Dance Film - Joe and George's production

George and Joe, two of my peers on the course, approached me and asked if I would like to work on their film with them, doing some dance choreography and helping out on set. Of course I was really pleased with this opportunity and said yes instantly.

I knew I would be part of the dance sequence, so George sent over some references for what they wanted, and a video explaining what I would be required to do. It seemed really interesting and fun so I was totally on board. I don't really have a dance background or much experience but the choreography seemed fairly easy and I was up for the challenge.

This was the video reference they sent me, focusing on the hand choreography, as they wanted to achieve something similar.

We had two days in the studio to shoot the film. I got there early so I could help bring equipment to the studio, as I had my car. We managed to get all the props for the set to the studio in two trips, which was a relief! Ciara was the set designer, so she told me where she wanted things to go and I helped to the best of my ability, leaving her to refine the set. 

When I wasn't working on the choreography with George and Joe, I used this opportunity on set to get more familiar with different roles, shadowing Alice whilst she was the gaffer, and she allowed me to work closely with her so I could develop my knowledge of lighting. I also watched Rufaro as the camera operator, understanding her ideas and how she would frame the scene.

At one point I even became a part of the tripod, as the one we had was faulty so I had to sit under it and hold the legs to stop it from slipping during filming.

We shot in four different colours; red, orange, blue and normal lighting. This was achieved through the use of gels, and having colour changing bulbs in all the lamps on set. 

As the set consisted of many mirrors, Rufaro had to be careful when filming to make sure that nothing could be seen in the mirrors such as the camera or the lights, so this made the shoot a little more difficult. However I think we all worked really well together as a crew and managed to achieve a really good shoot over the two working days. 

Overall, I really enjoyed working on this film as it gave me an opportunity to shadow other roles and gain a better understanding on how to work in these roles in the future. I also surprisingly really enjoyed working as part of the dance choreography, as it was something different and challenging, but Joe and George made me feel really confident in my role.