Filming- not as easy as i first thought!

So last week me, Maddie and Dean all went down to Brighton to do our filming, we felt very organised as we had our shot list and schedule all prepared and felt that we had done everything we could in the way of pre organisation. Unfortunately we ran into our first problem of Leanne dropping out of the documentary the night before we were due to shoot and so change this interview from the opinion of Sam's best friend, to the opinion of her younger brother.  We did all the shots we could for that day including Lorraines interview, Sam's interview and Ricky's interview and pick ups of things such as monuments around Brighton and children playing. When we got back to Maidstone and into the studios we reviewed all of our footage and immediately knew that we would need more sequences and actuality. We were also told by Helen our lecturer that Sam's interview would not be substantial enough considering she was the main focus of this documentary.
Because of this i decided to go back to Brighton myself on Friday and re shoot my sisters interview and the other pick up's that were needed. The rest of the group and myself thought this would be a good idea as I am Sam's sister and may get more emotion out of her if it was just me there. As soon as i started to set up the interview I knew it was going to be a lot harder then I orginally thought: thinking about things such as framing, lighting, sound issues and asking the questions all at once was a lot to handle and i found it near impossible. I brought what i did manage to do back to the studios and yet again found it was not good enough to use, although some of the pick ups of Sam's family and these sequences were perfectly usable.
Because of this it meant that me, Maddie and Dean would have to re shoot my sisters interview once again. We were all thinking... Third time lucky please!
Due to me falling ill Maddie and Dean met me in Brighton and we cracked on straight away with my sisters interview, immediately it was much easier with two other people and more then one opinion to get the results we wanted! After finally shooting Sam's interview we then did some sequences of Sam and her mother Lorraine and shots of Sam and her brother Ricky.
This experience has taught me that on a shoot you need at least one other person with you at all times to help with the different elements of filming!

Abbi

Commission Unit: Editing

After a successful day filming in Brighton yesterday, we got all the pick up we were missing and extra interview footage all ready for Maddie and myself to start editing at the studios and ready to record the voice overs we wrote last night...........Go edit!

Dean

Title sequence

Today I have been thinking about our title sequence for 'Millennium Mum.'
This video below is the sort of idea we want to go for and I think the best way to go about this is using the stop motion technique. This is taking stills of each letter being added to the word and then we can speed this up in the edit to make it look effective. We would like to have 'Millennium Mum' on in our title sequence. Then at the end have each of our names and who is starring in it. The end shot will be 'The end.' We deceided to go for this idea because it represents the child theme that we documentry is about. It also adds some fun to the documentry and makes it less hard hitting and serious.

Maddie

Busy day!

So today, Dean and I took a trip down to Brighton to film some sequences and pick ups and when we started editing we realised we didnt have enough! We joined Abbi at her house and got some great shots of her family, doing day to day things such as making tea and collecting the children from school. We also re shot Sam's interview, and this time I asked the questions. I think this interview turned out much better as I wasnt afraid to ask some of the question Abbi didnt want to as she understandable didnt want to upset her sister.

When we arrived back to halls, we shot the rostrum shots of all the stills we wanted to include in our documentry. I am currently writing the voice over script that will join all of our footage togeather.

Editing continues tomorrow!

Maddie

Commission Unit: Miserable Maidstone!

Today Maddie and I were editing in the studios while Abbi went back to Brighton to get some more interviews off her family, Maddie and I decided that it might be a good idea to get a camera and hit Fremlin Walk in Maidstone to ask the publics opinion on teenage mothers! This didnt really go to plan! We thought Maidstone would be full of jolly Christmas shoppers! But it turns out the people of Maidstone where somewhat reluctant to get in front of the camera, so back to the edit we went!

Dean

Final shooting script!

