Using the JVC ProHD GY-HM700

I recently had the opportunity to use a professional video camera to shoot some footage for Stoke City football club as part of their 150th anniversary. The camera seemed quite complicated but it didn't take me long to get used to it. It can be mounted on the shoulder and this is something which I think is very important for a video camera. I use my DSLR mostly and handheld shots can be very shaky which forces me to use a tripod and this of course restricts movement. Unfortunately, I won't be able to afford a professional video camera any time soon so I'm going to have to continue borrowing for now.     

Got my degree

I got the results for my degree in the post today and I ended up getting a 2.2. I was aiming for a 2.1 but c'est la vie. For those who don't know about the university grading system it goes like this... 

1. FIRST: Top grade, the best you can get at uni.
2. SECOND CLASS 1st division (2.1): Second best, like getting a B in school.
3. SECOND CLASS 2nd divison (2.2): Average, not the best but it's still a pass
4. THIRD: It's still a pass but only just.
5. FAIL:  No degree.

So I've got a BSc Hons in Film Production Technology degree now. Letters after my name. I might do a Masters in a year or so and maybe a PhD eventually.  

Fake Blood

I shall share with you the recipe that I always use which I found out about online years ago (so I don't  take credit for it) 

Ingredients:
-Golden syrup (or corn syrup if you're from the USA)
-Red food colouring 
-Blue or Green food colouring
-Instant coffee
-A tissue
-Washing up liquid 

1. Start by boiling some water in your kettle and while you're waiting for that to finish, pour the golden syrup so it fills ups 10% of whatever glass you're using. 

2. Pour the boiled water into the glass and stir it until the syrup dissolves. If you want it to be thicker then add more syrup.

3. Measure a teaspoon of red food colouring and then stir it into your mixture. Then add a little bit of blue or green colouring to darken it. Put a teaspoon of coffee in there as well and stir until it vanishes.

4. At this stage I dip the tissue to see if it stains it the colour I want. Often I see videos on YouTube where the blood is too pink and looks fake. It's very hard to get it looking the way you want but eventually you'll develop your own formula that works best for you. 

If you want the fake blood to wash out of clothes more easily then squirt some washing up liquid into your mixture. This will cause bubbles and I don't recommend you putting it in your actors' mouths so skip this part if you want "mouth blood". 

I like to pour my mixture into an empty cola bottle and stick it in the fridge to keep it nice and fresh. However, clearly label it as fake blood unless you want a family member drinking a potent  mix of detergent and instant coffee (true story). 

Japanese Plug Fire replica guns

The Japanese are great. I love their language, their cities, anime and video games. They also have some of the strictest gun laws in the world. More restrictive than the UK in fact (Is that even possible?) So naturally, there are people in Japan who are interested in guns and various companies have been producing realistic blank firing replicas for the past 50 years. Many of these replicas look exactly like the real thing and they also work in a similar way to their real steel counterparts. 

They are safe and legal because they don't fire any kind of projectile. The firing mechanism is actually in reverse with the firing pin situated in the chamber. This of course prevents a live round from being chambered and only special plug fire cartridges can be loaded. These cartridges are loaded with a cap (slightly larger than your typical cap gun cap) and when detonated, a piston in the cartridge pushes against the firing pin in the chamber which then causes the slide or bolt to blow back. You get smoke, sparks, noise and a spent casing which creates a very realistic simulation of a real gun.

This makes them perfect for filming because you can fire them indoors and they're safer than traditional blank firers/starter pistols. You don't get an impressive muzzle flash like real guns loaded with blanks that are used in Hollywood but just do what I do and add the muzzle flash in your editing software. 

So far, I've got this Browning 9mm pistol and an M16 assault rifle but I might get more in the future. They are expensive but if you're serious about making films then I suggest you invest in a few. I suggest buying from here as they stock many different models and they've got great customer service which is handy if you need repairs or spares. 

