PRODUCTION DIARY - DAY 11 - July 2nd, 2011 | UniSA West Campus, Adelaide.
Crew in attendance: Peter Ninos (Director), David Tang (Director of Photography), Trent Ninos (First A.D.), Teena Ninos (D.A./Location Sound), Billy Ninos (Clapper Loader/Grip), Paul Larsen (Grip/Runner). Cast in attendance: Devon Aubert (Prof. David Jameson).
Scenes being filmed: OMEGA Scenes 7b and 8 & Viral Videos 3, 4 and 5.
This is it, the last shoot at UniSA, the last shoot of the viral videos and the last shoot of the last major scenes left on OMEGA. Well it would be the last if Trent and I didn't keep coming up with new scenes. Oh well! But it's great to get back to filming and finish off the videos that started out our shoot all the way back in October of 2010 - the Prof. Jameson virals.
Joining us for the third time is this always awesome Devon Aubert. Devon was there on our first day of filming all the way up at the Stockport Observatory and he's back with us again at UniSA standing in for the offices at the observatory. Good way to round things off wouldn't you say?
Back at UniSA again but instead of needing a new area to film in, (there were so few corners left), we're filming on a previously used set. The small empty office in the Yungondi Building was dressed as Prof. Jameson's trashed office on DAY 6 for Scene 13 where Jake (Adam Schmerl) sifts through the mess trying to find information about the comet OMEGA that Prof. Jameson discovered. The set looked great the last time trashed but now it was time to show how it looked before getting ransacked. Trent and Billy took a load of continuity photos of the office on DAY 6 so recreating the placement of the furniture, the computers on the desk, the stationary, books, papers and most intricate of all the astronomical jargon on the whiteboard. Luckily the photos were detailed and everyone got straight to work on making the office look like it did before. We did add a few extra layers of detail that weren't present last time (nor would they have been visible in the darkness). A model of the Space Shuttle I spent all day assembling (that kept falling apart, a testament to my building skills) and some posters to fill in the blank walls. I found some images online, and we had Officeworks blow them up and print them on A1 poster sheets. We had two astronomy posters and one Vancouver Canucks hockey poster as a nod to Devon who's a massive Canucks fan, good thing we didn't print out Boston posters, the office would've been thrashed again but this time for real!
A big challenge, I thought, was making the office look different for each video as the videos in the film were shot by Prof. Jameson on different days at different times. First was the whiteboard, I had Trent and Billy only recreate about a third of the writing for our first video on the board. Then we each subsequent video they'd add more and more of the details until by the last video the board was completely the way it looked six months ago - awesome! Secondly was lighting. I had these images in my head of three different levels of lighting for the three videos; midday daylight, dusk, and full moon light. Now as I mentioned in the DAY 6 production diary this office had a nice large window but it wasn't on the outside of the building, it overlooked the Uni's computer room causeway. So DTang and Paul hoisted up the box plant, threw the mighty bright Blondie behind it and we started to get some interesting lighting. I'll explain each video in detail.
Viral Video 3 - Vid 3 is set a few weeks after Prof. Jameson's last video regarding his discovery of the OMEGA comet. In this video we see him confronting and attempting to expose a cover-up and the dirty tactics being used to suppress information. Devon shows his true acting chops by being completely believable as a fun loving, friendly professor in the previous videos then being able to switch to a no-nonsense, take-no-crap guy you wouldn't want to mess with. Devon ran through the big block of text in a single uninterrupted shot and played the scene brilliantly. We did four takes (take three was perfect, but take four was for safety) but we got it. Photography for the scene was also a challenge but one that DTang handled like a pro. Vid 3 was set during the day... but it was pitch black outside so we couldn't rely on the light from the environment. I was of the mind that we could get away with using the fluro-lights in the office, keep it simple and real. Thankfully DTang convinced me these lights look terrible and cast bad shadows so we switched them off. Simulating midday sun was achieved with the Blondie close to the window, with the stand extended up to give the light extra height. Trial and error with the gels to get the desired white, slightly blue, cool sun effect and we were set. The office looked amazing, props to the crew for dressing the set, props to DTang for lighting the set and props to Devon for acting his scenes so well.
