires. As the film takes place entirely in a wood these were major considerations.
FILM STOCK
I tested four film stocks – opting for faster stocks as we were shooting under relatively dense vegetation during short October days. The stocks were Kodak Vision2 500T (5218), Kodak Vision2 Expression 500T (5229), Fuji Reala 500D(8592) and Fuji Eterna 500T (8573). I was looking to see how the stocks handled underexposure, rendered foliage and skin tones. As we will be finishing the film digitally we viewed the tests at telecine (Da Vinci 2K). This enabled us to push the parameters around and directly compare stocks. I was extremely pleased with the Fuji stock, something about the look felt right for us. The Kodak stocks were also good but generally had more contrast and as a result appeared to have a harsh quality not appropriate for this particular film. The Fuji stocks have a softness and pastel feel that add an organic quality to the image that worked for us. The rendition of the multitude of greens within the forest was very impressive. I also tested the Fuji stock for underexposure and was amazed with the latitude. Shots four stops under could be graded up with no noticeable increase in grain or loss of colour reproduction. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to resort to this on the shoot but it was a useful exercise. I wanted to ensure that the blacks were in no way crushed and that I could still see detail in the shadows, I knew that there would inherently be a great deal of contrast in the woods so I didn’t want a stock that would add to that contrast. I ultimately decided to underexpose the stock 1 stop so that the image could be lifted later, hopefully avoiding any further crushing of darker areas.
Although I liked the idea of using a fast daylight stock, I ultimately decided to use Eterna 500T. The Reala was impressive but I found it to be slightly more contrasty and cooler than the Eterna. As we wanted the finished film to look warm and saturated towards the orange end of the spectrum, we decided the Eterna would be better for us.
LIGHTING
We were not able to light the entire wood but we were able to utilise and make the most of the location we chose as it had a natural opening caused by a few fallen branches. Through planning we were able to use this to our advantage and where possible, locate action to make the most of the suns position and available light. Using this as a basis for my lighting approach, I supplemented or recreated the quality and direction of this light using two Briese lights (a 220 and 140). Both 2.5kw Daylight balanced. These lights produce a nice soft light and are relatively easy to manoeuvre in difficult, uneven terrain. I further softened the light using frames and silks. Bounce was provided with unbleached muslin - again enhancing the warm look we were after and replicating the natural bounce provided by the autumnal leaf litter scattering the floor.
LENS CHOICE
We decided to shoot the film in the 1:2.35 aspect ratio as we wanted to play with the cinematic language of film and how the characters would interact within that frame. The format also worked well with the composition of the tree itself and the long low branch that was an essential element to the story. We tried to emphasise the distance and isolation of the Woman (Beth Winslet) by using a shallow depth of field and wide lenses in close, trying to create a soft dreamy environment surrounding her. By contrast we shot the Man (Clive Brunt) with long lenses. Again, this would isolate him from his background but in a different way – these characters are in the same environment but have very different personalities. As they come together and meet at the tree, the way we shot them becomes similar, using the same lenses as they eventually share the frame. The effect is subtle but serves as a useful starting point when deciding how to shoot the film and the logic of lens choice and the effect you are trying to create.
POST PRODUCTION
The film was graded in a Digital Intermediate suite at Soho Images with grader Rob Pizzey. The negative was scanned on an Arri Scanner at Super 2K resolution, conformed in Quantel IQ and graded on a Da Vinci 2K Plus. We graded in a theatre environment on a large screen with the digital projection provided by a Barco DP 90.
We devised a colour scale that would progress throughout the film. Utilising Photoshop, Phil and I crudely graded frames from the film that served as a useful reference point to take to the grade. Certain moments within the script were used as punctuation points for grade changes and the progression of the colour shifts. Subtly we warmed up the film as it progressed and the conclusion of the film is very warm, reflecting the hope and future of the characters. The Woman’s (Beth Winslet) palette starts very cold - highlighting her condition, emphasising blues and cooler colours. The Man (Clive Brunt) was warmer, emphasising the difference in character. In the same way that we gradually came to use the same lenses for each character as they came to their meeting point, so too did their individual grading become similar.
The digital grading enabled us to selectively manipulate the image and isolate parts of the frame if required using tools such as Power Windows. As an example, we desaturated the Woman’s face using a dynamic grade during one moment in the film to great effect. For this we isolated her face within a shape and graded it separately from the rest of the image.
