Prague Friday 18/02/11

The final stages of the documentary are coming together and although we have had and overcome our fair share of problems this week I think that we will be able to produce a good documentary out of the footage we have been able to capture and luckily not all interviews were lost as they were recorded using the SQN sound recording system onto a separate hard drive.

Today we just picked up on a few of the cutaways we were unable to film yesterday of some derelict parts of Prague and some architecture of a communist building.

Finally I would just like to say that all of the pictures used within my blog posts from Prague are all my own, which I took over the course of the week.

Prague has been an amazing experience and I am so glad that I took on the opportunity. Although we have had a few problems along the way even from right at the very beginning changing from a Short Film to a Documentary I have learnt so much from this experience. Even from the simplest of elements like checking the equipment before taking it on shoot  to developing my confidence working with a new group of people and thinking on the spot to solve a problem or resolve a tricky situation. One of the major aspects I wanted to get out of this project was working professionally as a team and I think that together we have done this. The process of idea and development particularly while out in Prague progressed in a professional manner and together we overcome those minor/major problems we faced, which in itself was a result given the circumstances. Also I have developed individually while on this project and have become a lot more open-minded and willing to take on new ideas even at last minute, which is how the week unfolded quickly developing ideas and putting them into practice. In addition to this I have come to understand the actual importance of roles, which is something that almost failed us when over in Prague due to certain people not for-filling their given roles meaning others had to step in – this was an easy way to resolve it however this should have never happened in the first place. All in all however and like I said before although we have faced some hurdles that ideally we did not want to come across, how we went about overcoming them was professional and the footage we have got I think is something to be proud of and am looking forward to seeing the final outcome.

Prague Thursday 17/02/11

Disaster strikes! We meet at 7am to go through the footage and for some reason the tapes that we filmed on using the Z1 yesterday will not play back. After trying on two different cameras this was still the case. It seems as though the printing heads or something along those lines have failed us and due to this we now have none of the footage I shot yesterday however for the interviews at Jo’s Bar and at the Irish pub luckily the sound was recorded onto the SQN. Which means some of it we can still use as part of the Documentary.

However this did leave us with a quite a problem as what were we to film on now? This called for a major group meeting to discuss where about we were and what needed to be filmed again. We still had the HD handy-cam which we had been using all week and the SQN however all of the cutaways we had already filmed on the z1 were now lost.

Therefore we went out to delegate what had to be shot now. This we did using two Nikon D90’s on filming mode. My group consisting now of Me, Adam and Carly then went out to shoot graffiti, trams and traditional restaurants. At dinner we met and all seemed to be going to plan.

At breakfast on this day I really did feel like everything had gone wrong and we’d never be able to produce a good documentary however after pulling everything together and a long days worth of hard work really feel like everything is coming together and there are just a few pick-up shots that need shooting tomorrow.

I have developed personally so much already this week and have most certainly increased my thinking on the spot skills, also I have boosted my confidence when talking to strangers as I did not feel afraid to ask passer-bys for an interview and if they failed to respond still kept high hopes. The spirit of the group generally has been up and down due to the circumstances however we have all supported each other really well and I cannot forget the support from Steve, Bex and Clifton, keeping us on our toes and not allowing us to give up.

Prague Wednesday 16/02/11

After such a good day yesterday today was off to a good start with the interview with Michal from Tourist Information, the interview could not have gone better. Also he is able to get us some photographs/footage of Prague as it was before the western society moved in, which will play a key role in the Documentary.

After the interview we went around the main streets in the centre of Prague just off the Charles Bridge and filmed some cutaways of souvenir kiosks and shops, general shots of tourists wandering around and signs of more traditional and family run cafes compared to that of McDonalds/KFC.

While we were out capturing this the other film crew, group 2 went off to the football stadium for Sparta Prague and managed to get hold of come people who they could interview tomorrow, also they managed to get hold of a close contact of the American Ambassador who hopefully we will be able to conduct an interview with before the week is out.

