Photo shoot Mark 2....!

Last Wednesday, we had another session at Tower Bridge Studios to shoot some stills for “Clowning Around”. We did do a previous session in July, where we captured images of the protagonist Bonzo, as well as three supporting roles so we

However, shortly before the shoot, the actor playing Bonzo withdrew from the role and we re-cast David Schaal and with such little time to prepare, we focused on the shoot and then after a short break, contacted both David and the studio again to see if we could arrange a few hours to put him on the poster. could show the visual ambition of the project to IndieGoGo backers and so we could finalise ideas on costume, makeup and the overall colour pallette.

The planning itself for the shoot was a lot simpler than last time (or so you would think) as we only needed half a dozen crew and had all the designs and equipment to make it happen, and all this had been tried and tested in both the stills and film shoot.

However, the reality is that after some intense shooting of the film, people had moved on to other projects, so bringing them back in and motivating them in the same way was more challenging. Whereas before we were heading towards production and the creative side was still being explored, this was more of a functional session with momentum heading into post production. Add to this that this time of year is very busy for freelancers and it makes t very difficult for people to commit free time. Over the course of the 10 days planning for the shoot, a complete crew dropped out twice and with just under 36 hours left to the shoot, I had only asst producer Juliet and proucer Leilani on board still! Luckily, even if people couldn’t help, they tried to find someone who could, so we managed to get photographer Bruno Figuerido, gaffer Ian Jones, costume designer Karmjit Kalla and make up artist Annie Popplewell onto the project with very little notice!

What this experience did remind me was not to panic. Things go wrong, and all you can do is try your best with the cards you are dealt. Plus, it is always reassuring to know you can get around what feels like completely unrealistic obstacles J

The shoot itself presented a couple of problems in that, whereas last time we had the larger studio and a lot more lights, this time it was being used by another company (and as we were using for free couldn’t really complain!) so we had to improvise a bit. Also, whereas the previous Bonzo had Matthew Jure (Mr. Fernelli) to bounce off, David had to work harder for the same effect as he was on his own.

Despite this, we managed to get more than enough images (unfortunately however no video) so we can finalise our poster and artwork and feel like we can finally move into post production. We also found time to meet up with some of the crew from the film shoot later on at the pub :-)

And finally...days 4 and 5 of the shoot!

Apologies for the delay in documenting the shoot days as have been distracted these past few weeks, but thought I would cover both day 4 and 5 before I forget how each day was, as it already feels like so long ago!

Day 4 was always going to be the longest and most challenging of the film, from a logistical as well as a storyline perspective as the scenes we were shooting were the standoff in the film, where Bonzo challenges Mr.Fernelli to a clown off to decide the best clown in town and the resulting battle.

We were filming in 'Woodies' freehouse in New Malden from around 8am until they closed at 11pm so after a nice hot breakfast, we had a team briefing, outlined a schedule and what we wanted to achieve in the day and everyone got to work. One of the first challenges was, as we had to make the pub look as if it was night-time, shutting as much light out of the pub as possible, which is difficult in any location...let alone a pub that opened at midday!

Luckily the owner Linda and her customers were very accommodating as we basically took over the main part of the pub. This was also the first scene we had shot with both Bonzo and Fernelli, and with minimal rehearsal time, we had to get the tone of the scene right, so maximized the time camera and lighting were using to talk it through with the actors. Luckily in actors David Schaal and Matt Jure, we had people who understood the script and are very subtle so they played their parts perfectly.

We ran slightly over time for this scene, so had lunch at around 3pm before most of the cast and crew had a break for a few hours before the big fight scene. Myself and the DOP Azul Serra however, went to investigate the park location for the following day, which he had not seen so far. It was a scene as well in which David had to jump into the lake and stamp out the ‘reflection’ of Fernelli, so in order to make it safe for him, it was only fair that I jumped in first! After being happy with this, he went back to the pub where we briefed everyone about the evening, that we would be working very quickly in order to get all the shots we could in the five hours we could shoot once light fell and the order we planned to shoot things in.

During this time, the rest of the camera and lighting team had prepped everything for the fight scene so at 6.15pm we had everyone in place and could start shooting. One of the trickier things was getting extras to turn up at a pub in New Malden at 6pm on a Monday and stand out in the cold, but we managed to get a crowd to watch the final scene that consisted of my brother, the make-up artist and friends of the cast and crew!

We cracked through the scene pretty quickly, which was amazing considering the amount of crew, the low light (meaning we also had to be careful when moving around set) and that we had to make sure we had everything. The night finished with the one take wonder of the ‘pie-in-the-face’ shot...this was the moment when Bonzo finally gets victory by hitting Mr. Fernelli full in the face with a pie to win the battle and as you can imagine, due to the messy nature of it and how it affected costume and makeup, we only had one go at it...especially as it was 10.55pm and we had to be out by 11pm! Luckily, whilst me and Azul had been jumping in ponds during the afternoon, the production team had been testing various consistencies of pies and frame rates to see what worked best for the shot, which meant production manager Katherine and 1^st AD Greer smelt of jam and cream for most of the evening...

