Pick Up Shots Day 7

So, last Thursday, Alex, James, Dan and I troop back to Wellington to finish gathering the last of the shots for Pernickety. There's a list of six shots, and it takes us 11 hours to shoot them. Gordon's perfectionist streak has rubbed off onto all of us, and there's no point in doing anything half-heartedly now! Alex and I had to be body doubles for Gordon and Penelope, which was highly amusing... I got to wear Kellie's crasy boots, and a cushion cover to hide the fact that we didn't have Kellie's costumes on set. Luckily, we had all of Gordon's attire, and Alex fitted them a treat, although it become obvious that they are certainly not the same body shape! But by making us out-of-focus, James managed to achieve the shots effortlessly. I was worried that the amount of moles I have on my arms might get picked up on, but having watched the edit today, I'm fairly satisfied we've done a good enough cover-up!

Here's Alex watching back the shot of the female figurine smashing on the piece of marble we placed under the carpet to give it a better chance of shattering. It worked a treat, only I was out buying fish and chips for lunch and the boys neglected to wait for me before they got into destruction mode - not fair, I'd been gagging to see them perish, as I'd spent so much time making sure they stood together safely before this moment. (Remember me saying that we only had one set of each...)
Here's one of the figurines used in the finale, but notice a slight alteration to his arm... he has two hands! Oh the fun we had with these figurines, I've still got the whole collection at home, in various states of grotesque disarmament!

We couldn't have asked for better weather for these establishing shots, the sun was shining on the front of the house to highlight the features and add yet more grandeur to the establishment... You'd never guess that it's a b-u-n-g-a-l-o-w!

Alex, (still wearing Gordon's outfit on his lower-half), James and Dan work out how to frame the shot, as I watch for traffic on this road outside my Grandma's house... They're aiming for a sweeping pan across the hedge and up to the sign I so lovingly made, shame it only gets about two seconds screen time and you can't even see the bit that reads, "Proprietor Mr. G. Pernick". Oh well, it still looks authentic though.


Mid-way-through this tricky pan, Dan sticks the camera through the letter box and paps us in full-concentration mode...

Alex and Holly looking oh so professional using the crane to pan up to the door bell and then up to the light above the door. Turned out to be quite a tricky shot as there was only two of us to maneuver the crane and I also had to body double in order to press the bell!



The video clips below include high-lights of smashing the figurines on a marble slab under a piece of carpet, assembling and moving the crane so as not to get run over by traffic, Alex throwing a newspaper (ie the paper boy) at a gnome for a 'realistic' morning establishing shot. Then there's Alex pondering about how to make the figurines fly to the floor realistically, whilst He and I act as Gordon and Penelope's body doubles!

Test Title Sequence

Above is a screen grab of the wireframe Phil created for the teapot that pours out the letters P-e-r-n-i-c-k-e-t-y and then they rearrange themselves neatly, as if Gordon is at work! Phil has thus far only seen stills and video clips of the production, so I am amazed that he has picked up on my vision so accurately, this tea pot is pretty much exactly the same as the one Gordon uses to woo Penelope at breakfast! Phil created this from scratch in a day, and he's got some great ideas for the credits...

Here is a sneaky peek at his first try at the title:



For a first attempt, I am absolutely gob-smacked! I think it's perfect as it is, but striving for absolute perfectionism - I asked Phil if he can make the tea pot pour more than once and have a few more of the letters rearranging themselves for the next try. He said yes, so I can't wait to see how it turns out...

Phil lives in Manchester and can be contacted via the following routes:

www.PhilBearman.co.uk
0161 834 3328
07740 367197

DVD Artwork

Phil suggested that we put a few credits on the front cover, which I think works very well, and he faded out the wallpaper under the text to make it stand out more coherently. I still need to work out what text is going to run at the bottom of the back page, but as yet, the running time is still negotiable, so I'll probably leave it to the last minute.


This is what Phil sent me the same afternoon that I set him my mock-up, pure genius! I have no idea how he did it so quickly, just cut and pasting mine took a whole morning...


I didn't want to give too much away on the front cover (right page), so I thought keep it simple and go for the title and tag line. The back page has the comedy image of Gordon inspecting his cactus for de-fluffing.


I had no idea how to convey my idea for the artwork in words, so I thought I'd just make a mock-up, scan it and then send it to Phil. It's very basic, but Phil must have understood my vision - see above!


How pleased I was to get an email from my best friend's (Stills Photographer on Pernickety) brother, Phil Bearman saying he was keen to start on the artwork for the DVD cases and graphics for the title sequence! For free! It's amazing how people want to keep the momentum going on such a low-budget project, the good will just keeps fizzing up and up...

