Session:
Day one: Introduction
Date: 19th October 2014
Time: 14:00 – 18:00
Session held: Mac
Our first day consisted of meeting the member and pastoral leaders. To allow a chance for people to arrive we did a task of creating a film idea, we split into three tables and drafted an idea of a movie. It gave me chance to meet the first group of people I may be working with. My table consisted of Jerry who was creating the ending, Al, Jacob and Ellie as well as me (Fahima). Well working we had the chance to speak to each other on what we study. I spoke to Al first who was currently studying his first year and Birmingham City University, a University I wish to attend. Jacob and Ellie like me studied in college. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to speak with jerry as we were stopped because the remaining members had arrived.
We were first introduced to Janette, someone who we had been in contact with through email about attending the academy. She was the director of the academy and one of our pastoral leaders. She introduces us to Drew, Nina, Katy and Idi who were the rest of the pastoral leaders. Once we had met the pastoral leaders we had a chance to meet each other and tell the others about who we are, where we are from and what movie we recently watched, who our favorite actor/actress is and why. I myself said my recent movie I watched was Hard Candy (2005, David Slade) which was a brilliant film that really bought out the amazing acting skills of Ellen Paige. However my favourite actor would have to be Christian Bale, not just because of his looks 9because he is really good looking) but because his willingness to change for his role.
From day one I already faced one of my weaknesses, which is self confidence as I don't usually sit in front of an audience whip have never met before and talk I usually take a few minutes or so to get to know then one by one before speaking to all of them at once, however I told myself to try everything they suggest In order to gain the best experience and I'm glad I did as it wasn't that bad.
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Day two: Bicycle screening
Date: 26th October 2014
Time: 14:30 – 17:00
Session held: the Electric
This event was optional but my target was to try new things and I had never been to an art house cinema, so I decides to go and I'm glad I did, the experience was so different to a normal cinema. What I have never done after watching a movie is attend a Q&A session with the director and producer (Pip Piper) check out the entire session on the video I uploaded, I apologies for the Guerrilla Filmmaking it was done with my terrible phone camera. Also I was shaking a lot from the incredibly strong coffee I drank. I even worked up the nerve to ask a question Pushing myself to try out new things was going great as it was only day 2 and I had already gained more than I had before.
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Day three: Equipment and Directing
Date: 27th October 2014
Time: 10:00 – 17:00
Session held: the Mac
We started off with Nina and drew going over the different kind of equipment we had and the king that real film maker use to make films, such as Dolly’s, tracks, video camera, tripod, shogun microphone, Boom Pole, etc. we were told the basics of how to use them and what they do, I knew the uses as I am a Media and Film student so I was able to name them myself.
Once they showed us the equipment’s they told us how they told us how they use to find other ways to film as they did not have the budget, Nina told us how she used her brother Legos to create a track and shoot a clip. This linked back to our first session on how they told us to be clever with money as if we use stuff we make to shoot our shot then in the future we will find it easier to use real equipment’s.
Doing this allowed me to feel a little more at ease with the fact that I don't have equipment at professional standards and has motivated me to try things with that I have and create more without having the excuse of I don't have the equipment.
After that Pip came in and told us about productions and the making of films.
He set us a task were we created a list of things that would be in Documentaries we came up with things like:
After today I realised that I won’t always be lucky and will take more chances instead of staying on one line as it is good but it’s also good especially at my age to gain as much experience as possible in all sectors.
We got into our groups and got a chance to speak to each other and get to know each other better as well as talk of what we want by the end, also to speak to Drew who we would be working with.
We got a chance to direct as Michael bought in an actor and actress. We started of by them reading the script sitting. When they were done we discussed how they could perhaps change their voice then they read it out again. Michael told us that before shooting it’s important to rehearse a much as possible to prevent time being wasted on set. He picked three of us to create a scene. Two others, and myself we decided to use a table and chair to help create a setting of a café, we also had a mug for the actress to serve. After quiet a few changes we finally found angles, shots and general ideas we were happy with then we started shooting. We did various shots of the same scene from wide shot, two medium close, over the shoulder and more that way the editor would have more to work with. We all got a chance to work with sound and camera.