We met up to discuss where we were at later in the afternoon and this was at a bar called Jo’s Bar which to our surprise was founded in 1992 and was the first American Bar to open in Prague shortly after the Velvet Revolution. Whilst catching up on what all groups had been able to film a group of Liverpool football fans came into the Bar and were happy to be interviewed about their reasons for coming to Prague (the football game vs. Sparta Prague) and happy to talk about what else they were to do in the few days they were here. Which to our surprise was to try out the Czech cuisine as been stereotypical and making assumptions we all presumed that they would be visiting the ‘restaurants’ that we as the western culture had provided over there.

Later on we that evening we went to and Irish Bar where we had arranged a couple of interviews with staff and public about their views on communism and what actually brings them to Prague. Some of their views were really strong and will play a key role in our Documentary. There were a few issues with the lighting in this Pub upstairs as it was really dark, luckily we did have some PAG lights that helped brighten the scene, otherwise it was a really good location and although removed from the main hustle bustle of the pub had a comfortable feel for the interviewees.

I cannot reiterate how pleased I was after the days shoot we had gained some fantastic shots and was feeling really enthusiastic about the next two days that can be used for catch-up shots of cutaways.

As a treat this evening we went on a night shoot where I made good use of my new Nikon D90 DSLR. Being new I was still coming to terms with a lot of the settings of the camera but was determined to keep all of the settings in Manual Mode! Although some of the shots of the castle we not quite as I had expected looking back I am really pleased with the professional touch that some of the photos I took have about them. One of the main issues I had was the image not being light enough particularly when looking down onto Prague city from above, where the street lights were just a tiny blur in the background even with a slow shutter speed.

Below are a mixture of shots from the night shoot and various shots taken from in the day for some of the locations we found;

Prague Tuesday 15/02/11

Another early start and we began with a group meeting to discuss yesterday’s findings. At this meeting we developed our idea further and came up with a plan to take the documentary down the route of Prague as a changing city and how it has directly been affected by communism and the western culture. This meant that the idea of presenter was put to one side and our findings would be presented through a variety of interviews with the public and shop owners and others that may appeal to the subject. So today’s task was to find those interviewees and see what their views were, also finding a character or a few characters that could play a fundamental role in the documentary.

So off we went and approached Prague centre again. Firstly we headed into Tourist Information where printers were available to print the interview release forms. While we were in there we took this opportunity to ask two of the workers in there to see if they had any knowledge of what Prague was like ten or more years ago before the western country took over. To our surprise they did and we found out that Tourist Information had only been there for ten years and prior to this it was a Chinese. Also in here one of the workers Michal seemed to know a lot about the change and had been directly affected it by it due to been born and living in Prague all his life. Unfortunately he was too busy to interview today and therefore I arranged to meet with him tomorrow morning at 10am to conduct a formal interview in front of the camera. So far I was pleased with the day’s progress and was looking forward to see what other characters we could find.

To find the next few interviewees we stood on the edge of Charles Bridge where a lot of tourists would be walking past to see who we could find. Our first victim was a middle aged man who spoke English and lived in Ireland – he told us about Prague twenty five years ago when he first visited and how much it had changed, particularly the influence of the western culture and the introduction of the worldwide takeaways. It was certainly interesting to hear what he had to say but he was not a strong enough character to carry the piece, however parts of what he touched up on could be mentioned and spoke about in more depth in another interview. For the next couple of hours we asked several groups, couples and individuals the same few questions and only a couple more were willing to speak in front of the camera. What we found out today was really interesting and at our next meeting before tomorrow’s proceedings we will discuss our findings and develop the idea further to give the Documentary more of a focus point.

Prague Monday 14/02/11

Today we went off in the individual groups as discussed last night to source out some of the Czech tradition through cuisine, tourism and restaurants.

