Major Project: Racing License Shoot
The day was definitely throwing us in at the deep end, but I considering the scale of our project this was to be expected.
The days shoot revolved heavily around actuality of Alex taking his ARDS test (a specific type of on track driving test that will allow him to race properly).
The day was broken up in to two key parts, the initial sequence (where Alex arrives at the track and prepares for his assessment, which involved taking a written test). For this sequence we had Cailan (DOP on the project) operating the main camera, and an additional camera operator (Jon) on a secondary camera for coverage. Before arriving at the track we had Alex talk to the camera about his feelings towards the day and whether he was feeling particularly nervous. This went well I think as Alex was relatively calm and able to feel natural in front of the camera.
Once arriving at the track we were filming mostly actuality (non scripted segments) of Alex as he signed on, received his pre-track briefing and prepared for his written test. As producer, my role during this time was to act as a prompt for Alex, asking him questions and creating talking points that he could address with the camera. Being my first time in this kind of scenario, I think I struggled initially to make it feel natural and not scripted (which perhaps didn't put Alex in the best position, but is something I can work on going forward). I think Alex gave good direction to crew here despite the pressure that was on him at the time.
Once Alex successfully completed his written test, it was time for the second half of the day, where Alex was to take his physical test out on track. In my opinion this is where things began to go less than ideally (not so much for Alex since he was able to successfully pass his test and focus on being a contributor rather than a director), but for the rest of the crew, we had some struggles.
The first being that there was a miscommunication between myself and the staff at Brands Hatch. As such the media access we had planned for was not granted (causing us to be restricted on where we could film and meaning we had to change our plans with little time to spare). This was my fault, I think this issue could have been avoided if I had read over more carefully the information that the track had sent me more clearly, and better communicated with them.
The second issue was that Alex was sent out over an hour earlier than we had planned/were initially told. I had arranged for an additional camera operator (Laura) to come down at a specific time based on the information we were given. This change meant we all had to go and set up (and I had to take Laura's camera to get it ready in advance).
I had planned to have time to brief Laura properly and get her comfortably set up. But due to our early start I was unable to properly do this. Since I was on a camera myself I had to give her a very quick run down of what she was doing and where she was filming, referring her to the paperwork prepared for any other information. This, paired with the little time she had with the camera meant she understandably struggled.
I also struggled to film Alex's desired shots whilst he was out on track. The change in locations/access, paired with the fact I am not too familiar with he camera I was using (and that we forgot to check the tripod before use, which turned out to be missing a base plate) caused me to have to stay and film handheld in a very restricted space to attempt to get an effective shot (which didn't go too well).
Being on camera I think also impacted my efforts as a producer, since I beam distracted by cinematography issues and lost focus on. some of my other responsibilities (like helping make sure Cailan shot what was required etc). The one positive thing from the day was that I was able to keep in constant contact with all the crew via walkie talkies I had bought, allowing our movements to be relatively in sync with one another.
Overall there were both positives and negatives to take from the day. The negatives being that I was not entirely focussed on my role as a producer (being distracted by camera's and filming issues). I didn't prepare as well as I should have done for this event, as a result we did not have the access we planned for, and I think I should have been more aware of the shots others were getting to ensure they were as listed on Alex's plan, and some of mine and Lauras footage was not as originally desired.
On a more positive note, communication between the team was relatively effective, and the additional crew adapted as best they possibly could to the changes thrust upon them. Alex passed his test with will allow him to race and for the doc to continue. I also have an understanding of what went wrong so that I can look to build upon that and work better from now on.
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