After the final shot had been completed, everyone wrapped double quick so we could people home on public transport as we still had another day to shoot. Katherine had kindly found some space for crew around her parents so people were close for the following day.

The fifth and final day consisted of four smaller scenes and any pickups we were missing. Whilst not as hectic schedule wise, we had less crew, no unit base and tiredness was starting to kick in after four intense days. We quickly shot the park scene where Bonzo awakes to find himself out of alcohol, before moving on to a four shot montage in a nearby newsagents. Breaking swiftly for lunch, we filmed the trickiest scene of the day in which Bonzo walks through the park, only to be confronted by the reflection of Mr. Ferneli in the pond. This was difficult for a number of reasons. 1) the light was constantly changing (meaning the strength of the reflection was also) 2) Matt Jure (Mr. Fernelli) was unavailable for this day so we had to use a stand in and 3) the tree had been broken so it now obstructed the shot. Thanks to a mirror and quick thinking and shooting from Azul, we managed to get what we wanted and then filmed the rest of the scene, culminating in Bonzo jumping in to the pond and stamping all over what he believed was a taunting Fernelli. Ever safety consciouss, we had runners on standby with blankets and warm clothes once David was finished as this was his last shot of the film.

However, even though David was wrapped...we were not. As an effort of good faith to Markus, Dan and all the others who had appeared in the film, I donned a wet and dirty Bonzo costume to take the final steps of the film, which show Bonzo heading towards the pub as light fell. As the rest of the crew started to pack up, Azul set the camera and then I stomped to the pub, doing my finest Bonzo impression (from the back anyway). After a few takes, Azul was happy and I got to say the magic words “Thats a wrap!”.

It had been a long old journey, not just for me but for all the cast and crew who had given up so much of their time to be a part of it. I do think everyone enjoyed and is proud of the work they have done as many kind words were said as we sat down to have a beer with some of the crew afterwards.

With all five days of the shoot complete, it was agreed everyone take at least a week off to get back to normal before reconciling all the production issues, sorting the stills shoot out and cracking on with post production....I think its fair to say everyone deserved it after putting in so much to make the shoot happen. :-)

Day Three of the Shoot..

Day three took us into a very early start at 7am in Islington where we shot scenes in the very accommodating supermarket who had arranged for a security guard to open up early for us to film there before the store opened. Filling the place with lights and crew and actors we made an empty store into a bright and busy one.

After filming the hilarious checkout scene with David Schall and Meddy Ford, the team moved onto the alcohol section of the shop where some funny but poignant points were filmed to show the battle Bonzo has with his addiction. This is one of my favourite bits of the screenplay however, as it was being filmed production was moving to our second location of the day and as it was a match day alternative parking and a new production base had to be found and vehicles moved, including the equipment van.

The late morning and early afternoon shots were comprised of action sequences both outside the store and in a nearby area with a convenient slope to send Bonzo on an out of control journey and ramp up the excitement of the film! We were joined by stunt team Dominic Kinnaird who was stunt co-ordinating and Tom Cheshire, our stunt double standing in for David for a few of the shots. 360 degree and wide shots meant that most of the crew needed to stay out of the way while the stunt and camera team did their work and Damien and the actors concentrated on getting the very best out of the set-ups. I have to say, that during the preparation for the stunts even though they weren't especially dangerous the care and consideration taken for everyone's safety and comfort was thoroughly thought through and prepared for and so the afternoon went speedilly. Damien briefed everyone before we ran through the shots so that everyone was clear as to how it was happening and could be prepared.

For the production team it was quite a busy day with a lot of little things to organise that both came up that day during the course of shooting and that needed to be planned for the following day. And with Production Manager Katherine also having a cameo in the film it was all hands on deck and a very busy day for her, which you'd never have known from her serene performance. All went to plan and we finished with everyone collecting in the production office (a nearby upstairs room in a pub) where a cooling drink was had before heading home for a good rest before the long day we had planned for Monday.

Day 2...

Following on from Leilani’s diary of Day 1, I thought I would add my own thoughts on Day 2 J

Day 2 was the easier of the 5 and we had scheduled as such as we knew (as with any shoot) it takes time for everyone to get into a rhythm of working with each other. It was also due to the restrictions of each location, for example it was best to shoot in the school on a Friday (being the end of the week), a supermarket on a Sunday and pub on Monday (as these were locations still open for business so needed to pick their quietest day), so we were happy that this would be less intense and put us in good stead for days 3, 4 and 5. We had less to shoot for the second day and were in a more controlled location without a hundred or so children to contend with but it was still tricky as the local train station which was a two minute walk away (Isleworth) was closed so many were coming by bus and tube.

After being picked up with the equipment van by 3^rd AD Blair, we arrived and met with th location owner Arthur and then started assessing where to put kit and people as well as dressing the front room, which was the main interior location we were filming in, as well as our unit base for the day. One of the reasons we picked this particular house was that it fitted Bonzo being a single man and was very quaint, which whilst good for him wasn’t for 20 odd crew squeezing in!

