Task 2.

This is a significant step up from my previous presentation. From an initial concept and brief idea, I had to transform my idea into reality on paper, nailing down the look I wanted, but more so how I was going to achieve this look, conveying meaning through the cinematography. Focusing primarily on one of the key pieces of advice I received from my first task, was to decide which time period I was going to set my piece in - to which I chose 1920s New York. The reasoning for this is that it allowed me to be more creative with my costume and props - this relates back to my initial plan to challenge myself rather than opting for the easy way out. I could've chosen a modern day criminal setting, but I wanted to attempt an authentic 1920s setting. In a way, I was mixing elements of the noir genre, with the costume and low key lighting in some places, along with more modern and common camera movements such as the dolly in and tracking shots in order to create somewhat of a neo-noir sequence - something that is a little bit different in my opinion.

Staying with the 1920s New York gangster scene, this would require my actors to wear classy outfits, generally suits or smart shirts with the common item of a fedora hat - an item that gangsters such as Al Capone were known for wearing. I wanted to illustrate that the meeting had possibly been going on for a while, so making subtle changes to the costume such as the shirts being slightly more creased, or details such as having sleeves rolled up, buttons undone, etc, would hopefully enable me to achieve this look. Moreover, in terms of props and how I can further show the class of these criminals, but also their stress at being there, I decided to use a bottle of whiskey (apple juice) and a small pile of cocaine (sugar) to show this. Additionally, the drugs and alcohol will help the audience gauge where they are, but more so who they are.

What else I had to focus on was the location itself, how I was going to set up my scene with the space provided, but also the risks involved with shooting there, which I cover on page 4/7. Health and safety needs to be taken seriously shooting anywhere, and to be aware of any risks - no matter how big or small - not only makes shooting a much more overall safer experience, but ultimately it speeds up shooting as well, so the cast and crew are aware of any hazards and how they be avoided prior to starting. Some of the risks included working with lighting and specialist equipment, as well as electricity which can be placed under these risks as well. I found the primary risk to be cables, which could and would cause the most harm in terms of the set, but more so the people involved with the crew, such as the cast and crew. Tripping over cables could cause injury to cast and crew, ranging from anything to mild cuts or bruises, to serious head injuries, depending on the fall. Additionally, equipment could be damaged from poor cable management if it's pulled over by someone's foot.

The main issue with my realisation, was fitting the long table onto the set and still be able to film comfortably and safely. In order to tackle this, I decided to reduce the size of the table and have one still big enough to fit 4 or 5 people, but not ridiculously long. I would also place the table diagonally in the set, giving myself enough room to shoot from either side, as well as fitting significantly more easily in the set as well. With the set only being 3 walls, placing the table diagonally would allow me to get shots which showed the walls in frame, rather than the TV Studio surroundings. Logistically it just made so much more sense, so this is the positioning I went for, as you can see in page 4/7. I also decided to use a lot of the set features, particularly the build in arri lamps, to my advantage, specifically for creating the natural light, allowing me to focus primarily on lighting the room itself a lot better.