Picture
Jordon and Sam on the beach during the day, only Sam can be seen. She is throwing stones in the sea. Facts appear on the screen as they are said. Titles	V/O presenter- teenage pregnancy facts.
Camera pans out and Jordon is revealed.	V/O presenter introduction- ‘This is Sam and Jordon. Sam had her son when she was just 16 years old. Making her another figure in the teen pregnancy statistics in the UK. We are now going to discover how Sam’s life has changed 10 years on.
Sam at home	Sync Sam- ‘It was a shock to say the least when I found out that I was pregnant. I knew from that moment my life would never be the same again and that I had some tough choices ahead of me. Over the last 10 years, I can’t say my lifes been easy, but what I do know is that I do not regret a single thing.’
Lorraine (Sam’s mum) at home making tea.	Sync Lorraine- ‘I had noticed that Sam was acting oddly and agitated all night but I just put it down to her being a teenager and the stress from her GCSE’s. I woke up that on one evening to Sam sobbing at the end of my bed, around quarter past midnight on my birthday. This is when she told me she was 6 months pregnant.
Archive footage of Sam when she was pregnant.	V/O- We stayed up all night, I held her tightly as she sobbed. I told her that it was all going to be ok in the end and that I still loved her. I was upset, because it immediately brought back memories of me when I was a teenager. As I myself, became pregnant at 17 with Sam.  But in a way I was relieved as in this day and age its different and there were more options for her. I don’t think I was worried as much as another mother in my situation would be as I knew that I had been through this same situation and brought my children up in a stable and lovng environment.
Sequence of Sam and Lorraine having a cup of tea and chatting.	V/O Lorraine- ‘I was shocked more then anything else, as Sam was always the sensible one. I knew I was able to prepare her for this major change in her life though. The one thing that I wanted her to know more then anything is that everything was going to be OK, and that she would always have all the support she ever needs and her family would be there no matter what.’
Archive footage of pregnancy scans.	V/O Lorraine- ‘The first thing that ran through my head was abortion, but realising that Sam was 6 months gone, this was not an option. Even if this was an option, I do not think Sam would have gone through with it. Adoption was never an option as I knew we could give the baby as good a life then anyone else could. We needed to go to the doctors straight away as she had had no check or scans as she was too scared to go on her own.
Back to interview with Lorraine in living room.	Sync of Lorraine- ‘Overall I believe that Sam made the right choice for her and I could not be more proud. She has never let the state keep her. She has never sat back and always worked for what for what she has got even with the situation she was in. I do think Sam has been lucky with the support she has received from her family, and this is what has been a major part in her success in life. I think she is a great mother and cannot fault her mothering skills in anyway.
Sam and Leanne walking along the Brighton Pier talking.	V/O presenter- ‘Sam and Leanne have been best friends for 18 years. Leanne went through the pregnancy with Sam, and knows all the hardship she has been through.
Interview with Leanne at kitchen table.	Sync Leanne- ‘Walking home from school one day, Sam was acting really coy and had not been her usually bubbly self all day. I asked her if everything was OK as I was worried about her, and that’s when she broke down and told be she was 6 weeks pregnant. My first thought was that I couldn’t believe my best friend was pregnant at such as young age. We were such close friends and I just remember us crying the whole way home, trying to think what to do. I know that she had been with her boyfriend for quite a while, but Sam was always sensible, she was having sex but knew from all our sex education class, to use protection. She was the sensible one of us 2, always focussed on her exams, so this news came as a complete shock to me.
Archive photos of Sam and Leanne at school.	Sync Leanne- ‘At first I didn’t even know what to do, we were both still like kids ourselves at 16years old with no cares in the world. I was scared so I couldn’t even imagine how she was feeling. We talked about all the options. My first thought was for her to have an abortion, she was 16, she couldn’t look after a child and give it the support she needed. But once we had a proper talk about it I realized that for Sam, abortion was really not an option. Sam was going to keep the baby. She told me not to tell anyone as she was going to keep it a secret for aslong as she could. I knew though that it would only be a matter of time before she started showing.
Sequence of Leanne and Sam at school.	V/O Leanne-  ‘Immediately I became more protective and worried about my best friend. I would stick up for her at any occasion. As the months went by I became more paranoid, as I was sure someone was going to find out soon that Sam was pregnant. Little things like PE lessons would make Sam worry as she didn’t know what would harm the baby and what wouldn’t.
Interview with Leanne in kitchen.	Sync Leanne- ‘After Sam had the baby it was hard to spend as much time with her as I was so busy with college and my weekend job. But I felt guilty about this and so tried my hardest to see her at least once a week. It made me upset that it felt like we were growing apart and not as close as we used to be.
Back to Sam and Leanne on the beach.	V/O Leanne- ‘It made her pregnancy 10 times harder then normal teen mums as she was hiding the pregnancy for such a long time. I saw Sam upset and scared so much, she was always worried what other people would think of her. It was an extremely tough time for her.
Sam getting Jordon read for school in the morning. Pick ups of school uniform laid out on bed, lunch boxes, toast popping out of toaster, eating breakfast.	V/O presenter- ‘Jordon and Sam went to the same secondary school, so a lot of the teachers that taught Sam are now teaching her son.’
Sequence of Sam re visiting her old secondary school.	V/O presenter- ‘A lot of the teachers at Sam’s secondary school washed their hands of her when they found out she was pregnant. Even though this was the case, Sam stayed strong and continued with her studies. She sat her GCSE’s even though she was heavily pregnant , and continued with her school career through out her pregnancy.’
Interview with Sam. Lots of emotional close up, zooms.	Interview dialogue.
Sam with her two sons, Jordon and Ollie and her partner on the beach at night wit sparklers.	V/O presenter- ‘ we have seen through out this documentary how Sam’s life has changed over the past 10 years and how she has coped with these changes and turned them around to make a better life for herself and her children. She has triumphed in the face of hardship. Even though everyone has a different opinion on Sam’s situation she has made the people who disagree with her having a baby at such a young age see that she can do just as well as any other mother.’ V/O Sam- ‘I do not regret a single thing in my life.’

