Production Log for Oz doc
Week 1
Early in the week Alex called Oz to ask if we could meet up with him in Bromley skatepark for his interview, luckily he wasn't working on the thursday so we were able to see him then. We all met in school bright and early on the thursday to collect the camera and the tripod, we then went back to Alex's house to talk about the planning for the interview. Alex and Banjo also collected their skateboards in order to take the following shots of Oz in action. As there was three of us we were able to take all of the equipment down to the park without any problems. When we got to the skatepark we had 10 minutes spare whilst waiting for Oz to arrive so we set up the camera and thought of good camera positions we could use. Once Oz arrived we sat him down behind one of the ramps and talked him through the interview. He was more than happy with the process and we began filming.
Whilst filming we took a wide range of shots but we mainline used medium close ups and we stuck to the rule of thirds while doing so. As we were there early no one was in the park, however once we began people turned up which was rather annoying. This meant we had a few background noises and Oz kept getting distracted. Half way through the interview we had to politely ask some of the people to stay away from our area as they were being too disruptive. On many occasions we had to stop the question and start again due to the noises. We completed the interview and got all of the information we needed from Oz, now all that was left for this day was the skating aspect. I took the camera and filmed Oz from one of the ramps, I filmed a few shots then i let Alex take over as he has more experience filming with skateboards. Before each shot he would refer to Oz to make sure he understood what he was aiming for and the line he was going to take to make sure he could capture the trick.
It is difficult to film the skateboarding aspect but we definitely got a good variety of shots that we were looking for. Also whilst Oz was in his comfort zone we were getting cut away shots when he looked natural and focused. Oz got called into work as we were filming so he had to leave, this meant we had to see him again to get more skating footage. Once Oz left we then dropped the equipment back to Alex's house. On the friday we took the equipment into school and started to upload the footage onto the computer with the group. We wasn't happy with the shots we took in the interview as some of Oz's body was cut off and the sound quality/image quality wasn't perfect. However, we were happy with the skate footage as it looked very effective.
Week 2
Unfortunately, the second week was very similar to the first week one. On the monday I had to rearrange a day where we could see Oz in order to re-film the interview, luckily he was available on the wednesday. We realised what we done wrong in the first interview so this time we knew how to improve it, we decided to take an external mic with us and instead on filming in auto we decided on filming on manual. With manual focus we are able to focus the camera how we wanted it to look because last time we filmed it on auto focus it kept changing due to sun light. On wednesday we went to pick up the camera and equipment from school, I met up with Alex but unfortunately John was ill and couldn't film with us this day.
We left school and met Oz down the skatepark, as soon as we arrived we set up the camera and the equipment and began filming. This time we were able to position the camera properly and change where we filmed the interview in the park to reduce the wind. We stuck to the rule of thirds but changed the camera's position to get a variety of shots. Oz knew what to expect this time so the interview took less time and was more successful. However, there were some background noises because it was filmed in the skatepark but this gave the footage a sense of realism. Just as we finished the interview some of the WITH boys arrived at the park, we took full advantage of this and got some extra footage we didn't plan of even getting. We also got some more skating clips of Oz because it was cut short the previous time. We were happy with the footage we got this day and dropped the cameras off at Alex's house for him to take back to school.
Week 3
Now we had all of the interview and skateboarding footage we needed, we only had the Slam City footage left. At the beginning of the week Alex called Oz yet again to arrange a day where we are allowed to get footage of Oz and inside the shop. He spoke to the manager and other colleagues to make sure it was ok and they said we could film on the friday as long as we get to the shop early when the shop is quiet. John couldn't make it on the friday but unfortunately this was the only time available. Alex went to school and collected the camera and then headed down to Orpington station to meet me as I lives close by. Whilst on the train we were planning what shots we wanted and how we want the footage to look.
Half way through our journey we get a call from an apologetic Oz explaining how his shift was cancelled. Thankfully, he reminded the manger that we were coming and it was still ok to film inside the shop. Alex and I was gutted because we couldn't get the footage we had in mind as Oz wasn't going to be there so we rethought our plans. Once we got to Slam we made the employees and the manager know who we are and we began to set up the camera and equipment. We got some really good close up shots of the merchandise they sell both upstairs and downstairs in the Vans basement. We felt a little bit rushed so we left as soon as we got the footage we needed. As soon as we stepped out of Slam we got an establishing shot of the outside which looked very effective, we also got an establishing shot of Covent Garden tube station to show where the shop is located. We were proud of the footage we got this day and we were upset that the production side of the documentary had come to an end.