Premiere and Publicity

To anyone interested in viewing the film, it should be ready for a screening at the end of June, most probably at the Engine Room, (http://www.theengineroom.net/) in Bridgwater.

Updates about the film can be found if you join the Pernickety Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=37537091240&view=user#/group.php?gid=37537091240

Any questions or enquiries can be directed to me at: pernickety@hotmail.com
The website with extra features such as; script excerpts, detailed cast and crew biographies, and an extensive photo gallery will soon be available on: www.mrpernickety.co.uk

Thanks again to everyone involved, especially Matt, James and Alex of Level Films (http://www.levelfilms.co.uk/index.html) for their help with the budget and getting the cumbersome kit to and from each location! Alex has commenced editing, and he's a pro, so fingers crossed a rough cut will be ready by the end of this week...

THE POSTER SHOTS

Here's a selection of my favourite images, poster shots for promotion of the film, courtesy of Miss Kerry Bearman, of Kerry Bearman Photography.
www.kerrybearman.co.uk











Here is the photo-shopped image that Kerry has been working on for the home page of the Pernickety website - coming very soon! The idea is that he will stand like this, with vile beige wallpaper behind, as various trinkets from his collection fall and build up around his body, eventually covering him from head to foot.


Massive thanks to all crew and cast involved in 'Pernickety', it's been a roller coaster of a week, with much, much hilarity. I haven't laughed quite so much, quite so consistently in years... my cheeks still hurt from laughing... The most significant achievement of this project has been the amount of dedication everyone has put into it for nothing - for the love of filmmaking. I added up my receipts last night, and my outgoings for the project (from screen test to expenses, to presents for location owners and cast) is £300. I know that the Level Films boys have spent about £200, so we've made a film with (I think) very high production values for approx £500. With a crew of 6/7 people!

Nick said that the big budget shorts that he has starred in in the past have had triple the amount of crew, so I think we've succeeded to prove that smaller can be better. I haven't felt so exhausted in a while, but the immense sense of achievement I feel now weighs out any niggles... having so much control over the project also gave me a much needed confidence boast.

PERNICKETY DAY 6

Day 6 at the Walnut Tree hotel in North Petherton started off promising, as we arrived an hour earlier than anticipated, but then it swiftly went a bit pear-shaped. After carrying up the kit, James and I went into Taunton to get some props from Sainsbury's, then onto the rugby club to pick up a mini-bus that was supposed to be used for taking the dolly and kit back to Bristol later in the day. James filled the tank from a Jerry can, and then got in and turned the key. The engine made disapproving noises. He tried again, again and then a short pause. It sounded like it was dying! And it was!

We then drove (in James car) to his friend's work place to see if we could borrow his van for the day. No problem, but not till after two o'clock... ok, so we go back to the hotel and get on with setting up as quickly as possible. As I wasn't paying to use the room, Claire (receptionist) said we had to finish up by two. For all the other days of the shoot we didn't have time limits, so the pressure felt unusual and unpleasant. But, we only had one scene to shoot, so surely, it wouldn't take long?!

It was great to have Matt around today, (see above, the man below the dangling knickers) a fresh face and another person to witness the eccentricities of Gordon Pernick... the room was better than I remembered, and the twin beds worked a treat to add further awkwardness to Gordon's naive disposition. Set dressing was fun - flinging underwear around the room and messing everything up... I think the boys got a kick out of the situation we were setting up and there was certainly enough laughter to prove the affirmative.

Here's Nick eating some ridged Hoola Hoops on the (closed) toilet, taking a short respite in between takes. The first part of this scene took no less than 15 takes, a record number for the shoot... I really believe it was the time constraint that was putting us on edge... and there was a lot for Gordon to interact with as well...

The last of the nasty figurines, Gertrude, loses her head in this scene, but she also lost her arm, due to Nick's over-enthusiastic handling of her... but instead of fretting, we turned it into another comedy moment. Maybe the young couple deliberately broke her and stuffed her broken arm up into her neck!!! Yes, that'll work...


Some hilarious video clips of the boys playing with pants and figurines... they'll probably kill me for this...

