KC and Andrew Ormerod, decided that it was best to start shooting on Friday night, rather than the Saturday. My call time was 7pm at the office interior (in The Cannon Street Business Centre), to tell Andrew Ormes how I wanted it dressed, and work out any last minute things with the crew.

Then, it was off to our first shoot location; the office exterior at Aldermanbury Square (different to the interior). This first scene we were shooting was supposed to have a crowd of Londoners evacuating the city. I wasn’t expecting many people; I had asked for about 50, and then use camera lenses and angles with visual effects to enhance it. Instead, only about 15 people turned up! The weather and late night were probably to blame, but I was lost. We tried it a few times, and it looked really bad.

After a bit of thinking between Pete and myself, we came up with ways to try and make do with what we had. From what I saw on the monitor, it looked quite cool, but I have a feeling there will be a need for a lot of post-production work.

My hero of the day has to be Chris Andrews. Unfortunately, our original “visual effects supervisor”, who I won’t name, didn’t bother to turn up to any of the shoots. Luckily, I know my visual effects so I had managed on those days, but I really needed somebody to supervise this crowd scene while I focussed on directing. A few hours before the shoot, Chris got in contact with me asking me if I needed help with post-production. I asked if he could actually help with the production as well, and he said yes. The bonus is, he actually turned up and was a big help. Thanks Chris!

While I’m thanking people, I’d like to thank the extras that came and were so patient in the cold, doing one take after another. It wouldn’t be a crowd of people without you.
Thanks also goes out to Jacqui Adams for looking after the extras for us.

We finished the crowd scene at about 12am, thanked and sent the extras home, and then it was back to shoot the scene in the office interior. It was better than most of the other shoots, as it was indoors, dry and warm, but it was during the night so the whole crew were fighting sleepiness.

I am always a “crazy” person, but I think I went even crazier than usual that night. It was hard. We finished the office scene at about 6am. We needed to shoot a newsroom scene, so we thought we might as well do it on the same night in the office. We put up a not-so-green-screen on the wall (it had a lot of yellow in it), and Pete tried his magic to make it evenly lit and not look too yellow.

Lubna Milne, who I had never met before the shoot, played the newsreader. She was such a professional, and we filmed it fairly quickly.

I can’t remember when, but we finished earlier than scheduled. I ended up getting home at about 9am. Went straight to bed, and woke up at 5pm. The night shoots mess up my brain. I can’t tell what day or time it is. I felt like it was afternoon, when it was really 11pm. Our next and final shoot started at 4am on the Sunday, but that will be talked about in my next post.

Here’s some production stills taken by Andrew Ormerod:

I woke up at 4am to get ready. The call time was 7am, the location was a bus stop on Finsbury Square.

When we all got together, Pete began to set up the camera, and I went through the scene with the actors while they got their makeup done.
Then, trouble…

Due to the Easter weekend (I think) there was a Jubilee line replacement bus service. The problem: the buses were using our bus stop as a waiting stand! As one left, another would take its place. Disaster!

It got to a point where I had to make up a new story of how these characters meet to work with the only location we had in control at that time, a monument thing, or, scrap the day to shoot on another day. My director side wanted to do a different day, but my producer side said no way.
It was bad, and I felt as though my film was going to be ruined!

Luckily for us, Andrew Ormerod showed us all, once again, what a great Location Manager and scout he is. He found us a new bus stop on Silk Street (near the Barbican centre) within 10 minutes. A bonus was that this new bus stop was actually better than our original. It was a quieter road and was still urban looking (being just around the corner to Finsbury Square).
In the words of KC, our Assistant Ditector, Andrew Ormerod is a ‘legend.’

By doing the recce a few days earlier with the original bus stop, Pete Wallington easily adjusted to the new location, and the shot list didn’t have to be changed.

Shooting was “easier” than the night before as all the scenes were at this one location. We shot the first scene pretty quickly as it was only about three lines and we moved on to the next.

There was a little interuption when a security guard from a nearby building decided he wanted to feel important and powerful by demanding for our shooting permission. After a few words from Andrew, he went away saying he’ll be back after talking to the law department and police. He didn’t come back and no police came.
Maybe he just wanted to be in the film.

Anyway, the scene was a flashback scene, pre-destroyed London. To have that contrast that I want, this scene involved extras. I only needed about five, but the night before my casting director told me he couldn’t get any extras because of the Easter weekend!

Luckily, after only a few calls to friends and family, I had my extras. I’d like to thank them for helping me out when I really needed them. Thank you: Davina Tirvengadum, Kay Munns, Alyaa Khogali, and my mum. I just forced Adeel (my brother) to sit there pretending to read a newspaper next to the actors. So, he’s actually in a lot of the shots with the actors! Also thanks to my sister Zahrah Ahmed and my aunty Amina for turning up and doing nothing.