After we had done the final shots we cleared up the room and Michael explained how time is very important in filming, as you could lose daylight if you’re shooting a morning and you waste time you won’t meet deadlines. Another thing that is important is if you waste time you’ll waste money as it costs to set, electricity and the actors/actresses time. learning these new directing skills strengthened my ability and awareness of planning and timing at a professional standard.
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Doing this allowed me to feel a little more at ease with the fact that I don't have equipment at professional standards and has motivated me to try things with that I have and create more without having the excuse of I don't have the equipment.
· DOP
· Sponsor’s
· Distributors
· Grip
· Director
· Producer
· Editor
· Archaeologist
· Researcher
· Narrator
Once we finished he told us about how when films are finished they get tested by test audience. They are chosen to ask what changes could be made to make the film better. The test audience were chosen through the crowd funding, as if people paid over a certain amount they could be the first to watch and make input to changes of the film.
Doing this allowed me to learn more about documentaries as although I have watched documentaries like animations, I don't know much on the making process or the distributing. After today I realised that I won’t always be lucky and will take more chances instead of staying on one line as it is good but it’s also good especially at my age to gain as much experience as possible in all sectors.We got into our groups and got a chance to speak to each other and get to know each other better as well as talk of what we want by the end, also to speak to Drew who we would be working with.
We got a chance to direct as Michael bought in an actor and actress. We started of by them reading the script sitting. When they were done we discussed how they could perhaps change their voice then they read it out again. Michael told us that before shooting it’s important to rehearse a much as possible to prevent time being wasted on set. He picked three of us to create a scene. Two others, and myself we decided to use a table and chair to help create a setting of a café, we also had a mug for the actress to serve. After quiet a few changes we finally found angles, shots and general ideas we were happy with then we started shooting. We did various shots of the same scene from wide shot, two medium close, over the shoulder and more that way the editor would have more to work with. We all got a chance to work with sound and camera.After we had done the final shots we cleared up the room and Michael explained how time is very important in filming, as you could lose daylight if you’re shooting a morning and you waste time you won’t meet deadlines. Another thing that is important is if you waste time you’ll waste money as it costs to set, electricity and the actors/actresses time. learning these new directing skills strengthened my ability and awareness of planning and timing at a professional standard.
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Day Four: Break down
Date: 28th October 2014
Time: 10:00 – 17:00
Session held: the Mac
Today we got into the groups that we would be filming in, for the next few days. We would be split into to two groups, one is animation to create the intro of the film, and the second would the action group who were split into two as it was a very big group. We were given the task of creating three ideas that would be a good intro, well the other two groups had to create a plot which they would have to pitch and Nina and Drew would choose from the two. Because we were the only animation we only had to create our own ideas. The night before I created my own idea.
I created the idea of:
· A coffin stood up with a spotlight on it, a mysterious green thing (like flubber) comes in and knocks on the door then runs away,
· The coffin door opens and a mummy walks out into the dark going in the opposite direction of the green thing,
· The green thing reappears and walks inside the coffin shutting it,
· A second later the mummy reappears opening the door of the coffin however the green thing had grown and scares the mummy away,
· The green thing grows an arm and hits the lid of the coffin,
· The door shuts and it has a splat of the BFI Academy logo.
I made a starboard and pitched it to my group, they liked it however when showing Drew he explained how it was a good idea but as it was around 30 seconds long it was too long because the intro was only aloud to be a maximum of 15 seconds long.
Gerry created the idea of having something similar to the Film Four movies intro however instead of having layers of red that spell out Film 4, we would have body parts revealing BFI then have an arm crawl in.
Villa has the idea of doing something along the 20th century Fox idea however it would say BFI, have the usual intro and then blood starts leaking out at the bottom, the logo would drop revealing a knife stabbed in the back followed by eyes opening and blinking.