Viral Video 4 - Vid 4 was set in the days following Vid 3 so we made only minor changes to the set, a few more scribbles on the whiteboard, shuffled the desk around and we were good to go. I had pictured in my head of a very sharp, unique look. This video would be taking place at sunset with the sun hanging low in the sky and beaming a heavy orange glow into the room. I can't count the amount of times I'd be sitting in my office late in the afternoon when the Sun has decided to smash through my window and assault my fragile eyes with orange death rays. It's uncomfortable, it gets in your eyes and it makes me edgy which I thought would be perfect for Vid 4 as Devon would be playing a nervous Jameson who's being coerced into saying lies and denouncing OMEGA as a hoax. I was extremely pleased with the way this scene worked, the atmosphere was intense and Devon's performance matched it perfectly. I won't give too much away to those outside the production, but the 'tapping' worked out crazy well. Well done!
Scene 8 - Before finishing off the viral videos I decided we'd film Scene 8, it's a quick scene in the script and the lights we'd set up for the next shot fit this one as well. I'll be honest, all the little films and stuff-arounds Trent and I had worked on I always loved controlling the camera, filming OMEGA has been great and DTang is unmatched and has been phenomenal as Cameraman/D.O.P. However, I was very keen on filming at least one part of this movie, Scene 8 seemed like the perfect place. The shot will be a cut away when Jake (Adam) is trying to call Prof. Jameson while watching the viral videos. We cut into the office to show that the phone is dead (Adelaide's blacked out, remember?) and we see Jameson hiding 'something' behind the whiteboard, a 'something' which our main character finds shortly after. A quick focus pull between the phone in the foreground to Jameson in the background and we had a quick, effective scene and I got to film a part of my movie! DTang very graciously allowed me to film with his 7D which is certainly something of a privileged, I was very grateful for the opportunity, thanks a million dude!
Viral Video 5/ Scene 7b - Vids 3 & 4 was both tripod shots (the same as Vids 1 & 2 were all those months ago). Vid 5 changes it up a bit by losing the tripod and shot handheld, but handheld by the cameraman and the character. Vid 5 is the shortest of all the viral videos but there were so many actions and beats that it required as much time as the longest one. To alleviate things Trent and I decided to have a cut in between the video, the opening dialogue as the first half, then the awesome Location Jump was the second half. The location jump is a camera trick that we envisioned to seamlessly merge the viral videos with the scenes in the film. Adam's character Jake is watching each of these well after they've been recorded, the only one he watches via live-stream is Vid 5. So to show that these characters were interacting, however remotely, at the same time we worked out a way to show the virals on Jake's laptop screen in his kitchen, then smoothly transitioning and 'jumping locations' through the camera into Jameson's office at Stockport. It's tricky to explain in text, so I'll let you see it for yourself when we screen the film. The first half had DTang and Devon holding the camera to simulate a handheld shot then Devon read through his frantic scene revealing that he was forced to lie and that OMEGA is a very real, very imminent threat. The camera then swings down as if the videos over. The second half shows that Jameson has more to say, the camera swings up (awesome six-handed co-ordination from DTang, Devon and Trent on the 7D rig), and he tries to get out one last piece of crucial information. The shot rounded out with the Location Jump merging Vid 5 with Scene 7 from DAY 4.
So that wraps out DAY 11 and also completes the Viral Videos which are a crucial part of the film that we started filming way back on DAY 1. I'm so pleased to get these virals and scenes in the bag, with these shot we have successfully completed the last major sequence for OMEGA. Tonight was a awesome shoot and while I apologize for getting sick near the end, everyone pulled together to finish up the night on a strong note. Big thanks to Teena, Trent, Paul and Billy (still with a broken leg in a cast) for your speedy set ups and pack ups. DTang once again outdid himself with photography and lighting - you'd never know the light coming through the window was not the from the sun but from equally (if not more) powerful 2000W Blondie.
Lastly tonight marks the last day of filming with the sublime Devon Aubert. Devon was the first actor to be filmed for OMEGA in October of 2010 where he drove out with us two hours out of the city to a remote Observatory for filming. He's stuck with us and given us a brilliant, engaging performance as the lovable and the threatened / bashed / kidnapped Professor David Jameson. Devon gave up his time and energy even on DAY 7, his kidnapping scene, where he had no dialogue but still threw himself into the role.
Thanks a million Devon, you we there when we started and you were there when we finished, OMEGA's going to be awesome thanks to you.
Huge thanks to Devon, DTang, Trent, Teena, Billy & Paul! All that's left to film is the GoPro car scenes, some pick ups and some minor reshoots in the weeks to come. We're almost there, we just need to stop writing more scenes!
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