Anyway, we shot that pretty “effortlessly” although the extras did get a bit bored, not realising the time it took to set up between shots. Thanks again extras!

Next up was a post-destroyed scene, where the characters are battered and bloody. Jane did a great job matching up Drew’s makeup from the shoot on Saturday, and pretty quickly too. It was also Claire’s first time with the blood and scars. It was gross.

Surprisingly, even with the few hiccups and near disasters that we encountered, we actually finished early! That’s all thanks to the great cast and crew. We’ve all become friends, having fun and still getting the film shot on time. We’re doing what we love.

We also witnessed a pigeon dying. It was sitting there when we started. Chris Patterson (Focus Puller) could probably tell the story better. He’s told it so many times, each time it gets better and more epic. Basically, it was quite ill looking. It’s wing was badly damaged. A little while later, we went to check on it, and it started coughing up blood. Then it’s head slowly dropped, and it died. Sad.

By the end of the day, I was in a bad state. I had the worst headache I’ve ever had, and I had to drive home.
When I got home it worsened, and I felt really sick.

After some TLC from my mum last night and today, I’m feeling a bit better. I’ve been lying in bed writing these two posts and tweeting on Twitter on my iPhone.

After all the energy it has taken out of me, I still love directing. Just next time, I’m going to try limiting films I write to day time and set it indoors where it’s nice and warm!

Here’s some production stills taken by Andrew “The Legend” Ormerod:

I’m taking a little break so I thought I’d post an update of what’s been happening in regards to Shattered Pieces. Today, Andrew, KC, Pete and I met up on Paul’s Walk at 11:30am. While KC and Andrew sorted out the schedule and logistics of the shoot, Pete and I went over the blocking of scenes and the camera shots we’ll be using. 

We then went over to see the Bus Stop that Andrew had managed to lock down. We’re going to have the bus stop to ourselves for the whole day, which is great. Pete and I went though the blocking and camera shots again.

Unfortunately, the alleyway location had to be changed because of the inconvenience our filming may cause to residents. So, we headed over to the new location Andrew had found. The whole look of it was great, but there was an annoying bollard at the “entrance” of it. After about 10 minutes of “ooh-ing” and “aah-ing”, we finally agreed that there was nothing that could be done about it, and that Andy Ormes would just have to dress it up a bit with his posters. After going over the blocking and camera shots for this location, we all went off.
Pete went off to get the camera equipment and KC went home to sort out the call sheets and scheduling.

Andrew and I decided to check out the office interior on Cannon Street for next weekend’s shoot. There were several to look at, but I saw one that could really work with this film, and it was quite big. Andrew will be sorting that out, but that’s for next weekend. Right now, I’ve got to focus on this weekend!

Anyway, I’m off to prepare some notes for my actors. Then I’ve got to chase everybody up on getting the insurance papers signed, and then go to the supermarket with my mum to get food and drinks for the shoot (because of the bank holiday weekend). I’ll try to post again tomorrow, the day before the shoot, but seems unlikely, and it will probably be another boring post about last minute planning and scheduling.

Just when I think it can’t get any more stressful, what happens? It gets more stressful! It has been hectic. With only two days really to go now, KC, Pete, and Andrew have been working flat out in trying to make sure we start shooting on Saturday, and make it as smooth as possible.

I began the day by finally sorting out the film insurance (for a crazy amount of money!). I then met up with Andy Ormes to check out a new location. We then went back home, got in the car and drove to Chigwell. There, Andy’s brother-in-law, Tom Livingstone, had got together a few bags of broken bricks and wood for us to use to create the debris from the destroyed buildings. He was practically offering anything we wanted.
Then, back at home, I’ve been liaising with the others over the phone and email, and trying to get my own stuff prepared for the shoot on Saturday.

KC (Assistant Director) has been trying to schedule and work out how everything is going to happen. From something like: how long it will take to make the actors look bloody and dirty, to how long it’s going to take for them to be cleaned up for the next scene!

Andrew (Locations Manager) has been busy trying to finalise the locations, working out where actors and crew will be able to eat and rest, where we’ll be able to park, and a hundred other things.

Pete (Director of Photography) has been going crazy trying to get rental companies to open up on the bank holiday weekend just to let us use the equipment, as well as pulling out his hair every time a location is changed and having to work out how the lighting is going to be again.

Andrew Ormes (Production Designer) has been working hard on some “Global Order” related posters and flyers that will be on the walls and floors in some scenes, adding more depth to the world we are creating for this film.

I’ll try to update before the shoot, but it seems very unlikely with the amount of work that needs to be done between now and then. I’m going to be meeting the key crew tomorrow morning again to do a recce.