STORMIN' NORMAN - DAY FOUR

Photography by Harriet Armstrong - www.harrietarmstrong.com

Day Four of filming for Stormin’ Norman. From the outset I could tell it was going to be a good day’s filming from the weather forecast – unbroken sunshine and temperatures close to 20C. Probably a good thing too, as Day Four involved filming down East Ham High Street and in an open park in Dagenham – hardly ideal for cast, crew and equipment if it’s pouring down! I did, however, make the mistake of wearing a black polo shirt that day – not the best idea given the sunny weather!

My role as transport co-ordinator had already started prior to the take of the day’s filming – I had spent the previous few days researching how to shepherd the masses from their respective homes to East Ham, and then from East Ham to the park in Dagenham by both public transport and by car. Now you may think that organising transport may be a case of rocking up to the station and taking the first train or simply opening a map and pointing out a route, but I like to think it’s much more than that – it’s time saved from getting lost from not being 100% sure how to get from the station to the shooting location, or time saved not looking for a parking space because you know where the nearest car park is! That time saved could mean getting an extra couple of scenes filmed and getting ahead of schedule! Yes, I can get pretty defensive when it comes to transport!

On location I become another runner alongside Anthony, Zainab and Ashney. As well as transporting food (once again provided by Theresa and Perlita – yummy sandwiches!) and sorting out some post-production issues, I also got on with videoing some behind-the-scenes footage. This involved chasing ducks for an interview – hopefully that’ll make the final cut of the ‘Making Of’ video! All in all, it was a wonderful and productive day, which set us up nicely for the final day of filming.

Photography by Harriet Armstrong - www.harrietarmstrong.com 

I come from the more unlikely of backgrounds for this shoot – I studied Economics at university and hold only two stints as an assistant producer on two theatrical productions (the last being Encompass' acclaimed 'What It Feels Like'), so I do not have much working knowledge of how a film is made and produced. One of the things I’ll take away from being on the Stormin’ Norman crew is the unique insight in to what goes on behind the scenes and the immense effort planning that has gone on during pre-production and filming (especially how incredibly repetitive it can get), and a new found respect for the filmmaking process. It’s also highlighted to me the importance of the arts in these difficult economic times, and how important funding for arts projects in the UK doesn’t drop off so that projects like Stormin’ Norman can flourish and showcase the best talent from all fields in the arts. Want to help Encompass do just that? Become a patron!

I’ve enjoyed every single moment so far and I’m proud to put my name to this project. I’ll miss, amongst other things, the callsheets and the driving around to locations and meetings. I’ll also miss the banter, the laughs, and the opportunity to sound like a female sat-nav voice.

But there’s still one more day left. Bring it on!

Joshua Ramirez - Transport Coordinator & Production Runner

Assitant Producer & Treasurer - Encompass Productions
Encompass Productions present "Stormin' Norman"
Written and Directed by Paul G Raymond

Web: www.EncompassProductions.co.uk
Facebook/Twitter/YouTube: /EncompassOnline

STORMIN' NORMAN - DAY TWO (the night shoot!)

Ladies, gentlemen, boy and girls, children of all ages, Encompass Productions is proud to present you day two on location of the Stormin’ Norman shoot. My name is Anthony Anthimou; I am one of the runners on set to assist with the coming together of this short feature production. This was my first project with the production company and I was looking forward to our new venture. By reading this you will gain insight into my world and views of the day that we had in store for us…..so here we go!

The date, Monday 19th March, the time, approximately 18:00, the crew is set the cast is ready for the second day of filming. The good thing about a second day shoot is that all the cast and crew know each other, so all the getting to know you period is over and we could all get ready to rock and roll.

This was also our first night adventure when it came to capturing the essence of Norman, this required more lighting, warmer clothing and lots of hot teas. We were using the same location as we did on the first day of shooting, Norman’s home as I like to call it. Being that we had to film at night we used a lot more equipment and had to be careful about the security of the cast, crew and equipment. As we set up for filming we had a lot of pedestrians interested in what we were shooting; when they see big lights and cameras, they are like moths to a flame. Most of which actually thought Norman (played by Christopher O’Shaughnessy) was a real homeless man and that we were shooting a documentary. One gentleman in particular was so convinced, he came up to Norman, interrupted the shoot to offer to buy him food. Even after ten minutes, the gentleman would not concede that we were filming, needed to record dialogue and thus required silence. So Jonathan (the producer) and I ushered the gentleman to the side (and out of shot), to which he explained that he was sympathetic to Norman’s predicament because he used to be homeless. The guy was pretty cool, he talked about his life and where he wants to go in the world and we wished him the best and returned to the end of the shoot.

On the whole the team was amazing, as a runner and a future film maker I learnt a lot and gained valuable experience and friends. We worked well as a unit, from the director Paul, to the actors to all the crew, it was a quality atmosphere and I look forward to more days of filming. On a side note, the catering was amazing, provided by Perlita and our costume designer Theresa (Jon’s mother and sister!). The food was lovely and the teas/ coffees were of the highest quality (only because I made most of them LOL). P.S the apple juice came in very handy, if you want to know why, well you’re just gonna have to wait to see the film.
Thank you for reading and maybe you will hear more from me, until then….peace, love and the Encompass way

Anthony Anthimou – Runner Extraordinaire 
Encompass Productions present "Stormin' Norman"
Written and Directed by Paul G Raymond

Web: www.EncompassProductions.co.uk

Facebook/Twitter/YouTube: /EncompassOnline