On the set

Our shoot went fairly smoothly, although it could definitely have been better. For my own reference, here is a list of things I will aim to do differently on set next time:

• Location scouting - no-one actually did any location scouting, although Jonny and Poppy mentioned that they had been to both the possible locations previously. Once we arrived at Endecliff Park we discovered that there were an almost unlimited number of different locations to film in. For example, there was a disused mini fairground (presumably closed until summer) which would have made an excellent backdrop. If only we had known it was there beforehand, we could have tried to get permission to film a scene there, and we certainly should have visited to plan where to film all the scenes, which would have saved a lot of time.
• Rehearsals - Most of the other groups I have spoken to did rehearsals, and I would have liked to do so, only our original actors dropped out, and there wasn't really time to have rehearsals with the replacements. While we were able to run through the script on the day, I was frustrated with the fact that although the actors had been given copies of the script, they hadn't actually learned any of their lines, and I had to spend valuable time going through scenes with them. Next time I would have at least a few hours of rehearsals to get the best performance out of the actors.
• Call sheets - I know these are usually the producer's job, but without them (as our producer didn't make any) it was difficult to get everyone in the same place at the same time and actually get things shot. I met Hannah, Poppy, Peter and Fiona at stores, all of whom were on time and ready to go, and we were at the location by 12:30. However, the rest of the day was a bit of a muddle, with Jonny turning up with our first actor at around 1:00 (around an hour later than had been said), and the other actors appearing at 2:00 and 2:30 (also an hour late each). I get really tetchy when people are late or unreliable and I had to try really hard not to get snappy or bossy for the rest of the day (it isn't fair to take out personal annoyance on your crew, especially when they are doing such a great job all day). Call sheets are like an informal written contract to make everyone get to the place at the right time, and next time, if my producer doesn't make them, I'll draw them up myself.
• Having a base - The amount of times I had to send a member of the crew away from the set to look after our huge pile of rucksacks and equipment bordered on ridiculous. I don't want to have to give up a valuable member of the crew to "stand guard" over our empty kit cases. Being able to drop unnecessary kit somewhere and pick it up later would be a much better idea, because the kitbags often get in the way of shooting too. I suppose this is why film crews have vans, and tents...