The start of post-production process

After our shooting day and filming all material which we needed for a 2 minutes opening film sequence, we went to editing room to continue our work now as editors. The main task was to create a whole sequence from the separate pieces.
Back to October 2009 we remembered some useful knowledge and refreshed basic skills of using Final Cut Server and Pro applications with help of Matt and got to work.
First of all we imported all pieces into Final Cut Pro application and put them in separate folders. In comparison with our October preliminary task our present film and technology of its creating is much more sophisticated and complex because we should have different log bins and much more tracks where were not only video but the sound tracks as well and different pieces of videos should be edited more accurately to fit the whole sequence and provide a smooth transition from one frame and one camera position to another.
So we started to choose every piece of sequence which would fit the best in a film.

After that, when we made our first film draft with all pieces of it we started to think about titles. That was a moment where some difficulties appeared. Fist of all Matt introduced all of us how we actually should do the titles. We had a bit special willing to make a heading title not just in a black screen with white letters on it but to integrate the heading title in the film itself. So the background should be a shadow of an old-fashioned 50’s video camera, ‘Monroe’ title appears and then camera slightly goes down to Director and Producer faces (Luke and Jason) and the title remains where it was. The problem was how to make this title not to follow the camera and remain in the centre of the shadow from the camera because every time we tried to put it where we want to, then it followed with a camera to Luke and Jason faces. After a time we realised how to make it not to follow the camera but we faced another problem. Now our title was floating on the whole frame because we set up different spots in every frame where this title should return.

After all at the last day of half-term our group succeeded in this task and, finally, the title stood still right where we wanted to.
Second part of our post production was a sound background of our film. I managed to find lots of Monroe songs in a good quality and some videos where was useful sound as well, like it was the voice of 50’s broadcaster who declared that Marilyn Monroe is dead so we could enlarge the excitement of potential viewer dramatically if the video frame of Monroes' dead photos would be followed by this very American voice. We experimented with all these things to match the best combination of video and sound. We tried to paste a song before the video and give a viewer a perception that Marilyn Monroe is going to be the main character of the film even before we will show something. We tried to put some creepy sounds in moments when we can see a suspect board and Monroe’s dead photos and provide a crossover between the golden age of Monroe pop-idol and its inglorious end with very mysterious circumstances.
But we refused this idea soon because our film started to be overload by different songs, sounds and effects. We considered to concentrate exactly on Marilyn most popular songs which could be recognised almost in any part of the world and attract attention of viewers in this way. However the real success what we did with a sound was a song 'Diamonds are girls best friend' which perfectly fitted to the video because it was a 50’s filming scene of the video clip for this song and how the sound and heading title matched to each other because ‘Monroe’ title appeared exactly at the time when fanfares started to play so we made the beginning of the film almost triumphal and very exciting
So we managed to paste necessary songs in our film but we still experimenting with sound background field and we still working to make a final version of the film sound.

The sound. Natural or Recorded?

Firstly, we decided to use natural sound during all shooting day so we tried to turn on monitors at time so they played different videos, however the sound was bad so we decided to use them separately in post-production and just paste all appropriate sounds and music background after. So the only one thing was recorded naturally was Luke as Director when he shouted ‘Cut!’ and his small conversation with Jason as Producer. But all other sounds we are planning to put after so we are going to have excellent picture and a perfect sound background so viewer will get maximum satisfaction from that film, and we will try to excite people only by Monroe songs and their contrast with next thrilling sounds because on the first scene sound plays role as main ruler of people emotions.

The Lighting

During all shooting day we had a well-prepared studio lighting set up. On a scene of Detective Office we had a semidarkness light which gave an additional mystery to this absolutely silent scene filled only by Marilyn songs, creepy music and this light. So this scene should really look as we are became an eyewitnesses of a try to solve one of the most confusing puzzles in American history. So this lighting also gave us the perception of thriller.
Regarding the next scene of 50’s stage the lighting was in opposite to previous scene very powerful and spotlights on the studio roof were covered by red plate to give a bit blurred red light on a scene as it was in a video clip. Then, after Director’s shout ‘Cut!’ plates removed and another spotlight behind the Director and Producer turned on to make a bright contrast between ‘shooting’ scene in 50’s with shadowed red light and very bright light after to show a viewer that the game is over and all actors and Marilyn are going to normal life by the time the filming crew collecting hearts, carry elements of studio interior and so on.

The role of props and costumes

First of all I’d like to tell about props and their meaning in our scene. The most important props in the first scene are photos, posters and newspapers about Marilyn Monroe which covered all wall of Detective’s office. These pictures actually gave us the understanding that that film about Monroe without any words. Just pictures and posters of her fame, then tracking to photos of Marilyn fall and her death. So we are telling the Marilyn story without any words. Moreover with help of another props item as Suspect Board we underline that this is office of person who investigating this case and trying to find out the links between public people who were familiar with Marilyn and some criminals of 50’s.
In addition to this we covered another wall with documents and reports in which Detective wanted to find any regularities.
A laptop was used as only thing which actually refers to our modern day to ensure the viewer that this office exists in our days. Finally, an ashtray with smoked cigarette used to represent a stereotype view on Detective profession who are always smoking.
Next scene. Scene of 50’s so all props were chose thoroughly to make, firstly, the exact copy of the stage like in Monroe clip ‘Diamonds are girls best friend’ and secondly – to make the filming backstage look like as we are really in 1950’s.
So we bring old-fashioned Director Chair and Producer chairs. With these chairs the problem appeared when we realised that we don’t have any Director’s chairs the day before shooting; however our Media teacher Guy managed to find them so they were put in a scene and were exactly as we hoped. Another 50’s props were made by our group as old-fashioned camera and red love hearts for dancers as they had in original clip and, of course, make-up for all dancers and Marilyn Monroe actress.