PERNICKETY DAY 5

Last night I took Nick with me and my sister, Lilli to our friend's 50th birthday party at a village hall in North Newton. Needless to say, we got very, very drunk, and I still needed to find two extras for day 6. I don't think I got out of producer mode all night - "Hey, Lloyd, what'ya doing tomorrow, do'ya wanna be an actor?!" Most said no, or maybe, but Charlotte, trusty Charlotte says a definite "YES" straight off. Love the girl, what a legend...
Think Crabb might have already agreed, but I was too drunk to remember if we'd found a man to play Charlotte's on-screen beau.

Woke up this morning very, very drunk, and extremely tired. Got up, made breakfast for Nick, packed the car, then phoned Charlotte. She's still up for it.. see you in ten. Nick arrives for scrambled eggs and tea, James arrives and then we wait for Charlotte. We're already half an hour late... I ask Lilli to phone her again. She's waiting for us, in North Petherton. Oops! First boo boo to me. So we make a quick get away in James' car and race up to pick up Charlotte. Luckily her and Crabb are ready to go, if a little jaded from the booze. They fit into their characters extremely well, a couple of young'uns off for a dirty weekend away... Alex suggests we give them a few lines, I whole-heartedly agree, but then can't come up with the dialogue as the booze has cut off the supply of brain juice to my head...

This (below) is our genius cast and crew shot, standing in front of a topiaried tea pot - yet another irony on this shoot! My Gran's house is full of tea pots, she has tea pot books, we use tea pots in just about every single scene, then - BANG - we're following a road that leads to our second location and here this surprise feature awaits our thirty eyes! Pure and utter freakery...



I think day 5 was my favourite (despite the HUGE hang over and being told off by Alex for making everyone late, oops!) day because everything felt natural and we really were having this much fun! The phallic references and slap-stick-esque behaviour of the characters really meshed well with our collective sense of humour. Kellie came back from Bristol at 4, just in time for pasties and a good giggle!

PERNICKETY DAY 4

Day 4. begins well, there is a buzz in the air that reeks of confidence and happiness with cast and crew alike.... I think we know what we're doing! Everything has clicked! Except for Kellie's fringe, which is being most unruly today... until we get Kerry (stills photography) to help out... and calms the waters. Well done Kerry, and thanks for your fabulous pictures, which I will post later!
A bit of quiet time as the cast enjoy the wireless facilities during a coffee break... god bless the Internet!

Here's James rigging up a blonde(?) I'm still coming to grips with the terminology of lights and other bits, but find it quite amusing that some of the most important bits of kit have the most ludicrous names - dolly? Red head? Peganini?



Here is a selection of video clips from day 4. my favourite is the one where Dan plugs in our beige prop phone to call Alex, who is in the next room... Alex is not best pleased, but it was highly entertaining for the rest of us! Also, Gordon looks decidedly creepy before his hair is fixed, maybe belonging in a horror movie about hair or a reincarnation of Norman Bates?!


Also, check out Nick's animal impressions - absolutely amazing!

PERNICKETY DAY 3

Here's Kellie looking fresh and beautiful at the start of day 3. I know the shot is over-exposed, but it's effective against her dark hair...Here's Alex pondering on how the hell we're going to achieve the show-down between Gordon and Penelope, that is also supposed to be a seduction. It ended up taking about two/three hours to set up, but the results are perfect. We decided against letting the audience see them getting it on, on the sofa, and instead decided upon the much more subtle approach of suggestion and rattling tea cups. Then Warwick recorded some soundtrack with Nick, repeating a series of "Yes's", gradually getting louder and more climactic... absolutely hilarious!!! Bearing in mind Nick has done a lot of radio work, voice-overs and such, his comedic timing is impeccable, and it echoes the "No, no, no's" he mutters to Penelope in the finale. I'm glad the original ending stuck, because I don't think audiences should be spoon fed!


We were so lucky with the props that my Gran already had at her house, I hardly had to bring in anything, and then someone spotted this teapot book and we suddenly had a reason to keep Gordon in the room during Penelope's breakfast scene.

I was so worried about these figurines, as I only had one pair for this finale scene. I'd bought other sets, but they'd already been used in other scenes. We put cushions on the floor and had a load of practices using aerosol cans... they didn't get smashed, but Nick managed to bounce one off the edge of the table so that it looked fairly serious. Alex and I will have to do the smashing on carpet shot next week. We've borrowed a piece of matching carpet from my Gran and are intending on filming me in Kellie's boots treading on the broken pieces. I know it's cheating, but it would have taken too long to get the shot right on this particular day and would have required half a dozen sets of identical figurines...

Here's Kellie looking extremely mischievous, momentarily dominating her opponent in the challenge of figurine positioning!


Kellie looking very cheeky again, using the Rushbury charm to seduce Gordon into thinking he's won the game!