A few more ideas were past round then will had the idea of putting elements of all three together.
· Dark screen
· Door opens
· You hear footsteps
· Light switched on revealing coffin stood upright in storage room against a spotlight
· You hear breathing
· The camera zooms in and slightly out (like a heart beat) (X 3)
· Everything goes silent
· Hand breaks through and waves
Once agreed; we created a pitch and job roles. I was the story boarder, Gerry was the director, Will was the DOP, Villa and Katy were producers and Ellie and Dan were writers.
After a while Dan and Nina asked us to present ideas, the two groups presented their ideas and we were last. We gave two of the originals ideas then gave a final idea, which we wanted to create the most. Once the ideas were presented Nina and Drew went of to decide which of our animations they like the most and which short movie they would create. 
Once they left we had Michael come in and talk a little more about documentaries and interviews, he gave us questions and we went of into group with an Ipad and had a try at interviewing each other.
It was hard to interview each other without feeling embarrassed and laughing however after a while we got that hang of it however we only had enough time for two interviews. However I myself tried interviewing people in my own time.
Presenting my ideas and interviewing as well as being interviewed allowed me to tackle a weakness of not being able to speak to a large amount of people or being assessed in front of a camera.
Presenting my ideas and interviewing as well as being interviewed allowed me to tackle a weakness of not being able to speak to a large amount of people or being assessed in front of a camera.
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Day Five: Post Production
Date: 29th October 2014
Time: 10:00 – 17:00
Session held: Yamination Studios and the Mac
Today the live action group was based at the mac well the animation group was at Yamination Studios. We got there and got a quick tour of the place, once we saw everything and spoke to the people that would be helping us we split into three groups; one would make the hand, the second to make the set and the third to set up the camera, lighting and stage. I was the only one who chose the final choice as I had never worked with lighting; however I have worked with camera but not in depth.
We spent most of the time playing about with the lighting and finding a way to create a heartbeat effect, we realised that we would need to put marking on the tripod in order to know where to shoot.
I didn’t know much about camera but Drew taught me about how lens work, I learnt that the bigger
the lens the closer the shot you get, so it works in opposites. What I enjoyed about this one to one lesson about the equipment we would use it Drew let me use every equipment. First he would show me how to use it then he would tell me to do it, which was a lot of fun and educational, as I’m usually editing or producing when making videos with my friends. the hardest equipment I had to use was the dedolights as they were impossible to open and set up however with Drew's help and instruction i did it.
Well we were setting the other group called with a suggestion for our animation of having the word focus after the hands come out, I reported back to the rest of my team with their proposal however we felt that it was irrelevant with our animation as we were just the intro and the movie was separate so we called back as a group and explained what we would keep them separate, which they were ok with.
Today Allowed me to finally learn more about equipment's and to set them up, it also put me in a real life situation where new ideas and dictions are made on the spot and making sure that I do the right thing for my group by continuously informing them about what's happening.
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Day Six: Setting
Date: 30th October 2014
Time: 10:00 – 17:00
Session held: Yamination Studios
Today we would be spending the entire day at Yamination Studio. I got there early and was asked on
who was doing what we decided just before we left.
· Fahima (me) - Producer
· Gerry - Director
· Will - DOP
· Dan and Ellie - Lighting and set dresser
· Villa and Katy - Props
Once we decided who was doing what we set up the studio by up the lights, Dan and Ellie put the Set together, Villa and Katy carried on making the hand, well myself Gerry and Will planned out the shots we would take and how we would have the lighting.
We discussed for a while as we had different ideas and ways to approach the set, at one point we had a dilemma on how we would present the word presents on the hand, as 50% of us didn’t want it on the hand well the others did. After talking for a while between ourselves we decided not to as it was hard to write the word presents on the small knuckles and decided instead of having a closed fist we would have a twitching open hand as it would be easier to animate.
When we finished we went to see how the set was looking and help
Dan and Ellie. They were gluing the props on the set so if the stage was to be nudged or when animating the hand, nothing would be move if accidently nudged.