Our group worked really well together and sourced out some restaurants that would suit the documentary in terms of the traditional culture of Prague. In the morning we filmed at various touristy locations to get some general footage of the busy locations that attract tourists and the feel that the tourists bring to the city of Prague. This we filmed on Charles Bridge around the statues and tourists being intrigued in their meaning, also the element of touching for luck etc, taking photos of one another just outside of the main route on a side bridge. We  also took a walk down some side streets and managed to get some really good footage of the city with some comparison shots of traditional/western, restaurants/cafes that were located directly next to each other. Also the different in the menus that were located outside of the restaurants/cafes. The filming of this was shared between me and Aaron and even when not controlling the camera we would advise each other as to how to frame a shot and which shots that would look good.

We then went on to try Pork Knuckle with dumplings and sauerkraut. Which was a success and although after asking for an interview with one of the waitresses and her turning us down as the restaurant became busier we were able to film our reactions and we tasted and discussed the food, alongside some traditional ‘hot wine’. Also on the schedule for today was to shoot some more general shots, which went well.

All in all I am really happy with how the documentary is going at the moment and considering this idea is just at the beginning stage I think that by the end of the week we can get some really good footage and hopefully produce a successful documentary. Another aspect I am really pleased about is how well the group as a whole and when split is working together. When we met for lunch we discussed our findings and schedule for the afternoon and again discussed at the end of the night ready for the next day’s proceedings. This helped me relax a little as I was worried about working in such a big group, but as of yet communication is going well and generally I have no complaints.

Prague Sunday 13/02/11

Bags are all packed, equipment ready to go and as we wait for the coach in the foyer of Ellen Terry the Documentary begins. We are all gathered excitedly as we begin the filming of the journey, Kim gets ready in her presenter role and me, Aaron and Adam begin to set up the camera.

Problem one strikes – as we turn on the camera and begin re-setting everything it soon becomes apparent that something is wrong. For some reason the image is really dark on the screen and after upping the gain, opening the iris, re-setting the camera again and generally changing the settings the image will not lighten up. This was not a lighting problem as the room was pretty well lit. So we ask Bex the technician if she knows what the problem is and typically our luck the light sensor seems to have gone on the camera. So although the idea was to take two cameras one back up and one to use the decision was made to leave this one behind but take its batteries so that the other camera would last slightly longer.

After this slight dilemma we continued filming on the other camera getting footage of us all waiting in the foyer when another problem came about – the coach was late and we may not get to Stansted Airport in time for our flight. Spirits lowered slightly but we all knew that at some point today we would get a flight into Prague. All in all this slight pickle gave us more time to film and Kim the presenter spoke to camera about her worries with the coach and spoke to other members of the group about our delay and their thoughts. Also we got some general cutaways of people sleeping on the sofas, groups talking and generally group atmos.

Finally we are on our way and with moments to spare arrive at the Airport to check in, running through security and settle onto the plane. The journey went really well no luggage lost and in good but tired/hungry spirits we all got onto our transfer coach. Here a very helpful Czech lady spoke to us about the parts of Prague we drove through, telling us a little about the history and pointing out sites such as the local football ground for Sparta Prague where the match vs Liverpool would take place later in the week. Also she mentioned a little bit about the currency and how to work out the exchange rates and advised us on which buses/trams to get into Prague centre.

When we arrived at the hotel our spirits rose again and I for one could not wait to get into Prague centre to see what it was really like as a lot of the scenery we passed on the coach journey was fairly bland. However soon after unpacking Prague certainly lived up to what I was expecting of it with the beautiful buildings, views and of course Charles Bridge where we would be filming.

During this day we then went on to get to know Prague a little better by working our way around and scouting various other locations other than Charles Bridge that would be good to conduct the interviews. One thing that particularly struck us at this point was that St John did not have as bigger impact on us as we initially thought he would. Therefore when returning to the hotel the group re-met and discussed where our idea was at and where we could take it further.

At this meeting various suggestions came up and we decided to keep with the idea of a presenter and their exploration of Prague getting to see/try out various traditional vs. western aspects to Prague. This topic I find really interesting as when I visit a different country I expect to see the traditions they keep rather than the typical same old ‘things’ I see at home. During the meeting I suggested trying the Czech cuisine to see how it varies from British culture and indeed the general food aspects of the western society (e.g. Subway, McDonalds, KFC etc). Other aspects we discussed and still wanted to look at were what brings tourists to Prague and when they are there what do they do, eat, see?