Then the costumes were chosen only for second scene because we didn’t have any people in Detective office scene. Gaby and Heather managed to find a necessary costumes in Theatre department so all dancers wore black suits and the filming crew team had different colours suits because we the filming crew in 50’s wore suits but to differ them from dancers we have them not black one’s.
Monre’s costume caused lots of difficulties because we tried to find exactly the same costume as she had in the clip so for entire week we phoned to different agencies and shops to find them and, finally, Gaby found it – Marilyn pink dress, elbow length gloves, necklace and rings and one of the main parts – curly haired wig so at the beginning of shooting itself we had a stage which looked like from the ‘Diamonds are girls best friend’, 5 guys who had been in black suits and Monroe with all her make-up and dressing and then all filming crew who were exactly as they should be in 50’s.

Preparation and Shooting days. My role

During the preparation work our group managed to generate few key features of our film and I tried to do my best so I generated some ideas mostly linked with a sound background of the film and I managed to make a shooting script of the film and write few posts as what our target audience or which kind of institution is going to distribute our film.
In the process of development of ‘Monroe’ film concept I got a role of a sound director, however we didn’t have much scenes where my direct role would necessary in the shooting day so my main work is still wait for me when we will start to edit our project and there I should work with a background of our film and fill it by Marilyn songs, broadcaster voice, thrilling music, etc.
However I’m participated directly in a shooting day as well because I tried myself as a cameraman in the first scene where we needed to track the camera on a tripod moved through tracked to provide a smooth move. So I tried several times to film this scene with all aspects of the mis-en-scene to give a full picture to our viewer where we are and slightly release Marilyn pictures, newspapers, suspect board and TV monitors with a laptop one after another and it seems to be that I succeeded in it a little bit so in editing room there will be a need to place necessary sounds only.

The team-work of our group on my opinion was very effective and our group consist of two sub-groups: Gaby and Heather who were leaders during all time of the shooting day and had most clear picture in their mind how our project should looked like. And me and Tatiana were mostly supportive characters who helped with decorating studio for appropriate scenes and made some support work.
So I think our team was great balanced and everyone knew what exactly that should do so there weren’t any conflicts or any misunderstandings and we succeeded in filming our project on 100% I think. Now we are ready to cut our film and edit it and fill with appropriate sound background to make a really good opening of the film

Casting choices

We managed to find necessary number of actors who performed roles of dancers and 50’s film crew quite fast so we had a list of potential actors who might play in ‘Monroe’. After few days lots of actors changed their mind or other problems appeared so they refused to take part in this film but we still had plenty of AS students who agreed to be part of our media project.
The biggest problem was to find a girl who would be play Marilyn because we had several candidates for this role but most of them refused to play and only one gave her agree before 2 days of actual shooting day but the day after she refused so we started to look for new actress desperately and succeeded in it, so new Marilyn was an AS student Joan de Boer and she fit her role perfectly in a pink dress, elbow length gloves and curly hair wig, she was right as a real Marilyn Monroe.
All dancers wore formal black suits which Gaby and Heather managed to find in Theatre department with other different coloured suits in which other actors were dressed who performed roles of filming crew members.
They looked exactly we wanted to, as 50’s gentlemen and of course Marilyn who was fantastic in her dress and surrounded by different aspects of the mis-en-scene.

Shooting day. Part 2. Location.

As I mentioned in part 1 in describing the practical part of our group we had two different made-up locations in a studio. Fist one was Detective’s office where walls were covered by posters, posters of Marilyn Monroe and newspapers about her. On Detective’s desk was a laptop which actually was the only one item which remind a viewer that this modern days with an investigation of 50 year age. One of the key items which shows us that we are in Detective office but not in a room one of fans of Marilyn was a Suspect board with lots of links of famous public people as John Kennedy and his brother Robert with 50’s unknown gangsters pictures who might kill a famous superstar.
The second scene in which we transformed Hurtwood studio was a 50’s studio with appropriate equipment as old-fashioned fake video camera, filming crew chairs and the scene itself which was a miniature copy of the same stage in the clip ‘Diamonds are a girls best friend’ so we made a real identical copy of 50’s environment in the studio. In addition we owned such items as speaking trumpet, small old-fashioned camera for producer, red hearts for every dancer in a scene and lots of secondary items which were handed by member of 50’s filming crew in the film.
So the only one location in our film was the Hurtwood studio, however we managed to transform it in two different environments (one of present days and one of 50’s film studio) so we made exactly what we wanted to show to potential viewer.

Finally, here is a comparison between our drafts of the two scenes and how we managed to recreate them in real studio.

Detective Office

50's Film Set

Detective office with loads of Monroe' photos and film posters with her. Old monitors, a laptop and lots of newspapers represent an extreme interest of such sort of person in Marilyn Monroe and a suspect board which we placed later give us a perception that this accomodation belongs either to crazy fan of 1950's pop-star or to Detective.

This is a final scene of our opening sequence where Joanne as Monroe was surrounded by gentlemen and an old-fashioned camera give us a clue that, firstly, all this is filming of video clip and that it takes place in sixties because of the hugу size of this camera.

The role of lightining and elements of mis-en-scene are very important here. The lightning was coloured by red thanks to studio facilities and the key light was a bit darkened in order to create a bit intimate and mysterious atmosphere. Props and costumes were picked very carefully as well. We managed to get the exact copy of Monroe dress and some black suits for actors. Finally, studio was coloured red and there were some stairs in order to create the same backstage as it was in 60's video clip so our viewer would be convinced that he is watching a real film but not a rough student work.