The final schedule!

Schedule

Here is our schedule for our day of filming.

7am- wake up

8am- leave for Brighton

9.15am- arrive at Abbi’s house

9.30am- film interview with Lorraine

10.00am- film sequence of Lorraine making tea

10.05am- film sequences of Lorraine and Lexi. On sofa playing etc.

10.30am- film sequence of Sam and Lorraine having a cup of tea

10.40am- archive footage and pick ups

12.00pm- lunch

1.00pm- interview with Leanne

1.30pm- interview with Sam

2.00pm- shots of Sam and Leanne walking along the Brighton pier

2.30pm- pick ups of school they both went to

3.00pm- film sequence of Sam getting kids ready for school, pick ups around the

house

4.00pm- Sam helping kids put coats and shoes on and leaving the house

4.30pm/when it gets dark- sparklers on the beach

Abbi

The final shot list!

Shot List

Date:17/11/11

Location 1: Lorraine’s house, 341 Bexhill Rd, Brighton

Cast: Lorraine, Sam, Lexi

1.       M/S Interview with Lorraine in living room.

C/U off-centred Interview with Lorraine in Living room.

2.       M/S Sequence of Lorraine making tea.

3.       M/S of Lexi and Lorraine cuddling on sofa or playing in the garden.

EC/U of Lexi’s face.

4.       Over the shoulder shot of each person in sequence of Sam and Lorraine having a chat.

Mid Two shot of the conversation.

5.       Archive footage

6.       Pick ups: Cup of Tea

                Water pouring into mug

                 Hand stirring tea

                 Teddy

Location 2: Sam’s house

Cast: Sam, Leanne, Joe, Jordon, Ollie

1.       Establishing Shot Interview with Sam on the sofa.

C/U Interview with Sam on the sofa.

EC/U Interview with Sam on the sofa.

2.       M/S Interview with Leanne at kitchen table.

3.       L/S Interview of Sam getting ready in the morning.

M/S Sequence of Sam getting ready in the morning.

4.       Over the shoulder shot of Sam looking through old pics.

5.       L/S Sam getting ready for work.

6.       L/S Sam, Joe, Jordon and Ollie getting coats on and leaving house.

M/S Sam, Joe, Jordon and Ollie getting coats on and leaving house.

7.       Pick ups: Toast popping up, pack lunch box, ironing, work uniform, picking up keys.

Location: Beach and pier

Cast: Sam, Leanne, Joe, Jordon, Ollie

1.       Long dolly shot of Sam and Leanne walking along the pier.

M/S of Sam and Leanne walking along the pier.

2.       L/S of Sam looking out to sea.

M/S of Sam looking out to sea.

3.       Establishing shot of everyone on the beach at night playing with sparklers.

M/S of everyone on the beach playing with sparklers.

C/U of smiling children.

4.       Pick ups: Brighton Pier, Lights, Arcade Machine, Sparklers.

Maddie

The shoot!

So the shoot is all set for Thursday! Everything has been completed, risk assesments, final script and shot list. Which we shall post on here shortly. Our contributors are all confirmed and ready to go. The only problem is that we still dont have permission to film on the beach, we have left countless messages on answering machines and emails, but no one has got back to us. We still have a full day tomorrow so will keep on trying and fingers crossed we will be able to film there because it is such a beautiful location!


Maddie

Final Script

Final Script for 'Millenium Mum'