The darker areas of the frame were treated by keying into the blacks and lifting them to reduce contrast. We were also able to really push the warmth of the woodland and enhance the realism of the film towards its conclusion. The grading progression is again subtle and it was important that the initial differences were not too obvious but would work with the viewer subconsciously.
The finished film works in the way that I had hoped cinematically. It has a quality and feel that adds to the story and the plight of the characters. I feel the texture of film stock is an important factor, adds a great deal to the perception of the viewer’s cinema experience.
- Peter Ellmore
I got a email from the fellows over at Movie Mogul Fund today, promoting their web site which has now gone live.
The idea behind the site is to build an online community based funding scheme for Short Films and Low Budget features.
Their mission "is to create the ultimate resource for filmmakers and film lovers alike. Not only a film fund, but also a place to network, showcase, develop new skills, get your films made, and kick-start new careers."
It sounds like a great concept, and I really hope it works.
We are trying to organize a date and venue for the Cast and Crew screening at the moment. It won't be until the beginning of June, but we'll email everyone once it's confirmed.
Stay Tuned.
It's over.
Last week saw all the final finishing touches come together into a completed film. Rushes delivered the effects shots to us. A big thanks to Carl and the gang for fitting little old us in round their busy schedule of high profile film and commercial work.
We also mixed the sound design and music at Fonic. Simon's music and Barnaby's sound design meshed brilliantly to create a wonderful soundscape that really elevates the film to new heights.
Then, last night Tree was shown at the Rich Mix cinema along with the other Tower Hamlets and Hackney funded films to an invited audience. It was a great evening, and like last year, there was a really impressive line up of films. I'm sure all of them will go on to find an audience at festivals around the world.
So its been quite a year, and I have enjoyed making this film immensely. It has afforded me the opportunity to work with some brilliant new people, and some trusted old friends again. So many hours were contributed to making this film happen, the monetary value of which would run into tens of thousands! I really wish that it were possible to have paid everyone who helped, the money that their skills and craft deserve, but sadly that sort of funding just does not exist for short films.
I am really very proud of the film we have made, because as well as looking and sounding gorgeous, it succeeds in communicating all the ideas we set out to achieve, and you can't ask for more than that.
Sure there are things I would do differently had we more time during the shoot, but those are the lessons I'll now take forward with me on future projects.
So the production side of this films journey is now over, but, the life of the film is only just beginning...
A new banner for the blog, and I'm starting to think about a web site too.
It feels like it has taken forever to complete the end credits to this film. So many names to get right, so many people to thank. In the end we have decided to stick with Tree as the title. Nothing else quite fitted.
So we were at Soho Images last week placing them against our picture. I had pre rendered everything the night before on my old but trusty laptop, so it should have been just a case of handing over the files and placing them into the time-line, which is what we did very successfully until we got to the end roller and I suddenly spotted the typo "Camera Tranees" A quick correction, and a little wait for the file to re-render and we were back on track though.
Its good to know we are not the only film in the final throws of completion, fellow awardee Lizzy, is also racing to finish her film, which I can' t wait to see.
As a Digital Colourist, Rob is responsible for grading the film; that is playing with the colours, hues, contrast, and tones that give the film its final look. Rob has graded such recent films as Tideland, Black Book, and Red Road amongst many others, and we were very fortunate they were able to squeeze us in between work on two features.
Before our Grading session Peter and myself had spent an evening in front of Photoshop playing with some images to rough out the look we were after. This proved really useful, as Rob was able to quickly translate that look to our footage with stunning results. (see image above) We where then able to spend the rest of the time being creative with masks, grads, and vignettes.
Being able to grade the film this way means that we now have a very unified look and feel that adds tremendously to the fairy tale theme that has guided us through production.
The film now looks even more gorgeous than it did!
I'll tell you.
A few weeks ago we did an ADR session with Beth and Clive at Fonic. We were there to recapture the vocal performances we had lost to faulty equipment during the shoot. It was a strange afternoon spent recording all manner of heavy breathing, gasps, squeals, and gurgles.
Previous to that Fonic had got Foley Artist Sue Harding to recreate all the countless physical sounds that the characters make as they interact with their environment. These ranged from foot falls on the ground, to the creeky sounds of someone wearing leather jacket.
As well as all that, Simon Allen has been writing the musical score which we got to hear. It never fails to amaze me how much music can lift the visuals to a new level. In the next couple of weeks the music and sound will be given a final mix.
Liz and myself have been collating the names of all the wonderful people who have helped us this past year, and adding them to the credit list which I will post here soon for all to see.
One of the things I have been looking forward to most happens tomorrow; the grade!
More about that soon.
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