RADA Filmmaking Blog

rada films

Athene Hyde, second year Technical Theatre and Stage Management student.  Published Tues 08/11/2010

Monday was a day of get-outs for me. This basically entailed moving all the props from our production back to the props store, taking down the props shelves, taking down the fake door we used and generally cleaning up. Lots of cream cleaner on the sink in the running room and a final lot of anti-bacterial spray on the area of the stage where one of the characters threw up every night. Ah, the life of an ASM.

On Tuesday we went to confirm a few locations with our director, Ed Hicks. First, we went to the sushi bar. Ed loved it and the manager was happy for us to film there. We left there ahead of schedule. Too good to be true?

After this, we headed to Holborn but called in on a bar by Leicester Square to see if they had received our emails. They hadn’t but let us up onto the balcony to show Ed. He got a little enthusiastic about the view from there to say the least. It’s a shame we don’t need a bar or club since the interior is really, really nice! We left with a happy director and a card with a new email address to contact.

We then headed to Holborn to check out an office block that had a reasonable view. We couldn’t get access to the block but it was decided that it would be a good backup. On the way back we called in at my flat to see if it was a suitable place to film one of the scenes. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends how you see it…) it was deemed too small but would be a good base for tea should we film in the office block.

Wednesday began with a tube strike. Always fun. We then had a production meeting followed with a day of paperwork. I sat and read up on what a script supervisor does during the shoot and began setting out my script and learning the markings I draw on the script during filming. My light bulb moment was making a link between being a DSM and Script Supervisor. You could go further and say 1st Assistant Director would be a SM and Art Department would be ASM. Granted, different settings and tasks but very similar in the way the roles are undertaken. I remember someone saying in our rehearsal-room-turned-production-office that being on set would be like doing a tech, dress and first night all in one. I can see how that would be very true.

Thursday again began with a quick meeting followed by more paperwork. In the evening we had a script read-through with the cast. The 1st Ads had prepared ‘Welcome Packs’ for the actors including both scripts (as when the cast are not acting, they will be runners on the films so need both), contracts, health & safety instructions, allergy sheets and cast lists all wrapped in a envelope with their picture on the front. I have no idea why this impressed me so much but the nerd in me thought the simple logic was pretty cool. Common sense makes a production team.
On Friday everyone was split up viewing and securing more locations and preparing for next week when we get the actors on board.

One week to go.


 

Athene Hyde, second year Technical Theatre and Stage Management student.  Published Mon 01/11/2010

After spending six weeks as ASM on Pornography, I am now the Script Supervisor on the first two RADA films of this year.

The challenge of temporarily changing to a different form of entertainment is eased slightly by the knowledge that the skills I’ve learnt in theatre transfer well into visual arts. That said, film is a completely different ball game. As a technical student at a drama school, I’d normally expect to do production work followed by a get-in and then be in my show role for 12 or 13 shows. In film, we have two weeks of pre-production then two weeks of shooting. The schedule will be different; the days around shooting will be irregular. It’s an exciting challenge.

As Script Supervisor, I am primarily responsible for continuity. Cigarettes, candles and clocks will be the bane of my life. I will also have to keep detailed notes of the shooting that in ‘real life’ would be sent to the editing team to assist them in the editing process.

This week we have begun work on pre-production whilst the actors spend two weeks doing radio recordings and voice-reels. To begin with we did a script breakdown. This involved sitting around a table with the production team (in our case, 1st Assistant Director, Script Supervisor, Art department/Props, Sound, Costume, Make-up and Director), the scripts and a pile of highlighters, picking out elements of the script to be entered into a computer program, Celtx, by the 1st AD's.

As I have little pre-production work to do as a script supervisor, I have become a art department assistant. This has so far involved me helping find locations. Initially, we did basic internet research then headed out on foot to scope out locations that looked right or could be transformed by the magic of props and dressing. It also involves charming the manager or owner of a venue to lend us the space for no fee as we have very, very little budget at our disposal. So far, the main triumph is a dark little sushi bar tucked away in the middle of Soho that has the most fantastic single conveyor belt. It’s rather beautiful in a odd city-style way.

Next week the pressure is on to secure our locations, finalise choices and prepare for the first film shoot. Should be fun!