On-Set Production – “One More Day” – Initial Prep
On-Set ProductionAs a Director of Photography, I am working on the post-apocalyptic dark comedy film ‘One More Day’ this semester. I have experience in camera operating for documentary and videography, but not for narrative filmmaking. In order to prepare myself and fulfil the role to the best of my ability, I have extensive prep and research I plan to undertake.
Pre-Production – Moodboards
Step one is to establish the tone and visual aesthetic of the film. Alfie, our director, had collated some reference images and compiled these into a moodboard on our shared Milanote blog. Below are shot selections from Alfie’s moodboard I will be using as reference when I create my own moodboard.
SHOTDECK MOODBOARD – ALFIE
ADDITIONAL MOODBOARD IMAGES – ALFIE
Notes from Alfie’s Moodboard
From the reference shots Alfie selected a few commonalities and themes became apparent as integral to his vision:
- Overhead lighting – dramatic shadows, chiaroscuro (contrast of light and shadow), catchlights (highlights in character’s eyes).
- Saturated colour palette – some images are warm, whereas others are cool. Alfie told me he wants a colder, blue-green visual effect.
- Framing of characters in their environment – using the architecture of the shot to create a sense of space. For example, between wooden beams or furniture.
- Extreme close-ups – used to capture the nuance and subtlety of facial expressions.
With this in mind, I can create a detailed shot-list and story-board and know what Alfie is visualising for the film.
Script Breakdown – 3rd Draft
Characters
Cam seems to be upholding morale and keeping John going. He is more talkative, makes jokes about their situation, and tries to be comedic and lighthearted. He is especially concerned about fixing the radio, not because they need it necessarily, but because it represents hope and resilience. Cam is a conspiracist, and believes that the world is corrupt. Cam is as mentally damaged as John under the surface, and in a moment of frustration, kills John with the radio. It is then fixed, which could be interpreted as John dragging Cam down.
John appears to be defeatist about their situation in this post-apocalyptic world – there’s no point fixing the radio for him as he thinks there’s no one out there. He seems overtaken by a sense of hopelessness and is emotionally and mentally vacant. John is however logical and rational, and doesn’t believe in Cam’s conspiracy theories and paranoia. A past event relating to a woman called Sarah seems to have traumatised him. He needs to be convinced by Cam there is a reason to go on for one more day.
The radio is almost a character in itself. It represents communication and the hope for life on the outside, but also creates a divide against Cam who wants to keep pushing and John who wants to give up. Cam knows John can fix the radio, he just doesn’t have the will to. This is what Cam kills John for, despite having no companion anymore as a result of this action.
Setting
An unknown and unidentifiable location set in a confined, poorly lit space with two grown men in a post-apocalyptic world. It isn’t known what has sent the world into a state of disarray, but it has obviously been catastrophic enough that they are reliant on dog food for nutrition and have chosen to hold up in a dingy, dark bunker. There are four sleeping bags on the ground, but only two characters. This implies something has gone horribly wrong prior to the story.
Tone
It’s dark, gritty, and grisly. The situation is bleak but the comedic elements of the script poke fun at it. We’re at the end of the world looking for a reason to continue on another day – for Cam, it’s getting the radio fixed, and for John, it’s knowing that Cam needs him (until he doesn’t). It’s a dark comedy that is at times almost satirical about the post-apocalyptic genre and its tropes.
Next Steps – Location Recce, Moodboards, Storyboard and Shot List
With a clear idea of the visual approach and detailed understanding of the characters, setting, and tone, I can move forward with my pre-production elements and technical requirements. I will begin to liaise with the production design in order to create a shared vision for the film.