Filming Report (29 & 30 Nov 2007)
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Overall Comments:
Looking back we had a great shoot.
I think all our cast & crew had fun! I did!
This was a great team. Friendly and highly efficient. Everyone was happy to help each other out & bonded well. Of course throughout the shoot we scared each other (or was it entertained?) when relating our favourite spider stories! Plus lots of spider jokes - who can resist?
We scheduled two days to shoot the two films. As mentioned, we were going to use the same script with only minor modifications to the dialogue. But then made major changes to the look of the set and tweaked performances aiming to create 2 very different films. Guess what? We did it - on time & on budget.
Spider comments:
We found the most effective prop was a photo of a huge Huntsman spider. We pinned this pic high on the ceiling, which was perfect for actors’ eyelines and gave something real for actors (& crew) to react to.
Also noteworthy was a camera frame that as far as I am aware has never been attempted in cinematic history, an over-the-spider shot! That is, we framed as for an over-the-shoulder shot, but instead we did it over one of the spider’s legs, keeping one of its lower legs in the foreground & right of camera, while capturing a 2 shot of Pat & Alex at the dinner table. Luckily our spider was compliant, holding still enough for 2 -3 good takes, though we did see it looking a bit nervous at one stage.
In retrospect, the most demanding crew job was spider wrangling. We needed 2 good shots of the spider running away (on both days). So we decided to give this tricky task to the writer, who luckily had befriended Septo, as it became affectionately known. Applying every trick described in the ‘Huntsman Spider Manual’, we eventually found the best approach was to gently coax it to amble quickly from the lounge room (for a wide-shot) & then do the same as it went under the bedroom (for the close-up). Despite the need to frequently reset Septo back to first position & do multiple takes with Alex chasing it, our spider obliged without complaint. [Please note: no Huntsman were harmed in the making of this film.]
Shooting Days:
Day 1 (29 Nov 2007):
Our prediction that shooting the first film: ‘Harmless’ on Day 1 would be challenging, proved spot on. Moving furniture to create the set, fancier set dressings, lighting set-ups to give a richer look, cutters to create shadows, specific dolly movements, careful make-up & hair styling - all made things challenging to film within the time constraints. Nevetheless we still finished within the 10 hour day, capturing some great performances from Jaclyn and Sarah.
Day 2 (30 Nov 2007):
On Day 2, although the crew probably knew the dialogue off by heart, the scenes still felt fresh as Steve & Aidan delivered nicely on their respective characters for the second film: ’Housemates’. Wanting to create the reality TV look, we used simpler set-ups, no make-up & flat lighting with kinos. In the end, Day 2 was like a reward as we finished early, being ahead of schedule every step of the way.
Special Thank You’s:
A huge thank you to Armondo, who kindly allowed us to film at his house over the 2 days and was most patient with our many requests.
Also a special thank you to Pete Greenaway who organised the catering - it was fantastic & bountiful!
Tony Chu
