Motion Blur(2025)

My time on set as a producer came by with unexpected challenges which included the sound mixer not working. Here is a breakdown of the challenges that came by and how we dealt with. 

Booking Out Day

The day before our bookout we found out that we are able to bring the equipment in around 8pm and we scheduled the van to pick us up around 1pm. With the van drivers unavailability we had to schedule a van via Quick Man And Van. With this, we were back on track with picking up equipment. 

However, on that very same day I also found out that the risk assessment was not done properly resulting not only me staying up until 2 am doing something that isn’t my responsibility, doing the 3 risk assessment for our 3 locations that we will be shooting. With this, not only was I not able to fix the risk assessment on time, our book was delayed 4 hours because of that. I found that we couldn’t do much. We managed to book out at 16.00pm instead of our initial time of 11.30 am. 

We quickly packed up the van then headed to Aquifer Film studio. 

Shooting Day 1

On the first day of shooting, we encountered a sound issue first thing. The sound mixer started turning on and off resulting in us losing time and having to shoot without sound for half a day. One of our production assistants had to go back to LFA to collect a new one. 2 hours later, he returned with a new one which then started to freeze. We couldn’t fine out the reason. 

With time running out, we then decided to rent out a sound mixer, Zoom H8n which we were still able to get but unable to use the tentacle. With us losing time, we then lost the plan we had and had to prioritise getting coverage.

With this situation that came by, I felt like a did a good job that i was their reassuring my crew and telling them that it will be okay while also trying to solve the issue of the sound mixer not working. People trusted me enough to come to me and ask for me to help and those details makes me want to do the best I can for my crew. 

Not only that but I received really comments from my crew about the space and how the space was a nice space for them. There was a coffee machine as well as complimentary tea and coffee for cast and crew. Which was one of the biggest reasons I was impressed by this studio in the first place. 1.) The space for the cast and crew with great facilities for them drink and eat and relax 2.) A big enough space to film simulating a car is moving. 

The final thing that came up which was the taxi driver had to leave for his meeting at 3pm. This affected a lot of what happened on the shoot but we had to do as much as we can to get the film made. 

Shooting Day 2

For the second day of filming involved a unit move as well as an intimate scene which involved kissing. The first unexpected situation we encountered was our 1st AD being an hour late. I then had to step up as 1st AD. As the issue I saw my 1st Ad not doing was informing what is happening today, the crew was left confused. I then stepped up and explained to my crew what needed to be done. I found that it created a better environment for everyone. My crew appreciated me letting them know who is allowed on set and who isn’t.  With all of that, I felt like people trusted me.

We then had to quickly wrap up the shoot in the studio due to actors availability. Then for the next location it is a unit move back to Kubrick Studio. The unit move was smooth and we got some really nice shots. 

One of the things while closing up to finishing the film on the second day was that I found out that I requested an extra hour for the end with school even though it was not needed. 

I was a bit disappointed not only with that but also the fact that I made some decisions or calls like asking the crew to stay an hour longer, so we were filming from 8am-7pm and I asked them if they could stay until 8pm which that be over time which we didn’t do in the end. But what frustrated me the most was that I was requested to get an extra hour at the school even though it wasn’t really needed.

I regret asking my crew to stay longer but I am glad that it didn’t happen in the end.

Last Day

For the last day of shooting, it was at 29 Penywern road, my accommodation. With us not being able to secure the permit to film due to it being a residential area and us students not being able to film because of a student. We took the risk of filming their. 

The film went by smooth and all of the crews were all helping out and doing their best. I bought donuts and fruits that the crew would like as a thank you before shooting to build up the tone.

What I definitely learnt from this is that people have different perspectives on how a producer should be. I also found that I am pretty good with people and I can do it. I should focus on what what sort of producer I want to be and in some ways, I gain a level of confidence officially saying that I am a producer, for this project and many more to come—