We had an added obstacle in a car was parked directly outside which we couldn’t move, so the production team went to work knocking on doors of neighbours so we could shoot the exterior shots, which are the final ones in the film. After filming this before lunch, it was inside to capture a scene early in the film where Bonzo arrives home, which was constructed fantastically by the production design team.

It was shot quite simply in terms of framing and blocking, but was very important in setting Bonzo up to our audience and getting an insight into who he is and showing his situation through how he lives, as well as conveying the moment his journey is kickstarted. Although tight, it was another day wrapped on time (at 4pm no less) but as we had an early start and a tight timeframe the following day, we had a full briefing with all crew to let them know just how important it was to be on set for 6.45am the next day in Islington, North London for the supermarket scene. I try to get people together to pass on the information as much as I can during a shoot, but it was good that everyone saw the importance of it and stayed to make sure they knew what our requirements were for day 3.

I was glad our scheduling had worked out this way, as it gave everyone a chance to assess where we were at so far and get some much needed rest before the more difficult scenes over the next three days. By this point we had already overcome a number of challenges including supporting roles dropping out, logistics changing at the last minute, exterior locations needing to be sought and technical issues with the lights and camera so was also very glad to see everyone was dealing with things as and when they arose. It is all well and good having a happy crew when things are going smoothly, but it is when things are not going to plan, that's when you find out what you are made of!

Day one of the shoot!

Day one of the Clowning Around shoot found us at two seperate locations.

The first involved a school full of primary aged children for the opening scene of the film and was my Producer’s cameo in the production. I’m an actor by profession rather than a producer so it felt comfortable to be in front of the camera, not so comfortable to be in front of the very good but exceedingly loud children as they screamed for ‘Bonzo’ and Mr. Fernelli. It was actually a little bit terrifying and my appreciation for the teaching profession has increased considerably! All kudos to the children of Pelham Primary who were an absolute credit to their school and patiently did all that was asked of them by Damien. Our crew in turn were able to entertain the children and explain to them how film and TV gets made, explaining the steadicam and how reverse shots get made. They I think entertained us as much as we did them and though there were a lot of shots to get in a relatively short period of time the director and team worked very hard to achieve all they needed.

Following on from that we moved to a local house location to film some more scenes with Bonzo. David Schaal was just incredible as Bonzo and I think for the first day of filming, we all felt very secure in the work he did. And our Associate Producer Markus Meedt standing in as Mr. Fernelli for a few shots proved extremely popular too!

Here's a few photos of the day. More on our facebook page.

Director as camera..
David Schaal with costume assistant Nelli.He's got his clown make-up on here for the first time.

Bonzo entertains the children of Pelham Primary

Damien going through the shots led the team through the movement so that they could work swiftly once the children were in place. Matt Allsop joined the production with his steadicam for just this one day and came all the way from Worcester.

Associate Producer Markus Meedt tries to keep up with the questions..

One of the more poignant moments of the film.. Bonzo the outcast.

Framing up Kiki Kendrick with the steadicam..as we meet Mrs. Jenkins.

It's a Wrap!

So we wrapped the Clowning Around shoot on a cold Tuesday evening but inside we were warm and happy that we'd gotten it all in the can.

There's so much to tell I don't know where to begin, the team worked incredibly hard, maintained focus throughout, and I believe have created something very special.

There's still a lot to do, but for now we are taking a short break to recoup and look over the last few days.. more very soon! For now I want to say a huge, huge thank you to all the people who made this happen. *:O)

The Last Days are Upon Us!

It's the end of Monday and I'm pretty tired right now, but we're getting quite a lot of the final things sorted out, casting (& recasting) some of the smaller cameos and extras etc.. and rehearsals took place today which Damien said went very well so we'll have some video of that coming up for you in due course.

The rest has been a sort of scatterbrained picking up random items currently whizzing through my brain on a constant loop in order to to check off the random itty bitty things and bits and bobs that haven't been done yet.. working out what the vegans will eat, how many people will need breakfast on set and on what days, getting yellow gloves for Bonzo's costume, checking in with people so I know all is going well in their departments, ordering greasepaint, thinking about what's in my wardrobe so I can find a costume for myself to wear.... wondering if someone's sorted a name tag for the checkout girl, talking to Juliet about casting the checkout girl.. and the list goes on and my mind spins round and round! It's a bit exhausting really because even though it's not hard work, it's a lot of mental energy flying about in many different directions.

If I'm perfectly honest I don't cope all that well with pre-production. I never have, I find it draining and actually quite dislike it. But I know that come the shoot on Friday I'll be calm and serene and will enjoy every single bit of it. And so as I head off to bed at 1:30am with an information superhighway whizzing around the perimeter of my brainwaves I am willing that day to come.. and keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be ready for whatever happens and needs sorting out between now and the wrap! :)