This was a good point to be at to start the week and from here the group of 12 split into 3 so that we could cover different areas.

• Group 1 – Me, Kim, Mike, Aaron and Carly – discovering traditional food, tasting and documenting/finding people for possible interviews
• Group 2 – James, Dave, Adam, Jenny and Tom – discovering the western influence in Prague and documenting/finding possible interviews
• Group 3 – Josh and Lucy – photography element comparing the traditional vs. Western culture

Final Prague before we go

During the last few meetings before we left for Prague our idea took a turn in its development. Going from a Documentary about Charles Bridge as a general focus, to one of the statues on Charles Bridge (St John) and finally our journey in Prague with the use of a presenter.

During the meetings we split the research up  so that we could all easily look at the different aspects. Mine was to look at the myth/legend/story of St John and why tourists have such a big attraction to him.

First of all looking at the story on a general level I found this link http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j178sd_JohnNepomuk5-16.shtml which explains the story of St John before his death and goes in to detail about the reasons for his sentence to be drowned in the river, where the five stars appeared above his head. He became a Patron Saint and many families looked up to him for what he had done and holding the confession.

Below is a link to an image of a tourist touching St Johns’ statue that stands on Charles Bridge. Allegedly bringing good fortune to the bearer of the touch. This is a myth which brings tourists attention to the statue, as the same for a few of the other statues on the bridge.  http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Czech_Republic/Bohemia/Prague/Prague/photo931988.htm

Here is another bit of information I found rather interesting http://www.praha.eu/jnp/en/entertainment/culture/lucky_touchstone_is_moving_from_charles.html

‘Tourists have been touching the reliefs under the St John of Nepomuk sculpture since the 1990s. Allegedly the legend came into being in January 1991, when an inventive Prague guide told it to the group of tourists. Praguers have never been sold on touching the reliefs, but from time immemorial they have been drawn to the small cross incorporated in the breastwork of Charles Bridge where they place their hands and say their wish silently. “This is a cross with two arms and five stars symbolising St John of Nepomuk on both of those arms as well as on the top. When you place five fingers on those five stars, your wish should be fulfilled,” said Petra Hoftichová. The cross is to be found at the place where Nepomuk was thrown into the river. Last year, a baroque grille consecrated by Cardinal Miroslav Vlk was placed next to the cross (its original is also in Charles Bridge Museum). ‘

To think that such a tale which has had a big impact on the tourists was only made up just short of twenty years ago is quite a breath taker and makes me wonder why they believed and how it has spread so fast? Or was this something they heard and thought it important to pass on?

In addition to this I found this post from a tourist of Prague just over ten years ago: http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/blog-447441.html

‘If you have been to Prague you probably have seen the plaques below the statue og St John og Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge. People touch both the plaques, and there are different beliefs as to what magic powers they possess. Some say the one on the right can be touched for good luck or you can make a wish, others say that when you touch it you will return to Prague. The plaque on the left depicts a dog. There are various myths connected to this plaque: Touching it means good luck or bad luck, you can make a wish or you can touch it to make sure that the wish you made when you touched the other plaque, is kept a secret. Now, here’s an interesting story concerning the dog plaque: I visited Prague for the first time in 97. At that time the dog on the left-hand plaque was completely black. Everyone touched St. John , but as far as I could see, no one touched the dog. As a joke I went over to the dog and touched it. My friends did the same and some other tourists saw this, laughed at the joke and touched the dog as well. I said to my friends that when we come back in a couple of years, the dog will be just as shiny as St John. Of course, I didn’t believe this myself, but I came back two years later, and the dog was shiny as gold. Now everyone touched both St John and the dog. Coincident? These myths about good/bad luck must have developed after 97. Does anyone have pictures of the statue from 97-99? I would really like to get to the bottom of this.’

This seems to suggest the story has always been around but the myth is just something recent, it really would be interesting to see what the statue looked like say thirty years ago and if this myth was there or it was a developing story. With this research the Directors will compose mine and others to see what the final outcome is.

