The planning stage / pre-production went very smoothly. It wasn’t too hard for me to come up with a script that allowed me to get very creative when it came to production but also simple enough that production wouldn’t be too stressful due to locations, casting, choreography, etc. The only challenge I encountered before production was finding someone who physically looked like someone who was a drug addict. The person we ended up casting as the addict in the film looked too well groomed to play an addict however, the audience may just see him as someone stuck within the early stages of addiction which still makes sense with the story of the overall film. Luckily enough Chloe Johnson jumped on as a producer which was a massive help. Thanks to Chloe casting the two parents was incredibly easy. While writing the script I considered not having the parents in at all due to how hard I thought it would be incredibly hard to find people in their late 40s or 50s that I could cast. It turned out to be the opposite, with Vincent and Deidre being cast as the parents. Fergus Massie was cast as the drug dealer and just like that I was ready to film. I just had to confirm locations.
Confirming locations was easy enough. Using my own flat and asking a friend if I could film in his flat before I’d finished the script sorted out both the parents’ home and the addicts home, all I had to do was also inform the police that I would also be filming on the streets on the chosen dates for filming. As it turns out I didn’t have to do this as Vincent, who played the father was able to get me access to a block of offices to film in, not only the offices but the area around the offices. Which meant we had access to a car park and the front entrance to said offices which is where we ended up filming the street scenes. The only major hurdle I came across during production concerning locations was on the very first day of filming. Half an hour before filming the person who had given me permission to use their flat as the addict’s home, had then went back on what they said and all of a sudden, I didn’t have a location to film in. I had to cancel filming for the day and send cast and crew home. Luckily enough there were other people I knew who allowed me to use their flat so production was only delayed by a week. Instead of 3 days in a row I decided to film 3 different days across three weeks to make sure we had time before each filming day to organise anything else like having to find a new location.
The planning and pre-production process was over all incredibly smooth. I had a simple idea that wasn’t going to be too stressful to pull off due to casting, locations, props or special effects. Everything I had to get across I could do easily, but I was also able to get creative with shot choices and lighting. However, I should have been more prepared for things like cancellations in locations to avoid wasting what could have been a full day of filming.
My website fits perfectly with what I want to build my brand as. I didn’t just want to have my website say “Ryan Lawrence – Filmmaker” or “Lawrence Films” it seemed really boring and didn’t really seem like anything that would stand out as characteristic, at least the name Goliath Lawrence stands out somewhat and have a uniqueness to it. Overall the website does what it needs to. It showcases my work and also uses the blog to give an insight as to what pre-production and production was like. The overall look fits the mood and aesthetic I go for in almost all of my work. The only criticism I have received is that it’s not personal enough, however I prefer it this way. It may not be the best for getting myself work but it’s better for it I want to build Goliath Lawrence films as a brand later in life. I can always make another more personal website.
The main issues I encountered through out the year not just with this part of the graded unit didn’t have so much to do with planning but more so with pulling the trigger and getting things done. I had my pre-production work finished way before I started production, and even though I filmed it incredibly early I waited too long before starting the edit. My main issue this year has been that I’ve been too relaxed instead of just getting through work as soon as possible. If I had less relaxed and on the ball more I could have re filmed certain scenes in my film to be less shaky or added in more interview scenes to help with the structure, but due to leaving it to late I am stuck with what I have from the original shoot. Despite this I am relatively pleased with how the film is has turned out. It’s a lot better looking than I had thought it would be and certain elements I weren’t sure would work ended up working perfectly.