Picture
Jordon and Sam on the Beach in the day, only Sam can be seen. She is throwing stones in the sea. Facts appear on screen as they are said.	V/O presenter- Teen pregnancy facts
Camera pans out and Jordon is revealed.	V/O presenter introduction- ‘This is Sam and Jordon. Sam had Jordon when she was 16 years old, making her another figure in the teen pregnancy statistics in the UK. In this  documentary we will explore the trials and tribulations of being a teen mum in the 21st century.’
Lorraine (Sam’s mum) at home making tea	‘I had noticed that Sam was acting oddly and agitated all night but I just put it down to her being a teenager and stress from gcses. Sam woke me that night sobbing at the end of my bed at quarter past midnight on my birthday. She told she was 6 months pregnant.
Archive footage of pregnant Sam	We stayed up all night as I held her as she sobbed. I told her that it was all going to ok in the end and that I still loved her.’ I was upset, because it immediately brought back memories as I was 19 when I fell pregnant with Sam but I was in a way relieved as in this day in age its differents and there was more options for her. I don’t think I worried as much as another mother as I knew that I knew I had been through this and brought my children up in a stable and loving enviroment.
Sequence of Sam and Leanne having a cup of tea, having a chat.	I was shocked more than anything else, as Sam was always the sensible one. I knew I was able to prepare her for this major change in her life and I wanted her to know that she would always have the support she would ever need and I would be there for her no matter what.
Archive footage of scans	The first thing that ran through my head was abortion, but realising that Sam was 6 months gone, this was not an option. Even if this was an abortion I don’t think Sam would have gone through with it. Adoption was never an option as I knew we could give the baby as good a life that anyone else could. We needed to go to the doctors straight away as she had had no checks or scans as she was too scared.
Back to interview with Lorraine in living room	Overall I believe that Sam made the right descion for her and I could not be more proud. She has never let the state keep her. She has never sat back and always worked for what she has got even though the situation she was in. I do think she was luck with the support she got from her family. I think she is a great mother and I could not fault her mother skill.
Sam and Leanne walking along the beach front, holding childs hands, swinging them through the air	V/O Presenter- ‘Sam and Leanne have been best friends for 18 years, Leanne went through the pregnancy with Sam, and knows all the hardship she has been through. Stronger than ever, Leanne tells us how having a best friend who was a teen mum affected her life.’
Interview with Leanne at kitchen table	Walking home from school one day, Sam was actually really coy all day not her usual bubbly self. I asked her if everything was ok and she broke down and told me. She was 6 weeks pregnant. I couldn’t believe that she was pregnant at such a young age, we were so close and I just remember us crying the whole way home trying to even think what to do. I known that she had been with her boyfriend for quite a while, but sam was always sensible, she was having sex but she knew from all our sex ed lessons not to mess around.  She was the sensible one of the two always focused on her exams, so this came as a complete shock.
Archive of photos of Sam and Leanne at school	At first I didn’t even know what to do, we were both still children at 16 years old. I was scared so I cant even imagine how she was feeling. We talked about all the options. My first thought was for her to have an abortion, she was 16 she couldn’t look after a child and give it the support it needed. But once we really talked I realized abortion wasn’t an option. Sam was going to keep the baby, She told me not to tell anyone as she was going to keep it secret for aslong as she could. I knew it was only a matter of time before she started showing.
Interview in kitchen with Sam	Immediately I became more protective and worried about her, I would stick up for her at any occasion. As the months went by I became more paranoid as I was sure someone was going to find out soon. Little things like PE lessons would make Sam worry as she didn’t know what would harm the baby or not. After Sam had the baby it was hard to spend as much time with her as I was so busy with college and my Saturday job, but I felt guilty if I didn’t see her once a week.
Back to Sam and Leanne on the beach	It made her pregnancy ten times harder than normal teen mums as she was hiding the pregnancy for such a long time. I saw Sam upset and scared so much, she was always worried what other people would think of her, It was a tough time for her.
Getting ready for school in the morning. Pick ups of school uniform, lunchboxes	V/O presenter- ‘Jordon and Sam went to the same secondry school, so a lot of the teachers that teach there now have not only taught Jordon but Sam aswell…’
	‘Although a lot of teachers washed their hands with Sam once they found out she was pregnant, but it was at this school she gained the education by sititing her GCSEs and continuing with her school career through the pregnancy.’
Interview with Sam Lots of emotional close ups On beach looking out to the sea.	Interview dialogue
Sam with her two children, Jordon and Ollie and her partner on the beach at night with sparklers	Ending line, ‘I wouldn’t regret a thing’

Commission Unit: The new comer

So I handed in  my script for the 'Login, log out' documentary today and it was decide by Simon and Helen that I was to change group, So I'm now part of 'Millennium Mum' documentary which i'm happy about as I know I've joined a hard working team that could do with a male prospective!
So my first job today was to sit down with my new group and go through the script and try to make it tighter which I think we've all done very well.
They also asked me to look for a suitable song for the opening titles to set the tone of the documentary, so using my music knowledge I went on youtube and pick out 2 songs to choose from, the first one was from the film 'Juno' 'Anyone else but you' by The Moldy Peaches, or the one we as a group decided fitted the documentary best was 'Gem of a bird' by The View. and here is the link if you would like a listen.

Dean