On Wednesday 9th February we had our final meeting where we discussed the research we had come up with however this was probably one of the worst meetings in terms of people turning up as there was only five of us. From this point we discussed the idea in depth and decided that although we had a story it still needed developing into something different and not just a series of interviews or a fact video in the end. This is when we came up with the idea of a presenter which would allow us to explore them and look at Prague through their eyes, which would allow us to perhaps include other sites in Prague but having St John as our main focal point.

I really like the idea of having a presenter as it would give the piece more of a sense of individuality living the Prague experience through another’s eyes and would give as audience something more to relate to. The only problem I had with this was it coming across as cheap and casual as we want this to be a professional piece. However we chose our presenter wisely and offered Kim the place, she is quite a chatty, bubbly character who would be able to bring other tourists into the Documentary comfortably.

Wish us luck.

Research for Prague

During my research for the Barons I came across some of the Prague ledgends … here and Top Haunted places in Prague .. Here

BARONS

Some articles say 10 lords were executed during the Middle Ages and their heads were placed on spikes on the bridge, and they’re now said to sing ballads of sadness to scare away anyone brave enough to cross the bridge at midnight.

Other articles talk about the ‘famous’ “27 Protestant lords who were beheaded in Staromestské Square for their habit of throwing Catholic envoys onto the castle dung heap. It’s said the headless lords are still seen from time to time and their apparition foretells bad times for Prague’s citizens”.

One of these 27 is Jan Jesensky …Here

Jáchym Ondrej Slik – here

Kaspar Kaplir – history of church)

The other names seem to be anonymous.It’s quite interesting with the gold on the bridge is meant to scare the ghosts away…also the painted white crosses on the floor symbolise the 27 executions as it were.

 

Prague an Update

After the last couple of weeks of executive decision-making and fundraising it has become apparent that the QUAT short film we were going to make is now going to be no longer possible. Therefore at the last two meeting we have being discussing exactly what it is we are going to be producing while over in Prague.

One of the suggestions that came about was a Documentary about the Charles Bridge, which was seemingly the most popular. Here we can look at several aspects such as the myth/ghost stories that are told of the Bridge and the history behind it. Another idea was the look at the Jewish population in Prague and how this was affected during the Holocaust, where we would be able to visit Synagogues which have to names written upon the walls of all who were murdered.

http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=598

http://www.prague.cz/charles-bridge-statues/

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Prague.html

I think that both ideas are really interesting and will enable us to use and develop our research skills as this is something we will all take part in. The idea we have gone with is the Charles Bridge where we will conduct various research between us into the several aspects surrounding the Bridge – its purpose, history, the myths/ghost stories, tours and the statues.

My Plan of Action this Week:

- By Sunday 30th January the individual research tasks will be complete, in order for the Producer/Directors to discuss and decide interesting topics around the Charles Bridge, so that we have a focus for the Documentary

- To organise another screening as I did before, to take place Tuesday 8th February

Prague Test Shoot

Yesterday we under took a test shoot in order to look at scenes of difficulty and generally practicing with the cameras before the decision whether to use the z1′s or JVC-700′s is made.

First of  all the cameras not being completely familiar with the JVC-700 it became apparent that I need to practice with the camera and my handling skills generally. The set up took much longer than it needed to due to this and we found problems with the white balance when using the three-point lighting due to it being so dark. Also when colour grading on the camera the difference between the two cameras is very contrasting and therefore it is vital we decide which camera to use soon so we can quicken the set up of the grading and shadow darkening. This is one thing that I found was a lot easier to do once found in the menu on the JVC-700 than the z1. Also in creating the contrast between dream and reality through the camera settings on the JVC-700 can be saved under 1, 2 and 3 allowing the change on camera to happen much quicker when on location.

I found the shoot really helpful and although my role is not full-on camera work it is still vital for me to know the ins and outs of the cameras and will only find this through practice. It also allowed us to begin the working together as a team process and each stepping in to our individual roles.

Below some of the better bits of footage from the test shoot: