Sam has been producing the Short film revs and today was the first of four days of shooting the film. I was invited along to take some stills.
Revs is the work of writer/director Thabo Mhlatswa and follows the lives on a council estate in London where the fight for appreciation and acceptance within the children that live there is played out on the football pitch... with scooters! I like to think of it as watching Ken Loach take on Quadrophenia. Just thought of that now so not sure if that will fit with Thabo's vision!
Thankfully for us we just so happened to be filming outside during what felt like the coldest day of the year. Making it to the Marquis of Wellington pub (location and green room!) for 7AM felt like a bit of mission in the freezing weather. Everyone was in great spirits though and after spending time with everybody today I have to say that I was really impressed by the dedication and energy of the cast and crew who all came along to make the film as brilliant as it's script and vision deserved it to be.
So first up was the outdoor shooting. We unloaded the scooters from the van and it wasn't long before we had to keep Sam away from them. Just as well we don't have any scooters in Booked Out or Sam will probably want to take up scootball professionally!
Sam on his scooter
We shot a single scene outside which took about 3 hours by the time we got all the coverage required. There was a few runny noses and red cheeks by the end of it as the cold took hold. I have to say thanks to the script supervisor Laura for lending me a pair of gloves, adorned with some nice pink bows which really suited me... thankfully there is no pictures of that. It helps to be the stills photographer after all!
Crew filming outdoors
There was about 8 child actors and all of them done really well and didn't complain once. They did get to go on the scooters and play some scootball though. I was impressed by how efficient the crew were in getting the shots they wanted within a relatively short timescales. Thabo worked his magic with all of the actors and finally we were done and off to the heat of the pub for some indoor shots!
I wonder if I can trademark the term Scootball...?
I then learned the most important aspect of film making. Waiting around while someone else is really busy. While the camera is being set up and Thabo is preparing the actors there isn't really anything necessarily to do. I felt it was pretty interesting watching all this action but I got the understanding that when you get a chance to rest on a film set then you take it so when it is your turn to be flat out then you can be all action.
The indoor scenes were shot in the upstairs of the pub and I really liked the atmosphere that the guys had manage to bring to the screen through the set design, camera/lens selection, etc. It was great to watch everyone work up close as I got to be in the room to snap some stills between takes.
Dad
Then it was my turn to take centre stage as I had to shoot a still shot of the group of boys so that we could get a poster made up of the group to use as a prop within a scene being shot tomorrow. Thabo wanted a picture of the group on the scooters where they are all full of attitude and gusto. I think I did an ok job... judge for yourself below!
You wouldn't mess with these guys!
After the poster still was taken the children got to go home and it was left to the main two actors to run another couple of scenes before we called it a night.
I had a great time, met a lot of really nice people and as I walked home I felt like making my film right there and then. Imagining myself making the decisions and watching Booked Out come to life. I know that Booked Out is going to be a really special film and I hope to make the feelings I have for the characters and the story come across on screen.
