Film Narrative 2 – Pre-Production
Film Narrative 2This post will detail each aspect of pre-production for our Film Narrative 2 short ‘Forget Me Not’.
CASTING
Once the idea for the short film had been finalised, we set out to cast actors for the roles of Ailbhe and Oisin. (My spelling of Ailbhe has not been consistent, so apologies to everyone with an Irish name). Molly’s flatmate studying illustration, Hester, was commissioned to create a professional casting call to be posted on various filmmaking Facebook groups to start the first round of casting. I took responsibility for the casting process primarily, but still maintained a channel of contact with Molly on final decisions.
We received a lot of interest for our short film, which required a lot of coordination and organisation to respond to. To conserve time, we responded to all emails requesting the submission of a self-tape, as opposed to conducting individual auditions online as originally planned.
For a multitude of reasons – sickness due to contracting the coronavirus, or inability to commit to the production – we had narrowed down our selection of actors. The requirement to submit a self-tape left only the most dedicated and professional actors available, so from the few self-tapes we received Molly and I held a Zoom call to make a final decision on who to cast.
Cast of ‘Forget Me Not’
Connor McCausland – Oisin McMahon
- Connor McCausland is a 23 year-old theatre and screen actor based in Edinburgh and is represented by Liz Mercado Associates.
Ríona Bhreathnach – Ailbhe McMahon
- Ríona Bhreathnach is a 22 year-old actress based in Edinburgh and graduate of the MGA Academy of Performing Arts.
FINALISED SCRIPT
Below is the working script for ‘Forget Me Not’, which was written by myself with script development and input from co-writer Fionntan.
Pre-Production
With equipment booked and actors secured, we prepared intensively for our shoot dates. We shot the film over the course of a weekend, from Friday 25th – Sunday 27th of March. Below are some of the pre-production documents used in production of the film.
CALL SHEETS
LIGHTING PLAN
MOODBOARD
GROUP DYNAMICS
So far, I have found producing to be fairly demanding and a role of great responsibility. Thankfully, I thrive under these conditions and have been able to transfer over directorial skills and apply them to the duties of a producer. Whilst I understand producing can be creative, I haven’t personally experienced that much when I’m in the role – and therefore I’m not sure if it’s a role I would consider pursuing professionally, despite being highly organised and thriving as a producer.
As a group, we have had our highs and lows. There have been moments when responsibilities and roles began to overlap, and original boundaries crossed in order to meet deadlines – which hasn’t been ideal, as I found this quite stressful despite being easily avoidable.
PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
- FRIDAY 25TH – SUNDAY 27TH MARCH