The North Wales Fire Service wanted five films produced with each one having a different focus. I was involved in various roles for four of these films.
Seven Deadly Sins.
This film as you may expect looks at various people who exhibit one of the deadly sins and therefore fail to respond correctly to the fire alarm being set off. Each of the sins are portrayed by little sketches that illustrate the sin and end with the word being displayed in some format.
Wrath is the first sin covered and shows a woman who whilst cooking answers her mobile then leaves the kitchen. This is followed by Lust which predictably features a couple in bed. Thirdly is Pride which shows a woman looking at herself in the mirror and as in the previous scenes the fire alarm is always ignored. Sloth again follows this idea with a woman in bed being more content to stay there then get up. Gluttony is shown with a man more interested in eating than responding to the alarm. The sixth scene shows a man who initially looks like he is going to evacuate on hearing the fire alarm but then decides return to collect his valuable processions this is the showing the sin of Avarice. Which leaves the last sin of Envy which shows a man in a green hoodie, the film then ends with the message "Don't be left in Envy, Get out, Stay out, call 999"
For this film I had the fabulous opportunity to not only be the cameraman but to use the shoulder cam rig. As the only volunteer on this film I really got to develop my camera skills and discovered the true benefit of using rigs rather than just a tripod. Using the shoulder camera rig did make me look forward to being able to use the university's steady cam rig when it arrived over the summer.
Don't invite Death to the Party
This film depicts various scenes where the person has got distracted, and there is therefore the potential for fire. The film then revisits each scene showing the person ensuring a fire won't start. Throughout this film we see the figure of Death visiting or watching each scene but to walk away in the end dejected as he has been unsuccessful in his deathly mission.
As I was one of three volunteers for this film, Dave Fisher & Alex Burden being the other two, we each took turns at sound and filming. For this film we used a conventional set up of a camera on a tripod for filming with a microphone on a boom for sound. This film did give me an interesting perspective as I not only improved my own filming and sound recording skills but got to watch my peers as well, which gave me an observers viewpoint I hadn't really had chance to experience before as I had either been working or in front of the camera never observing from behind the scenes.
Don't be a Damsel in Distress
This film features Cuthbert and Betty, and is set in kitchen although filmed in present day when edited the film is portrayed as an old fashioned silent film in black and white with a grainy finish with scripted boards to tell the story.
Cuthbert is cooking but gets distracted by Betty and Miss Fire enters the kitchen, they endeavour to put the fire out by using a bed sheet but this only makes it worse and turns Miss Fire into Mr Fire. Betty then phones 999 and ends up carrying Cuthbert out of the house to keep him safe. The film ends with the caption "Don't be a damsel in distress! Get out, stay out!"
This film gave us the opportunity to do green screen (live action faces imposed onto a sausage and egg). I enjoyed the challenge of ensuring we captured the action sufficiently to tell the silent story of this film.
Leave it to the Real Heroes
Set at a student party, this illustrates how acting irresponsibly can have serious consequences. As the party progresses we watch one male decide to dress up as a super hero using the fire blanket, in his drunken state he then lets off the fire extinguisher over the other students. Sadly the film then shows a fire accidentally starting in the kitchen and the partygoers find their exit is blocked and are unable to use the fire extinguisher or blanket to escape. The film fades out to leave the message "Leave it to the Real Heroes"
For this film I once again had the opportunity to use the shoulder cam to film the party scene, I really enjoyed the freedom of movement the shoulder cam gives you whilst still enabling the film to be recorded smoothly.
I really enjoyed the time I spent with Legs Eleven Films, and appreciate the experience and knowledge it has given me. To work as part of a production crew where I was just the “hired” help meant I was able to experience what it would be like to work in industry where you follow instructions and have limited input. I think the greatest benefit was having the opportunity to work with the shoulder cam, as it has really shown me the benefits of using rigs to enable movement within a shot without using a tripod, whilst still ensuring the quality of recording. Thank you to Legs Eleven Films for giving me this opportunity.
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