We had to be very careful as the props being used were also needed for future projects, Drew told us in animation you should keep every prop you use on previous sets as you never know when you would need it. They had boxes of what may seem like junk but if inspected closely they were perfect props for animation, they also go to car boot sales as you can just about turn anything into a prop. We got a chance to look through the boxes of props to find anything else we could use to make the set look better. I found that they had a lot of sharpeners shaped like thing such as, boats, catapults, ships and more. There was even a small bike.
Once the set was dressed and we decided how we would approach the storyboard I created we got the lighting set up which was mainly me, Gerry, Will, Dan and Ellie. we spent the rest of the day taking it in turns animating as we all wanted a go so we got into three groups again and each had ago at using the equipment also because we couldn’t all be there together as the studio would only hold a certain amount of people and we didn’t want anything to be knocked.
Well we were waiting I had a chance to practice me interviewing as I was interviewed by a third group, made by Nina and Drew to make a documentary made of three people and I was asked to be interviewed.
Today I was able to strengthen my ability of a producer under the watchful eye of Drew. I also got a chance to be a part of the more productive side of creating sets which is something I don't have much experience of. I also had a chance to work on yet another weakness and allowed me to reach my goal of appearing I work.
Today was our final day of shooting. We got back into the three groups and dived straight in with the shooting. My group and me went first; we shot the first pulse using the lines Will and Drew made the day before. We took it in turns in each station. The first was lighting, the second was camera and the third was taking the picture on the mac. We each had a go taking a few shots which was very difficult as at this point you could not make any mistakes and have to be as accurate as possible or it won’t come out right.
Our final chance to go in meant we got to animate, as this time we would be able to move the hand. But first we got to see how far the others got, which was brilliant as we were the first group and seeing the almost finished product made me happy and proud of what we had accomplished so far in limited time.
Today I was able to strengthen my ability of a producer under the watchful eye of Drew. I also got a chance to be a part of the more productive side of creating sets which is something I don't have much experience of. I also had a chance to work on yet another weakness and allowed me to reach my goal of appearing I work.
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Day Seven: final day of shooting & PIZZA!
Date: 31st October 2014
Time: 10:00 – 17:00
Session held: Yamination Studios & the Mac
Today was our final day of shooting. We got back into the three groups and dived straight in with the shooting. My group and me went first; we shot the first pulse using the lines Will and Drew made the day before. We took it in turns in each station. The first was lighting, the second was camera and the third was taking the picture on the mac. We each had a go taking a few shots which was very difficult as at this point you could not make any mistakes and have to be as accurate as possible or it won’t come out right.
When we swapped with group two we had the opportunity to work on our level 2 awards, so I
decided to interview the animation members, one of the mentors and someone who is from the BFI, which I would edit into a short video (documentary).
Once I interviewed group 3 I had to wait for group two to come out in order to interview them. After I finished the interviews e had the opportunity to talk to Grace Bridget who was a representative of the BFI, which was brilliant as we got to show them that they gave us a brilliant opportunity and we were taking it seriously and enjoying it. I also interviewed. We also got the chance to see some of Wills work, which was really good as I think it’s important to see what others have done in order to feel inspired.
When Group two came out and swapped with Group three I got to do my final interviews and then had a chance to relax before my group would go in again.
The animation was definitely one of the hardest parts, as you had to be so careful in order to make it look as realistic as possible. I got given the chance to make the final hand movements and the breaking of the coffin; thanks to Drew guiding me I was able to do it perfectly. However it was insanely difficult and proved you really need a passion for this kind of work.
After animating and finishing we went back to the mac. When we got there we got to see clips of the other groups work, but I had to go with the documentary group and to do another interview explaining what I have done.
I had never done animation at a professional. standard before, so today I was given that opportunity and found it hard but fun, which helped me gain experience and made me consider animation, which is a path I never thought of.
I had never done animation at a professional. standard before, so today I was given that opportunity and found it hard but fun, which helped me gain experience and made me consider animation, which is a path I never thought of.