Vietnam War Film

This year is an important year for BSTB Film because I'll be working on my Vietnam war horror film. The idea was conceived way back 2009 but restrictions meant that I couldn't make it and so it was hanging in pre-production limbo for many years. Fortunately a lot has changed since then and I have learned a lot more about film making since starting university. I want 2013 to be the year when I finally start this.

So Vietnam war film made in the UK??? Am I crazy? Yeah probably...It rains 80% of the time and depicting a tropical location would be a great challenge. However, Full Metal Jacket (a war film set in Vietnam) was filmed entirely in the UK. Another less known Vietnam war film called "How Sleep the Brave" was also filmed in the UK. So, I might have a chance.

I'm keeping the plot and title secret right now because I don't want anyone to steal my idea. I am paranoid yes, very paranoid. However, I'm going to blog a lot during production and this will include plenty of pictures and video. Maybe I'll have a trailer up this summer as well and this will finally reveal all.

MALICE

BSTB's first film is now up on YouTube. Check it out.

Some new stuff

I'm currently working hard on my final year project and dissertation. Because I did all the final year modules last year I only have the FYP to do which means the deadline is January 4th 2013. There's actually plenty of time to do it in and in fact too much time. I kinda miss the student life already because all I seem to do these days is stay at home and surf the internet when I'm not working. I'm a self-confessed procrastinator but I actually stuck to my schedule this year and got everything done. I set myself the target to film all footage in November and I got it done by the 23rd. The film is currently at just under 12 minutes long and is almost finished.

So yeah, basically it's about a guy who gets sent to prison and he gets harassed by this big scary inmate who wants £5 a week. The minimum wage for UK prisoners is 30 pence an hour so obviously this guy can't afford to pay up. It's not just this inmate who's picking on the main guy because a guard takes delight in making him suffer also. But he's got one friend inside, a good guard who is trying to look after him and keep him out of trouble. I won't spoil the ending though so just keep checking back and the film will be online someday soon.

I filmed a few scenes at my university and I even had support from the local police force to use some of their cells as a film location but red tape got in the way last minute. So, I bought a few MDF boards and made a prison cell set at my house. I stapled cardboard to the door and painted it a greyish/green colour to make it look like a cell door. On camera it looked okay so I was happy with it. I was then able to film the remaining scenes at home and it turned out pretty good. I also borrowed two 2000k lights from the University stores and these were perfect. Portable daylight almost and I managed to get perfect exposure throughout filming.

Obviously had a few problems which means I now have to do ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) since I was unable to record sound externally. The boom pole the uni gave me kept collapsing and you couldn't really control it in such a small area because it kept hitting things. So I thought screw it and just decided to do dialogue replacement at a later date. Visuals are pretty much done which means I only have audio left to do. My assignment is investigation into matching sound design to cinematography so yeah. I'm also gonna compose my own music for this film and that will be the last stage of production.

OCTOBER=Pre-Production

NOVEMBER=Production

DECEMBER=Post-Production

So far so good. Oh and yeah. I no longer believe that a no-budget film is possible. Yeah, I'm sure you can piss about with your mates and create a 2 minute movie for free and I did several of these a few years ago. But seriously, I've already spent close to £300 on this film. Purchase of props and costume came up to around £80. 1.8 prime lens, £55. Other equipment few quid here and there oh and I also hired a few actors. Hats off to them though because they agreed to do it for free but I paid their expenses which all added up to about £100. Consequence is, I've now only got £13 in my bank account. Looks like I'll have to use my credit card now or dip into my business account.

So yeah that's my life currently. I just wanna finish all this and do something useful with my life. Hopefully I can get a job in January when I finish uni. Someday I'll just fuel up my car and follow the sun and see where I end up. Or maybe I'll be able to finally renew my passport and get the hell outta the UK. I've also started sharing tiny bits of my wisdom on Twitter so if you want follow me @91beard.