Good chin action here, Gordon, what could Penelope possibly be reaching for here?

A short video clip of a section of the finale:

PERNICKETY DAY 2

Day 2. and the sun is shining! Nick is in character and looking dashingly beige... again! We have two additional crew today, Lilli on costume design and Dan Gale (Right Smart Productions) on camera/lighting. I stocked up on sweets, chocolate and pastries today as we seemed to use up a lot of food yesterday, and I figure that if I can keep the crew and cast's bellies happy, then we're going to have a great, artificially energetic day... here's Nick arriving outside for tea and donuts, in a typical Gordon-esque pose.


Oh no, the sugar high has peaked and the energy lull has sent Nick to sleep. What this photo doesn't show is that ten minutes later, my Gran sat in the chair behind Nick, he woke up when his head fell off the arm rest and he shouted "F**K" at the top of his voice, he thinks (or hopes) that my Gran found it amusing...

Whist doing the last bit of cleaning in preparation for today, I found my favourite teddy, Pennington bear. He's a lot smaller than I remember, but then, I won him at play group... so I was pretty tiny then as well!

To give the impression of space, the crew took this shot outside the window, through the gazelle's antlers for added depth and a unique focal point. I love Alex's vision here, the whole film has a theme running through it that will help to bring that connection between Gordon and his objects of affection closer to the audience.

So glad Dan took over my camera for a while today - he also has a great way with composition and such a cheeky type of humour...

Another one of Dan's shots, the lighting is just beautiful here... definitely a poster shot!


Tea time and we're all having more cakes - all except James, who found a pack of Pringles in the kitchen and hid in the corner to devour them.. until Dan exposed him in this shot... we didn't know who they belonged to, but they disappeared again straight after this tea break. Where did they go, James?

A fabulous shot here, and another stroke of genius by Alex, using the lamp as another devise for clever framing. Kellie was not best pleased with the distortion of her face, but we all thought it was ace!

More videos here; one of Kellie whistling magnificently in between takes, one of us all laughing at the lamp distortion (sorry Kellie!) and one of Kellie and Nick fighting over the last night's Indian takeaway...

PERNICKETY DAY 1

Day 1. felt a bit awkward and alien, (mainly because I felt out of depth and tired from a previous day's shoot on a friend's film), but I was determined to put 100 % into the project... once we'd found our bearings, located props from their hiding places and fed the cast - we were ready to shoot. We only got about two/three scenes done, but taking our time and striving for perfectionism paid off as we went our separate ways that night.

Here's Nick and Kellie at the end of day 1. feasting on a fantastic array of Indian dishes from my local restaurant in North Petherton... the staff stayed open just for us and it was certainly appreciated! Although I personally wish I hadn't indulged in the rich stuff as I did not sleep a wink, too much digestion for my body to cope with...


Here's Nick with a Sabata moustache, just before he slicks back his hair and trims the Sabata into a neat pencil... he's ready to become Gordon...

Here's Alex and James (www.levelfilms.co.uk/) setting up the dolly that we managed to blag from a company in Bristol for virtually nothing, I think they paid for 1 and a half days (£150) for a six day shoot - good work! In the photo below, the dolly is sinking into the soggy ground, when we left at around 11pm, the next door neighbours (on a slightly lower flood plain) were evacuating water from their houses... we were very lucky to get this break in the rain.

Day 1 and I'm feeling a bit daunted, but excited about the forthcoming week's filming. Nick agreed to a wardrobe fitting last night, and aside from freeing up a button on some trousers, all is well and looking decidedly beige. Also notice that Nick's face is covered in hair and he really didn't want to remove it... "nice to see you, to see you nice!"


These are a few video clip from later on day 1.
The hall way that looks pretty immaculate here was covered with carpet and completely full of junk, so I had to clear it, clean it as the boys set up the kit... really wish I'd had time the previous week to do a proper good cleaning-up operation. I thought my Gran kept a startlingly pristine home, but we all suffered from dust/allergy-type symptoms as the week went on... it's probably been years since the house has been deep cleaned.

Props and Giggles

Here's the finished reception desk, complete with side flaps for Gordon to hide behind... took three coats... and was still sticky during filming - oops.... I'm always a bit on the generous side when painting...


Unfortunately, Alex pipped at the post for a cracking "vacancies" tag on EBay, and with pre-production time running out, I decided to build on my prop collection... The sign is actually red nail varnish painted over the same gold ones as in guest house sign, but I didn't have a big 's' left, so I had to use another letter's outline as a stencil!