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Day Eight: Editing
Date: 4th November 2014
Time: 16:00 – 18:00
Session held: Blue Hippo Studios
After College I made my way to Blue Hippo Studio. When I got there we had a chance to see what
Nina had done so far and had a discussion with Pip and Michael about perhaps changing the short movie in to a teaser trailer as the didn’t shoot enough shots.
We didn’t get a chance to see our intro as Drew was sending it the till later in the day so we took it in turns to edit. I got a chance to see how the documentary was going by watching the first few footages which I was in. It was really good as it gave me the opportunity to voice myself on what I did and it proved I was involved and active in the making process.
Once I watched the footages Nina allowed me to have a go at editing using the software she uses. It was very similar to what I used however she uses to computers to edit and I just use the one.
It was a great experience to see the editing and I am glad I went, as it was optional. I chose to go as editing as it's something I have a lot of experience in and got a chance to see it and try it at a professional point.
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Day Nine: Event
Date: 9th November 2014
Time: 12:00 – 18:30
Session held: Blue Hippo Studios
When we got there we had to help set up. I was asked to create posters and put them up in order to inform people about what’s happening. As I already did my job I helped people with there’s and set up by putting out chairs.
When I finished helping people set up, I was then asked to go around to recruit people to go and try
out our workshops. It was quiet hard at first as people were unsure but I grew more confident and moved round the mac asking people to come, which they did, this boosted my confidence and allowed me to persuade more people to come.
Well I was recruiting I was asked to be interviewed again however this tome by Dan. Where he asked me what my role was, the name of the event and what I was currently doing, which was recruiting.
We did this from 13:00 to 15:30, and then we cleaned up and made our way to the cinema to see our animated intro, the documentary and the short movie.
I loved watching it as I as included in the documentary, which was strange at first but because I had been in many footages for the past few days, my confidence had grown and I was more willing to watch. The Intro was my favourite part as it was our first time watching the intro completed with sound and it was way better then I thought it would be. I was actually in two documentaries and Idi had made one too, which was great as it was footages of the first few days.
I also loved the short Movie as I had watched it on Tuesday but I got to see it with everything else, which made it look very professional and made me very happy, as I was a part of all four section (animated Intro, 3 documentaries and editing of short trailer).
At the end we had a mini award evening, where we received awards for thing, which we are expected
in the future. I received the award for “Most Likely to win a BAFTA” which was brilliant as I worked along side a BAFTA winner and hope to win one.
The event really showed my increase of confidence as well recruiting people I did not feel self conscious as I would of if I had done it in the past. I also got the opportunity to improve my teamwork skills as I helped Ollie to help people by creating posters and setting up. This was the first event I worked in at a professional standard, which was a new experience for me.
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My over all transformation and performance After The BFI:
I really feel that I didn’t just gain experience from working with the BFI but I also changed to amore confident person, as I usually only produce when working with friend or I just do the editing. Working with the BFI I became more active and got given so many opetnunities.
· Working with animation and equipment, which I have never done before and now can confidently do.
· Interview people and speak to others who I have never met before with more confidence and enthusiasm.
· Become a producer and work with people I don’t know well but really get to know them well working with them.
· Become more willing to appear in footages which I have recently done well creating a short teaser trailer with my friends. I also used my producer skills by finding locations and helping the Director by suggesting shots and ideas. I also stock to my roots and edited.
· I created my own short Documentary using the interviews I made well animating.
Doing all these thing has been such a great opportunity and I would definitely tell people to try out the academy as it really changes you and makes you a stronger Media/Film student, it also inspires you to do more as it usually take me a while to make videos but after the BFI I created two more video (documentary and trailer) in under a month, which would of taken me much longer.
(If the video doesn't work please try link below the video)
My future consists of making more videos, (currently working on one) and getting a degree in Media then working with people in the Media from Documentaries, animation to TV and movies. As before I just wanted to do movies but now I want to try out other things and I know I will succeed with these newfound knowledge and confidence.
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