One Day to go...

Wow... so its finally almost here. I'm not sure what to say really, I'm a real mix of excitement, sadness (very sad to be away from my girlfriend Rochelle for three months) and anxiousness :p I've got a film to make, the first feature I have worked on and I'm doing it solo.

I'm pleased to report that the yorkshire based ITV programme 'Calendar' are interested in getting some video updates from me, which I am very happy to oblige with, and hope to promote my film through this at the same time. In the last month this whole trip has become a lot more real, and has had a lot of outside interest, including ITV Yorkshire, BBC Surrey and BBC Radio, as well as numerous local papers.

I am very happy to be be apart of all the buzz, but can't deny feeling a little pressured to produce a high quality film at the end of it all, I'm still confident I can do this, but it feels a lot more publicised than I imagined it would be going into the trip. Its all good experience that I feel very lucky to be getting.

Today I am getting all my stuff packed, and preparing for some more filming at the Finill household later tonight, I've had trouble getting hold of Steve Pope, but I plan to get all the rest of my staged interviews with him and Chris tomorrow.

I may put another update on here before I leave, I may not, but I'm sure for whoever is reading this, I'll be updating on here soon :)

Filming Update; Chris Finill interview and footage at work.

Last night I staged my first full interview for the filming of this documentary with Chris. I Intend to do this for all the immediate people involved in this trip, with the main focus being on Chris and Steve.

I'm always a little anxious before an interview, as I tend to rely heavily on the answers given to explain and drive the story I am endeavouring to tell ( I am not a fan of using a narrator ). This means that a lot of the success of the interview depends on the questions which I'm asking (obvious I guess) and the mood which I create when interviewing, so really even though I am just sat behind the camera, I am putting a lot of pressure on myself to perform correctly for the interview as much as the subject being filmed.

I'm very lucky in that Chris Finill is an excellent interviewee and is very happy to talk in front of the camera, and I believe that I had a very successful interview. If the rest of my interviews turn out as fruitful, I will have an excellent starting point for the documentary.

I also filmed Chris working hard as ever at the Duke of Kent school. These shots will probably only feature for 20 seconds maybe in the finished film, but I was still happy with the shoot.

I was hoping to have my staged interview with Julia today, but unfortunately it didn't come off and I will have to reorganise.

So to sum up, all is going very well and how I had hoped so far, I hope that it continues that way :)

I have finally started filming!

Thats right, I know that you have all been waiting eagerly and patiently for my next update... and here it is!

I've taken my sweet time, but I have finally done all my pre-filming prep/paperwork and have started organising and shooting for the documentary!

This week I start with all my formal sat interviews of the Finill family, starting with the man Chris himself tonight. I also plan to film Chris at work this thursday, as well as hopefully shooting some training runs as well. Everyone is being very supportive and seem to feel fairly at ease with myself wandering around with a camera in their face the whole time.

So far I have started to shoot the 'fly-on-the-wall' style footage in the Finill household, and it seems to be going very well 'touch wood' so far. Chris is a natural in front of the camera!

Now that the ball is officially rolling, I will hopefully be able to give more frequent and informative updates on the progression of the documentary.

'till next time!

Lots of writing, and my equipment :)

Hey

Today I'm making the final amends to my shot/footage lists and writing all my pre-trip interviews. Ha ha so much to do and plan, I'm a little worried about fitting it all in in these last two months before we leave :p So why am I sat on here ha ha :p

For any of you interested in the equipment I'm using the make the film, here is a list;
- Panasonic HDC-SD9 HD Camcorder
- Final Cut Pro run on an IMAC and Macbook Pro (the latter for logging and collating footage on the road)

Thats the list of the hardware really, I'll be taking a hole load of hard drives with me for backing things up and storing my footage. Not decided whether or not to send some of these home for safety, or to just risk having to fend off thieves with my tripod :p I'll also be using Garage Band to record my the music on, I hope one day to move onto pro tools or logic at some point.

Thats all I have to say for the moment, I really should get back to the actual work...

Ben

And so it begins...

Hello all,

I've just finished applying for my American Visa, the reality and fast approaching date of the trip is beginning to dawn on me :p

This trip and the feature documentary film from which I hope to produce, has been a plan in the works for perhaps the past two or three years now, and now the real work and filming is close to beginning and its hard to believe. 

I feel confident about what I'm doing. I've been looking forward to, and preparing for this film for a long time and have gained tonnes of useful insight and film making knowledge at university, but still... independently producing your own feature film is a massive undertaking. And although I feel positive and confident about the project, I am still naturally filled with all the usual doubts and worries that befall any film maker.

I'm taking the rest of this week, and the next, to finnish all my shot lists, narrative structure, research and planning, then... finally... production of my documentary will begin, wish me luck :p

I will be endeavouring to update on here as much as possible, including when over in America, so please keep checking here for updates and to track my progress.

Cheers

Ben