Weather
Originally, before it was apparent that I would be filming my FMP during a Covid, with serious restrictions on being inside places, I had planned on filming at an inside location, as I explain in my Location Scouting section. This would have had a huge number of benefits logistically, one thing being that I wouldn’t have to worry about the weather. As I also explain and discuss in my ideas section, I considered everything and decided it was more sensible to change these plans and film outside instead.
This does mean that I now need to keep a close eye on the weather for all my filming. This was a calculated risk, in making my decision, but it was certainly challenging and stressful, given the great British weather. It was a factor in my decision to aim to film as soon as I could after we returned to College after the Easter break. I had decided to borrow the College Panasonic Lumix S1H Camera because it can film in 4K. I explain and discuss my reasons in my Equipment Research Section.
Because, due to Covid restrictions, I had never had the opportunity film with the Panasonic S1H 4K camera, I decided that I needed to borrow it to try it out before I filmed my actual footage. The first week after the Easter break, we were doing online learning. I emailed Chris, our department technician, to ask if I could come to College to borrow the Panasonic Lumix S1H 4K camera over the weekend for a test filming session on Saturday 24th April. Chris checked with our tutor, Attila, who confirmed that I would be allowed to. I had been checking the weather all week, and the weather was looking good for that Saturday. I had already done a test filming session with my own camera on the Monday immediately after the Easter break, Monday 19th April, to check that my ideas for some of the fancier shots would work. and the weather had been good then too. On each of my test filming days, some friends from my course had helped me with my test filming. I couldn’t have tried out what I wanted to try out without them. It did however put an added concern on the weather being good those days since I didn’t want to waste their time.
As I have said, filming outside adds an extra layer of uncertainty to planning. When I was asked to be a Runner for Director Damian Power as part of a small crew for his feature film in January this year, we had rain, hail and snow. However, the cameraman had a waterproof cover for his camera, so we were able to keep filming. We don’t have a waterproof cover for the Panasonic Lumix S1H 4K camera, so I have been concerned about keeping the camera dry if it rains. I explain in my Logistics Section about planning to take 2 large golfing umbrellas for light rain and also a 3-man tent to keep all the equipment inside, in case it rains.
I have been keeping an eye on the weather for my test filming days and especially for my filming weekend, using the BBC Weather App and also the Dark Sky App. The only problem is that the British weather forecasts tend to change daily. Some days when I checked the forecast for my Principal Photography weekend it was saying no rain, on other days it was looking like significant rain.
This is an example of me checking the weather forecast on Tuesday 27th April 2021, for the Saturday (1st May) and Sunday (2nd May) of my Principal Photography (actual filming). As you can see from the forecast, although both Saturday and Sunday look pretty good, there is still a chance of rain, although this is one of the better forecasts. I have also been checking the forecasts for Monday 3rd May and Wednesday 5th May as possible backups, but the forecast for those days has been consistently pretty bad.
Saturday Weather Forecast
Sunday Weather Forecast
Monday Weather Forecast
Wednesday Weather Forecast
Since Monday 3rd May and Wednesday 5th May were not looking like possible backup days, I decided that I needed to do everything that I could to get all my filming done the weekend of 1st and 2nd May. This decision was also affected by knowing that one of my cast and crew, Ellie, was planning to film the following weekend, and I would be helping her, so I couldn’t use that weekend as contingency. Our group of 6 on our course have all agreed to be cast and crew for each other. We are in the same Covid bubble at College, so it is more sensible than bringing in other people from other bubbles. The only extra cast and crew member who is not also working on an FMP is Leo, but Leo is also in our bubble. This all has mixed benefits. We are safer from a Covid point of view, which I discuss in the Effects of Covid Section. But it means that we need to factor the others’ needs for their FMPs into our own planning, both in terms of time for filming and when we are planning on using the same equipment, and of course in the effect that the weather can have on all of our filming.
In some ways this is all a reflection of working in the Industry, since when crews are trying plan a film there will be lots of unknowns, for example various people’s availability and, of course, the weather. So, it is good practise. But I am sure that the professionals still find it as frustrating as I did, trying to get everything to line up.
I had originally been hoping that I could get everything filmed in one day. However, the continual uncertainly about the weather, from the weather forecasts, made me decide that I would be wise to try to arrange 2 days filming with my cast and crew, since the whole of my filming needed to be done outside. I felt it was better to arrange that upfront then finish early, than to be panicking on the Saturday evening after people had made different plans for the Sunday. This still wasn’t as straightforward as I would have liked, However, I was able to make the necessary arrangements.
Below is the weather forecast I looked up on the morning of my first day of Principal Photography, for the weekend, that is on Saturday May 1st 2021. As you can see, it doesn’t look too bad.
[Update – Sunday was pretty accurate. It was cold, but there was virtually no rain, just a few drops. Saturday lied though, since as well as rain we also had hail. Hail just wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the previous forecasts. It just shows, you really do have to “expect the unexpected”, as the saying goes. I’ll be writing more about the effect that the weather had on the 2 Principal Photography days but suffice to say I was pleased that I had already arranged to film on the Sunday too.]